Selah - A Podcast by Koinonia Fellowship: Recent Episodes

Pastor Ray Viola

Pastors Ray Viola and Ben Hiwale go through the Bible line-by-line, precept-by-precept in a series of in-depth teachings. Our prayer for this podcast series is that you would KNOW CHRIST, GROW IN CHRIST, PROCLAIM CHRIST, and bring GLORY TO GOD.

Do you remember this scene with Steve Martin from The Pink Panther?

“Who are you?”

“I am Yuri, the trainer.”

“And what is it you do here, Yuri the Trainer?”

“...I… train…”

“So you are Yuri the Trainer who trains… hmpf…”

There’s a bit of that comedy of language going on in 2 Peter 3:3. However, far from being the product of an aloof and ditsy detective, Peter pens these words with all the seriousness of a dying apostle - “Scoffers will come with scoffing.”

His exhortation to the believers is simple: don’t forget, scoffers will infiltrate the church and lead the way into a lifestyle of sin. These people are not those who are wholly opposed to the gospel, but those who profess Christ. They identify with christians, however, their true identity is that of a scoffer, it is how they sneak in and corrupt the faith. But not just general scoffing, they scoff at something specific - they scoff at the imminent return of Christ. That is what Peter means by saying that these scoffers will come with scoffing. They come into the faith willing to accept everything except one truth: that Christ will soon return to judge the world.

This scoffy thinking is rooted in intentionally “overlooking” two fundamental truths about God’s judgment: His method and His timing. And oh how devastating these oversights can be! This type of scoffing often creeps into the church unnoticed. The subtle message comes across that we can have Christ and the things of the world, that we need not get all worked up about holiness because God is merciful. And besides, it’s not like Jesus is coming back tomorrow! We obviously know that!

Such thinking is far from innocent. It is driven by sensuality and wickedness. It may seem innocent or maybe just immature, but it is thoroughly wicked. It is the strategy of the scoffing scoffers that come with scoffing.

Second Peter is the last letter that we have from him in the Word of God. He is pouring out his heart to the Lord’s flock in so many ways. He wants them to know that the grace and peace of God is ours through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. He gives them a spiritual checklist in order to make their calling and election sure. He wants them to be aware of the fact that there are going to be false teachers and false prophets who will seek to infiltrate the church and preach a false Christ, a false gospel, and a false spirit. He reminds them of the judgments of God in the past and that there will be people mocking the biblical teaching of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The warnings that Peter gave to the church back then are needed just as much today, if not much more so with the advent of the internet and the constant stream of false doctrine and heresies galore. Peter knows that he is going to be with Jesus soon, and his desire was that the church that belongs to Jesus would always have these things in remembrance. Thank you, Peter!

Today, we will be celebrating The Lord’s Supper together. It is a covenant meal in which the cup and the bread signify the redemption that Jesus obtained for us in order that we might know that there is a new day dawning when all of the things of this former world, the sin, the sickness, the wars, the funerals will be destroyed, and God will usher in a new heaven and new earth wherein dwells righteousness. Communion is meant to remind us of both our redemption past and our redemption future.

Dearly beloved, may the grace and love of Jesus fill your hearts and minds with the glorious fact that every breath that you and I take today is bringing us one breath closer to being with Him forever. SELAH

Having spoken of the Holy Scriptures being the more sure word of prophecy, Peter launches into an expose of false teachers and false prophets who will rise up and teach damnable heresies that contradict the truth of Scripture. Speaking of false teachers, the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works”.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many”. (Matthew 24:11). “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. (Matthew 24:24). The apostle John tells us “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:18, 19).

How can you tell the difference between a true prophet or teacher and a false prophet or teacher? Let me put it in layman’s terms and the give you a couple of Scriptures to answer that question. A false prophet or teacher will use the same vocabulary, but use a different dictionary. They will say Jesus. They will say gospel. But when push comes to shove, and you ask them to define who or act they are talking about, the answers that they will give you is they are talking about “another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4).

The US Government has a department that is devoted to detecting false or counterfeit money. How do they know what is a counterfeit $10, $20 or $100 bill? They compare them to the original. What is the original document that the church is to use to distinguish the false from the truth? “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 5:15).

In Acts 17:10,11 we see how this way to “proof text” was carried out. “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so”.

There is the answer beloved. Be a Berean. Check out all teachings that you hear to the all inspired word of God to see if the things that are taught are found in Scripture, and you will begin to see that you would never come up to the heretical conclusions that the false prophets and false teachers proclaim if you just read the bible. “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). Listen to God’s Beloved Son! SELAH

Have you had a powerful experience of God? I’m talking about one of those experiences that you can’t forget? Something that was so supernatural, you knew without a doubt that it was God moving right in front of you? How important is that experience (and experiences like it) to your faith? What I mean by that is, if someone asked you why you believed the Bible, would you tell them right away about that experience?

In 2 Peter, we find Peter giving an apology for why he trusts in the gospel of Jesus. He begins his defense with an extraordinary experience of God. In fact, he recounts the greatest experience of God’s glory that anyone on earth could ever have - he saw the incarnate Christ transformed into his divine glory. That is, the transfiguration. It’s the first thing he thinks to mention when defending his reason for the hope that is within him. But then he continues to say that there is a stronger reason for his faith, a more certain foundation for his trust in Christ. And that is the Word of God - the Scripture. Both are crucial, yet there is clearly a hierarchy, a progression.

Should we value our experiences with God? Absolutely! Peter does. Do we grow out of them? Never! Peter doesn’t. But do we grow in them? Yes. Experiences of God are necessary for true faith, but they ought never be our primary apologetic - that is the role of Scripture and the prophetic unