New Found Faith: Recent Episodes
New Found Faith
Changing the lives of unbelievers to learn and know God's word to become a more effectual witness for the Kingdom of God.
There is always reason to hope! Join Pastor McCrary as he dives into the life of Joseph and what his dreams tells us about the Lord.
The future can be quite scary, even when we have insight about the things to come. Should we fear or worry about the future? In this week's lesson, we will see that God will always make a way for us, even in the worst of times.
There is a wicked and evil spirit in our world today that troubles and grieves our soul. No matter how much it troubles us, victory as been assured and we must move onward to victory.
When we think of "the end of time" we think of destruction and desolation. Join Pastor McCrary for this week's lesson as he breaks down Daniel's vision of the Son of Man and expresses the hope and joy of hte vision.
God has promised that the meek shall be blessed - the lowly will inherit the earth. Do you believe in what God has promised?
Nebuchadnezzar has laid down a challenge to God. Join Pastor McCrary for this week's lesson to learn how God is with you in the midst of all your troubles. When the fires are incredibly hot in your life, God will deliver you from the fiery furnace!
Satan is of the mindset that you may win battles but you'll never win the war. This war can be a lion's den and you may even feel like you're trapped in it. This week, Pastor McCrary shows us what we must do to overcome this den of lions as he takes another like at the story of Daniel.
Daniel, as we know, was a man of righteous conviction that we should strive to imitate. Join Pastor McCrary as he takes a look at the obedience, and discipline of Daniel that helped him stand by faith!
Because of God's grace Jesus left us with His peace. Join Pastor McCrary as he goes over how Jesus instructs His disciples to go in peace and bear the good fruits of the Spirit.
In the battle of good and evil, we must stand by our convictions and bow down to nobody. Join Pastor McCrary this week as he takes another look at the stance of Daniel's friends in the face of evil.
The battle of good versus evil wages on today. What side are you on? Join Pastor McCrary as he takes a look at Daniel so that we can imitate the heart of conviction that Daniel had standing in his faith.
There are many different gifts of God that He gives to all of His children. You have received a gift from Him! Join Pastor McCrary this week as he takes a look at the beautiful testimony of Tabitha and her good works.
Can your reputation prevent you from finding forgiveness and being saved by God? Join Pastor McCrary in this week's lesson as a woman with the reputation of a sinner goes to meet Jesus.
The clock is ticking and the bridegroom is coming. So, where is the urgency for us to prepare to stand before Him? Join Pastor McCrary as he warns today's generation about what's to come.
Are you confident in God's promise of victory? On this spiritual battlefield, confidence in the Lord is required to have victory. Join Pastor McCrary as he shares a powerful message about the victory of fully trusing in God's prophetic word.
The story of Esther is a story of courage - faith requires courage. Join Pastor McCrary for this week's lesson as he covers Esther initial hesitation and who gave her the courage to move by faith.
As peril grows in the world today, we must remain hopeful. Join Pastor McCrary as he takes a look a key characteristic of God that we must imitate in the world today.
Did you know that one of the most uplifting prayers we find in scripture came from a woman? Join Pastor McCrary as he takes a look at Hannah's prayer and the beauty of fully opening up to the Lord.
Our lessons on Ruth comes to an end this week as Ruth marries Boaz. Join Pastor McCrary this week as we he teaches about Ruth having a kinsman redeemer.
When the going gets tough, there are one or two things you can do - push through or give up. If you fight, you must make sure you're fighting in a manner to win. Join Pastor McCrary as he continues to preach to a generation that needs to return to God in order to endure.
Can you find favor in the eyes of God even if you have lived as a sinner? Or is the favor of God only for a select few? The story of Ruth continues this week as Ruth finds favor in a certain man's eyes but also in God's eyes.
You must take control of your emotions before the take control of you! There is a serious danger today's generation faces in leaving their emotional doors wide open! Join Pastor McCrary as he takes a look at the importance of self-control.
Are you inspiring others to live by faith? Naomi did that for Ruth, a woman who plays a key part in Jesus' being born into the world. Join Pastor McCrary for this week's Sunday School lesson as we take a look at the story of Ruth.
We are on a spiritual battlefield and there is a key we must have in order to live. Pastor McCrary takes a look at adding knowledge to our faith. It is time for us to know the Lord!
Can women be leaders? Join Pastor McCrary for this week's lesson as the story of Deborah shows that women can be fearless leaders that inspire others.
Godly living has been lost on this generation as there is a steady decline in moral values. Join Pastor McCrary for this week's message as he focuses on returning to godly living.
Join Pastor McCrary for the first lesson of the summer quarter to learn about why God created woman. We will learn that God can use anyone He desires whether man, woman, boy, or girl.
Do you He is the Alpha and Omega? In this week's lesson, Jesus has a final word to share which comes with hope and a warning. Join Pastor McCrary this week as we take a look at Jesus' final message and what it means to all people.
Are you looking for a sign from God so that you can believe in Him? God has an answer that you need to see! Join Pastor McCrary as he shares with us the signs of God and what one can do in order to recognize them.
Do you find the Lamb worthy of worship and praise? Join Pastor McCrary for this week's lesson as we take a look at why it is important for us to find the Lamb worthy of our praise TODAY!
Life, our enemy, and several other hindrances can make it difficult for us to keep doing good. Join Pastor McCrary as he shares an encouraging for us to keep moving by faith and not growing weary
If you don't believe in, honor, and worship Christ, why not? In this week's lesson - The Son Greater than Angels - Christ is compared to angels. If the angels of God worship Christ then why don't we?
We are supposed to be the keepers of peace and not the stirrers of wrath. Join Pastor McCrary for this week's message as he shares Jesus' principles on forgiveness. Jesus' way of forgiveness guarantees peace to those wronged and those who can admit their faults.
Join Pastor McCrary for this week's Sunday School lesson where we take a look at Jesus forgiving and healing a paralytic. This lesson covers the extraordinary efforts of getting the paralytic to Jesus. It also takes a look at Jesus asking whether or not it is difficult for one to be forgiven and healed.
Do you trust in Jesus' mighty power? Join Pastor McCrary for this week's Sunday School lesson as Peter tries to walk on water with Christ. Pastor McCrary shows us through this story why we should never doubt that the Lord is always near to us.
The pursuit of peace is a generational call that must be answered by every generation. Join Pastor McCrary as the series "The Peacemakers" continue with a message about unity, advocacy, and brotherly love.
This week's lesson takes a look at the religious leaders challenging Jesus about the Sabbath. Did Jesus break the law of the Sabbath when a man came to Him with a withered hand? We will see today that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.
This week, Pastor McCrary continues to take a look at the high calling of being a peacemaker. In order to do what's right, the believer must understand God's justice. Join Pastor McCrary this week as he dives into scripture to uncover what's right and wrong in the eyes of God.
Many of us are facing and trying to battle our demons today. However, how many of us are depending on Jesus' authority over demons to defeat our demons? Join Pastor McCrary for this week's Sunday School lesson where we will see that even demons recognize Jesus' authority. You can overcome whatever demons you're facing today, but you must have faith in Christ!
Do you know what your high calling is? We are called to be peacemakers, a lamp in the dark! What does it mean to be a peacemaker? Join Pastor McCrary for this week's sermon as he continues in "The Peacemakers" series.
Many people love to say they are born again believers, yet the make vain His resurrection. Join Pastor McCrary for this year's Resurrection Sunday sermon about living life as the new you - a born again believer.
God has made an oath on two immutable things when it comes to His promise of salvation. What this means is that your walk of faith is not for nothing. Join Pastor McCrary for this Palm Sunday sermon to close the "On the Path to Glory" series.
The race of faith is filled with many trials and tribulations which can make it easy for you to become discouraged. Though the journey is difficult, you can make it to the finish line! Join Pastor McCrary this week to see how to run this race.
As a child of God, we must learn how to stand for what is good and just. Join Pastor McCrary in this week's lesson as he goes over becoming a good spiritual advocate.
Having doubt in your heart will prevent you from being able to enter into God's rest. So, overcoming doubt in the heart is a must! Join Pastor McCrary as he takes a look at doubt and the consequences to having a heart of doubt.
Do you desire to be made whole in your soul? Many of us have souls that are either an empty shell or shattered and broken. There is a way to put the pieces of our soul together.
There is a very powerful lesson that we must learn from the tragic fall of Judas Iscariot. Judas walked with Jesus but why was very far from Him. Why was it that Judas never changed? Why did Iscariot betray Jesus?
Our lesson this week takes a look at Jesus being the head of the church. Jesus is not only the head of the church but we will see that He is sovereign over all things and has brought harmony to all things.
Have you decided to follow Jesus? There is a path that we should all be on in life and that is the pathway to glory. In this week's sermon, I focus on how we must follow Jesus to make it down the path to glory to reach the kingdom of heaven.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at the need for all believers to put on the armor of God. Many live their lives ignorant to the spiritual reality we live in today. You and I are more than these physical bodies and its time for us to recognize this important need.
4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. - Psalm 25:4-5 NKJV
Scripture both promises and warns about salvation. We can gain salvation but is it possible for one to lose salvation? In this week's study we go over God's will, the promise of salvation, and the sealing of salvation. Salvation can't be lost but one can miss it.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth - 1 Peter 2:21-22 NKJV
This week's lesson takes another look at love and unity. We will see that we are to live in submission to each other. To show the depth of love we should have, Paul turns his attention to marriage and submission in a household.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control [a]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. - 2 Peter 1:5-7
In this week's bible study, we take a look at the warning and end results of one not listening to God. There are two pathways you can take in life - the pathway to righteousness and the pathway to condemnation. Which do you desire?
14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above. 15 The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps.
Did you know that there are keys to heaven? In today's sermon, I take a look at how we can receive the keys to the kingdom of heaven. I will also focus on the great responsibility that all keyholders carry.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
You and I have a high calling that we have received from Christ. In this week's lesson we take a look at our calling to uplift and elevate not just ourselves but all of those around us as well.
22 “For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge.” - Jeremiah 4:22 NKJV
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. - Romans 16:17-18 NKJV
Are you able to tell when God is opening doors up for you in your life? In this week's sermon, I take a look at Proverbs 9 to reveal to you the signs on God's doors so that you are able to recognize God's doors and when they are opened to you.
To address any divisions within the church, Paul speaks to all believers about being part of the household of God. In our lesson this week, we take a look at Christ giving His life to bring about both peace between man and God and between brothers and sisters in Christ.
8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. 9 The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; So what wisdom do they have? - Jeremiah 8:8-9
This week's study is the first study in the "Six Great Warnings" series of studies. This bible study series will cover six warnings found in the Epistle to the Hebrews. This week, I go over scripture from Hebrews 2:1-4 which warns against neglecting salvation and drifting away.
37 Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? - Lamentation 3:37-38 NKJV
15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, - Acts 14:15 NKJV
The pathway to prospering and success is right before you but do you recognize and see it? In today's sermon I take the open door set before you by the Lord - what it is, what it leads to, and how we ought to always enter through the door of God.
In this week's lesson, we see the contrast in being God's workmanship and the workmanship of Satan. You and I must understand that God is able to do something for your soul that Satan has no desire to do. Not only that but we will take a look at the reward in being God's workmanship.
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. - 3 John 2 NKJV
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. 9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. - Proverbs 9:8-9 NKJV
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. - James 1:25 NKJV
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV
In the last Sunday School lesson of the year, we take a look at predestination; who is that God has chosen in Christ? Have you been called by the Lord? Let's take a look at who it is that God has called.
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work ..." 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. - Revelation 22:12, 14
56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. - John 6:56-57 NKJV
48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” - Luke 2:48-49 NKJV
This week's lesson is the Christmas Sunday School. In this lesson, we take a look at what it meant for Jesus to be the light of the world and what it means for us when we have resided in His light.
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” 3 Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel... - Mic. 5:2-5 NKJV
37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” - John 18:37 NKJV
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. - Matthew 2:16 NKJV
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. - Luke 1:29-30 NKJV
Most of us would say we desire to be happy in life but what if I told you contentment - peace of mind - is better than worldly happiness? In this week's lesson we take a look at learning contentment.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? - Romans 7:7, 24 NKJV
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. - Luke 10:17-19 NKJV
God has a task for you! Do you know what your assignment is from the Lord? In today's sermon, we take a look at the assignment God has given to us and we take a look at Philip's example of carrying out the tasks.
In our lesson this week, we take a look at the spies of Joshua's mission into Jericho as they come in contact with Rahab, a woman of Jericho, who we will find to be fascinating because she knows the Lord.
16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. - 2 Timothy 4:16-17 NKJV
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit ... 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. - Hebrews 6:4,6 NKJV
Many of us are living in pain on the inside as our soul is grieving. In today's sermon, I take a look at how you must move in order not to hurt your soul by taking a look at Joseph and his ten older brothers that conspired against him
5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at God's encouragement to Joshua to be strong and courageous. You and I must be strong and courageous, as believers, so that we can go and take possession of the blessings that God has for us.
18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck - 1 Timothy 1:18-19 NKJV
5 Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all. 6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich. - Proverbs 28:5-6 NKJV
22 put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. - Ephesians 4:22-24
In our final lesson for this quarter, we take one more look at God's great mercy towards us and who it is that the Lord will justify and make to be holy and righteous. We will also see the nastiness of self-righteousness and why we should be wary of becoming self-righteous.
How do you respond and react when your hater hate on you? Do you respond in fear or do you answer with hate? In today's sermon I take at how we are to deal with and overcome hate.
Our lesson this week takes a look at the gracious rewards of the Lord and those that will receive His rewards. We dive into the thought of what it means for the last to come first and the first to come last. There is a great rejoice we all must share in with when it comes to God's rewards
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you ... 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. - 1 Peter 4:12, 14 NKJV
2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. - Genesis 39:2-3
32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” - 1 Samuel 17:32-33 NKJV
When we need each other, we need to be strong of faith in the Lord and have the courage to step out in faith. In this week's story, we take a look at the motivation faith of Deborah in the story of Deborah and Barak.
15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. - Exodus 14:15-16 NKJV
In this week's lesson, we take a look at a story of forgiveness taught by Jesus so that we can see how caring God is and how when we error, we should not be afraid to go to Him.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you - 2 Peter 3:14-15 NKJV
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. - Acts 8:30-31 NKJV
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4
Do you have the courage to take the first step in stepping out in faith in the Lord? In this week's sermon I take a look at the assurance that we have from God and why we must move in faith to take possession of our blessing rather than be paralyzed in fear.
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. - 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 NKJV
In our lesson this week, we take a look at Jesus teach about forgiving one another. God loves us and in His love He shows us mercy and forgiveness. What do think we should do with the love that has been shown to us by the Lord?
"...Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall. - Nehemiah 4:2-3 NKJV
1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him - Hebrews 2:1-3 NKJV
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints - Ephesians 6:16-18 NKJV
If you have ears to hear, then you should listen to and adhere to the Word of God. In this week's lesson, we take a look at why Jesus taught in parables and what the Word of God can do for you.
God's reward for living in sincere faith is one we should not dismiss but greatly value. In this week's sermon I show you the picture Christ has given to us of God's reward of salvation to show you that it is worth living for.
In this week's lesson we take a look at the second coming of Christ where He will reign for 1,000 years on earth. At the start of this He will judge the nations by separating the sheep and the goats.
37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” - 1 Samuel 17:37 NKJV
18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. 19 The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. - ISAIAH 29:18-19 NKJV
In this week's sermon I ask the question: Is your heart on fire for God? Our heart must be on fire for God but something is dimming the fire of the Church. So, how do we reignite our fire and keep it burning for the Lord?
9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’ - Zechariah 7:9-10 NKJV
In this week's lesson we take a look at the outcome of the rich man and the beggar named Lazarus as Jesus' parable stands as a warning for the hard-headed to heed.
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. - 1 Timothy 4:14-16 NKJV
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
In this week's sermon we taking a look at moving in sincere faith - keeping it real - by taking a look at how we must first take a look at ourselves and be honest with ourselves before we can be honest and truthful with others.
9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. 10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power - Psalm 145:9-11 NKJV
In this week's lesson, we take a look at God's invitation that He has sent out to all people to join Him at the great feast in heaven. Will you accept God's invitation for supper or will you be one of those that reject His invite?
15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. - Galatians 5:15-16 NKJV
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. - Proverbs 3:6-8 NKJV
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ - Tit. 2:11-13 NKJV
Can a man rob God? Do you honor the Lord or do you rob God of the honor that is due. In today's sermon, I take a look at how one can dishonor the Lord and how we ought to live our lives honoring God, His promise, and His instructions.
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. - 1 John 3:11-12 NKJV
In this week's lesson, we take a look at praying to God as an unnamed disciple came and asked Jesus to teach them how to pray just like Him.
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? - 1 John 3:16-17 NKJV
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” - 1 Pet. 2:6-7 NKJV
6 “A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ - Malachi 1:6 NKJV
In this week's lesson we take a look at growing God's kingdom through the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. We will also answer the question as to why evil is allowed to exist with the good in the world.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; - Ephesians 4:17-18 NKJV
12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. - 2 Corinthians 1:12 NKJV
14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. - Luke 16:14-15 NKJV
It's a dressing up room down here. If you desire to enter into the kingdom of heaven and dwell there eternally, we must make sure that our soul is clothed appropriately. In today's sermon, we take a look at the appropriate attire for the soul.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. - Isaiah 61:11 NKJV
Our lesson this week takes a look at the call of the twelve that would follow Jesus and how they were to carry word of the victorious kingdom with all of those around them.
14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ - Matthew 20:14-15 NKJV
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. - Matthew 24:43-44 NKJV
What is the meaning of life? We take a look at how we go about living a fruitful life according to the Lord to where we can look on our life in satisfaction that we have lived a life of meaning and purpose.
Our lesson this week continues to look at the kingdom of heaven and becoming a citizen within the perfect kingdom. In this lesson, we take a look at whether or not we are fit for the kingdom of God and how to get fit.
21 “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. 22 Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. - Job 22:21-22 NKJV
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8 NKJV
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” - Romans 8:14-15 NKJV
Some are skeptics about prayer but in today's sermon we take a look at Jesus' message about the power of prayer, God's three answers, and the three keys to enjoying a happy and healthy prayer life.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
The kingdom of heaven is an upside-down kingdom in comparison to the world. Those who often go overlooked, under valued, and unappreciated in the world find favor in the eyes of God and have been promised an eternal blessing.
13 “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries. 15 The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would endure forever. 16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.” - Psalm 81:13-16 NKJV
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” - Matthew 9:5-6 NKJV
41 [... ] Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. - John 8:41-42 NKJV
In our lesson this week, Jesus prays for believers, we take a look at Jesus' prayer for His disciples - the apostles and us believers. We answer why Jesus prayed for us and what Jesus prayed about. We also answer who Jesus prayed to as well.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ - 1 Peter 1:6-7 NKJV
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. - Galatians 2:20 NKJV
3 “He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, 4 So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in ...
In this week's sermon, we take a look at the harvest of God as the time of His harvest is drawing near. All of us are a part of the field that is God is coming to for the harvest. So, I ask you today, are ready for the harvest? Will you be part of God's harvest?
Are you connected to the true vine - Jesus Christ? In our lesson this week, we take a look at how one truly bears the fruit of holiness and righteousness by being connected to Christ.
The Word of God has been sown for a truly great purpose. When we live by the Word we become a righteous tree of God in a world that whose seasons can kill anything. In today's sermon, I discuss why God desires for you to be as a tree.
Our lesson this week takes a look at the divine will of God and that Jesus has authority over the resurrection and life, that is to say that Jesus has authority over who will be saved.
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV
From a tiny seed there is potential, promise, hope and growth. The Lord has sown a seed in the world and desires for it to grow and bear fruit. Has that seed taken root in you?
In our lesson this week, Jesus tells the people that He is the door to the sheep - He is the good shepherd. Again this week, we see that Jesus speaks of His authority in comparison to man.
My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. - Proverbs 3:1-2 NKJV
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.ISAIAH 1:16-17 NKJV Listen To Today’s Food For Thought There is something that has to be said about simply doing the right thing. The real shame is that we, mankind, have to repeatedly be reminded to just do the right thing. Of course, someone will say that doing what is right is subjective and based on one’s opinion of what is good. However, I will ...
35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” - Hebrews 10:35-38 NKJV
11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” - Mark 6:11 NKJV
Jesus proclaimed that He is the light of the world. In our lesson this week, we take a look at the divine truth of Christ and being able to discern what Christ has revealed to us.
20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” - Luke 17:20-21 NKJV
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory - 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NKJV
After having listened to the Lord and recognized the great depth of love He has for us, we as genuine believers ought to move to let the world know that God is good! Are you letting the world know today or are you afraid to do so?
In this week's lesson, Jesus proclaims thta He is the bread from heaven and those that come to Him will have life. So, we take a look at Jesus being the bread of life.
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24 NKJV Listen To Today’s Food For Thought Jeremiah shared his thoughts in these lamentations during a time of great despair for those of Judah. Oftentimes when we are going through great difficulty, it can be hard for us to see the light. When we don’t see the light, we can end up falling deeper into despair and that is certainly very dangerous for us. ...
3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. - Matthew 6:3-4 NKJV
There are a few gardens of God mentioned in scripture and we find that we can be a well planted tree of God in His garden. In today's study we take a look at the composition of God's garden and how we become a planted tree in His garden.
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. 15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. - Proverbs 4:13-15 NKJV
11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. - Galatians 1:11-12 NKJV
Do you value listening to the voice of God? There are many who struggle with listening to God so, in today's sermon, I focus on why it is you are struggling to listen to God and how you can go about correcting this issue.
This week's lesson takes a look at the hesitance of the disciples believing in the resurrection of Jesus and the proofs of the resurrection of Christ. Jesus had to prove to His closest followers that He truly was alive and wasn't dead nor that He was a ghost.
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 5 “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding. - Proverbs 9:4-6 NKJV
72 The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver. 73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. - Psalm 119:72-73 NKJV
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” - Luke 18:21-22 NKJV
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. - Romans 13:13-14 NKJV
There is a great debt we owe the Lord today in that He gave us His Son who died and is risen. In today's sermon, I take a look at the newness given to all of us through Christ and how we go about paying back the debt we owe.
Our lesson this week takes a look at our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. For the disciples, Jesus' resurrection was a question at first with His tomb being empty. Why did they initially question the resurrection?
35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” - Luke 23:35-37 NKJV
22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. - Mark 14:22-24 NKJV
38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” - Mark 12:38-40 NKJV
15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” - Matthew 21:15-16 NKJV
On this Palm Sunday, we take a look at the measure of God's love for us by taking a look at the test that God gave to Abraham to offer up his only son to prove his commitment to Him.
Our lesson this week takes a look at Jesus hanging on the cross and being crucified for sinners. As Jesus hung on the cross, we will see the humiliation and mockery of Christ while He took on sin and became our propitiation.
37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” - Luke 19:37-40 ...
35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. - John 12:35 NKJV
Apostasy is growing in the world as the world is falling further and further away from God. In this week's study, I take a look at the apostate and why their blasphemy is far more worse than you may realize.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at a deeply distressed Jesus praying to the Father for strength in submitting to the Father's will in drinking from bitter cup of death for all of mankind.
17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. 18 He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. - Deuteronomy 10:17-18 NKJV
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ - Philippians 1:9-10 NKJV
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.REVELATION 12:10 NKJV The main focus of my sermon yesterday was two fold with the first being that the love of God cannot be stopped; the second being that no matter what he tries, the devil cannot defeat the Lord. So, in yesterday’s sermon, I referenced how the devil waged war in heaven to try ...
The devil desires and has tried to block the love of God, however, we will see this week that the love of God cannot be stopped. Today, I take a look at how the devil is incapable of ever blocking the love of God.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at Jesus speaking about the authority He has to do the Father's work, and to judge the world. We take a look at the rule that Jesus is going to judge the world by when the religious leaders questioned His authority.
31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. - John 3:31-32 NKJV
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:3 NKJV
Have you ever wondered why God loves you? Even though He is omnipotent, there is one major reason why God loves you and I take at this reason to give you more confidence in the Lord.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at the temptation of Jesus by the devil. With the temptation of Jesus, the example is set for us in how we can go about overcoming temptation with the Word of God.
The holy season is upon us and this is a season where we should be celebrating that God is full of mercy. Today, I take a look at how God defines His grace and mercy to us, and how we should build and grow from God's mercy.
This week's lesson kicks off the spring quarter by taking a look at Jesus' baptism. Jesus' baptism essentially kicked off the beginning of His ministry. We learn about the significance of His baptism while also taking a brief look at John the Baptist.
This week's lesson concludes the winter quarter. This week, we take a look at living under grace and how we should put off our wicked ways in order to bear good spiritual fruit.
If we are going to live for the better, we must live by the truth given to us by God. In this week's sermon, I take a look at trying to live for the better by choosing to live a lie. Could you truly live for the better if you live by a lie?
This week's lesson takes a look at true godliness and how one becomes righteousness and how one moves in righteousness.
This week's sermon takes a look at the bond of perfection - true love - and how it is a source of strength given to us by the Lord to help us come together and to uplift each other in life.
We are hard-pressed on every side - trouble is everywhere we turn. When you are feeling that you are troubled and pressed by the world, I encourage today that you have the strength to continue standing strong.
This week's lesson takes a look at how we as believers should hand going through trials, temptation, and tribulation. When we fall into various trials, we should count it all joy rather than fret and panic.
In the lesson Blessing of Belonging in Christ, we take a look at being a member of the body of Christ. Each member of His body is of great significance. The Lord has given all of us important gifts and important roles that we should never think little of.
You are in control of your life! Today's sermon concludes this series by showing you that you must love yourself enough not to enticed by temptation and drawn away from prospering and living your best life
Our lesson this week takes a look at our blessing of liberty in Christ. We take a look at how we should live with this liberty to uplift rather than to tear down and hinder those around us.
In today's sermon, I focus on the two monsters of anxiety and stress and why we should turn it over to Jesus so that we can go about living for the better.
In this week's lesson we take a look at our intercessor and the kind of intercession that has been made on our behalf to bring us together with the Lord.
When God rebukes you, it is for your own good. In my sermon today, I take a look at why we, the children of God, should train ourselves to be open to failing, rebuke, correction, and learning.
Our lesson this week takes a look at the forgiveness we received from the Lord. Through this lesson we will see how to properly forgive others and how we should go about seeking forgiveness ourselves.
In choosing God over everything, there are hardships that we may still face on our journey. Through Jeremiah, we will see one of the greatest hardships that believers often face and how the Lord blesses us to overcome this great hardship
Our lesson this week takes a look at the work, the ministry, and the blessing of reconciliation. We learn the importance in why we should be ministering to others the good news - the gospel - to all of those around us.
This week's lesson is our Christmas lesson! This week, we take a look at the birth of the Savior and all the prophecies that were fulfilled which led to His birth. Today, we should be rejoicing at the birth of Christ.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at Gabriel's announcement of God's promise of a Savior. We learn about the conception of Christ in a virgin. While a virgin giving birth seems impossible for some, we learn that there is nothing impossible for God.
This week's lesson teaches us that we must put our trust in God's desires and how the Lord's desires are far greater than ours. We learn about God's future desires of an eternal kingdom that will be establish by Christ.
In this week's sermon, I take a look at what the spirit of Christmas is and how can go about getting into the spirit of Christmas by turning to Christ, His light, and the manner in which He lived.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at Gabriel's announcement of the Messiah's forerunner to Zacharias. This is a lesson that God can do the impossible and that we should always wait and trust in the Lord without any doubt or hesitation.
As the Thanksgiving holiday nears, I take a look at reason we should be grateful that He is the Lord, our God. For all that God has done and still does, we should be thankful. How and why should we go about being grateful?
There is no time to sit down. As true believers we are partakers of the labor that Christ labored in this world. I take a look at the urgent season of labor that we are now living in today.
Continuing on the thought of making the world a better place, I take a look this week at the call of the genuine believer and how we go about living to be true to our calling in our world today.
We have seen that God is always at work on our behalf and that He is our shield and protection. Today, I take a look the Lord being our way maker. On our journey, the genuine believer is never stuck and is never trapped.
The world's idea of holiness by self-righteousness is a messy and flaw version of the true beauty of holiness. Let's take a look at what makes one both holy and righteous in this week's message.
In this week's lesson, Habakkuk questioned how the Lord was moving on behalf of the righteous against the wicked; it was a question about the Lord's faithfulness. We will dive into the Lord's response and see why Habakkuk gave Him the praise.
Acting irrationally and without clarity is never a good thing for the believer. In today's sermon I focus on the need to slow down and take your time - wait on God.
In this week's lesson - Micah Stands Firm For God - we take a look at how and why we must stand firm in our faith and duties even in the midst of a crowd that do not want to hear the words of truth from the Lord.
It is time to take a stand against self-righteousness. In today's sermon I take a look at the stance of Elihu as he approached two self-righteous parties that ended up stuck in the mud of self-righteous discourse.
Twilight is upon us - darkness is spreading and night is beginning to settle in. What is the believer to do in these hours? We are to be a beacon of hope in the twilight of this world.
In our lesson this week, we take a look at Asaph's lament from a moment in time when his faithfulness towards God slipped due to his envying of the wicked. We take a look at the danger of an envious soul.
We are living in the midst of wickedness in this day and age. How do we, the child of God, go about living and ministering in this day and age?
In this week's lesson - Isaiah's commission - we take a look at the vision Isaiah had when he was called by God and how he was made fit and ready to serve the Lord.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at Paul's thorn in the flesh and why he would not boast about his on power and might but would boast and glory in the Lord's power.
In this week's sermon, we take a look at the finish line that awaits us at the end of our journey through life. I take a look at the rewards of the wicked and the rewards of the righteous that awaits us.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at the spiritual weapons of the true believer when combating the adversary. There are tools we have been given to help us with what we have been commissioned to do.
The journey through life to the heavenly gates can be so difficult at time that we may lose hope along the way. In this week's sermon, we take a look at the need to rely on God to supply our ever need.
In this week's lesson we take a look at being ambassadors for Christ. In order to be a proper ambassador for Christ one must be led by the Spirit so that we can be the best representative of Christ.
In this week's sermon, I take a look at the two directions and the two end destinations that one can reach on their journey. For those the wandering soul and the genuine believer, we must learn to turn to God for His guidance and direction.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at God's comfort in our times of need. All people are going to have days of trouble; whether you are a believer or not. We take a look at our need to depend on God in those days, especially.
In this week's sermon, I take a look at fighting the good fight of faith. I take a look at one who is a poor fighter and one who is a good fighter to explain how we ought to fight in this fight of faith.
In this week's lesson we take a look at God being a God of mercy and a God of comfort. In our times of need, God's comfort can and will bring us through so why should we stress and worry in times of trouble?
In this week's sermon, we take a look at the choice given to all - will you believe in the Lord or will you choose not to believe? I look at this choice and who the Lord finds worthy to be forgiven.
Do you have peace of mind? This Palm Sunday I take a look at the work of reconciliation that the Lord did so that we can see where peace of mind comes from and who we need to go to so that we can find true peace.
This week's lesson takes a look at the Lord's Supper and how we should think of the Lord's supper and treat it with a high regard as it is a memorial to what God did for mankind.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at how the believer needs to take heed to the example that they are setting for others with concern for a weaker brother. There is a knowledge of the Lord that we have that we should abide by.
Do you believe? Do you believe you can or have been redeemed? In this week's sermon I take a look at the fact that everybody can be redeemed.
In this week's Sunday School, we take a look at how we should conduct ourselves as being one who is a member of Christ. We dive into both the physical and spiritual health of the believer.
In this week's sermon - Accepting the Call of God - we take a look at what the call of God is and what it is of the utmost importance for us to answer and accept the call of God.
In this week's lesson we take a look at building and adding on to the foundation of our faith. Christ is our only foundation and we should take great heed when building on this foundation.
God is bigger than this - all of your trials, tribulations, problems, and difficulties. So, why do we try to tackle our hills, mountains, and valleys all on our own? Why do you not go to God for His help?
In this week's lesson, we take a look at the true wisdom of the Lord and compare mankind's wisdom to the Lord. Why is it that so many people cannot understand God?
In this week's lesson we jump into the spring quarter of lessons by taking a look at the divisions in Corinth as the new believers were beginning their walk of faith.
In this week's lesson we are going to take a look at Jesus by the sea of Tiberias with the disciples. We will answer what it means to be a fisher of men along with what is represented with Jesus sitting down to breakfast with the disciples.
In this week's sermon, we continue in our thought of being a servant of God by taking a look at the example we should set living in God's amazing grace by first looking at the grace that God has shown to us.
This week's lesson takes a look at the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Jesus, in His final hours, faced great humiliation and suffering. Even when we are humiliated and suffer, we learn to stand firm in our faith.
In this week's sermon, we take a look at Paul speaking of being a servant of sin. Who do you serve? Everybody is a servant to something or someone. Let's ensure that we are a servant of righteousness.
In this week's lesson, we continue to follow Jesus as He stands trial and testifies of the truth before Pilate, who asked, what is truth? Let's dive into truth in this week's lesson and see, again, how we should always stand firm in the truth of our faith.
In this week's Sunday School - Trials and Denials - we take another look at standing firm in our faith under hostility and persecution through rather than deny our faith in the Lord.
In this week's sermon, I take a look at the guilt that we can have about doing wrong and show that God is forever faithful to those that genuinely love Him, in good and even when we fall down.
In this week's lesson we take a look at Jesus' arrest in the garden and the example that He sets for us when we face hostility and persecution from our enemies.
In this week's sermon I take a look at journey across the sea of life and how we should be still and have faith in all of the subtle and sudden changes that we can face as we cross the sea to get to the other side.
This week's lesson takes a look at Jesus' prayer in the garden prior to His arrest. In this prayer, we take a look at Jesus praying for the care, protection, and strength for His disciples in their trials and tribulations through life.
In this week's lesson - Peace and Trouble - Jesus focuses again on the heart and when it is sorrowful. We learn in our lesson this week that all of will have sorrow in life but through God's love for us, we will see that our sorrow is replaced with joy.
In the first sermon of the year, I take a look at making this a year where we diligently go to God in prayer. We will take a look at the right and wrong way to pray while also diving into the benefits of a diligent prayer life.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at the relationship between Jesus, the true vine, and the branches that are connected to Him and bearing fruit. We also dive into the Lord being a gardener that tends to the care of His garden.
This week's lessons starts us in a new unit of lessons where we take a look at teaching on truth and trials. Today, we take a look at Jesus being the way, the truth, and the medicine for a troubled heart.
In this week's sermon, I focus on answering the question as to what one can do to please God. The Lord has made it clear what He requires of us in order to please Him, but the question is whether we will object to what He requires.
In the final lesson of the year, we take a look at the humility and obedience of Jesus Christ. Paul speaks of the example that Jesus has set for us to follow and then we see the example of humility in action through Jesus washing the disciples' feet.
In this Christmas sermon, I take a look at the power given to you through Jesus Christ. I jump into what this power is and how it is that we received this power through the coming of Christ.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at Simeon seeing Jesus and the future consolation of the world. There was a mission from birth that Jesus was sent to fulfill in the world and we take a look at that mission.
In this week's sermon, I kick off the Christmas season by asking if you have accepted the truth in your heart. Some say they would believe in Christ if only they could have saw Him but look at why this is not necessarily true.
In this week's lesson, A King Comes Forth, we take a look at the prophecy of Isaiah with a Child born and a Son given, the prophecy being fulfilled with the triumphant entry of Jesus entering Jerusalem on the Sunday we call Palm Sunday.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at the juxtaposition of Jesus' birth and His death and how both brought about sorrow and yet triumph as well.
In this week's sermon, God Cannot Be Bought, I take a look at the idea that God, His love, blessings, mercy, and salvation can be bought for a price. I take a look at partiality, bias, and favoritism and how the Lord is an impartial God.
In this week's lesson we take a look at the tragic sin of Moses as he strikes water from the rock. We take a look at what led Moses to disobeying a command from the Lord and how God still moves graciously when we are frustrated.
In this week's Thanksgiving message, I take a look at giving God the praise that is due His name - why we should give Him the praise and the benefits that those receive who genuinely praise the name of the Lord.
In this week's lesson, we are going to take a look at God's judgment of the rebellion led by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. God's judgment of sin is always aimed at those that have sinned.
In this week's sermon, I take a look at the desire of greed and how the endless desire of greed goes unfulfilled in appeasing and satisfying us in our soul and blocks us from the blessing of contentment both promised and given by God.
In this week's lesson, there is a new uprising within the camp of Israel. We take a look at Korah's rebellion against Moses, Aaron, and God and the potential reasoning behind this new uprising.
In this week's Sunday School lesson we will take a look at Moses' prayer of forgiveness in interceding on behalf of the children of Israel after not desiring to enter into the Promised Land. We will also take a look at God's answer to Moses' prayer.
Trick or treat? In this week's sermon, I compare the false treats of the devil to the good treats of God and why we should all badly desire to go to God's house to get these good treats from Him.
In this week's lesson we take a look at the fallout from the spies bad report of the land of Canaan. The bad report sparks the rebellion of the people, but will this rebellion against God have any consequences?
In this week's sermon, I take a look at the great adversary of mankind - the devil. With Halloween around the corner, we take a look at the devil's tricks and how we combat the wiles of the devil.
In this week's lesson, we continue our look into God's faithfulness and we see that the Lord is faithful in keeping His promises through the mission of twelve spies.
This week's sermon continues the thought of walking for the Lord. I take a look at sound doctrine and standing by sound doctrine in a world that has itching ears for a doctrine of fables.
In this week's lesson, we take a look at the faithfulness that the Lord has towards Moses, Miriam, and Aaron and to all of His servants. We also see God's faithfulness to forgive those that have done wrong but love Him.
In this week's sermon, I take a look at the microcosm of our world in Jesus healing a paralyzed man of his infirmity and why it is time to get up and at it in our walk for the Lord.
Lesson: God Sends Quail and Plague
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – October 10, 2021
Taught From – Numbers 11:24-35
Introduction This week’s lesson is going to pick right up where we left off in our lesson last week. Last week we saw that there was grumbling and complaining coming from within the camp of Israel about only having manna to eat. We also saw that Moses was in need of help which the Lord provided to him in 70 elders and officers of the people. We also saw that even though there was grumbling and complaining coming from within the camp, the Lord was still going to provide food for the camp. Our lesson this week will be taught from Numbers 11:24-35.
Moses’ Help Our lesson this week opens with Moses telling the people the words of the Lord and gathering the seventy men of the elders (v. 24). Again, just to remind you all, this was the help that the Lord was providing to Moses after Moses’ plea to Him. As we saw last week, Moses felt overly burdened by the task of having to lead the camp of Israel (Num. 11:11-14). So, the Lord commanded Moses to gather seventy men of the elders of Israel and to bring them to the tabernacle so that the Spirit could be put on them (Num. 11:16-17).
So, Moses tells the people the words of the Lord. What this means is that Moses relayed what the Lord had just spoken to him about the seventy and also the food that God would be providing. Moses also gathered the seventy to the tabernacle and they were placed around the tabernacle. So, again, we see another ceremony that would be something that could be publicly witnessed by the camp of Israel. God, as He had told Moses earlier, came down in the cloud, took of His Spirit and put the same Spirit that was on Moses onto the seventy men of the elders.
The work of the Spirit As I said last week, there are many people that believe that the Spirit was not present in the Old Testament, but again, I want to point out that the Spirit was definitely present in the Old Testament. For example, when the Lord was in the process of creating this world, we are shown that the Spirit was very much present and was at work. We are told in Genesis, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2).” The Spirit of God was the one moving and working during the creation event; dividing the light from the dark and setting for the firmament, etc.
The Spirit of God, according to the Lord, was clearly resting upon Moses as he went before Pharaoh and also as he was leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. That same Spirit was put on the seventy by the Lord and let’s notice that their immediate actions are very similar to those of the apostles when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4-8). The apostles began to speak in different tongues of the wonderful works of God.
In our lesson today, we see that the seventy began to prophesy in that moment. Two of the men who were of the seventy, remained in the camp and did not go to the tabernacle but still Spirit came upon them as well. We are told that the two men also prophesied in the camp (v. 26). Scripture does not specifically tell us why those two did not join the other sixty eight, so, we don’t know if they were being disobedient or not. Yet, what is clear is that even though they were not present at the tabernacle, they still received the same portion from the Lord as the others.
Joshua’s resentment A young man ran and told Moses of the two men prophesying in the camp and Joshua, after hearing about this, was moved to tell Moses that he should forbid the men from prophesying (vss. 27-28). Now, why was Joshua so moved against these men prophesying? I want you to understand that their prophesying was the work of the Spirit of God. As we saw in last week’s lesson, to speak against the Spirit is to blaspheme the Spirit. So, Joshua, let’s understand, was dangerously close to a sin that he would not be able to walk away from had he committed to blaspheme the Spirit.
So, why was Joshua resenting the two men who had been prophesying in the camp? Moses actually tells us the answer to that question by asking Joshua a question himself. Moses asks, “Are you zealous for my sake?” It would seem that Joshua was of the belief that these men were attempting to take up Moses’ position of leadership.
This was a very worldly way to look at this for Joshua. Moses, considering this spiritually, then responded, “Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them (v. 29)!” This desire from Moses is something that has actually been fulfilled in our world today – at least partly fulfilled. I say partly fulfilled only because there are many who sit quietly while the Spirit dwells within them. We live in a world today where all of those that genuinely believe in the Lord have been filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God always wants to move and so we should be filled with a fire to do just that – move. Yet, so many of us sit by quietly and hold back the testimony that the Lord has given to us through His work in our lives. Oh what our world would be today if all of those who the spirit abides in would speak of their testimony, but not only their testimony, but also God’s gospel as well.
Quails and a Plague From this point in our lesson, we will see just how the Lord provided food to the camp of Israel. Let’s recall from our lesson last week that God had said he was going to provide the camp with so much food for a month that they would great to loathe the food they would be eating just as they loathed the manna (Num. 11:19-20). The idea of the camp having this much food even made Moses question where the food would come from. So, we saw that the Lord essentially told Moses to watch and see (Num. 11:21-23).
We are told that a mighty wind went out from the Lord and brought to the camp quail from the sea (v. 31). So, instead of the people having to go fish and hunt for food, as Moses suggested, we see that the Lord brought the food directly to the people! The wind was apparently so strong that the birds were unable to fly in it! We are told that the quails ended up fluttering around on the ground and were easy picking for the people. To show you just how much quail was on the ground for the people, we are told that they extended out from the camp a day’s journey and were stacked off the ground two cubits (3 feet). So, that was a lot of food for the camp of Israel!
The people spent all day and night gathering up this food (v. 32). The person that gathered the least amount of food managed to gather about 60 bushels (10 homers). So, a lot of food was gathered over a two day period and you could imagine that there were many people who were extremely happy about this. So happy, and so greedy, that we don’t see much appreciation for this blessing coming from the camp of Israel. I do believe that some were grateful but there was certainly a group of folks that were not appreciative of this blessing.
Appreciating the Lord Before those who had instigated the grumbling and complaining about the manna could get started eating good, we are told that they were struck with a very great plague from the Lord and died. We know that it was the people that did the instigating because we are told that those who were buried were the ones that had yielded to craving (vss. 33-34). I believe they were hit with this plague by the Lord not only because of their instigating but also because they did not give thanks nor appreciate the blessing from God.
As faithful as the Lord is to us in pouring out His blessings onto us, I believe we should be just as thankful and as appreciative. Where would we be without the Lord’s providence? We truly are well taken care of by the Lord. God provides for us and continues to make a way for us on a daily basis. Again, God is ever faithful to us and so I believe that it is very important for us to honor Him, appreciate Him, and give Him thanks.
Lesson: Complaints About Manna
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – October 3, 2021
Taught From – Numbers 11:4-6, 10-23
Introduction Our lesson this week starts us off in the second unit of lessons for this quarter. The second unit of lessons is titled – Seeing God’s Faithfulness. In the first unit of lessons for this quarter, we saw the Lord’s holiness and how we should treat His holiness. So, in this month of lessons, the goal is for us to learn about the Lord’s faithfulness towards us. This week’s lesson will be taught from Numbers 11:4-6, 10-23.
The Lord’s Providence We are going to take a look at how the Lord faithfully provides for us in our lesson this week, even when we are filled with grumbling and complaints towards Him as the children of Israel in this week’s passage of scripture.
As we last saw, the children of Israel are still wandering to the Promised Land. From the prior chapter, we will see that the children of Israel have journeyed from the Wilderness of Sinai and are now camping in the Wilderness of Paran (Num. 10:11-13). An interesting tidbit here from those three verses is that we see that the children of Israel actually camped in the Wilderness of Sinai for a full year.
We are told specifically that it was on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year that the cloud of God lifted up from the tabernacle and guided them to Paran. This was the first time the children of Israel had moved the camp after receiving the commandments and the law. Just wanted to share that interesting bit of information since we rarely consider how long the children of Israel were in the Sinai wilderness.
Complaints and grumbling from the camp Our lesson opens with some grumbling and complaining coming from within the camp of Israel (vss. 4-6). We are told that the complaining began with the “mixed multitude” that was within the camp. As we saw in our lesson last week, the children of Israel did not leave Egypt alone but there were others who went with the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt (Ex. 12:38).
We also saw in our lesson last week that an Israelite woman had a child whose dad was Egyptian. I believe we could consider that she was not the only Israelite woman who mothered a child whose dad was Egyptian. So, this mixed multitude was essentially made up, potentially, ofGentiles or those that could possibly be considered a child of Israel if one of their parents were an Israelite. That line about whether they could be considered a child of Israel is somewhat blurry but in later years, those that could trace their lineage to connect to Israel, they would be considered an Israelite.
Complaints against God Now, we see in these few verses that the complaining of the mixed multitude influenced the children of Israel to do the same. As I mentioned last week, if this mixed multitude indeed was made up of gentile nations, then it is very likely that they had their own religious beliefs and gods that they worshiped. The feeling to me is that every time they groaned and complained, their groaning was a sign that they believed their gods could do better for them. So, it feels like their groaning and complaining was against the Lord.
Let us consider that up to this point in time, the Lord had been providing a source of food to the camp – manna (Ex. 16:11-14, 31). So, for a full year, the camp has been dining on manna that the Lord had been providing. I believe we can actually understand their point of view here because I believe all of us would be exhausted from eating the same thing repeatedly. In their complaints, we see the people thinking about the times when they believed they were dining well in Egypt.
We see them say, “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” The irony of this statement is the idea that they believed they ate freely while they were actually in bondage in Egypt. Are they really considering that things were better while they were in bondage in Egypt? Yes they are!
Oddly enough, there are times when we have prayed for the Lord to move us from a bad situation that we will begin to complain when the Lord does so and things don’t start out the way we dreamed. So, like the children of Israel, we will groan and complain about our position when the Lord has begun to do what we prayed for. It would seem that we would need to learn patience while the Lord is working and be thankful that He has answered our prayers. This was a lesson that the children of Israel would need to learn as well.
Moses’ plea to the Lord As we move forward in our lesson, we will see that God became greatly aroused at the groaning and complaining of the camp (v. 10). We could imagine how the Lord would feel after delivering the children of Israel from bondage, watching over and keeping them while they were in the wilderness, and then also providing for them as they camped and journeyed. The people certainly don’t seem grateful for the Lord’s guidance, care, and protection.
In that same verse, we see that Moses also heard the complaints coming from the camp and he was displeased and frustrated as well. We see over the next few verses that the Lord begins to speak from this place of hurt to the Lord (vss. 11-15). Now, what I want to make clear here is that while the people were groaning and complaining, Moses was not doing as them. I believe Moses was frustrated, and I certainly believe he was hurting in his soul as well, but unlike the rest of the camp, Moses spoke to the Lord.
We see that Moses wondered whether or not he had truly found favor in the Lord’s eyes because he felt so burdened by having to lead and watch over the entire camp of Israel. Moses says to the Lord, “I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.” I believe all of us wonder this about the Lord when we are going through things, right? We often begin to wonder when things get so tough for us whether or not God truly loves us.
Let us remember what Jesus said about our burdens and what we should do with them. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30).” Jesus will handle your burdens! Peter wrote in his first letter that we should cast our cares upon the Lord because the Lord cares for us (loves us) (1 Pet. 5:7). God does not want to see you down and burdened!
The Lord sends Moses some help So, because Moses felt that this task was too much on his soul, we see that the Lord was going to provide him with some help (vss. 16-17). God directs Moses to gather together 70 men of the elders to Him. These men were to be men who were elders and were also officers over the people as well. So, these men were people who already had some type of position of leadership among the camp. Let’s remember that each tribe had their own elders and officers over them.
Moses was to bring these men to the courtyard of the tabernacle where the Lord would come down and talk to Moses. There in the courtyard, we are told by the Lord that He was going to put on these 70 men the same Spirit that was put on Moses. Let us note that the Spirit that the Lord was speaking of here was and is of God – the Holy Spirit. It is often said by people that the Holy Spirit was not present in the Old Testament but I would tell you otherwise.
People like Moses, David, and Elijah certainly had a different quality about themselves compared to others. I preached about Elisha in a sermon a couple of months back, and you may recall how Elisha desired the same spirit that Elijah had. I believe that the Holy Spirit worked with those men to be guides and leaders among the people. The 70 men who would be chosen to help Moses were being imbued with the same Spirit as Moses so that they could help with guiding the people. This was the Lord’s answer to Moses’ burden in his soul. Just like them, we are imbued with the same Spirit today and we ought to bear one another burdens as well (Gal. 6:2; Jas. 5:16).
God provides food to the camp After tending to Moses’ need, we see the Lord turn His attention to tending to the complaints of the people. The people were to consecrate themselves before the Lord would provide them with meat to eat (v. 18). Why did they need to consecrate themselves?
Well, the Lord actually gives us an answer to that question – the people had been complaining and asking who was going to provide them with meat when the Lord was already providing them with sustenance. This was something they needed to cleanse themselves of! Our groaning and complaining about how the Lord works and what He gives to us is not right. We should think of that as a sign and also consecrate ourselves – make atonement – when we do that.
Though they groaned and complained, we see that after they would consecrate themselves, God was still going to provide for the camp. The Lord specifically states, “You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you (vss. 18-20).”
They had complained about not having “real food” so much that God was going to over flood them with so much food that they were going to hate eating it just as they had began to hate eating the manna that He provided to them! The Lord said that He was going to do this because they despised Him – specifically they despised the bread from heaven that He was providing. When we despise a blessing that comes from God, let us understand that we are despising Him – that is a sin and, again, the reason they needed to consecrate themselves.
When Moses heard what God had planned for the camp, he even questioned how he (Moses) was going to be able to provide that much food (vss. 21-22). Moses didn’t believe they had enough cattle to slaughter or fish to feed the 600,000+ they had in camp. In a way, Moses was questioning what the Lord could do and to this God asked Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened (v. 23)?” This, the Lord asked Moses to see if Moses was doubting His power. Instead of allowing Moses to answer the question, we see the Lord essentially say to Moses, “watch and see.” The Lord specifically said, “Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.”
God is a provider – His power and what He provides to us has no limits. Even our groaning and complaining cannot limit the Lord. When we are lacking in faith, even that does not limit the Lord and what He can/will do. God is faithful to us even when we doubt and complain. The Lord is faithful to us because He loves us.
Introduction The obedient sheep of God – are you obedient to the Lord and to His instructions.
When I read this passage of scripture, a few memories are brought back to mind for me. One of those memories I shared with all of you in last week’s sermon. I learned very early on to fear my parents, especially when mom would say to both me and my brother when we would act up, “wait until your dad gets home.” We had to learn right away that it was in our best interest not to be disobedient!
I remember when we used to go to the store and how mom would always say just before we went inside, “you better not act up.” When we got a little older, they would let us go a couple aisles over from them by ourselves, and to show you how well trained we were, pop could clap his hands a couple of times and we would immediately make our way over to him! Now, me and my brother had our moments, just like other children, when we would act up but I would say that we were some pretty obedient kids. Again, we figured out very early in our lives that it was better for us to be obedient to them rather than face our parents after being disobedient.
So, when I look at this passage of scripture in John 10, I smile at the obedience of the sheep in regards to how they followed the shepherd. Knowing that Jesus was speaking of Himself as the shepherd and those who follow Him as the sheep, it makes me consider our obedience to the Lord. Are we being the obedient sheep of God?
The Nature of Sheep In my sermon last week, you will recall that I remarked how we, mankind, think of nature as being uncontrollable. I stated that we struggle with controlling our own pets, let alone wild animals. Yet, sheep are very remarkable animals and I feel that the Lord often used sheep as an example for how we ought to be in our obedience. I want to dive into the nature of sheep for just a moment, but I also want to dive into why we should be more obedient to our good shepherd.
Trust must be earned In the opening verses of John 10, Jesus speaks of how sheep can recognize the voice of their shepherd and will follow him wherever he leads them (John 10:3). This is a very remarkable feat. Why is this feat that has been done for centuries such a remarkable feat?
Well, in their nature, sheep are very meek animals. This means that they are animals that aren’t violent or strong but they can be very submissive – they’ll follow anything if it does not pose a threat. However, at the first sign of danger, whether that is a strange sound, strange animal, or even people, sheep will do their best to run away. This is their best defense. In order to protect themselves, sheep will flock together with other sheep or like cattle, but still, at the first sign of danger, they will scatter away.
Jesus speaks to this when He says, “they (sheep) will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:5).” So, what I want you to understand is that shepherds have to put in some diligent work to earn the trust and obedience of sheep in order to get the sheep to willingly follow them wherever they lead them.
So, to do this, shepherds must first prove to the sheep that they are not a threat of danger. This could begin with an offer of food and by doing this enough times, sheep could realize that the shepherd is not a danger to them. Over time, after putting in much work, shepherds will be able to feed, to care, and to provide protection from the dangerous threats that sheep require. So, a good shepherd essentially provides everything that the sheep require in order to be able to live out its life peacefully.
One thing I believe we can take away from all of this is that it is very beneficial to the sheep to trust and obey the shepherd. It is truly a blessing for the sheep because all of their needs are supplied and taken care of. Do we understand that it is good for us to be under the care of the good shepherd? We see Jesus say a couple of times within this passage of scripture that He is the good shepherd (John 10:11, 14).
Trusting Our Shepherd Just as the Sheep I want to point out that all who have lived in the world or are living in the world today and tomorrow are like cattle in a wide open field. Many of us start out grazing in this field aloof to all that is around us.
This is a thought I have been touching on for months and for years now. Many of us graze in this field eating from the field and not knowing what is good for us to eat. At the very same time, many of us drink water from the field not realizing what water is good or not good for us to drink. We stand aloof in this field not even realizing when we are in the presence of danger. So, I say to you today that we require a good shepherd that will watch over us, keep us, and will care for us while we graze in this field.
Servants sent to the flock Now, the Lord was well aware that mankind would need a shepherd after man’s fall in the garden.
Jesus actually describes the Lord’s actions for caring for the flock in Old Testament days in the Parable of Wicked Vinedressers (Matt. 21:33-40). In that parable, Jesus spoke of a certain landowner that planted a vineyard and leased it to vinedressers. I want you to understand that the landowner in that parable is God and the vineyard that was planted was the world. The gardeners (or vinedressers) were the children of Israel.
Jesus stated that when vintage time had come, the landowner sent his servants to the vinedressers to receive fruit from the vineyard (Matt. 21:34). The servants, I want you to understand, were the prophets who the Lord repeatedly sent to the children of Israel in order to direct them in the way of the Lord. Unfortunately for those servants, we are told in scripture, that when they came to the vinedressers, they were beat, killed, and stoned (Matt. 21:35-36).
So, in Old Testament days, the Lord sent His prophets to the flock that was the children of Israel and while some of Israel may have listened, ultimately the prophets were rejected. The flock, in this instance, were rejecting those that were being sent to watch over them by God.
Thieves, robbers, and hirelings We will see Jesus say within my passage of scripture for today’s sermon, that outside of the servants that God sent, there were more that came to the flock.
We will see that Jesus said that all those that came before Him were thieves and robbers (John 10:8). Jesus, I want you to understand, was actually speaking of the religious leaders of His day. Now, the thief, Jesus tells us, came to steal, and to kill, and to destroy the flock (John 10:9). So, the thieves and robbers, we should understand, were there to bring harm to the flock. They were a danger and they were a threat to the flock. Any of the flock that followed them were opening themselves up to danger.
Because we are like sheep, we are susceptible of putting our trust in anything if we feel it does not pose a threat to us – we have to be wary of this. Remember that Jesus spoke a word and said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matt. 7:15).” This is a warning we must take seriously while we graze in this field!
Now, Jesus also tells us of another that came to watch over the flock but this one was hired to help – this is a hireling; the hireling was not the shepherd (John 10:12). In fact, we will see that the hireling (one hired to help) did not even care for the flock (John 10:13). In the face of danger, we are told that the hireling flees and leaves vulnerable a flock that is aloof and already vulnerable itself. They would leave the flock vulnerable to the wolf that desires to catch the sheep and scatter the sheep!
So, of these three people, we see that none of them were good for the flock and certainly not worthy of the trust and obedience of the flock. I must ask, why do we give our trust and obedience to people who are thieves, robbers, and hirelings? Who are you obedient to and who do you follow?
The good shepherd Again, let us remember that in order for a shepherd to gain the trust and obedience over his flock, he has to put in some work. A flock that had already rejected the Lord’s servants and been betrayed by thieves, robbers, and hirelings, would require a great amount of work.
Now, we will find that the Lord was more than willing to step up to the plate and put in the work to earn the trust and obedience of the flock. We know because He first sent His servants to the flock. When this did not work, the Lord personally made a visit to the field in the form of Christ. The field was not made of simply one flock but multiple different flocks that He came for as well (John 10:16).
To earn the trust of the flocks, Jesus came meek and lowly – He came just like one of us who grazed in the field. This, the Lord did to show that He did not pose a threat to any of us. In scripture, Jesus declared that He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill the law (Matt. 5:17). This means that He came to give the flock an opportunity at life. As we see here today, Jesus stated, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).”
Earning the flock’s trust To prove even more that He was not like those that came before Him, we will see that Jesus tells us that not only was He the good shepherd but that He was the door to the fold as well (John 10:7). Where the hireling would leave the sheep to fend for themselves in the face of danger, Jesus is stating that the only way to get to His flock was through Him!
You see, back then, a sheep pen did not have a physical door that could be opened and closed to the pen. A good shepherd would block this open doorway with his own body so that nothing could go out or nothing could come in unless he moved out of the way. The good shepherd was acting a shield and protector!
So, the Lord was stating that He is the protector of the flock! Now, compare His actions to the actions of the hireling that would run in the face of a threat from a wolf. Jesus said that He would be in place to protect the flock from the wolf and lay down (give) His life for the flock in the face of this danger (John 10:15)! Do you see the great lengths that the Lord was willing to go through for the flock in order to earn the flock’s trust? Is God not worthy of your trust? Is the good shepherd not worthy of your obedience? Has He not earned both of those things? I would certainly hope so.
Going Where He Goes So, the onus is now on we who are of the flock in the field to either put our trust in the one that truly worked for it (and still does work it) or continue to reject His efforts. I must ask, what other “gods” or idols have put in the work the Lord has in order to gain your trust and obedience? Again Jesus declared to us that He is the good shepherd. He can declare this because He put in the effort and the work, and we have the benefits of His work.
Not lost and scattered With Him as our shepherd, we have absolutely everything we need. Our shepherd gives us food to the full so that we want no more (I say this spiritually). He is our shield and protector from the wolves, thieves, and robbers out in the world that pose a dangerous threat to us. In other words, our good shepherd provides us with absolutely everything that we need and we have come to know peace under His watchful eye. This is our blessing and our great benefit to being the obedient sheep of God.
As I have said in recent weeks, we have come to realize that we would be lost and scattered in the field without Him. This would leave us wide open to those that seek to harm us and devour us. Meaning, this would leave us wide open to the predators that come into the grazing field. I believe that we have all grown so used to having our provider, caretaker, and protector that we fear being in the field without His watchful eye. We are a God-fearing people. We have become obedient and draw ever closer to our shepherd.
Stubborn goats Now, not cattle grazing in the field are sheep. You see, some of the cattle in the field are stubborn and refuse to be led by Christ. Sheep, regardless of what you may hear about them, are not ignorant animals nor are they stubborn animals. They are actually considered to be one of the most docile animals in the world. Yet, there is another type of cattle that is in the field that Jesus spoke of that He will one day separate from the sheep. This cattle is a bit less docile than the sheep – it’s a bit stubborn.
Jesus said, “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left (Matt. 25:32-33).” To the sheep, Jesus said that because they trusted Him and obediently followed Him, they will inherit the kingdom (Matt. 25:34). The stubborn goats, on the other hand, will be told to depart from the Lord and be told to go away into everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46). So the lesson that we learned as children pops back up again – it is better to be obedient than be disobedient.
The chief prophet There are great benefits to having the Lord as your shepherd while you are in this field that is our world. At the same time, there are great benefits that extend beyond this pasture.
First, in the book of Hebrews, the writer in the closing benediction, called Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep because of the everlasting covenant made through His blood. The everlasting covenant is a promise of an even better pasture for us who follow after Him to graze in. Then, in his first letter, Peter wrote, “when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away (1 Pet. 5:4).” Jesus is the good, great, and Chief Shepherd that comes with great rewards to the obedient sheep of God.
God is moving us to another pasture as I speak to you today. We are on a journey with the Chief Shepherd and, again, I tell you that it is best that we continue to follow closely behind Him so that we can reach that everlasting pasture in the Lord’s kingdom. Do this with great fear in your heart of what will happen should you fall out of line by being disobedient. Let us remain the obedient sheep of God and follow closely our Chief Shepherd.
Thought: The Obedient Sheep of God
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – September 26, 2021
Responsive Reading – John 10:1-11
Key Verse – John 10:4-5
Lesson: A Blasphemer Stoned
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – September 26, 2021
Taught From – Leviticus 24:10-23
Introduction This week’s lesson is the last lesson in the first unit of lessons for the fall quarter. The first unit of lessons is titled “Learning God’s Holiness”, and so far, we have seen how we should present ourselves before His holiness as being holy ourselves. We have also seen what happens when we do not present ourselves before His holiness as being holy. In our lesson last week, we saw that in order for us to be in fellowship with the Lord, while living in this world, we often have to make atonement for our sins. Our lesson this week is going to take a look at not disregarding the Lord. This week’s lesson is being taught from Leviticus 24:10-23.
Blasphemy of God Our lesson opens with a skirmish happening within the camp of Israel (v. 10). This fight was between a man who was born to an Israelite woman but his dad was Egyptian, and a man who was fully an Israelite – his parents were both of Israel.
Fighting in the camp I don’t want to really focus on this interesting fact too much because it would take away from the focus of our lesson. The knowledge of the one man’s heritage does point out something that we don’t often think about with Israel being in bondage in Egypt. Now, I am not saying that this happened, but history does often point out how slavers often treated the women who they held in bondage. So, we don’t know if their relationship was cordial or not.
To that point, we also don’t honestly know about the upbringing of either of the men really. I suppose that we could assume that the man whose parents were both Israelites were raised under the traditional customs of an Israelite. Now, by this point in time of history, Israel had received the commandments from the Lord. At the same time, many of Israel had died at Mount Sinai because of their sin of worshiping the calf of gold. Those that remained were those who were of faith in the Lord and desired His law. So, it is possible that we could assume that man was raised by faithful parents or he himself was faithful.
As for the man whose dad was Egyptian, we can only see the actions that he took. We, just like the other man, cannot say anything for a fact about his upbringing. It is possible that this man spent time getting to know his dad and Egyptian culture and, at the same time, it is possible he spent no time with his dad at all. However, we know that in this skirmish, he was moved in his heart for whatever reason to blaspheme the Lord and cursed (v. 11).
The sin of blasphemy The sin of blasphemy is a very great sin to commit, as we will see in a moment. Because they had been given the commandments and law, the Israelites knew not to “revile” God (Ex. 22:28). To revile means to subject to verbal abuse or to use abusive language. So, in other words, this man was moved to a place in his heart where he was cursing and speaking against the Lord.
Now in Matthew’s gospel, we see that the Lord absolutely does not tolerate blasphemy. Jesus said, “blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men (Matt. 12:31).” To speak against the spirit is to speak against the Lord because God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Spirit is always at work doing the will of the Father. To speak against the Spirit is to speak against His will and His works – it is to truly speak against the Lord. This is the sin of blasphemy – speaking against God – this is a sin that the Lord will not pardon.
Punishment of blasphemy Though the children of Israel knew not to revile the Lord, they did not know what the punishment would be of blasphemy. So, they took the man to Moses who then had the man put into custody. The idea here being that they wanted to wait on the Lord’s decision on the man since the man specifically directed his words towards the Lord and towards them (v. 12). The blasphemy was not necessarily against them personally but was against the Lord.
Now, we know from what we have read and studied about the unpardonable sin that blasphemy of the Lord is the absolute worst sin one could commit. So, not to our surprise, we’ll see that the Lord first had the man taken outside of the camp (vss. 13-14). Then, with him outside of the camp, those that heard his blasphemy were to lay their hands on his head.
This somewhat calls back to our lesson last week where Aaron laid the sins of the people on the head of the scapegoat that was then sent outside of the camp and away from the people. Now, this man was not being treated as a scapegoat as his sin was his very own sin. So, where Aaron was laying the sin of the people on the scapegoat, the witnesses were essentially laying his sin on him. He was guilty of his sin and would have to suffer the punishment of his own sin.
After the laying of hands on his head, the Lord instructs for the congregation to then stone the man. Now, some will suggest that this was a cruel punishment, but again, God does not look kindly on those who revile and reject Him. I said it in my sermon last week but the sin of blasphemy is a sin of high disregard of the Lord; it is a sin of defiance and rebellion against the Lord.
Standing accountable Some may say that maybe this man did not know how grave his sin was. We often try to excuse our actions but whether we knowingly or unknowingly sin. Whether our sin is done knowingly or unknowingly, it is a sin. Now, Jesus will bear the sins of those who genuinely believe in Him. However, those that choose to live in blatant defiance of the Lord (blasphemy), will have to bear the weight of that sin.
You see, everyone will have to hold themselves accountable for actions they take knowingly or unknowingly (Rom. 14:11). Even in our lesson today, we see that this was true for both the Israelite and the strangers that lived among them as well. So, it is certainly best that we choose Christ as our savior so that He can bear our sins. On the other hand, those that choose to live in sin have to be ready to stand accountable for themselves. As we see the Lord say here in our lesson, “Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death (vss. 15-16).”
Appreciating life As we continue in our lesson, we will see that the Lord did not consider this man’s life lightly. He also did not want the children of Israel to think lightly of the lives of those among them as well. God did not want them to go around and start taking the lives of those around them just because they felt like doing it. Stoning someone for blaspheming the name of the Lord was how the Lord felt people should be punished for blaspheming His name.
So, the Lord commanded, “Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death (v. 17).” Again, the idea here being that we are to value the lives of one another. Then we see that the Lord said, “Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal (v. 18).”
The lives of animals, even though we love to hold them dear to us, or not on the same level as we are. Man is very unique in that God created us in His image and likeness. The Lord breathed into mankind’s nostrils and we became living beings. God did not do that with animals. So, the idea for the children of Israel was that if someone killed one of your cattle, they were to replace your cattle with another cattle. The same cannot be said for when the life of another person is taken. We cannot simply replace the life of a person that has been lost.
The idea of restitution – restoring what was lost – is spoken of in the last few verses of our lesson (vss. 19-22). For example, we see the Lord state that if one disfigures another then it should be done to him. The saying “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” is mentioned here as well. Restitution was something that was very significant and important to the children of Israel. It was a way of truly valuing the lives of others.
Our lesson closes with the children carrying out the Lord’s command of stoning the man that blasphemed the Lord (v. 23). To blaspheme the Lord, to speak against Him, His instructions, love, and grace (His holiness) is such a grave sin for one to commit, especially when we ourselves aren’t holy nor are we righteous without Him.
Who are we to defy and rebel against the Lord in such a manner? This was a very important lesson for the Israelites to learn and it is still a lesson that has to be learned by mankind today.
Introduction Taking God for Granted – Are you taking God for granted?
“Do you not fear Me?” says the Lord. That is a question that the Lord was asking of the children of Israel during Jeremiah’s day. I believe that this is a question that the Lord is still asking today of mankind. Do we fear the Lord?
22 Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Will you not tremble at My presence,Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; 23 But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; They have revolted and departed.
KEY VERSE – JEREMIAH 5:22-23 NKJV
As we saw last week, there is a form of godliness that does not even bother to pretend to fear their Creator. In the book of Isaiah the Lord asked, “Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making (Is. 45:9)?’” And in the book of Jeremiah, the Lord said to the children of Israel, “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel (Jer. 18:6)!”
The Lord is the Almighty; He is sovereign over all things – this is to say that He has the power and authority over all things. Yet, there is a blatant disregard of the Lord, just as we saw last week. Pharaoh asked, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?” Some will suggest that Pharaoh did not know of God when he made that statement, but as we saw last week, Pharaoh quickly learned of the Lord’s power and authority and still chose to disregard the Lord in his heart – a blatant disregard of God.
I tell you again this week that there is still a blatant disregard for the Lord in our world today. Which is sad because God of how good God has been to mankind. So, I often wonder whether or not we truly realize just how good the Lord has been to us. I would certainly hope that we would realize how good God has been to us and all of those around us, but sadly, we, mankind, are in such a place in our hearts (our mindset) that we take all He does for us for granted. In our blatant disregard of the Lord – taking God for granted – we have formed a heart that is defiant and rebellious.
A Defiant and Rebellious Heart Mankind’s defiant and rebellious heart against the Lord is not something that started today. No, mankind’s disregard of the Lord began in the garden of Eden. There in the garden, the Lord commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). As we all know, they ate from the tree anyway, and after eating from the tree, we are told in scripture that their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked (Gen. 3:7).
Oftentimes we think of their nakedness physically, but let us also understand that because they now knew good from evil – right from wrong – they were now naked (not protected) in their heart (their soul). Their now naked heart was open to the corruption of their disregard of the Lord’s command. Some will say that Adam sinned unknowingly in his heart yet, we see in scripture that God did not excuse their sin because they were exiled from the garden (Gen. 3:22-23).
After being barred from entering back into the garden (Gen. 3:24), there was a choice that Adam would have to make in how regarded the Lord from that point forward. Adam could choose to hold the Lord and His instructions in high regard and fear going against His instruction. Or, Adam could choose to continue in disregarding the Lord’s instructions and not fear what God could or would do to him.
I believe scripture indicates to us that Adam chose to fear the Lord and be obedient to the Lord’s instructions. I believe Adam remembered just how pleasant things were in the garden and what his sin led to. So, he chose the path to not suffer such punishment from the Lord again. We are told in scripture that Adam lived a life where he was fruitful and multiplied just as the Lord had commanded (Gen. 5:3-4).
The question we have to answer today is how do we regard the Lord in the life we live? Do we hold the Lord and His instructions in high regard or do we disregard Him and His instructions? In other words, do we value the Lord or do we take God for granted?
Knowingly Taking God for Granted When it comes to answering these questions, let me tell you what I do. I take a moment to pause and to consider and remember all that the Lord has done for me. I remember all that God has done for me, my mom, brother, sister, niece, and nephew these past 10 years. I especially call to remembrance all that the Lord has brought me through these past 5 years of my life. When I do this, I realize how good the Lord has been to me and all of my loved ones and I am very grateful for Him – I do not take Him for granted. Scripture often speaks to remembering the Lord.
Acknowledging and recognizing the Lord I believe that when we take a moment to reflect on our lives and the role that the Lord has played in our lives, we will conclude that He is good and will continue to seek His goodness. To me, it is honestly a scary thought to consider where I would be without the Lord on my side. God has been a provider, a healer, a doctor, and my caretaker and I believe many of you will say the same thing. The Lord loves us and we cannot take His love and grace for granted!
Yet, there are those who take the Lord’s love and grace for granted by not acknowledging nor recognizing Him in their hearts. Some do this because they, as we saw last week, believe they are above the Lord and that He does nothing for them. Others do this because they simply don’t believe God exists. This group of people, collectively, do not care for the Lord’s instructions or His blessings – they take Him for granted.
The blatant sin of Judah There are many people living in our world today just as Judah was living in Jeremiah 5.
At this point in time in scripture, Judah was living incredibly wicked and in high disregard of God’s law. As Jeremiah 5 opens, we will see that the Lord sought for anyone in Jerusalem that sought truth – meaning that they sought for Him (Jer. 5:1). This calls back to how the Lord sought for anybody that executed justice and truth in the northern kingdom (Israel) but could not find anybody (Is. 59:15-16).
Just as the Lord could not find anybody in the northern kingdom that executed justice and truth, we see in scripture that in Jerusalem both the poor and great altogether had “broken the yoke and burst the bonds” with the Lord (Jer. 5:4-5). Now, there is something that I want to point out here about the disregard of the people of Judah at this point in time.
Judah had been given the law along with the rest of the children of Israel after being in bondage in Egypt. Those living in Jeremiah’s day were taught the traditions and laws yet, they were blatantly choosing to disregard the Lord’s instructions. I want you to understand that this meant they were blatantly choosing to defy the Lord with no fear of the consequences of their actions!
Not fearing the Lord So, again, we see the Lord ask the people of Judah, “Do you not fear Me?” Again, I believe this is a question that the Lord asks all of us today.
I don’t know about any of you, but this question from the Lord sends shivers down my spine! It reminds me of when mom would say those six dreaded words – “wait until your dad gets home.” To think of the Lord asking someone whether or not they fear Him scares me because I know of His power through scripture and through what I have witnessed myself. As the Lord said, we are the clay and He is the potter.
To understand why God was asking this question, we have to understand what Judah was doing to defy and rebel against Him.
Let us remember that this was a people who had heard the stories of all that their forefathers had gone through in Egypt. So they will have known about how the Lord plagued Pharaoh and all of Egypt. They would have also heard about how their forefathers were delivered from bondage and how God provided for them while they were in the wilderness as well.
Then, they would have heard of the stories of how they crossed the Jordan, entered into the Promised Land and defeated many great enemies because of the Lord’s mighty power. All of this they would have known through the passing down of such history. Yet, we see that the Lord said their hearts were defiant and rebellious.
If the passing down of that history was not good enough, the Lord was still at work in their own lives. We will see in this passage of scripture that the Lord first testified of His power and authority over nature itself. Through Jeremiah, the Lord stated, “Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it (Jer. 5:22).”
Now, our view on nature is that nature is powerful and something that we cannot control, right? We cannot control the weather, the ocean, the wind, and we certainly cannot control wild animals – we barely control our “pets”. As wild as nature is, the Lord speaks of His authority over nature and how nature itself respects His command and His will by not breaking the bonds He has set in place.
Now think about that for a moment – If nature, as wild as we think it is, will regard the Lord’s authority, why can’t we who have the capability to think, regard the Lord’s authority with such high regard ourselves?
Mankind, in all of our supposed wisdom, continues to defy the Lord’s authority as if we have no fear of the consequence to the life we live. What scares me even more is when the defiance is done knowingly! Just as Judah knew better, there are so many so-called believers that knowingly defy the Lord’s authority as well when we should know better! We often get on the nonbeliever’s defiance of the Lord but what about us who are supposed to be the followers of Christ?
God’s power and authority questioned Have we done just as Judah and developed a heart that is defiant and rebellious?
We will see God speak to what He had done for Judah. God tells us that He fed them to the full – meaning that they were well cared for by the Lord. God, I believe, feeds us to the full in the same manner by diligently blessing us. Did they give Him thanks and appreciation? No.
God tells us that Judah committed adultery against Him. He specifically says that they, Judah, “assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses(Jer. 5:7).” They were giving adulation to other gods! They were taking His providence and care for granted! Again, I tell you that this is something that makes me wonder about us today. Who are we praising for the blessings that God pours out onto us? Are we committing adultery and giving praise to someone or something else? Are we taking God for granted?
Now, even worse is that after all that the Lord had been doing for them in caring for them, we will see that God says they were speaking against and lying about the Lord. Judah was saying that it was not God who was providing for them and blessing them (Jer. 5:12)! I want you to notice that not only was that happening but we will see that the prophets were not saying anything against their defiant actions (Jer. 5:13)!
To what the Lord is saying, I believe that all of this still happens a great deal in our world today between both the so-called believer and the non-believer as well. The Lord regularly blesses us with so few of us giving Him credit, thanks, and appreciation for what He has done. Many times it is about what we have done rather than it being a blessing from the Lord. Granted, there is a lot of work that we do but let’s remember, it is God who makes all the opportunities that you and I have possible. When it is all about what we have done rather than it being about God blessing us, then we are being just as rebellious and speaking against the Lord as Judah.
The highest form of acknowledgment and recognition of the Lord is our praise and our worship of Him. We praise and we worship the Lord, not because we feel it is a requirement but because it is a sign of our gratitude and appreciation for all that the Lord has done for us.
I tell you today that I worship the Lord because I recognize that I would not be where I am today if it had not been for the Lord on my side throughout this journey. You see, I fear the Lord in that it absolutely terrifies me to think about my life without Him! Judah, in that day, had no such appreciation for the Lord or fear of where they could be without Him.
Holding God in High Regard I feel that when we hold the Lord in such a low regard – not appreciating all that He does for us or acknowledging His power and authority – we are taking God for granted. Where would you be without the Lord providing and caring for you?
We should not nor can we not hold the Lord in such a low regard to where we commit adultery against Him and speak against Him. For their defiant and rebellious hearts, the Lord said to Judah, “Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them (Jer. 5:14).”
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus spoke of a sin that was unpardonable. He said, “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come (Matt. 12:31-32).”
As we have seen today, Judah was working in defiance against the Lord and had no fear of the consequences in doing so. This defiance, I want you to understand, was unpardonable. The Lord even asked Judah, “How shall I pardon you for this (Jer. 5:7)?” God was not and does not forgive those that defy Him in the manner that Judah did. Those that work against the Lord and speak against Him – blaspheme Him – will one day be devoured because of their words.
Recognizing God’s glory We should acknowledge, recognize, and then appreciate all that the Lord does for us on a daily basis. Jeremiah also wrote the book of Lamentations, which was written after Judah was conquered. In Lamentations, Jeremiah wrote, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I hope in Him (Lam. 3:22-24)!”
These are the words of a God-fearing man of faith that truly acknowledged, recognized, and appreciated all the works of the Lord and did not take Him for granted. I ask all of you today, do you appreciate all the works of God? I certainly hope so.
As David often wrote of the Lord in psalm, “marvelous are Your works.” If you are not doing so already, let us take time to appreciate all of the marvelous works of the Lord. Let us take time to appreciate all that the Lord does for us and those around us as well. Let us stop taking God for granted. Consider this again for a moment today, where would we be without the Lord on your side?
Thought: Taking God for Granted
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – September 19, 2021
Responsive Reading – Jeremiah 5:18-31
Key Verse – Jeremiah 5:22-23
Introduction In this week’s lesson, we are going to be taking a look at the day of atonement – also known as Yom Kippur. Now, some of you will be very familiar with this lesson as I have taught about the day of atonement on a few occasions, but for those of you who have not heard me teach about the day of atonement, you are in for a wonderful lesson. Atonement Day was (and still is for the Jews) considered to be the holiest day of the year for the Israelites as there’s much fasting and the seeking of atonement for one’s sin. We are going to be looking at the origination of this day in our lesson this week. This week’s lesson is being taught from Leviticus 16:1-16.
Instruction for the Day of Atonement Our lesson opens up with the Lord giving command to Moses for Aaron in regards to offering up the atonement offering on this very unique day. Let us take note that scripture tells us that God spoke these words to Moses following the death of Nadab and Abihu – two of Aaron’s sons (v. 1). We saw their deaths in our lesson last week as they both offered profane fire before the Lord.
Now, what is very interesting about the Lord’s command to Aaron is that it can actually add to the possibilities of what Nadab and Abihu did that caused their offering to be profane. The Lord commanded Aaron not to enter into the Holy Place inside the veil at any time (v. 2). The reason being is that God would appear as a cloud above the mercy seat and Aaron would die.
So, it is possible that we could add that not only had Nadab and Abihu been intoxicated when they entered into the tabernacle to present their offering before the Lord, but it is also possible they tried to go beyond the veil that separated the holy place and the Most Holy Place. If that is indeed the case, just as He said to Aaron, they died.
The only person that could go beyond the veil was the high priest, at that time Aaron. You will see in scripture outside of our lesson that he could only enter into the Most Holy Place on the day of atonement (Lev. 16:29-34). (Since our lesson stops halfway through this chapter of Leviticus, I would recommend you read the whole chapter so that you can get all of the context for the day of atonement.)
Procedure for Aaron The procedure for Aaron would begin with him entering the Holy Place on the proper day and time. Scripture tells us the day to be the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 16:29). (The seventh month in Hebrew is Tishri – in our calendar this runs from September to October. This year, Tishri began September 6.)
On this day, Aaron was to enter into the Holy Place, which was behind the veil. He was to enter with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and the blood of a ram as a burnt offering (v. 3). We will see that he was also to wear holy garments – these don’t appear to be the same as the ones he received at ordination. I say this because Aaron would always wear those garments but the garments mentioned in this passage of scripture appear to be special for the occasion of the day of atonement.
Before Aaron could even put the holy garments on, we are told that he had to wash his body with water (v. 4). So, Aaron was to consecrate himself – make himself right and holy as he was going to be entering into the Holy Place. (We saw the significance of doing this in the ordination of Aaron and his sons.)
The next verse of our lesson will indicate to us that the children of Israel were to give to Aaron two kids of the goats as a sin offering and a ram for as a burnt offering (v. 5). This indicates, and we will see for a certainty in the next few verses, that there is going to be an offering on behalf of Aaron himself and then an offering on behalf of the children of Israel. We know this because the Lord commanded Aaron to gather specific things for himself in the opening of our lesson, and then we see the children of Israel were to present their own offering which would be on behalf of the nation.
Atonement offerings for him and the people Aaron was to offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and for his house to make atonement. As we saw at his ordination, even though he was the high priest, he and his house needed atonement for their sins (v. 6, 11). Aaron needed to be holy in the performance of this service to the Lord on behalf of the people. So, we have seen that Aaron needed to wash himself, wholly, and we see that he had to offer up an offering to atone for his sins.
I want to share with you that all people are in need of atonement for their sins, especiallythose who are spiritual leaders. We as spiritual leaders must recognize that we are not above needing to atone for our sins. Yes, we all sin, including we who are spiritual leaders – no man or woman is perfect. Never think for one second that you are above needing to atone for your sins. You can learn a lot about a person’s faith if they ever say they don’t feel they need to pray or ask the Lord for forgiveness of their sins.
Now, Aaron was then to take the two goats which the children of Israel would bring to him, and present them before the door of the tabernacle (v. 7). This was to be a public ceremony, just like the ordination of Aaron and his sons. He would then cast lots to determine which goat would be for the Lord and which would be for the scapegoat (v. 8). The goat for the Lord would be offered up as a sin offering (v. 9). The scapegoat would serve in the role of having all the sins of the children of Israel placed on it and then it would be let go into the wilderness (vss. 10, 21-22).
Seeing Christ in this ceremony The two goats that the people presented to Aaron are very interesting and actually have a very important connection to us today. The goat for the Lord was killed and offered up as a sin offering, but let’s notice that it was not enough to atone for the sins of the people. Another goat was used as the scapegoat to have all the sins of the people placed on it. Sending it away from the people and out into the wilderness was meant to take away all the sins for the people.
Our connection to these goats and the day of atonement itself is through Christ. The writer of Hebrews summed up Christ as the connection to the day of atonement best. The writer wrote about how Christ, as our High Priest, entered the Most Holy Place once to offer up His own blood to atone for the sins of all people – those living then, those living now, and those who will live tomorrow. Christ only had to enter the Most Holy Place once to atone for the sins of man whereas the priest would have to do this yearly. This shows us the greatness of Christ (Heb. 9).
I should also point out that where Aaron had to wash himself and offer up an offering to atone for his sins, Christ did not have to do any of that. Christ was perfect; He knew no sin. So, Christ was an innocent and holy sacrifice – this is why His offering was more than enough to atone for all of the sins of mankind.
Atonement offering for the tabernacle We will then see that the next part of the ceremony moves to the cleansing of the tabernacle. Aaron would proceed to burn incense in the Most Holy Place which would cause a cloud from the burning incense to cover up the mercy that was on the Testimony (the ark) (vss. 12-13). The cloud would act as a shield of protection for Aaron from the presence of the Lord.
Aaron would then take the blood of the bull, which was the offering for himself, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. Scripture shows us that there were specific directions for the sprinkling of the blood (v. 14). Likewise, he would then take the blood of the goats which the people presented to him, and he would sprinkle the blood of the goats on the mercy seat as well (v. 15).
Why did the mercy seat have to be sprinkled with blood? We are told in the next verse that Aaron would need to make atonement for the Holy Place because of the “uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins. We will also see that Aaron would need to do the same for the courtyard as well because it was in the midst of the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
This speaks to the corruption of the sin of man and how the world itself is even polluted and corrupted by our sin. Every time the children of Israel entered the courtyard of the tabernacle, their sins corrupted the courtyard. So, for one day a year – the day of atonement – this ceremony was done to clean the uncleanliness of the people, the tabernacle, and the Most Holy Place.
We don’t go around performing these kinds of ceremonies in our church today. Yes, Yom Kippur – the day of atonement – is still celebrated today by the Jews but it is not necessarily a practice that we participate in. The reason being that we have Christ, who again, died one time for the atonement of all people. After His sacrifice, the Lord spoke to Peter and told him that what was once considered unclean, the Lord had cleaned – in that example, the Lord used food to show this point.
So, because of Christ, everything in the world has been atoned from the corruption of mankind. Because of Christ, all of us have the opportunity to have faith in Him who has made atonement for all of our sins. Because of Christ, every last one of us has the opportunity at salvation over our sins. Christ is our atonement day, not just for one day of the year, but for everyday of our life.
Introduction At war with God — There is a form of godliness that is present in our world today that stands in opposition against the Lord. Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy about the perilous times of the last days. He stated that people would become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, along with being despisers of good while having a form of godliness as well (2 Tim. 3:2-5). Depending on the kind of godliness of someone, godliness can be a good or a bad thing.
True godliness, we would consider, is being dedicated and devoted to righteous living. Let us understand, again, that in order for us to live righteously, we have to live by the way of Christ. As you know, God is righteous and only He is righteous – nothing nor anybody else can be righteous except through faith in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). Unfortunately, we are certainly living at a time where people are lovers of themselves – meaning they are overly selfish and stick to their way – rather than be lovers of the way of the Lord. In their love of self, many glorify and esteem above the Lord in their own self-righteousness.
So, I tell you today that there is a battle taking place in our world today between man and God. Some of us are at war with the Lord because of our mindset and because of the manner in which many of us live. I point this out today because I want to keep all of you from being at war with the Lord because I know what the end results are when one chooses to go to war with God. My dad once said in a sermon many years ago – our arms are too short to box with God. I tell you today, fighting against the Lord – being at war with Him – is a losing battle.
At Odds With God In the book of Exodus, we are told of two men who went to war with God. Both of those men were kings of Egypt – Pharaohs.
Pharaoh’s godliness In the opening chapter of Exodus, we are told of the first pharaoh that stood in opposition against the Lord. This pharaoh (believed to be Seti I), we are told, did not know Joseph. (Joseph, you will recall, when he was sold into bondage by his brothers and he rose up to have a very prominent position under the prior pharaoh.) The first pharaoh of Exodus did not know him and looked at the children of Israel, considered their growth, and worried that they would grow mighty and be a problem for Egypt. So, he and the Egyptians dealt shrewdly with the children of Israel and ended up putting them in bondage (Ex. 1:9-11). This was the first pharaoh’s opposition against the Lord.
Now, let us remember this about the Egyptians – they were, and still are, considered to have been very advanced as a civilization. Not only did they have great advancements but they also had a mighty army. We could consider that they were a great power at that time and the pharaohs ruled over all of it. So, this gave the pharaohs a sense of great authority and power – godliness.
Now, time passed and we are told that he died and another pharaoh (believed to be Ramses II) reigned in Egypt over all of those that resided in the land of Egypt (Ex. 2:23). By the time we are told of Moses’ first confrontation with this pharaoh in scripture, we get a clear sense of how this man viewed himself. Moses and Aaron stood before him, and said, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go.’” To this, Pharaoh responded, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go (Ex. 5:1-2).”
Pharaoh’s lack of fear Pharaoh, I want you to understand, did not recognize or acknowledge the Lord; he did not recognize God’s authority. This was a man who, in his mind, had a great amount of authority and power. So, in his mind, there was nobody that could tell him what to do, especially not the God of a people who he held in bondage! Pharaoh was a man who was filled with his pride and was driven by his ego, power, and authority — this was his form of godliness.
Is this your form of godliness? Are you driven by your pride, ego, and sense of power and authority? It certainly feels like many of us are driven by our pride, ego, and sense of power and authority to the point that we will ask, “Who is the Lord?” We have our technological advancements, wealth, houses, cars, clothes, and our “wisdom” – we are at the top of the chain in this world.
What I want you to understand today is that such pride and ego is what puts us at odds with God. I believe this to be true for both believer and nonbeliever. We as believers have to make sure we always check our pride and ego at the door before the Lord. David said, “Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar (Ps. 138:6).” Put your pride and ego in check before the Lord!
When We Go to War With God So, in his pride and ego, Pharaoh had no fear of disobeying a command that came directly from God. He was open in his disregard of the Lord, which is certainly not good, and we’ll see that this caused him and all of Egypt to be at war with God. Let’s look at what it’s like to be at war with God.
Combating God We are shown that God struck him and all of Egypt with plague after plague. Water was turned to blood; there were then plagues of frogs, lice, flies, and against the livestock, and a plague of boils – there was much suffering. Pharaoh, his magicians, and all their great advancements were unable to withstand the Lord nor were they able to combat Him (Ex. 7:14 – 9:12). Which is interesting because our advancements are what we believe actually makes us great.
Yet, after each plague, we are told that Pharaoh could only harden his heart in anger and frustration. You see, I believe this was his only response because he had begun to realize he was fighting a war that it was impossible for him to win! Yet, his pride and ego – his sense of power and authority that he had grown used to – could not lethim do what was obvious. He could not humble himself because he had raised himself above the Lord and his pride and ego would not let him cede his ‘power’.
Now, the purpose of the plagues was to get this man who believed he was a god, to acknowledge the Lord, His power, and His authority. This would mean that Pharaoh would need to let go of his pride and ego, and then humble himself before the Lord. I tell you, it was hard for him and it is hard for us to let go of our pride, our ego, our sense of power, authority, and control — it’s hard for many of us to humble ourselves.
I truly do believe humbling ourselves is one of the most difficult things it is for us to do because having power means so much to us. Yet, I tell you today, God is the one who is in control – He has all the power and authority. Trying to combat the Lord’s power and authority is futile and this was a lesson the Pharaoh would have to learn, and also a lesson that many of us, believer and nonbeliever, have to learn as well.
By the time we get to the text of my key verse for today’s message, the seventh plague, we see that God is increasing the might of the plagues because Pharaoh has not relented in his heart. You see, this is where the battle actually lies – within the heart of man. God seeks for us, mankind, to acknowledge Him in our heart. As you have heard me say before, our confession must be made in our heart and not just by our mouth. Paul stated, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom. 10:9).”
The Lord declares His power and authority
16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
KEY VERSE – EXODUS 9:16 NKJV
The Lord, through Moses, said to Pharaoh, “for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” So, again, the Lord was seeking for Pharaoh to acknowledge Him, but not only was the Lord seeking this from Pharaoh, but we see that He was also seeking for the world to recognize that He, and He alone, is the one true authority and power. God was putting mankind on notice!
All those centuries ago, the Lord was putting mankind in its place – we are not God! Yet, here we are in 2021 and mankind still moves about in this world with few of us acknowledging the Lord in our hearts. Many of us openly mock the Lord and have absolutely no fear of what the Lord can do to us for our trespasses against Him.
I believe that there are many times in our lives when the Lord has reached out to us to either get our attention or to put us on notice. Yet, many of us will harden our hearts and pay little to no attention to the Lord. Why? Because some of us, just like Pharaoh, put ourselves above the Lord and feel we have little need to acknowledge the Lord or pay Him any attention. Some of us truly have no fear of the Lord.
Heeding God’s warning and fearing the Lord We are then told in scripture that prior to the plague of hail, God gave a warning to Pharaoh about the upcoming plague. The Lord warned, “Send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die (Ex. 9:19).”
Let’s notice that even though Pharaoh was standing in opposition against God and was combating the Lord in his heart, God was still giving Him an opportunity to get out of the war. Even though many of us stand in opposition against the Lord today, He has still given us an opportunity to not only leave the battle against Him, but stand on His side. Will your pride and ego allow you to stop combating the Lord in your heart and stand on His side?
Looking back at our scripture, what would Pharaoh choose to do? Would he heed the warning or continue to combat the Lord in His heart?
Now scripture shows us that some of his own servants heard the word of God, feared the word, and heeded the Lord’s warning (Ex. 9:20). You see, after the opening plagues, those servants had come to a place in their heart where they knew what the Lord was capable of doing. This meant that they recognized His power and authority! We are told in the book of Proverbs, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, yet fools despise wisdom and knowledge (Prov. 1:7).”
We are told that while some heeded the warning of the Lord while others were foolish and disregarded the Lord’s warning – they did not fear the Lord. What do you suppose became of those that did not fear the Lord and heed His warning? We are told that the heavy hail came and that it was mingled with first, and it struck the land and all of the people and beast in the land (Ex. 9:22-25).
This plague was so terrifying that we even see Pharaoh, for a brief moment, relent and acknowledge his sin and that the Lord is righteous (Ex. 9:27). Now, let us note that while he relented in this brief moment, it did not last because he did not relent nor humble himself in his heart. Pharaoh hardened his heart again after Moses entreated the Lord and the hail stopped (Ex. 9:28-35).
He would go on to suffer greatly in his war with God as his son died in the plague of the first born along with many other Egyptians. The ‘war’ was over before it even started because who can stand against the Lord? Had Pharaoh simply acknowledged the Lord the first time around and freed the children of Israel, no suffering would have occurred.
Turn From Your War With God I speak to you today of Pharaoh and a lesson that we can learn from him because I believe there are a great many pharaoh’s living nowadays. Now, I don’t say that as a compliment to say that there are many kings or queens living in the world today. I suppose all of us like to think of ourselves in a manner where we are all kings and queens, but again, there comes a point where we need to check ourselves. That point is when we are challenging the Lord’s power and authority.
I speak of Pharaoh today because there are so many of us who have absolutely no fear of the Lord. Many of us live our lives with no concern for how the Lord looks at us or what His response will be to the way in which we have lived our lives.
Oddly enough, some of us fear other people more than we fear the Lord – just as the two pharaoh’s in this sermon. Some are more afraid of others because of the color of their skin! Some are more afraid of a woman that can choose to make decisions for herself! There are so many people who fear others because of the absolute nonsense that they have come up with in their own head or have heard from others who are just as foolish as them!
Yet, I tell you today we ought to fear the Lord and His judgment! As the Lord has warned, every knee will bow to the Lord and every tongue will confess to Him. One day we shall all give account of ourselves to the Lord – there is no escaping this (Rom. 14:11-12). The Lord is going to judge us for all of our actions in this life we live. So, I say to you today that it will be better if you lived your life in a manner in which you feared the end results of God’s judgment of who you are rather than mock His judgment by living in opposition to Him.
A God fearing people A God fearing person is one who, again, shows acknowledgment of the Lord, but I also want to point out that he or she shows devotion to wanting to please the Lord. Do you fear the Lord to the point that you want to please Him?
Scripture proclaims to us that “without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is (acknowledge Him), and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6).” The Lord is a rewarder of those who cast away their pride and ego to humble themselves, fear Him, and are devoted to pleasing Him.
Who are we to not let go of our pride and ego and humble ourselves before our Creator? Who are we to not be humble before Him who gave the world His only begotten Son who died so that we may have salvation over sin, the world, and the devil? There is nothing wrong with being a God fearing believer. There is absolutely everything wrong with one who has no fear of God.
There is nobody who is beyond the Lord. Every man, woman, boy, and girl is in need of Him. Satan once thought he was beyond needing God and he was thrown out of heaven. So, I tell you today that we should fear the Lord, His final judgment of who we are as a being, and live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to Him. If you feel yourself becoming overly prideful, resist your pride and humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due time (1 Pet. 5:6).
Thought: At War With God
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – September 12, 2021
Responsive Reading – Exodus 9:13-28
Key Verse – Exodus 9:16
Introduction In our lesson last week, we started our new quarter of lessons by taking a look at the ordination of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood of service to the Lord on behalf of the people. It is truly special to be called to the Lord and we should treat our calling as such. In our lesson this week, we are going to see two of Aaron’s sons make a very tragic error. Our lesson this week is being taught from Leviticus 10:1-7.
Aaron’s Sons Commit a Tragic Sin Our lesson opens up with the tragic error of two of Aaron’s sons – Nadab and Abihu. We are told that Nadab and Abihu took their censers and put fire into them to burn incense before the Lord (v. 1). When we turn back to the book of Exodus, we can see God’s command about burning incense at the altar of incense (Ex. 30:1-10).
Being holy before the Lord In Exodus, the Lord commanded an altar be made for the purpose of burning incense. We are specifically even told the location where this altar would be placed. God commanded the altar be placed before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony. This would place the altar of incense in the holy place which was separated from the Most Holy Place by a veil (Ex. 26:33). The Most Holy Place was where the high priest would enter once a year to offer up the atonement offering to the Lord.
So, let’s understand that the priests were entering a holy place when they would offer up an offering of incense. As we saw in our lesson last week, the priests were sanctified (consecrated) for the purpose of being able to enter the holy place to serve the Lord. So, they were supposed to be holy themselves as they entered into this holy place.
However, when performing their duties, something was not quite right about Nadab and Abihu’s incense offering to the Lord. We are told that their offering to God was profane – this means that their offering was sinful. We know that their offering was sinful because we are told that they went against God’s command with their offering. For their profane offering, we are told that fire went out from the Lord and devoured the two (v. 2).
Sin of Nadab and Abihu So, what was profane about Nadab and Abihu’s offering? Well, we are not specifically told in this verse but we could infer a few reasons from scripture. Now, we know for a certainty that they did something that was against what God commanded.
Again, when we turn back to the book of Exodus, the Lord commanded that at the altar of incense, the priests were not supposed to offer strange incense on it, a burnt offering, a grain offering; nor were they supposed to pour a drink offering on the altar (Ex. 30:9). Now, in Leviticus, we don’t read about them pouring drink, offering a grain offering, or a burnt offering – we are only told about incense. So, it is possible that the incense that they used to burn was considered strange incense.
Now, if we take a look at what the Lord says in the next verse of our lesson, we will see that God said, “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified (v. 3).” Now, we can cross-reference God’s statement here with scripture in the bible that may lead us in the direction of the sins of Aaron’s sons.
Again, when we turn back to the book of Exodus. We are told by the Lord in Exodus 19:22, “let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” The idea being that, when they would stand before the Lord in the holy place, they would present themselves holy before Him. Again, we will see in scripture, Leviticus 21:6, that the Lord said, “They (the priests) shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.”
I believe what is apparent here is that Nadab and Abihu must have not consecrated themselves before they stood before the Lord in the holy place. Like all of us, they were sinful men, and they were supposed to consecrate themselves in their heart when they stood before the Lord. I believe what we can infer from scripture is that the two men did not present themselves holy before the Lord. Therefore, their offering to the Lord was sinful in itself and they were devoured for standing before the Lord being profane.
This reminds me of when Cain and Abel present an offering before the Lord in the book of Genesis. You will recall that Abel brought forth an offering that was pleasing to the Lord. The reason being because he brought his best to the Lord humbly and respectfully. Cain, on the other hand, just came to the Lord and presented whatever he had – it was not his best. Cain could not have cared less about what he presented to the Lord! There was nothing holy about him or his offering and the Lord, we are told, despised his offering (Gen. 4:4-7).
When we go before the Lord, we cannot present ourselves in any ol’ fashion as Cain did! Now, if we take a look at a verse that is just outside of our lesson, I believe we can infer even further that Nadab and Abihu’s failure was similar to that of Cain’s failure. God spoke to Aaron and said, “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, let you die. It shall be a statute (a law) forever throughout your generations (Lev. 10:8-9). I believe this verse hints at how Nadab and Abihu came before the Lord and that God was warning that He would not tolerate that kind of conduct from His priests.
Understanding God’s judgment Now, if we put ourselves into the shoes of Aaron, I imagine many of us would be hurt and upset at our loved ones dying in such a manner while serving the Lord. So, I would have to imagine that Aaron was distraught at what had happened to two of his sons. Yet, we are told that Aaron held his peace at the Lord’s judgment of two of his sons.
He held his peace as Moses had two of their cousins carried the bodies of Nadab and Abihu away (vss. 4-5). We will see that Moses continues to give Aaron and his two remaining instructions on holding their peace and not acting out in a rage (vss. 6-7). Moses directed them not to uncover their heads or tear their clothes lest they die and wrath come upon all people. They are told to remain in the door of the tabernacle, again, lest they would die should they leave the tabernacle.
So, why was it so important for them not to uncover their heads or tear their clothes? Why was it so important for them to remain in the door of the tabernacle? I believe the answer to this question to be because it was a sign of understanding God’s judgment and trusting in the Lord’s judgment. Of the Lord, we know that He is righteous and that His way is perfect (Ps. 18:30).
The children of Israel, including Moses, Aaron, and now Eleazar and Ithamar, would have to learn to understand and trust in the Lord’s way and judgment. They would have to represent how to act when the Lord does something that we may not understand at first or when God does something that can upset us. The ideal response for every believer would be to not act out in a rage against the Lord. That was how Job’s wife wanted Job to respond to all that happened to him in the day he suffered great loss.
Should Moses, Aaron, Eleazar, or Ithamar had acted from a place of anger and recklessly at what had happened to Nadab and Abihu, it would have set a precedent for all of the children of Israel. Let us remember, those four men were going to be the faith leaders of the children of Israel. Had they acted that way and the children of Israel followed after them, it would have led to a very great sin that none of them would have been able to turn back from. (This is exactly what Moses states to us through scripture).
So, while a very tragic instance for Nadab and Abihu, there were a couple of very important lessons for the children of Israel to learn and for us as well. First, the children of Israel learned that how they presented themselves before the Lord was of the utmost importance. Secondly, they would have to learn how to trust the Lord’s judgment.
For us, we have to understand that how we present ourselves before the Lord is of the utmost importance as well. While we live, we the genuine believers, must understand that we are a temple of the Lord and that we should be holy. Now, I certainly know that all of us are going to have our downfalls and sin, but we must continuously consecrate ourselves in our heart. Be prayerful and diligently seek the Lord’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
We, as genuine believers, must also learn to trust the Lord’s judgment – His way. Oftentimes we get into the habit of griping and complaining about what God has not done for us. We even will gripe and complain about what God has given to us, believing it may have not been what we asked for or that He did not give us enough. There may even be a time when we get frustrated and upset at the death of a loved one.
Yet, I tell you, we have to learn how to hold our peace because how we act towards God’s judgments is seen by everybody – both believer and non-believer. We are the stewards of the Lord – this means that we are representatives of Him. So, like Aaron and his two sons, we must learn to understand and trust in God’s judgments. We cannot set a bad precedent for those that are around us and cause them to commit a sin because we chose to act out against the Lord.
Introduction Our lesson this week kicks off the fall quarter of lessons for 2021. The overarching title for this quarter of lessons is titled – Faith on Trial. As always, there are three separate units of lessons that we will cover over the next three months. The first unit of lessons that we will be taking a look at in September is titled, Learning God’s Holiness. The second unit of lesson that we will be taking a look at in October is titled, Seeing God’s Faithfulness. The final unit of lessons that we will be covering in November is titled, Taking God Seriously.
The opening lesson of this quarter is going to be taking a look at the ordination (or consecration) of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. This week’s lesson is being taught from Leviticus 8:1-13.
Called By God Before we jump into this lesson’s scripture, I do briefly want to touch on what it means to be ordained. To be ordained means to be appointed. For example, you can be ordained for a position in your place of work, though we would rarely look at such an appointment in a place of work as being ordained. No, when we think of someone being ordained, we typically think within our faith.
Within our faith, we believe that one can only be truly ordained for a task by the Lord. Now, we certainly do set people aside for certain tasks within the church but, again, it is God who truly ordains us for His special assignments. Being ordained by the Lord is truly a special calling which we should certainly treat as being a special calling. What I mean by this is if you have been called and ordained by God for a special assignment, we should not mess around when it comes to this calling. We should take our calling by the Lord very seriously.
God calls Aaron and his sons So, our lesson opens with Moses being directed by the Lord to take Aaron and his sons and present them before the congregation of the children of Israel (vss. 1-3). So, this ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons was to be a public ceremony which is much like our ordination ceremonies in the church.
Let us notice that it is God who is directing Moses with this ceremony, which testifies to it being the Lord who has called Aaron and his four sons. This was not Moses’ calling but the Lord. If you were to turn back to the book of Exodus, you will see where the Lord speaks of ordaining Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. The Lord said in Exodus, “Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he (Aaron) may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Ex. 28:1).
Now, we will notice in these opening verses that the Lord directs Moses to gather a few things for this ordination ceremony. Moses is supposed to bring with him some garments (clothing), anointing oil, a bull for the sin offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread. We are going to see the purpose for Moses gathering and bringing these things with him in the following scripture for our lesson today.
We will see that the congregation gathers at the meeting spot which was at the door of the tabernacle (v. 4). Moses, again, makes it very clear that God has commanded the ordaining of Aaron and his sons as priests to all the children of Israel (v. 5). I believe that this was of great importance for Moses to let the people know. Just imagine what this would look like when you see one family having such high positions – it would seem like nepotism.
Yet, Aaron had already been serving as a spokesperson to the people. The Lord told Moses when he first commanded that he go to Egypt that Aaron, his brother, would be his “spokesman to the people” because Moses told God that he was not an eloquent speaker. The Lord said to Moses, “He (Aaron) shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God (Ex. 4:10, 14-16). So, Moses would hear from the Lord, give those words to Aaron, and Aaron would then speak to the people.
Now, there were several occasions where Moses did speak directly to the people, but Aaron did have a role in which he was essentially serving the people before this ordination ceremony. So, we could consider that this ordination ceremony was making it more official as to what Aaron’s role was for the people. The priests were meant to serve God on the people’s behalf. Again, this was a very important role.
Cleansing for priesthood This being a very important role is made even more clear when we see that Moses washed Aaron and his sons before the people with water (v. 6). Now, what was the purpose of Moses washing Aaron and his sons? Well, let us consider something that I have recently preached about when it comes to being a vessel of the Lord. Let us remember that Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy that one would need to be cleansed in order to be a vessel of honor, sanctified, and useful for the Master’s good work (2 Tim. 2:21).
Paul was speaking of a spiritual cleansing of the soul which was required for anyone who wanted to be used as a vessel for the Lord. The cleansing spoken of by Paul is done through the inner workings of the Holy Spirit that dwells in the hearts of all of those who turn to the Lord and genuinely believe in Him.
Aaron and his son’s cleansing, we see, is being done outwardly for the public to see. In a way, this actually reminds me of water baptism which is done outwardly to represent one being cleansed of their sins. For us, the true cleansing of our sins is done in our soul. The cleansing of Aaron and his sons was being done for the purpose of cleansing their sins, though again, I feel I must mention that this was being done outwardly. That being said, this cleansing was very important because it was signifying that the Lord was not going to use a sinful person for the role of serving both Him and the people.
Priestly clothing We will then see in the next few verses for our lesson that there were special garments, which we saw Moses gather earlier, for the priests and the high priest (vss. 7-9). Aaron was dressed in a tunic with a robe that then essentially had a belt around the waist and the ephod. Then a breastplate was put on Aaron with some precious stones – Urim and Thummim – along with a crown and turban.
Again, if we turn back to Exodus, we will see even greater details about Aaron’s clothing. For example, Aaron’s clothing was made by very skilled people who God had filled with the wisdom to be able to make Aaron’s clothes (Ex. 28:3). The colors of the ephod and extra details are mentioned also in Exodus. For example, there were two onyx stones that were engraved with the name of the sons of Israel that were part of the ephod. They were meant to serve as a memorial to the sons of Israel (Ex. 28:5-14).
The breastplate that Aaron would wear also had a great amount of significance as well. The breastplate was given a title and was called the “breastplate of judgment”. On the breastplate, Aaron would wear 12 stones that were, again, a memorial to the sons of Israel. When Aaron would go into the holy place, he would bear their names and the Urim and Thummim were meant to cover Aaron’s heart when he would go before the Lord. By wearing the breastplate, scripture tells us that Aaron would “bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually (Ex. 28:15-30).”
So, Aaron would certainly stand out in a crowd as the people would be able to easily identify him in a crowd. I think this was very important as he served in a role where he served both the Lord and the people. He was essentially a crown jewel in the sea of the children of Israel which also reminds me of the image of the church as the bride of Christ as recorded in the book of Revelation (Rev. 21:2, 9-11). The church will be the crown jewel of the Lord’s eternal kingdom.
Now, Aaron’s attire was only meant for the high priest. The dress for Aaron’s sons was a lot more simple. They wore tunics with the sash around the waist and hats on their head (v. 13, Ex. 28:40). So, while a lot more simpler, the priests would still be easily recognizable to the people in their service to God and to the people.
Aaron anointed After being cleansed and clothed, we now move to the last part of the ordination ceremony. We are told that Moses anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it (v. 10). He did this by taking the anointing oil and sprinkling some of the oil on the altar, seven times, and all of its utensils, the laver (a large basin) and its base (v. 11).
Now, when it came to Aaron, we see that when Moses anointed him, he poured some of the oil on his head (v. 12). I once preached about our anointing a couple years ago. Our anointing by the Lord through the Holy Spirit is a sign that the Lord is with us and that He is both our keeper and provider – He is our shepherd. Shepherds anoint the heads of their sheep to protect them from themselves when they ram into each other, and to also protect them from insects and other things.
Aaron’s anointing was a sacred anointing. His anointing signifies that he was now set aside for the holy work which the Lord had ordained for him to do. Our anointing by the Lord is also a sacred anointing and we should certainly treat it with such. Our anointing signifies that we belong to the Lord and that He belongs to us. Our anointing signifies that we have been sanctified in our hearts (our spirit) for the Lord. This anointing separates us from those who have not been cleansed nor have they been sanctified in their hearts.
So, let us treat our anointing and our calling as a child of God with great value because it is both sacred and significant. Like Paul wrote to the Romans, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29).” Being sanctified through Christ is what leads to us one day taking on the image of Christ at His coming for the church.
Introduction A happy heart with the Lord — Is God at your right hand?
I’m not sure how many of you have been following along with the Sunday School lessons for this quarter but they have been tremendous. In every lesson this quarter we have taken a look at a person of valor and courage in scripture. From Joshua to Paul, we saw that the acts of valor, courage, and boldness were born in the heart of those who had faith in the Lord.
So, I say to you today that I believe that we have reached a point of convergence from what we have been learning in our Sunday School for the past three months and the recent sermons from this month. As you know, for the past couple of months I have focused on being a vessel for the Lord and having a spiritually healthy heart. We have seen that the end results of living with a poor and unhealthy heart, spiritually, can lead to a spirit of infirmity. That is, a spirit that moves recklessly or a spirit that is paralyzed and unable to move. As Solomon once said, being in poor spiritual health dries the bones (Prov. 17:22).
Now, I believe that all of us desire to be in the best shape we can possibly be in spiritually. Why is that the case? Well, we know that there is a great benefit to letting the Lord be the medicine for our soul and dining at the buffet of His word. What I want to do today is take one last look at having a healthy and happy heart with God. I want us to see the benefit of living a healthy life spiritually.
God at Your Right Hand In my sermon last week, you recall that I briefly mentioned David and how he often wrote in the Book of Psalms how his heart (spirit/soul) longed for the Lord. So, in this week’s sermon, I wanted to refer to a couple of psalms of David, a man who scripture describes as a man after God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14). David, I tell you, had a very healthy heart, spiritually, and we should want to imitate his devotion to the Lord.
David’s devotion to the Lord
8 I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
KEY VERSE – PSALM 16:8-9 NKJV
In my key verse for today, David tells us that he always sets the Lord before him. This statement, I believe, tells us a couple of very important things about David. First, I believe this statement tells us a great deal about David’s heart. Again, when I say heart in this instance, let us know that I am referring to the soul.
With that being said, secondly, I want to point out to you that I believe David’s statement also tells us a great deal about David’s mindset. David tells us that in his heart, he always put the Lord first. So, putting the Lord first tells us all about his mindset – his focus was always on the Lord. Therefore his thoughts were driven by his faith, his feelings were driven by his faith, and his actions were driven by his faith. His devotion to the Lord – putting God first – created a healthy heart which created a healthy mindset.
Putting God first is sometimes difficult for most of us to understand. Some of us attempt to take that statement literally, which I can certainly understand. Yet, I want us to tackle the idea of putting the Lord first from David’s perspective. So, let us consider what David expresses in both of my key verses today so that we can understand what it means to put the Lord before us.
I want you to understand that David, when he says that he always set the Lord before him, was expressing his devotion to the Lord. In his devotion, David was expressing his dedication to God in his own heart. David is telling all of us that he put all of his hope and his trust in the Lord. David allowed his heart to be consumed with the Lord so that his every decision and every step was guided by God.
David’s right hand This again becomes very evident to us when we see David say in his own words, “He (God) is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” We again get to see how David’s heart was totally dependent on the Lord. We should pay very close attention to David saying that God was at his “right hand”. What does that mean?
To keep someone at your right hand shows just how much trust you are putting in that person. We could also consider that someone being at your right hand would be indicative of the bond and relationship. For example, I would consider that my brother is my right hand man and I imagine he would say the same about me. Typically our right hand person is someone we truly value and truly trust. We trust that they will be there in our times of need – when we need help, support, and when we are in need of assistance.
So, for David to say that the Lord was at his right hand, it shows us the kind of bond and relationship (fellowship) that David shared with the Lord. You see, David recognized that he needed God’s help, support, and assistance on this journey. The problem that many of us face today is that many of us do not recognize that we are in need of the Lord’s help and support. We end up trying to take on everything by ourselves without His assistance – this is not good for us.
Again, we live in a world that is constantly seeking to press down on us with burden after burden and many of us do nothing but try to bear all of our burdens, troubles, and stress. Carrying so much weight, again, is not good for the heart, yet, we attempt to do it anyway! So, we must determine whether or not we are allowing God to be at our right hand – our devotion – because this is the key to how happy we will be in our soul.
Do we recognize that we need God’s help, support, and assistance on this journey or are we taking on too much for our hearts to bear? The unfortunate answer to this question is that since many of us don’t recognize we need God’s help and support, we end up hurting our soul.
Led by the Lord As I have expressed in recent weeks, there are great benefits to those who seek to care for their spiritual health. There are great benefits to those who make God their heart’s devotion.
God is our shepherd The first couple of benefits we are going to take a look at, can be found in a very familiar Psalm. In Psalm 23, we find David speaking about how the Lord is his shepherd. Now, I want you to consider with me for a moment today that the Lord being a shepherd and guiding not only David, but all of us, by the hand.
Let us imagine that the Lord, as our shepherd, is herding and guiding us by our hands. David tells us that with God as his shepherd, he did not want for anything (Ps. 23:1). This means that the Lord was the caretaker and provider for David, which meant he did not want for or need anything. Now, imagine how wonderful that must have made David feel!
Our wants are what drives many of us. As I mentioned in last week’s sermon, most of us become consumed by our wants and a worldly diet. Unfortunately, as we all know, being on the grind and hustle to satisfy our wants can become overly burdensome and stressful which we know is not healthy for our soul. Yet, with the Lord as our caretaker and provider, that stress and burden is alleviated. So, we are already aware of one of the benefits of making the Lord our heart’s devotion – He is a stress reliever! Relieving us of our burdens and stress, again, creates a healthy heart, spiritually. Now, Let’s continue to add to this list of benefits.
Strength and confidence Now, as our shepherd, David wrote that the Lord leads him by still waters and restores his soul (Ps. 23:2-3). So, again, as our shepherd, David tells us that the Lord not only cares for us, leads us, guides us, and provides for us, but that He also restores our soul. I want you to understand that this means that the Lord strengthens the soul – that, again, is the heart and spirit. So, another benefit we see for a healthy spirit is one that is renewed and strengthened by the Lord.
In Isaiah, it is written, “those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (Is. 40:31).”
Now, I want you to watch what happens to the heart that is being led by and strengthened by the Lord. David tells us that with God at his right hand, he is able to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and that his heart will not be troubled, stressed, or filled with fear (Ps. 23:4). So, with a healthy heart, spiritually, we see that fear is removed. I want you to understand that our fear is replaced with something else.
David said, with the Lord at his right hand, “in the presence of his enemies,” God prepares his table (Ps. 23:5). This is further expounded upon in Psalm 27, where David said, “When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident (Ps. 27:2-3).”
So, here is the next benefit to one whose heart is healthy and devoted to the Lord – confidence and courage. Let us consider today that when we are surrounded by our enemies – this can be all of our troubles, afflictions, and infirmities – we do not have to be fearful. No, we are filled with the confidence through the Lord to face all of our trials and tribulations when we put the Lord before us and have Him at our right hand. We are also filled with the courage to stand up to all that we may be going through knowing that God is going to carry us over every obstacle we face.
Peace of heart Look at all of these wonderful benefits to those whose heart’s devotion is the Lord! Stress and burdens alleviated. Strength, confidence, and courage born in the soul and now a part of the mindset of those with a healthy heart. These, I believe, are truly wonderful benefits to having a healthy heart spiritually.
Now, there is an even greater benefit to having a spiritually healthy heart that I want us to see that David tells us about in my key verse.
I want to direct your attention back to Psalm 16 to where David tells us the last benefit we are going to look at. David says, “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices.” The last benefit is one that I have been mentioning in my recent sermons – a happy heart.
Let us understand that the happiness that is being spoken of is talking about peace. This peace is not a peace born of this world but a peace given by the Lord! David has been expressing to us his peace of mind (heart) while on this journey. The kind of peace that David is speaking of can only come from the Lord.
Eternal peace Now, while we may consider that this happiness and peace is while we are living, I want you to understand that David is speaking beyond this physical life. David, I believe, was looking ahead at the greatest benefit that one can enjoy from having a healthy heart, spiritually.
At Pentecost, Peter quoted this psalm to those that were listening. I want to direct your attention to Acts 2:25-28 just for a moment. In Acts, we see that Peter said, “For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’”
Peter would then went on to conclude, “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David … he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption (Acts 2:29, 31).” Peter concluded that David’s psalm was also a psalm of resurrection. Hades (or Sheol) is the place that we would call Hell – the resting place for the souls of the unrighteous. Eternal suffering awaits all of those who lived their life with an unhealthy and corrupt heart (Rev. 20:11-15).
Get Your Heart Right Truly, that is a sad ending for all of those who make the choice today to not eat a healthy spiritual diet or go to the doctor (which is God) to receive medicine for their soul. So, if you have an unhealthy heart, the thing that I hope you will take away from the sermons I have preached this month is that you take time to get your heart right (healthy) before it is too late. We only have so much time to get ourselves right in our hearts, so take advantage of the time you have.
I encourage you to take the necessary steps to get your heart into better shape. You can do this by turning to the Lord, making Him your heart’s devotion, and having Him at our right hand – meaning that you should put God first by truly being dedicated and faithful to Him.
Like David, when God becomes your devotion, He will constantly work to strengthen your soul so that it is in good health, especially for those days when you are encamped about by all of your troubles and burdens. Those who have an unhealthy heart struggle with being able to handle those days and often fall apart in their spirit. Yet, we are told that a righteous man – one with a healthy heart – may fall seven times and rise again (Prov. 24:16). Why? Because the Lord keeps the heart of those who have devoted their heart – their spiritual health – to Him.
You see, with a healthy heart, we can live a stress free life that gives us peace of mind knowing that we have nothing to worry about and that we will make it. All of our afflictions, burdens, and infirmities, though they may be great and though they may trouble us, we know that the Lord will shield and protect our heart (our soul). Not only that, but God will guide us and lift us over every obstacle that we face. This means nothing but peace for your soul. So, I again encourage you today to get your heart right so that you can have a happy heart.
Thought: A Happy Heart With God
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – August 29, 2021
Responsive Reading – Psalm 16
Key Verse – Psalm 16:8-9
Introduction This week’s lesson is the final lesson of the summer quarter. In this quarter we have been taking a look at people of valor and their acts of courage while facing great threats and their courage for Jesus. Our last lesson of the quarter is going to take a look at the courage of Paul. When I think of courageous and bold people in scripture, Paul is one of the people at the top of my list. Our lesson for this week is being taught from Acts 22:17-29.
Before an Angry Mob Our lesson this week opens up with Paul speaking to an angry mob made up of his brethren – the lesson actually opens at the end of his speech. Things were very heated and dangerous for Paul in Jerusalem at this time. In fact, we see that Paul was actually told to make haste and get out of Jerusalem by the Lord (vss. 17-18, 21). Actually, in the chapter prior, some of the disciples through the Spirit had actually been warning Paul about returning to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4, 12). Paul, however, was adamant in going to Jerusalem that he would not heed the warnings (Acts 21:13-14).
Giving an account of his history So, Paul ended up going to Jerusalem and was met with an angry mob and was arrested (Acts 21:27). I would actually recommend reading the entire chapter of our lesson this week so that you can get the full re-telling of Paul’s history from the man himself. Paul speaks of his upbringing as a Jew (Acts 22:1-3), how he persecuted Christ (Acts 22:4-5), what happened to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:6-11), how he was given his sight and commissioned by God (Acts 22:12-16), and lastly, how he stood by as Stephen was stoned to death (v. 20).
Ministering the gospel Why was Paul giving an account of his history in our lesson? Well, Paul’s ministering of the gospel had angered the religious leaders of the Jews – yes, those same religious leaders that antagonized Jesus and the other apostles. Paul would minister the gospel to anybody that he could, Jew or Gentile. The religious leaders would antagonize Paul when he would preach Christ in the synagogues, no matter where he was. Then, when Paul began preaching the gospel to Gentiles, the religious leaders antagonized him even more. There was fiery anger towards Paul and Jerusalem was in an uproar against him and wanted him dead (Acts 21:26-35).
Paul had been run out of many synagogues by a mob of Jews that had been stirred up by the religious leaders, and on one occasion he was nearly stoned to death (Acts 14:19). Such threats against his life would have been a moment to pause and consider one’s livelihood, but Paul was filled with nothing but drive and motivation to share the good news of Christ. Paul would often testify of his willingness to suffer for Christ (2 Cor. 11:25, 30-31).
Angry mob’s response to Paul So, when Paul stood before this angry mob, I want you to know that he was not shaken – he was full of confidence. We have seen this same kind of confidence in our recent lessons and we have seen that it comes through the Holy Spirit.
The angry mob had no interest in listening to Paul’s testimony, which means they had no interest in Christ. I say this because not only was Paul testifying of his upbringing and how work, but we must remember that Paul was working on behalf of the Lord. So, after they listened to Paul’s testimony, they desired for him to be sent away and killed (v. 22).
Their uproar drew the attention of a Roman commander who had Paul taken to the barracks to be examined under scourging (v. 24). What this means is that they were going to whip Paul to get information out of him – essentially they were going to torture him. Remember, Jesus was scourged by the Romans after He was arrested and prior to being crucified as a sort of punishment and humiliation prior to Him being put to death (Matt. 27:24-26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1).
Paul’s resolve So, this situation seemingly continues to get worse and worse for Paul. It almost seems to be a challenge as to whether he is going to fold and break under the pressure that he’s facing. Yet, we will see that Paul was not quite ready to give up. He turns to the commander and asks whether it is lawful for him, an innocent Roman, to be whipped and beaten (v. 25).
Paul was a very smart man as he was wise in the Mosaic Law, but he was also wise in Roman law and customs. Paul was a Jew, but he was also a Jew that had Roman citizenship as he tells the commander that he was born as a Roman citizen (v. 28). He was born in Tarsus, which was a city of Cilicia, which was a province of Rome. This was something that was very unique to Paul, especially when we consider the other apostles. So, Paul often used his citizenship to his advantage as he moved throughout the land sharing the gospel of Christ and he was going to use it to his advantage here.
So, when the arresting centurion heard this question from Paul, he went to warn the commander about Paul’s Roman citizenship (v. 26). This news changed everything for the commander as he went to confirm this news with Paul. The commander had to purchase his citizenship but Paul did not have to purchase his. So, after hearing this, we are told that those who immediately heard this withdrew from him – so Paul was let go.
So, we have seen Paul face off with an angry mob and we have now seen Paul with the Roman commander and a centurion. Again, Paul allowed himself to be guided by the Holy Spirit and being led by the Spirit will fill you up with all kinds of confidence.
Introduction The healthy spiritual diet – are you eating healthy spiritually?
Many of us are trying to live our lives as healthy as we possibly can. We have been told that daily exercise is good for our heart and for our mental health as well. So, some of us do our very best to diligently exercise as often as we can throughout the week. The goal being that we want to live as long as we possibly can.
The second thing that some of us attempt to do in order to have good health is we try to have a healthy diet. We have been told that a healthy diet can help to protect us from chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and of course, it can also help us maintain a healthy weight. When we have a healthy diet, again, we are told that we will think better, feel better, move better, and can potentially live longer lives.
As I have said over the past couple of weeks, many of us have a great concern for our physical condition which I believe to be very understandable. It is understandable because I believe all of us want to live as long as we possibly can, right?
With that thought in mind, I again say to you this week that we should be just as concerned when it comes to our spiritual health. We want to live as long as we possibly can, physically, but why don’t we show this same concern spiritually? Don’t you want to live on spiritually after this physical passes away? In order for us to continue to live on spiritually, we must be in good health spiritually.
So, I want to ask a couple of questions to all of you today for you to have in mind and focus on. First question – are you eating healthy spiritually? In other words, I am asking whether or not you have a healthy spiritual diet. My second question is this – does what you eat spiritually make you think better, feel better, and are you moving better? These are questions that I want you to focus on throughout my message today and even after this message.
What Do You Consume On the thought of having a healthy spiritual diet, I want to first point out to all of you that our world is like a big buffet. What I mean by this is that there is much food in our world for our spirit to be able to consume. Now, I understand that the thought of the spirit being able to consume (eat) anything would be something that some of us would consider to be far-fetched. Far-fetched because many of us don’t think of ourselves in a spiritual light. Far-fetched because a spirit being able to eat anything doesn’t make much sense at first thought. Yet, as we can feel hunger in our stomach, I tell you that your spirit has a great desire to fill (to satisfy) its hunger as well.
Hunger of the spirit Again, I want you to remember that all of your thoughts, feelings, and actions are born in your soul. What I can also conclude from that thought is that all of your dreams, desires, and goals – whatever they may be — are all born in your spirit. We all hunger to fulfill those goals and I believe we feel that hunger on a spiritual level. The belief being that fulfilling our dreams and goals will bring about happiness, right? So, I believe that all of us simply desire to be happy, and I believe we all desire to be happy in our soul.
Now, the problem that many of us face today is that we do not truly understand what can satisfy our soul. Many of us think we know what can satisfy our soul, but at the same time, many of us absolutely struggle to satisfy our soul because we simply don’t know how or what can satisfy our soul. This means the soul still hungers and is not happy.
Now, for those of you that don’t believe your soul can hunger for anything or consume anything, I want to share some points from scripture. In the book of Psalms, you’ll see that David often spoke of how his soul longed for the Lord and was thirsty for God (Ps. 42:2; 63:1; 119:81; 143:6). What this meant was that David’s soul had a strong hunger that he felt could only be satisfied by God.
In the gospels, Jesus often spoke of feeding the hunger of the spirit. On the day after feeding 5,000 with a few pieces of fish and five loaves of bread, some of them sought to be fed by Jesus again. When they came to Jesus, Jesus turned and said to them, “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst (John 6:35).” I want you to understand that Jesus was not talking about providing them with physical food or liquid drink but was speaking to feeding and quenching the hunger of the soul.
Our spirit is living and breathing, and like an empty stomach, it goes through hunger pangs. Your soul constantly seeks its next meal to have its hunger satisfied – to be happy. So, what is most important for us is that we are feeding our spirit the right sustenance so that it can feel good and be merry. Again, we know that a merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones (Prov. 17:22).
An Unhealthy Spiritual Diet So, what should we or what should we not feed our soul in order for us to have a healthy spiritual diet? I want to direct your attention to Matthew’s gospel for a brief moment here today.
Jesus and the devil After fasting in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, scripture tells us that Jesus found Himself being hungry (Matt. 4:2). Now, I can only imagine the kind of hunger pangs that Jesus was going through after going forty days fasting. To go this long without, we could imagine that Jesus may have been physically hurting in pain and maybe even physically exhausted or physically weak.
We are then told in scripture that the tempter – Satan – came to Jesus while Jesus was hungry and physically in a weakened state (Matt. 4:3). Remember how Peter described the devil in his first letter when he said that the devil is like a roaring lion that seeks who it can destroy (1 Pet. 5:8). When lions go on the hunt, they typically attack when their prey is in a weakened state. So, don’t think for a second that the devil arrived by coincidence when it appeared that Jesus was in a weakened state.
Again, as I have said over the past couple of weeks, we live in a world with two intertwining domains – the physical and the spiritual domains. So, while Jesus was in a physically weakened state, I suppose the devil considered that time to be the best time to test the conditioning of Jesus’ soul and attack. Again, this would not be far-fetched because when Satan went on the attack against Job, he attacked him through the physical in order to get Job to go against the Lord in his soul. (The devil also attacked while Jesus was in a weakened state on the cross.)
So, the devil says to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread (Matt. 4:3).” Now, this may sound like it was a challenge that was physical in nature, but I tell you today that this was not a physical challenge by the devil. The devil had begun a spiritual battle here to test the heart of Jesus and Jesus certainly knew that this was a test of His heart.
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
KEY VERSE – MATTHEW 4:4 NKJV
So, Jesus responds to the devil with a strong saying that is very famous, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Living by bread alone Many have quoted this scripture, but what does Jesus actually mean by this?
First and foremost, Jesus’ response was all about spiritual living. If Jesus was solely speaking about physically living in the world, then this statement would not be true, right? We have to have bread or some kind of food to eat! Our body requires some sort of sustenance in order to be able to keep on living. So, whatever our diet may be, we know that we have to put something in our belly or else we would die of starvation.
Now, our physical bodies may be able to live off what the world provides but the truth of the matter is that physical food does nothing to fill our soul. Our soul would be temporarily fed and we would go back to being hungry because the soul would feel empty again. Simply put, our soul requires more food than the world could ever provide it with. Spiritually, we cannot live by bread alone and Jesus tells us that every word of God is what our soul needs in order to be able to live.
When we try to spiritually live solely by the food of the world, the end results aren’t good. I want to direct your attention to Mark’s gospel for a moment to show you the kind of person we become when we, in our spirit, are hung up on the buffet of the world.
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus we read about an occasion when Jesus was confronted by some of the religious leaders. They were accusing and judging that the disciples had defiled themselves because they had eaten food without washing their hands (Mark 7:1-5).This, again, was another spiritual battle where they were accusing the disciples of being corrupted in their spirit.
Jesus understood well the battle and responded to the religious leaders and also spoke to the people. In that passage of scripture, Jesus tells the people, “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man (Mark 7:14-15).”
Jesus then explained to the disciples, “whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods. What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man (Mark 7:20-23).”
The traditions of men All of the characteristics that Jesus mentioned to the disciples come from those that suffer from a poor spiritual diet. When Jesus responded to the religious leaders, He told them that they had laid aside the commandment of God for the “tradition of men (Mark 7:8).” So, we could say that the “bread” that the religious leaders had been consuming in their spirit were those traditions of men – think of this as worldly teachings and logic.
Because they were living by the bread of men, we would see throughout the gospels that the religious leaders’ actions were often contentious, and filled with anger, hatred, and selfish ambitions. I use these words purposely to describe the religious leaders because in his letter to the Galatians, Paul used these characteristics to describe works of the flesh.
Paul wrote that some of the works of the flesh included hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, and heresies (Gal. 5:19-21). Again, these characteristics describe those who consume from an unhealthy spiritual diet. They were in poor spiritual health because they were eating from an unhealthy spiritual diet. Their poor spiritual diet actually led those religious leaders to be the ones that had defiled themselves. Every thought, every feeling, every action is born from what our spirit has consumed.
Are you defiled in your spirit today because of what you have consumed? Consider today that all of us have been fed some of the same bread that those religious leaders were fed since the time we were children. We were fed that we must gain (profit) in order to be successful in life. The end results have led to many of us facing an endless amount of struggle and burdens to satisfy the empty hunger of our soul. So many of us have developed nothing but anxiety and stress – a spirit of infirmity – because we have spiritually tried to live from eating poorly spiritually.
The Healthy Spiritual Diet Choice So, we should want to eat better, right? We should want to have a healthy spiritual diet. So, the question that some of us may ask is this: What is the healthy spiritual diet for our soul?
Let’s turn our attention back to my key verse for today because Jesus gives us the answer we seek to answer that question. Again, Jesus stated that man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Pay very close attention to the fact that Jesus says the only way that man can live is by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
The word of God Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3 where Moses recalled when the Lord fed the children of Israel with manna. Manna was considered to be the “bread of heaven” which the Lord provided to the children of Israel for a time while they were dwelling in the wilderness. The children of Israel had to learn to trust in and depend on the Lord to provide this manna to them in order for them to be able to live to see another day.
Moses would then go on to tell the children of Israel that they had learned a very valuable lesson. The lesson being that man cannot make it by himself – live by bread alone – but that man is in need of God to sustain him. So, again, we cannot live by bread alone but by what the Lord provides the soul the sustenance it needs in order to live.
What God has given to our soul to sustain is His word, and John told us that Jesus is the word of God (John 1:1). So, if you’re going to have a healthy spiritual diet, you should be eating up – consuming – every last word that Jesus taught, preached, and commanded us to live by!
In his letter, James wrote that we should not just be hearers of the word but that we should be doers of the word (Jas. 1:22). He would then go on to write, “He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does (Jas. 1:25).” Let us understand that the “perfect law of liberty” is the word of God. We must eat, digest, and be consumed with Jesus Christ so that our heart – that is our spirit – becomes Christ.
Peter would write, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby (1 Pet. 2:2).” I remember when I was little, we were told how eating carrots can help our eyesight and how eating spinach could make us strong like Popeye. I tell you today that I believe there are great benefits eating up the word of God. Those benefits are that you will grow in your spirit – you are going to be in a better place spiritually.
Your thoughts are going to become pure. Your feelings are going to become pure. Your actions are, therefore, going to become pure. I tell you today that you will no longer have that empty feeling inside after you have sat at the buffet of the Lord and dined on His word! The word of God will fill up the empty hunger of your spirit. You are going to be blessed – which means you are going to be spiritually happy. These things will happen because you have eaten from a healthy spiritual diet.
The word of God will sustain you today, tomorrow, and eternally – you will never go hungry in your spirit again. So, I encourage all of you today that if you are still dining at the buffet of the world, let that unhealthy diet for your spirit go! Go and dine at the buffet of the Lord and consume the word of God. Eating a healthy spiritual diet that the Lord can provide to you and watch how much better you will be.
Thought: The Healthy Spiritual Diet
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – August 22, 2021
Responsive Reading – Matthew 4:1-11
Key Verse – Matthew 4:4
Introduction This week’s lesson will be the penultimate lesson of this quarter. In our lesson this week, we are going to be taking a look at the courage of the apostles in ministering a new way – that is the way of Christ. The example has been set for having courage for the Lord through the Old Testament lessons that we have been learning. So, let’s take a look at what the apostles do in the New Testament. This week’s lesson is being taught from Acts 4:6-21.
Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin Our lesson opens with Peter and John standing before Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander – the Sanhedrin council (v. 6). This is the same council that Jesus stood before prior to His crucifixion (Mark 14:53-65). These were some of the same religious leaders that thought so highly of themselves that they consistently found a way to question and antagonize Jesus where He went. I say all of this because I want you to understand that these were people who were very familiar with Jesus.
The Sanhedrin council Now, Peter and John were standing before the Sanhedrin because they had been arrested for preaching Jesus Christ and His resurrection before the Sadduccees, the people, and the priests (Acts 4:1). Let us remember, these were people who had bent the law to their desire – they were very strict about their religion which Jesus often criticized as being hypocritical to the Law and to the Lord.
So, we see they have a question for Peter and John. They ask, “By what power or by what name have you done this (v. 7)?” To me, what is very fascinating about this question is that authority was still clearly on the mind of these religious leaders. Remember, they asked this same question to Jesus when He stood before the council (Matt. 21:23).
At that occasion, Jesus responded to them with a question asking, “The baptism of John – where was it from? From heaven or from men?” They were unable to give a direct answer to Jesus’ question, so they answered, “We do not know.” So, Jesus then responded to their question about authority by telling them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things (vss. 23-27).” Now, on other occasions prior to His arrest, Jesus did say that He and the Father were one and the work He did was on His Father’s behalf (John 10:25, 30).
Peter’s response to the council So Peter begins to respond to the council’s question about authority. Let us notice that he was filled with the Holy Spirit when he began to respond to the council. Now, the Holy Spirit had fallen on the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). The disciples had been going out teaching and healing through the Holy Spirit already, prior to this arrest.
So, when we see that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, let us know that the Spirit was already dwelling in him. I believe we would better understand this to mean that Peter was filled with the words and the courage of what to say to the council by the Holy Spirit in that moment. Again, let us remember that Jesus the Holy Spirit would call to remembrance the things that Jesus taught and that Spirit would teach us what we should say (John 14:26).
In what Peter says to the council, you will notice that he speaks to what angered the council in a little bit more of a detail. He mentions that he and John had done a good deed to a helpless man through the name of Christ. Peter specifically says, “If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well (vss. 9-10).”
Well, we know the means by which Peter and John had been healing those who were in need of healing – it was through the name of Christ and the Holy Spirit. This we know from what is recorded of a healing event in Acts 3:1-7. (This is the event that Peter is referring to as well as the first time we see him heal anybody after receiving the Holy Spirit.)
So, Peter stands boldly before the religious leaders and we see that he actually preaches Jesus Christ in front of the same people who led for the crucifixion of Jesus (vss. 11-12). This is some true boldness that we are seeing here from Peter because he would have had to known that he was also putting his life on the line by speaking the name of Christ. These were men that absolutely detested the name of Christ and Peter was standing before them speaking His name and performing miracles in the name of Christ as well.
The council’s response The council, when they heard the message that Peter had delivered to them, marveled (v. 13). Now, some of us will take the fact that they marveled at Peter to be a good thing, but we will see that their marveling was not because they were impressed or had received the word genuinely in their soul. No, we are told that they marveled because they considered that Peter was an uneducated and untrained man. I believe the council viewed the apostles in this light because they were not raised up to be Pharisees – so they were considered uneducated and untrained. Whereas someone like Paul would have been considered educated and trained because he was taught by men like Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the law (Acts 22:3).
So, we are told that the council sends both Peter and John out from the council so that they confer with one another on how to handle this situation. What is interesting about what the council chooses to discuss is that their discussion on handling the matter is very similar to their thinking on how they handled Jesus. For a time during Jesus’ ministry, they were afraid to move against Him because they feared the people’s response to their actions. You see, many people loved the miracles and teachings of Christ and these men feared any action against Jesus would lead to them losing their power.
On this matter, the council concludes that they need to put a stop to Peter and John doing any work in the name of Jesus. They even acknowledge that a miracle indeed had been done to the lame man, but instead of supporting the ministering of Christ which was clearly doing good, they choose to attempt to hold on to their little power. They do not want the name of Jesus to be spoken of or taught (vss. 14-18). Their goal is to put a clamp on the name of Christ so that it does not get spread across the land. Again, they are desperately trying to hold on to some power that began to evaporate the day Christ started His ministry.
Peter and John’s courage speaks again Now, these men believe they have set the law that Peter, John, and any others that would speak the name of Christ should follow. They were used to being able to set their laws to establish their ways for others to practice, so I imagine what happened next was something unexpected for them. You see, they probably thought Peter and John would rollover to their decision, but we see that Peter and John were still filled with that courage brought on by the Holy Spirit.
We are told that both Peter and John spoke in response this time around. They say to the council, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard (vss. 19-20).” What an absolutely perfect response to these men who were considered to be the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
In their response, they essentially say that the Lord is ultimately the one who has the final say and that they would leave it up to His judgment. Let us remember that these men were commissioned by Jesus, God in the flesh, to teach, preach, and share His gospel. So, Peter and John certainly knew that they were in the right. They say to the council that they much rather take the word of the Lord than the word of men who think that they have some sort of authority over them.
The apostles’ resolve Let us remember, again, these were men who had Jesus crucified and both Peter and John are standing up to these men with their only care being the service in which they were doing of God. So, they essentially tell the council that if they, the council, believe their words to hold more weight than the Lord’s word, then they, the council, could be the judge of that. So, the council is essentially left with a decision to make – potentially go against the word of God, who they claim to believe in, or not go against the word of God and let these men go.
Now, it is not covered in this chapter of Acts but in the next chapter of Acts, you will see that the council, again, arrested some of the apostles and put them on trial. They were on trial, again, for preaching and teaching the name of Christ which the Sanhedrin thought they had stomped out in our passage of scripture for today’s lesson. At that occasion, Gamaliel, the same one I mentioned earlier, delivered a bit of advice to the Sanhedrin. He said to them, “if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God (Acts 5:38-39).”
Our lesson closes today with the council being unable to do anything but threaten the apostles with a threat that could bring no harm to them. The council feared the people’s reaction to any harm being done to Peter and John because the people were rejoicing and glorifying God for their work (v. 21). You see, the apostles were relentless in their boldness and courage for preaching and teaching the name of God. Thanks to their hard work, the name of Christ spread throughout the land and the world, and it is still being taught and preached to this day. We, again, must be filled with this kind of courage when it comes to our service of doing the good work in spreading the gospel of Christ.
Introduction This week’s lesson takes us into the final unit of lessons for the summer quarter. Throughout this quarter we have been taking a look at people of valor through acts of courage and having courage while facing threats. In this unit of lessons we will be taking a look at having courage for Jesus. Our lesson this week is being taught from Matthew 11:1-15.
Are You the One Our lesson opens with Jesus departing and going out to teach and preach (v. 1). This was at a time where Jesus had called His twelve apostles to Him and gave them power over unclean spirits, and the power to heal all kinds of sickness and disease (Matt. 10:1). So, Jesus had already begun His ministering by the time period of our lesson, and what we are seeing in the opening verse of our lesson is that He was continuing to do what He had already begun.
John the Baptist sends his disciples So, while he was in prison, we are told that John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask Jesus an interesting question on his behalf. They ask, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another (vss. 2-3)?” Now, I want you to understand that though these words are coming from the mouths of John’s disciples, this was a question that he was asking of Jesus.
This was an interesting question to come from John the Baptist. Not too long ago we had a lesson that focused on John’s ministering of Christ. During his ministering of Christ, John baptized in the Jordan and testified of the coming Christ. In fact, we know that John testified of Christ on a couple of different occasions when he saw Jesus in person (John 1:29-30). At one of the occasions, John sent two of his disciples at the time (Andrew and John) to be disciples of Jesus.
John certainly knew that Jesus was the Christ – we know this from prior occasions that we have seen in scripture. So, why was John now asking this question of Jesus? There are two possible answers I believe we could come up with if we think about it.
Reason behind John’s question The first reason that I can think of would be more of a selfish reason from John. We know that John was in prison at that time; he was being held prisoner by Herod (John 14:3-4). So, if we view this from a selfish perspective for John, then John could have been hearing about the ministering of Jesus and was possibly wondering why Jesus had not yet done anything for him. Now, I don’t actually buy that being the case with John thinking selfishly. Yet, it is certainly possible that someone out there may be thinking that John wanted to be freed from prison.
The second reason I can think of is that John may have been expecting Jesus to move differently from the way in which He was moving. Jesus was going throughout the land teaching, preaching, and healing as we will see Jesus say later in this lesson. I think John may have been a bit thrown off by the things that Jesus was doing. Let us remember that When John preached about the coming of Christ, he preached the need of repentance because of the looming judgment of Christ.
Yet, Jesus wasn’t judging anybody at that time. As Jesus said it Himself, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (Matt. 5:17).” Jesus’ first coming was not a coming of destruction but a coming to deliver salvation from destruction. Destruction would not come until after the second coming of Christ at the judgment of the world (Rev. 11:15-18). Something that is very interesting about the first coming of Jesus was how misunderstood it was not only by those who did not recognize Christ but also by those who did recognize Christ.
Now, I believe the second reason to be more likely than the first reason. I believe that John was ready for the heavenly kingdom to come through Jesus’ righteous judging of the world. Now, that day still has not yet come, but I do believe that day is fast approaching. So, the message of repentance that John the baptist preached, is a message that should still be preached today.
Jesus responds to John So, to answer John’s question as to whether or not He was the Messiah, Jesus responds, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me (vss. 4-6).”
John may have been looking for the righteous judgment to come immediately at Jesus’ first coming, yet Jesus speaks of fulfilling prophecy of the Messiah which was prophesied by Old Testament prophets. We can cross reference this scripture with a passage of scripture found in the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah prophesied, “Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing (Is. 35:4-6).” Jesus was indeed the Messiah, even though He may have not come as some thought He would and even though He didn’t do the things they thought He should do.
Jesus commends John the Baptist As John’s disciples began to leave, we will see that Jesus begins to commend John’s prophesying of Christ.
Jesus first asks, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind (v. 7)?” Now, Jesus was not saying that John was the reed that was being shook by the wind, but that John was the wind that was shaking the reed! So, Jesus was speaking to how boldly John was when it came to preaching the kingdom of God.
Jesus then said, “what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses (v. 8).” Scripture makes it clear that John was the total opposite of a man that lived in the kings’ houses. We are told that John was clothed in camel’s hair and that his food was locust and wild honey.
Jesus’ commending of John did not stop there. He continued and said, “what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You (vss. 9-10).’ ” Jesus says that John was more than a prophet and quotes Malachi 3:1.
John has an interesting place in scripture. Scripture records him in the New Testament but John, unlike the apostles, did not preach of the things that Jesus taught, nor did John preach the death and resurrection of Christ. John is essentially an Old Testament prophet that went before Christ and prepared the way for Him, yet we don’t often think of him as an Old Testament prophet.
Jesus then said that there was none who were born that was greater than John and you will even see him say that John was Elijah (vss. 11-14). This was truly a high commendation for John the Baptist, especially when we begin to think about the prophets who we consider to be great. We consider Moses and Elijah to be great prophets, right? Then there are other prophets that we consider to be great like Isaiah and Jeremiah. In my opinion, all of those men were very bold prophets, especially in the days in which they lived.
Moses was very bold when he led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Elijah was very bold when he stood up against Ahab. As we have seen in a recent lesson, Jeremiah was very bold standing up against the wickedness in Judah. John was filled with courage to speak of the kingdom of God at a time when those in Jerusalem had not heard from the Lord in 400 years. He had to have courage to preach the coming kingdom when the religious leaders would stand to challenge what he was preaching. Yet their challenge nor what others may have thought of his dress or what he ate could hold John back from preaching the kingdom of God.
John, again, was so bold that Jesus described him as the wind shaking the reed. How bold and courageous are we when it comes to ministering the gospel of Christ? Are we like the wind shaking the reeds? Sadly, it seems not too many Christians are bold and courageous enough to shake the reeds? We cannot be shy or hesitant when it comes to preaching God’s gospel. We cannot minister the words that people want to hear but the words of truth that they need to hear. The truth can be hard and it can be stirring as well, but the truth is what must be preached.
Introduction Medicine for the soul — How do you deal with all of your infirmities?
Last week, I watched as Simon Biles, one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, in my opinion, was criticized for a critical decision that she made in regards to her mental health. Honestly, the criticism of her choosing to take care of her mental health moved me to want to focus on the subject of mental health in my sermon this week. The reason being is because for far too long, we, mankind, have made light of the issues that we all have mentally.
Honestly, collectively as a church, we rarely broach the subject of mental health which is something I believe we should certainly focus on a great deal more. Why? Because we live in a world that is always pressing down on us with burden after burden and many of us walk around trying to carry all of those burdens. Trying to bear the weight of the world is such a heavy burden which can be taxing and cause both anxiety and stress – none of which is good for our mental health.
While we always take into consideration our physical and mental health, there is another facet of our health that influences our physical, mental, and emotional health. From this facet, all of our infirmities that we bear are also born. So, when we start talking about dealing with our infirmities, which are defined as physical and mental weaknesses, I want to go to the source of our infirmities.
Scripture shows us that there is actually a remedy to all of our health issues – be them physical, mental, or emotional. So I want to look at what scripture says is the remedy to all of our infirmities.
Intertwining Worlds Today I want to take a moment to turn over to the gospel of Luke so that we can take a look at two examples of how God deals with our infirmities. I also want to make an important connection to the source of so many of our physical, mental, and emotional infirmities. The reason being is that in order for us to remedy our infirmities, our best bet is to take care of them at the source.
Our physical infirmities Luke records an event in his gospel that involved Jesus and a woman who we are told had an infirmity for 18 years that I want to look at first (Luke 13:10-17). In this passage of scripture we are told that in her infirmity, she was bent over and unable to stand up straight (Luke 13:11). So, clearly her infirmity was physical in nature.
Now, let us note that scripture tells us that she was physically crippled by a spirit of infirmity. What this means is that an evil spirit (a demon, an entity) was the cause of this woman’s crippling infirmity. Now, in order for her physical infirmity to be healed, let us note that Jesus, God in the flesh, was required to step in. Jesus simply called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity (Luke 13:12).”
So, why was Jesus required to step in for an infirmity that appears to have been physical? Again, there is a very important connection here to not only our mental infirmities but also physical and our emotional infirmities as well.
Our mental infirmities In another example that I believe all of you will all be familiar with, we will take a look at how the Lord deals with mental infirmities. Now, the mental facet of our life is so important to us because what we think can influence both our emotions and our actions.
I want to direct your attention to a few chapters earlier in Luke’s gospel (Luke 8:26-39). We are told of a man who had an infirmity which scripture indicates to us was more of a mental infirmity than an physical infirmity. We will see that because he was not in his “right mind”, we are told that he lived outside of the city in the tombs (Luke 8:27). (The people of the city essentially expelled him out of the city because of his mental issues.)
Now, let us note from this passage of scripture that the source of the man’s mental infirmity was, again, an evil spirit. This evil spirit called itself Legion (Luke 8:30). Now, again, in order for the man’s mental infirmity to be remedied, we see that Jesus was required to step in. Scripture tells us that Jesus commanded the unclean spirit out of the man and into some nearby swine which we are told ended up drowning (Luke 8:29-33). After he was healed, the people from the city came out into the country and found the man sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed and “in his right mind (Luke 8:35).”
The connection In both of these examples, there is an important connection that I believe is clear and very evident to the cause of the infirmities. This connection is still very much present in our world today, and it’s a very important connection, yet we often overlook this connection.
You have heard me say before, we have physical bodies but our true form is spiritual – we are spirits trapped in a shell that is our body. When God created mankind He breathed into mankind’s nostrils His breath – His spirit – and mankind became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). I always point this out because I truly want people to understand that we are more than just this physical.
I also point this out because I want you to understand that there are two domains present in our world – a physical domain and a spiritual domain. Scripture makes this point clear to us as well. To the Corinthians, Paul said, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Cor. 6:19-20).”
We should understand that both the physical and spiritual domains are intertwined. Solomon wrote that from the heart (meaning the spirit)spring the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). When I say that the spiritual and physical domains are intertwined, I want you to understand that means they are united in a way that one can influence the other. Our spirit is the springboard to what we think (the mental), how we feel (the emotional), and the very actions that you and I take (the physical).
So, everything originates from our spirit and manifests out into the world! Now, on the flip side, what we go through physically and mentally can also influence our spirit. When this happens everything loops back around to spirit which again influences how we think, how we feel, and how we act. I hope you see this intertwining connection and come to recognize its significance.
When we can recognize that the source of many of our infirmities originate from our spirit, then we can take the best course of action to remedy our infirmities. We physically do not have the means to remedy any issues that originate in our spirit. Yet, we know who can provide a remedy for all of our infirmities. However, the big issue many of us face is that we show more concern for the physical reality than we do the spiritual reality. What this means is that many of us show more concern for our physical, mental, and emotional health rather than having a greater concern for our spiritual health. That said, I tell you that your spiritual health should be a major concern for you.
Living Stress Free We live in a world that is always pressing down on and weighing us down. Many of us try to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders but we absolutely know that trying to carry the weight of the world can be both physically and mentally taxing. Guess what this then does to your spirit – it taxes and stresses your spirit. So, our taxed and stressed spirit needs medicine for the soul and only the Lord can provide the medicine our soul requires.
Two troubling spirits of infirmities A spirit that is troubled, taxed, burdened, and overly stressed can lead to two types of spirits of infirmities that can affect us mentally and, again, when we are affected mentally our emotions and our actions are compromised. Those two spirits are a spirit of madness (insanity) and a spirit of fear which is a paralyzing spirit.
The devil’s greatest attack against us is an attack directed at our spirit for the purpose of stressing and troubling it. He knows that troubling our spirit can influence us mentally, emotionally, and physically. We are in a wrestling match against someone whose desire is to compromise our spirit – essentially like what a virus tries to do to our body. Remember that Paul said to the Ephesians, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).”
If many of our infirmities are born from spiritual entities, then what can we do to combat these principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness? The answer, I believe, is again quite clear – we should turn to the Lord so that He can provide the remedy to combat our infirmities on a level that we are incapable of doing. Whatever is troubling our spirit and therefore affecting us physically, mentally, and emotionally, God will remedy for us.
No need to stress When it comes to dealing with our infirmities, whether they are physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, my favorite passage of scripture to how the Lord views them and how he handles them can be found in Matthew’s gospel (Matt. 6:25-34). We will see that Jesus says, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on (Matt. 6:25).”
God’s thoughts towards our infirmities, again, is this — “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.”
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
KEY VERSE – MATTHEW 6:34 NKJV
God is declaring to us not to let the things of this world stress us, especially not in our spirit! What He has said reminds me of when I was a little kid and would be afraid of something but then he would appear and suddenly, I wasn’t afraid anymore because he was there. There was safety and security with him simply being around. The Lord wants us to feel this same sort of comfort when it comes to the things that can stress us in our soul.
As we see In the very next verse, Jesus speaks of the birds of the air. He said, “they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them (Matt. 6:26).” You see, the birds of the air live without stressing over having to sow, reap, or gather up food. Surely, the birds have to eat in order to live, but they are living a stress free life. Imagine living your life where you’re living stress free in your soul because you know that the Lord is caring for you.
To further show how the Lord cares for us, Jesus then spoke of the lilies and the grass of the field in the same manner as He spoke of the birds. He said the Lord clothes the grass and the lilies of the field grow and does not toil or spin (Matt. 6:28-30). In other words, both the lilies and the grass of the field live with no stress and no anxiety – they live stress free – because God cares for them.
Taking away our infirmities Jesus then asked us a very important question. He asks, “Are you not of more value than they (the birds, the grass, and the lilies)?”
I believe that the Lord cares for us in an even greater fashion than the birds of the air, and both the lilies and grass of the field. With that being the case, the Lord wants to take away the source of your infirmities. In order for us to deal with our infirmities, we must do as the woman who had her infirmity for 18 years and the man with the mental infirmity – they both went to Jesus.
Jesus said to us, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).” The Lord desires for you to live your life without stress and without anxiety in your soul. He tells us directly to go to Him with all of our burdens, anxieties, and stress.
God will remove that weight of stress, anxiety, and burden off of our shoulders! Solomon wrote in proverbs that a merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bone (Prov. 17:22). The removal of our stress, anxiety, and burdens on a spiritual level will make our spirit happy. A happy spirit leads to a happy place mentally, which leads to a happy place emotionally, and therefore, our actions come from a place spiritually.
Recognizing When We Need His Help In order for us to deal with our infirmities, we must come to recognize that the Lord is a healer of all of our infirmities, whether they are physical, emotional, or mental. When we can recognize this, we must turn to the Lord and make our supplication known to Him that we are in need of His healing hands. Unfortunately, many of us refuse to go see the doctor when we are in need of His healing touch.
Jesus declared that those who ask receive, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Luke 11:10).” Let me tell you something, there is absolutely nothing wrong with recognizing when we need help. There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing when we need a break so that we can have time for the Lord to doctor on us and provide medicine for the soul.
Thought: Medicine for the Soul
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – August 8, 2021
Responsive Reading – Matthew 6:25-34
Key Verse – Matthew 6:34
Introduction A few weeks ago, during one of our Sunday School lessons on courage, I referenced the “three Hebrew boys”. (I am so happy that the writers of this lesson titled the lesson calling them “three young men.”) I referenced them because in scripture, there is arguably not another group of people or persons that showed as much courage as them. So, let’s dive into our lesson for this week on the courage that three young men showed when standing before King Nebuchadnezzar. Our lesson is being taught from Daniel 3:1, 8-18.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Image Our lesson opens up with the reveal of the image of gold that Nebuchadnezzar had made (v. 1). Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Babylonians who led the Babylonians in the destruction of Jerusalem (Dan. 1:1). At that point in time the Babylonians were the dominant power in the land so you could consider that Nebuchadnezzar ruled “the world.” He certainly felt that way because he had an image of gold made and desired for the people to worship the image.
Nebuchadnezzar commanded that all people in the province of Babylon bow and worship the image of gold at the sound of music (vss. 2-5). Let us remember that after the destruction of Jerusalem, many Jews were carried away from the land of Judah and Jerusalem into Babylon. Some of those that were taken away to Jerusalem included Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who the Babylonians named Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-Nego (Dan. 1:6-7).
When the Babylonians carried the Jews away, they tried to enforce their ways on the Jews in order to have the Jews assimilate into their culture. The assimilation included teaching the Jews their language, literature, and forcing the Babylonian diet onto the Jews (Dan. 1:3-5). So, to sum it all up, the Babylonians were trying to force their entire culture on the Jews, again, including idol worship. All of which would have been considered going against the Mosaic Law for the Jews.
Three Young Men Accused With all of this in mind, we can fully grasp what is going on in our lesson for this week. We are told in our lesson that certain Chaldeans came forward accusing the Jews because they would not bow and worship Nechadnezzar’s image of gold (vss. 8-10). We should note that the Chaldeans were the Babylonians.
Now, they point out that the king had stated that anyone who did not bow to worship the image of gold would be cast into the midst of a fiery furnace (v. 8). In fact, it was pronounced that anyone who did not bow to worship the image of gold would immediately be thrown into the midst of the fiery furnace. So, by their law, not worshiping the image of gold was a serious offense with serious consequences.
After hearing word that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to bow and worship the image of gold, Nebuchadnezzar was enraged and commanded they be brought before him (v.13). As we will see in a bit, the three young men understood well what they were doing when they refused to worship the image of gold just as they did when they refused the Babylonian diet. These three young men and Daniel were very faithful men. As scripture shows us they rejected the Babylonian diet (Dan. 1:11-16), Daniel was a man of prayer and prayed to the Lord diligently (Dan. 6:10, 13).
Facing the king When they stood before the king, Nebuchadnezzar asked, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up (v. 14)?” Nebuchadnezzar was very familiar with Daniel, and I believe he was also very familiar with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. In his question, there does sound like a bit of concern and I believe it was further shown in what he says next.
Remember, they were supposed to be immediately thrown into the furnace but he gives them a way out – a second chance. Nebuchadnezzar says to them, “Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good (v. 15)!” Essentially, he offers them an ultimatum. If they ceded – if they bowed down and worshiped the image of gold, then all would be well. Should they not bow, Nebuchadnezzar would have them killed – so they were putting their lives on the line to stand firm in their faith.
They were in a position where I believe many would likely cede their position, especially with their lives being on the line. Now, many of us don’t find ourselves facing life threatening situations, such as these three young men, but there are certainly times when our faith is put to a challenge. For example, the last 5 years of my life, I would tell anybody that my faith was put to a challenge because of my physical health. Many of you may have gone through some things physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually that may have challenged your faith.
Courage of the three young men It is important that we not give in to our afflictions, but stand strong in our faith in the Lord. God is a deliverer and He will deliver you from your afflictions. Nebuchadnezzar asked the three young men, “who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” Again, note how highly he thought of himself. He didn’t know about the Lord, but we are going to see how firm they stand in their faith.
They respond to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter” – they were not phased by the king’s ultimatum because the choice was an easy choice for them. When our faith is challenged as to whether we will keep the faith or doubt/back down, the choice should be an easy one for us — stand firm.
They continued in their response to the king, filled with courage, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up (vss. 17-18).”
I referenced this scripture in a recent Sunday School lesson because their response is filled with so much faith. Again, I want you to understand how much courage it took for them to stand before a king of the most dominant power at that time. Their courage reminds me of the courage that Paul showed when he stood at Areopagus and before Caesar, Felix and Festus to minister the gospel.
We have to have a great amount of courage while we are on this journey. There are going to be many trials, tribulations, and afflictions that we are going to face. Every trial, every tribulation, and every affliction will require us to have the courage to stand firm in our faith in what the Lord can and will do for us. If there is one thing I hope you take away from these lessons we have had this quarter is that the outcome always works in our favor when we have the courage to stand steadfast in our faith in the Lord.
Introduction In this week’s lesson, we continue our studies on having courage in the face of threats. We are going to be taking a look at Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet of God in our lesson this week when his great threat was his very own people. Our lesson this week is being taught from Jeremiah 26:1, 4-15. (The book skips a couple of verses but I definitely recommend that you do not skip those verses.)
The Prophet Jeremiah Before we dive into our lesson for this week, I do want to share some insight on Jeremiah. Jeremiah prophesied in the southern kingdom during the reigns of three kings of Judah – Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah – according to scripture (Jer. 1:1-3). (There was actually another king that reigned for only three months between Josiah and Johoiakim; he was named Jehoahaz. His name is not mentioned in the scripture I referenced above because Jeremiah possibly did not prophesy during those three months.)
Under the reign of Josiah, we are told in scripture that he did what was right in the sight of God (2 Kgs. 22:1-2) as he worked to restore Judah back to true worship of the Lord after the evil reigns of Manasseh and Amon prior to him. In fact, Manasseh’s reign was so wicked and evil that even though Josiah had worked to restore true worship in Jerusalem, God did not turn away from His wrath for Judah (2 Kgs. 23:26-27).
Jehoiakim was made king by Pharaoh Necho – this Pharaoh killed and defeated Josiah and he also took away Jehoahaz to Egypt (2 Kgs. 23:34). Jehoiakim reigned for 11 years and we are told that unlike his father, Josiah, Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of God (2 Kgs. 23:37).
So, I share all of this info to show you just how turbulent of times that Jeremiah prophesied through. He has earned the nickname over the years of the “weeping (crying) prophet” because his prophecies to Judah were essentially doom and gloom due to their wickedness. Here in our lesson today, we are actually going to see just how far in wickedness the southern kingdom had fallen compared to when we last studied about the southern kingdom during the reign of Hezekiah, nearly 80 years prior to Jehoiakim’s reign.
Jeremiah’s Word From God So, our lesson opens up with word coming from the Lord to Jeremiah at the start of Jehoiakim’s reign (v. 1). God directs Jeremiah to stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house, which was the temple, and speak to the people with the hope of persuading the people to turn away from their wickedness (vss. 2-3). As I had just mentioned a few moments ago, the Lord’s wrath was kindled against Jerusalem because of the people’s wickedness. God was still clearly desiring for the people to repent and turn to Him and was, yet again, giving them another opportunity.
The next few verses cover the message that God gives to Jeremiah to deliver to the people. Scripture says, ‘Thus says the Lord: “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, to heed the words of My servants the prophets whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them (but you have not heeded),then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth (vss. 4-6).” ’ ”
God had been sending prophets to the people diligently in the hopes that they would heed (listen to) the prophets. The problem was that the people were totally ignoring the prophets that God was sending to them. So, Jeremiah’s message was more of a warning to them ‒ God is seeking their repentance but He is also warning them what’s to come should they not repent from their ways.
The Lord warns that He would make Jerusalem like Shiloh and a curse to all the nations of the earth. Shiloh is a reference to the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. By this point in time, Israel, the northern kingdom, had been defeated, conquered, and destroyed by the Assyrians. So God is warning the southern kingdom that should they not repent, Jerusalem would be destroyed. Now, of course, we know that Jerusalem indeed was destroyed by the Babylonians which was something that Ezekiel and Jeremiah witnessed.
The people respond So, how would the people respond to the word of God that was delivered to them by Jeremiah? Their response, we will see, was a very vicious response and again, I want to let you know that their response tells you so much about the people and how far Judah had fallen into wickedness.
We are told that those who were present in the courtyard of the temple to hear Jeremiah’s message included priests, prophets, and all the people (v. 7). When we see it say “all the people”, let us understand that this does not mean literally every single person, but most likely it was a fairly large crowd gathered.
Now, after Jeremiah had finished delivering the message to this group of people, we are told that they all moved and seized Jeremiah and were ready to kill him! Scripture explicitly states that those that seized Jeremiah, again, included the same priests, prophets, and all the people! Imagine being this angry at hearing the word of God that you’re moved to the point of killing the messenger!
As genuine believers it would be incredibly hard for us to understand the anger that would drive someone to move with such anger. Jesus said that the world would hate those of the Lord because they are not of the world (John 15:19). He also said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin (John 15:22).”
Though Jeremiah lived well before Christ, the principles that Jesus spoke of were still certainly true in Jeremiah’s day. The people were angry at Jeremiah because the message he spoke of pointed out their sin and I believe they recognized that they were in the wrong – this is what drove their outrage. A lot of folks, when their wrong has been pointed out to them, they will deny as hard as they can because it makes them feel better about their wrongdoing.
I want to also point out to you that all the people that moved with this anger towards Jeremiah were also moving with anger against the Lord, whether they realized it or not. Jesus, again, said, “He who hates Me hates My Father also (John 15:23).” They were upset with a prophet that the Lord sent and was ready to kill him. Their hatred towards Jeremiah is a reminder of the same kind of hatred I spoke of in an earlier lesson when we saw Ahab consider Elijah to be his enemy.
Jeremiah’s unrelenting courage We then see that the princes of Judah had heard what Jeremiah had prophesied and came up from the king’s house (v. 10). So, Jeremiah was now standing before the princes, priests, prophets, and all the people and this unrelenting crowd seeks Jeremiah’s death before the princes (v. 11). I can’t imagine the sort of stress that Jeremiah may have been feeling in that moment. Let us remember that the people who have seized Jeremiah are his very own brethren!
I don’t believe Jeremiah was of the tribe of Judah but was likely of the tribe of Benjamin who dwelt with the Jews in Judah. We are told that he was the son of Hilkiah who lived in the land of Benjamin (Jer. 1:1). From such a crowd, I believe that most folks would have caved but Jeremiah was a man of faith. Jeremiah faced this unrelenting crowd with his unrelenting faith, perseverance, and courage.
When they questioned him as to why he prophesied against the temple and the city, Jeremiah boldly responded that God sent him to do so (v. 12). He stands before the princes, priests, prophets, and all the people and tells them to “amend” their ways, their doings, and be obedient to the voice of God (v. 13).
Just how bold and courageous was Jeremiah? We may call him the crying prophet but he looks these folks in their eyes and tells them, “As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you. But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves (vss. 14-15).” Jeremiah was definitely innocent; he was simply doing the work of God.
Now, outside of the scripture for a lesson this week, we are told that the princes tell the priests, prophets, and all the people that they chose not to kill Jeremiah because Jeremiah had spoken in the name of the Lord (Jer. 26:16). Out of all of this, I just find it fascinating that people who would’ve considered themselves to be priests and prophets made up the crowd that sought to kill Jeremiah. It reminds me of the religious leaders that Jesus faced in His day.
When we face unrelenting pressure, regardless of who and where it is coming from, we as the children of God should meet such pressure with unrelenting faith and courage. Our faith in the Lord is able to meet and overcome every obstacle and every challenge that we face. We have to be very careful because the pressure to make us cave on our faith can come from the stranger that we don’t know, but at the same time, it can come from those who are closest and dearest to us. Yet, I tell you, regardless of where it comes from, let us take a page out of Jeremiah’s book and be equally, if not more unrelenting in our faith.
Introduction Are you fully committed to God’s divine assignment for you?
**(NOTE: You can scroll to the bottom to watch today’s sermon.)****
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been taking a look at being a vessel of God. From those sermons, we know that as a vessel of the Lord, God will use us for His higher plans and His higher purposes. We have seen how in the Old Testament, God used man to teach and to prophecy to one another. We have also seen in the New Testament, that the Lord still desires to use every last one of His children for the purpose of ministering to those around them.
In His Great Commission, we see Jesus say to those that would choose to follow after Him, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20).” So, again, it is very clear to us that God’s higher plans and purposes for us is to minister to and make believers of all people.
Now, how the Lord uses us to carry out His divine assignment is unique (meaning personalized) to each of His children. Again, some He uses to preach the word and some He uses to sing so that they may uplift the spirits of others. Some the Lord may use to testify of their journey, and others He may use in the work of charity. God uses us as He sees fit.
Yet, I tell you that there are times when some of us have reservations (concerns) as to how we are being used by the Lord. Some of us question how the Lord is using us. We question the Lord’s motive and so, therefore, we begin to question God’s divine assignment. I want to take a look at these reservations some of us, His ‘vessels’ have and ask again today, are we truly fully committed to God’s divine assignment?
Do We Have Reservations? I ask this question today because I truly wonder whether or not we are fully committed to being a vessel of the Lord. Scripture is filled with people who had reservations about the divine assignment the Lord had for them. Last week, I briefly mentioned Peter in my sermon and I felt compelled to preach a sermon focusing on him this week.
Peter, as you know, was one of Jesus’ twelve closest followers. Of Peter, Jesus said that He was a rock and on him, He would build His church (Matt. 16:18). So, the Lord had a special plan and purpose for Peter meaning Peter would be a vessel that God would use to minister to others.
Through studying scripture during the years Jesus ministered and even after His resurrection, we see that Peter had some serious flaws. I don’t know if there is a faithful man in scripture who’s flaws and failures are put on display as much as his! Which, honestly, is very interesting because scripture usually portrays mostly the good things of those who were righteous, especially when it comes to the apostles. So, like many of us, Peter must have had many failures. I want to take a look at a few examples of Peter’s flaws for just a moment.
Scripture shows us that Peter was a bold, brash, and very impulsive man. With little hesitation, Peter brashly and impulsively cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in the garden prior to Jesus’ arrest (John 18:10-11). At another occasion, at the transfiguration of Christ, Peter, without realizing what he was saying, impulsively asked to build three tabernacles to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (Luke 9:33). At the Feast of Passover, the disciples argued among themselves who was greater (Luke 22:24) and I believe it was Peter who was boldly believing himself to be greatest among the disciples.
Peter’s rebuke Actually, it was at this feast where we see another character flaw of Peter rear its ugly head, and this flaw is an extremely dangerous flaw that we must focus on today.
To teach the apostles a lesson on what those who consider themselves to be great should do for those around them, Jesus chose to wash the apostles’ feet. This was a lesson on humility but it was also a lesson on serving others. Scripture tells us that Peter, initially, did not understand what Jesus was doing in that moment. When seeing Jesus approach to wash his feet, Peter rebuked Jesus. He eventually relented from his rebuke when Jesus told him the purpose behind washing his feet (John 13:6-9).
Now that was not the first time that Peter offered this sort of rebuke to Christ and to God. Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus had been predicting his death to the disciples which really frustrated Peter. So Peter took Jesus to the side and, again, we see him rebuke what Jesus had been saying to which Jesus responded, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men (Matt. 16:21-23).”
Now, I want to direct your attention back to my scripture for today in the book of Acts. By this point in time, Jesus had ascended to heaven, so Peter has had some time to grow, yet this character flaw is shown to us again. We are told that while he was on the rooftop of Simon the tanner, he ended up in a deep trance (Acts 10:9-10). While in a trance, Peter saw a great sheet descend from heaven to him, and on that sheet he saw all kinds of animals. He then heard the Lord’s voice say to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat (Acts 10:11-12).”
This, I want you to understand, was a direct command from God. Yet, Peter, we see, rebukes the Lord and tells Him, “Not so, Lord (Acts 10:14)!” In fact, scripture tells us that this played out three times (Acts 10:16)! So, what was the deal with Peter? Why do we keep seeing him rebuke the Lord?
13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
KEY VERSE – ACTS 10:13-14 NKJV
The Great Sin of Stubbornness Peter could not move beyond his thoughts and feelings – he was very stubborn. This was a very great flaw that he had because as a vessel of the Lord, he was meant to be fully committed to God, yet He continued to have reservation as to what God was doing. In a way, Peter’s stubbornness was causing him to question the motives of the Lord. Where he should have been mindful of the things of God, as shown to us when he rebuked Jesus when He was predicting His death, Peter was too stuck on himself.
As a vessel of the Lord, the ideal response from Peter would have been to do as the Lord had commanded – no reservations, no hesitation, no delay. As a vessel of God, the ideal response from the believer when God has commanded us, is to do as He commands.
Something we must understand when it comes to His divine assignment, God is going to move us wherever He sees fit and use us how He pleases. We have to learn to trust in how the Lord is going to use and we must be obedient to His command without reservation, hesitation, and delay. We are certainly going to have time to do the things we desire, but when the Lord gives us a task, yes, we should drop what we are doing and put His divine assignment first! If we say we desire to be a vessel of the Lord, we should be fully committed to God’s divine assignment!
The Christian’s stubbornness I feel like many of us actually share a lot in common with Peter in that we can be very bold, brash, and impulsive. God can direct us to wait while He works on our blessing and we will have times when we ignore His command and act on impulse. God can direct us to move as He desires and some of us are bold enough to question His direction. Some of us, in fact, will flat out rebuke the Lord’s direction because we know a better way of being in service to Him. When we do this, I want you to understand that we are sayingour thoughts are better than the Lord’s thoughts.
Last week I said that there is a great sin that today’s Christian commits and that was the sin of laziness. This week, I tell you that there is another great sin that is present in today’s Christians – the sin of stubbornness. When we stay attached to our own thoughts and feelings, and are not mindful of the things of the Lord, we are showing ourselves not to be committed to Him. When God has a divine assignment for us, and we choose to rebuke it because it does not fit our thoughts and feelings, we are not being fully committed to the Lord’s plans as we have so professed.
In the first book of Samuel, when we read of King Saul’s great sin, Samuel said to Saul, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” This, Samuel said, indicates that spiritual stubbornness is indeed a sin.
Samuel continued, “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king (1 Sam. 15:22-23).” When we reject the Lord in our spirit, we certainly know that we cannot enter into His heavenly kingdom. Yet, I also tell you today that in our spiritual stubbornness, we find that it can not only be detrimental to us, but it can be detrimental to all of those around us.
Keep your vow to God Again, I tell all of you that the Lord has a divine assignment for us and it is an assignment that is going to take us in directions that we could have never imagined. The Lord’s divine assignment may have us go through some things that we never could have imagined. God may have us speak to and minister to people that we may have never imagined speaking to and ministering to. We cannot be a detriment to the Lord and to those around us because of our own personal thoughts and feelings – this is a sin. We certainly should not do this if we have said that we desire to be a vessel of God for His special plans and purposes in our heart.
When we have said that we desire to be a vessel of the Lord, I want you to understand that we have made a commitment (a vow) to God in our heart! Making a vow to the Lord is very important.
I want to direct your attention to the book of Ecclesiastes for a moment. Solomon wrote, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God (Eccl. 5:4-7).”
You see, when we have taken a vow to be a vessel of God, we ought to stand by this commitment. God expects us to stand by that vow! I want you to understand that God desires to use a vessel that is fully committed to His divine assignment! God is not going to use anybody who is going to half step when it comes to His divine assignment. If you have said that you want to be used for the Lord’s special plans and purposes, then you must be all in and not one foot in.
Commitment Check I tell you today that it is commitment check time for all of those that desire to be a vessel of the Lord. I believe that all of God’s children desire to be a vessel of His so I tell you today that it is commitment check time for all of God’s children – all of those who are true worshipers and genuinely believe in Him.
Peter’s divine assignment I want to quickly turn our attention back to Peter for just a moment because he underwent a commitment check in the book of Acts. While he contemplated the vision he saw in his trance, a commitment check came knocking on the door. Three men from Cornelius, a gentile man that served as a centurion in the Italian Regiment, arrived at Simon the tanner’s house (Acts 10:1). We are told that they were there because an angel of God told Cornelius to reach out to Peter about his faith (Acts 10:4-8, 30-33).
Cornelius is described in scripture as a devout man who feared the Lord (Acts 10:2). He was the first of many gentiles who would become a genuine follower of Christ. I want you to understand that this was one of Peter’s divine assignments from God – to minister to Cornelius, therefore, to all other gentiles as well.
We know that this was a divine assignment because the Spirit said to Peter while he was still on the rooftop, “Go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them (Acts 10:20).” So, now was not the time for Peter to have any reservations or rebuke about how the Lord was about to use him. Now was not the time for Peter to be stubborn in his ways!
When Peter arrived at Cornelius’ residence, he found not only was Cornelius present but that all of Cornelius’ relatives and close friends were also present (Acts 10:24). Peter entered the residence and initially remarked, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean (Acts 10:28).”
Peter continued, “But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me (Acts 10:28-29)?”
So, the check was to see if Peter had learned his lesson from the trance. A lesson, I believe, was more about being obedient and committed to following the Lord’s command than the food. Peter could have chosen to rebuke the Spirit and not have gone to Cornelius but we see Peter ultimately learned to put aside his stubbornness. We see that he committed himself to the task and was mindful that God was at work on His higher plans and purposes. Peter recognized that he was meant for something far higher than his own thoughts and plans!
Committed to the Lord On that day, scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit fell upon all of those who Peter had ministered to. You see, we are meant for something far higher than our own feelings, thoughts, and plans. We are meant to help build, establish, and add to the kingdom of God. The thought never leaves my mind on what happens when we, in our stubbornness, become a detriment to those around us. The only thing stubbornness does is hold us back and keep us from growing.
As genuine believers, we have to be mindful and also be able to acknowledge when we are being a spiritual detriment to those around us because we do not want to hold them back from the heavenly gates. To be stubborn spiritually, is as detrimental as it is to be lazy spiritually with the same end results. If we have made our vow to be in service to the Lord, let us truly submit our will for God’s will and let us fully commit ourselves to God’s divine assignment.
Thought: The Obedient Sheep of God
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – July 25, 2021
Responsive Reading – Acts 10:13-29
Key Verse – Acts 10:13-14
Introduction We are continuing in our lessons on courage while facing great threats in this week’s lesson. This week’s lesson is going to take us into the book of Esther where we get to see the courage Esther had in standing before the king at a critical moment. Esther is not a book that we often focus on so our lesson this week should be very interesting. This week’s lesson is being taught from Esther 4:6 – 5:2.
Background on Esther The events that take place in the book of Esther took place in the years following a couple of the returns the Jews made to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. The exile to Babylon was not completely over as we saw in last week’s lesson. Let us remember that Nehemiah did not return back to Jerusalem immediately, but returned with the third group two decades after Ezra’s return.
Esther was a Jew (her Hebrew name – Hadassah). Both of her parents died and she was raised by her cousin, Mordecai (Esth. 2:7). Esther eventually was chosen to be the queen of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, King of Persia) when he had Vashti removed from being queen for disobedience (Esth. 1:19, 21).
Haman’s Hatred Against the Jews Our lesson picks up after Haman, a man the king had promoted to a position above all the princes (Esth. 3:1), desired to kill all of the Jews (Esth. 3:8-11). This desire to kill all of the Jews came from the fact that Mordecai would not bow to Haman (Esth. 3:3). So because Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, would not pay homage to him, Haman was filled with hatred towards all of the Jews in the provinces of the king and wanted to wipe them all out. We have seen this kind hatred and antisemitism towards the Jews throughout history and even in our recent history.
When Mordecai had heard of this decree against the Jews, he became distraught and to the point that it caught the attention of Esther who had no idea what was going on. This is where our lesson picks up today, with Hathach, her assigned eunuch by the king, being sent to find out what was troubling Mordecai (Esth. 4:5). Mordecai tells Hathac of Haman’s evil plan against the Jews, and provides him with a copy of the decree to give to Esther (vss. 6-9).
Esther’s reaction So, as queen, Esther now has a very important decision to make. Up until this point, Esther, on Mordecai’s charge to her, had not told the king or his people of who her people were (Esth. 2:10). Xerxes had actually let Haman sign the decree with his signet without knowledge of who the people were that Haman desired to destroy. Not only that, but he had no knowledge of who Esther’s people were as well.
So, for Esther, this was a situation that was likely very frightening. The Babylonians had conquered the Jews in Jerusalem and the Persians had conquered the Babylonians. So, as the book of Esther describes Xerxes in the first chapter, he was a very powerful man with wide ranging power throughout his provinces. He had already removed one queen for her disobedience, so Esther could have also feared what he would do to her should he feel that she was being disobedient to him.
We see this dread in the first message she responds with to Mordecai. She says, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days (v.11).”
Her fear is that if she goes to the king without him having called for her, she would be put to death because of his one law, even though she is the queen. So, we could say that in her initial response, we see Esther thinking of self preservation. Is there anything wrong with that? In my opinion, she was valuing her life and, honestly, I don’t think any of us would be upset with her valuing her life. She, I believe, did not want to act recklessly, and I can’t be mad at that.
Mordecai’s faith Mordecai has a response for Esther to which I believe was a word of encouragement. He says, “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this (vss. 13-14)?”
Mordecai essentially tells her, “don’t think that you will survive as a Jew just because you live in the palace.” This may sound harsh to some but I do believe what Mordecai has said here could certainly be true. After all, we have already seen how Xerxes had the previous queen removed for her disobedience. So, it is certainly possible that Xerxes could view Esther’s actions as disobedience, and there could be no telling what she would do in response.
Mordecai also said to Esther that if she remained quiet, relief from the present trouble would still come and it would come from elsewhere. I believe that Mordecai was still very confident in the Lord’s deliverance from Haman. Yes, he had been distraught about the decree but what is clear is that he believed deliverance was still coming. Not only that, but we see him say that he believes Esther, as queen, was meant for this moment.
Again, we’ll see through Mordecai that faith has a way of encouraging others. Mordecai’s faith in this moment encourages Esther to move forward and face her fear. All of us should surround ourselves with other believers that will encourage us, wisely, when it comes to facing our fears.
Esther’s courage So, Esther responds again to Mordecai to let him know that she is going to fast for three days and she desires for all the Jews in the land to fast as well (vss. 15-17). In that day, one would fast for spiritual needs. Fasting was a way to meditate, communicate and draw near to the Lord in order to gain spiritual clarity and strength. To me, I believe this to be a sign of Esther’s faith – she has been encouraged and now she’s moved to seek the Lord’s guidance.
Not only that, but we also see her wanting for others to join in with her. This was essentially like when we ask for others to pray for and with us. I believe our prayers are powerful when we pray alone to the Lord, but it is something about when we can come together and pray with each and for each other. Dad used to speak about pray like building a fire, and he would say that there is nothing wrong with others adding wood to build up the fire.
Esther was ready to go before the king and if she perished, she would perish. I mentioned this in a recent Sunday School, but Jonathan showed this kind of faith and the three Hebrew boys showed this kind of faith when facing the fiery furnace. Some will view Esther saying, “if I perish, I perish” as a statement of giving up or not caring, but that was absolutely not the case. No, Esther was essentially ready to move forward and she was ready for God to guide her in the matter.
As this lesson comes to a close, we see Esther on the third day put on her royal robes and go to see the king. When she went to see him, Xerxes did not kill her but called her forward – she did not perish (vss. 1-2). Not only did Esther not perish but outside of our lesson, Esther and Mordecai continued to stand firm in their faith. Haman eventually died at the gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esth. 7:1).
Mordecai would go on to be honored by the king, ironically, Haman, before he was hanged, was the one that had to parade Mordecai around (Esth. 6). Esther was given the house of Haman and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman (Esth. 8:1-2). They both made a feast to honor the two days the Jews defeated those that sought to destroy them – the name of the feast being Purim (Esth. 9:26-28), which is still kept by the Jews to this day.
Again, we see how we have nothing to worry about when we are facing what we perceive to be great threats and danger. This is easier said than done, but what is really good for us is to surround ourselves with people who will keep us encouraged in those moments.
Introduction We cannot be a lazy vessel when it comes to being a vessel of God.
(NOTE: Scroll to the bottom to watch today’s sermon.)
Laziness – if you’re like me, that word probably makes you cringe because nobody wants to be called lazy. It brings back memories from my childhood when my dad would go on and on about laziness. He would say, “don’t drag your feet” while I would be walking because that was a sign of laziness. Honestly, I chuckle at my reflection on all of those lessons against being lazy.
I imagine that all of you were probably raised the same way. Your parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts were probably a lot like mine in that laziness was not tolerated.
I remember mom making us sit and diligently get our homework finished before we could go outside to play, or watch TV, or play video games. Pop would always seem to find some kind of work for us to do. I remember one time me and my brother just wanted to play outside on what was a beautiful day and he had us out in the backyard moving wood! On quite a few occasions he would say that you could tell a lot about a man’s work ethic by how he kept his yard. He would come home from work and then spend a great deal of time working in the yard during the summer and then chopping up firewood in the winter.
So, if your parents, uncles, aunts, or grandparents were anything like my folks, then you were most likely raised to dread ever being called lazy. I imagine that work ethic you learned as a child has stuck with you into your adulthood and throughout your life, right? Some of us work hard in the workplace because that is all that we know to do. Then, after work, some of us come home and when we should probably be resting, we find some kind of work to do around the house. The idea being that hard work gets rewarded.
A Look at the Ant When we look at my key verse for today, we will see that Solomon had the diligent worker in mind when he spoke of the sluggard.
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise.”
KEY VERSE – PROVERBS 6:6 NKJV
Now a sluggard is defined as a habitually lazy person. This kind of person is very content in life, but not in a good way. Some folks are content in life because they have worked hard and have reaped the reward of their hard work. The habitually lazy person that Solomon is speaking of here tends not to be driven to move forward in life, and most of the time they simply just don’t care. They show little to no interest in reaching a goal, and therefore, they put forth no effort.
The truly sad part about the sluggard is that the sluggard believes him or herself to actually be wise in their way. So, the sluggard will rarely ever change their way which is truly sad. If you have ever confronted a lazy person, especially in the workplace, they will look you in your eyes and tell you that they “are good” and that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
From reading this passage of scripture (Prov. 6:6-11), I imagine that Solomon had probably dealt with a habitually lazy person(s) before. I believe he encountered some that felt they were very wise. So, with them feeling so wise, Solomon, a man of great wisdom, felt moved to teach a wise lesson to the habitually lazy person. He said to them, “look to the ant, consider her ways and be wise.”
Now, I find it very interesting that Solomon chose to use the lowly ant to teach the person that believes he or she knows everything a lesson. The Lord often uses things that we don’t think highly of to teach us a valuable lesson. Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, “God has chosen the ‘foolish things of the world’ to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty (1 Cor. 1:27).”
The ways of the ant Now we, mankind, are certainly very smart – the smartest creatures in the world. God created us in this way after all! In Genesis, at the creation of man, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (Gen. 1:26).”
We certainly have dominion, don’t we? We have our fancy clothes, cars, houses, and our technology. When it comes to animals we eat them, hunt them for game, and make them our pets – they aren’t on our level. I chuckle now and then at how the dogs look at us using our devices because they twist their heads sideways and look at us trying to figure out our craziness. Now animals may not be as smart as we are but God did create them in a way that they have certain instincts that are superior to our intellect.
So, as we consider the way of the ant, what do we know about them? Off the bat, I believe the first thing we will think of is just how busy they are, right? Ants are one of the most busiest, if not the most busiest creatures in the world. I honestly had to google whether or not ants actually ever sleep because I have never seen a sleeping ant! They are very diligent in their work and, I tell you, they diligently work off of instinct – meaning they do it without much thought.
Solomon tells the habitually lazy person that the ant has no captain, overseer, or ruler to tell it to get to work (Prov. 6:7). Now, the sluggard would always have to have someone in his or her ear telling them to get to work – that’s how lazy they are. The little ant doesn’t need anybody to yell at it about what to do. Though it may work off of instinct, Solomon shows us they are wise in their ways.
Solomon tells us that the little ant is always out and about gathering (Prov. 6:8). In the summer, the ant is busy gathering all of its food and storing it up for when the winter rolls around. Where other insects die from cold weather, the ant doesn’t because it is able to survive off of what it has stored up because of its diligent hard work and preparation. Should the ant, for whatever reason, not be able to store up its resources in preparation for winter, it would not survive during the winter.
There is a lesson from the ant that we must learn and I believe the ant points out a glaring problem of today’s Christian.
A Great Sin of the Christian We have seen that the ant is able to live another day because of its “diligent hard work” and “preparation”. This leads me to a question that I want to ask all of you today — Are you living your days in a manner so that you can live to see the next day? Some of us will answer that question with a quick yes, right?
When we look at what Solomon writes about laziness throughout Proverbs, we could say that he saw it as a major crime. He wrote, “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich (Prov. 10:4). Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread (Prov. 20:13).”
Now, it is easy for us to consider what Solomon said in both of those proverbs and think in worldly terms. As you have often heard me say when preaching or teaching from Proverbs, there is always a spiritual implication to each proverb that we must try to understand. The implication here being that the child of God cannot be lazy spiritually. You will see Solomon say very plainly in another proverb, “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich (Prov. 13:4).”
So, I want to ask you that question again, but with spiritual implications in mind: Are you living your days in a manner so that you can live to see the next day? The next day that I am speaking of now is that eternal day which is fast approaching. Sadly, many of us go about living in this day as if that day is never coming! However, I want all of us to know and understand that we are always just a breath away from seeing that day!
Lesson learned from the ant The believer should always be living each day diligently working in service of the Lord in preparation for that day that is fast approaching. Again, let us remember what we learned last week – God uses us for a higher plan and purpose to serve each other. As the ant has a colony and they live for one another, we as Christians, are part of a colony (that is mankind) and we ought to be living for one another and getting each other prepared for the day that is coming.
It is recorded in the gospels that Jesus said to those who would follow after Him, “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:34-36).”
One of the great sins of Christians today is the sin of laziness. What I mean by this is that we are not diligently working hard as a vessel of the Lord in the service of ourselves and in the preparation of others for the day that is coming. Again, remember what happens to the ant when it is not prepared for winter.
Scripture tells the believer repeatedly to be diligent in the faith of serving the Lord. I want to direct your attention to what Paul wrote to the Romans on this thought. He wrote, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality (Rom. 12:10-13).”
Now pay very close attention to what Paul said in that passage of scripture. He first speaks of ministering to each other, which we know is how God uses us as a vessel. When Paul speaks of being kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, he is speaking of ministering. When he says, in honor giving preference to one another, and distributing to the needs of the saints, Paul, again, is speaking of the Lord’s higher plans and purpose for us – ministering to each other.
Active for God I want you to also notice that Paul said we should be fervent in our spirit, patient in tribulation, and steadfast in prayer. To be fervent in our spirit speaks to being zealous or burning hot. Now, a habitually lazy person in the spirit would not burn hot in their spirit, right? Their spirit would be ice cold – which is to say not diligently active – for the Lord.
I wonder today, have we become habitually lazy in our spirit? I often feel like today’s Christian is not as active in the faith as we ought to be. How often are we doing good for all of those around us? How often are we being kindly affectionate to others with brotherly love, giving preference and showing honor to others, and helping others?
How active are we truly in the faith of being in service for the Lord? This goes back to my thought last week, are we allowing the Lord to use us in this manner? Many of us started out very active in our faith – like a new employee would. Yet, over time, many of us became very complacent in the activity of our faith – we became lazy.
Some of us began to slow down in our activity when we slowed down in our prayer life first. Others of us slowed down being in the word of God and studying His word. A lot of us have slowed down in our praise and worship of God. In all of us this slowing down, today’s Christian, began to move away from treating others with grace and love which is the calling of all of those who profess to be a child of the Lord.
The danger in slowing down, not being fervent in the faith, is that when you slow down too much, you eventually come to a halt. I often worry about today’s Christian having slowed down so much in the faith that they have come to a stop and because they have stopped, they have become habitually lazy. They are now like the fine china that never gets used in grandma’s china cabinet that I mentioned in my sermon last week. Many of us are spiritually asleep, resting in a hammock and content with our profession of faith, instead of actively participating in the activity of faith.
How long will you sleep I want to direct your attention back to Proverbs 6 because Solomon had a couple of questions for the sluggard that I briefly want to take a look at. He asks the sluggard, “How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep (Prov. 6:9)?” He is essentially asking the habitually lazy person, how long are going to keep being lazy? When are you going to get up and do something?”
This is a question that I pose today to all of those who have become lazy spiritually. How long are you going to slumber? When will you rise from your sleep? As true worshipers and followers of Christ, we cannot slumber long, we cannot sleep long — we cannot be habitually lazy. The habitually lazy person will respond to this question, “A little sleep, a little slumber (Prov. 6:10).” In other words, the habitually lazy person is responding, “let me sleep (or rest) a bit longer” and they will never get up.
Solomon warns the sluggard of what is to come should they remain content in their laziness. He said, “So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man (Prov. 6:11).” In other words, the sluggard becomes poorer and poorer slowly over time until there is nothing left and they become helpless.
Spiritually speaking, when the believer is diligently allowing the Lord to use them for His higher plans and His higher purposes, he or she is building up their riches in the heavenly kingdom. The spiritual sluggard is not building towards anything but eternal poverty.
Wake Up From Sleeping My final question for those who are habitually lazy in their soul today is this: Are you ready to wake up from your slumber? There is much work to do, much building, and much preparation that must be done. Again, let us learn a powerful lesson from the ant today. We have work to do not only for ourselves but even for all of those around us so that we can all be fit and ready to be part of the Lord’s heavenly kingdom instead of ending up in spiritual poverty for all of eternity.
We should desire to be diligent in doing good. Am I saying we need to work until we drop? Absolutely not. Yet, we absolutely cannot become a habitually lazy person spiritually. Do you believe the Lord will ever use a habitually lazy person for His higher plans and His higher purpose? Absolutely not. So, let us wake up from our slumber and let us move out of our laziness.
Thought: Can’t Be No Lazy Vessel
By Rev. Leo H. McCrary II – July 18, 2021
Responsive Reading – Proverbs 6:1-11
Key Verse – Proverbs 6:6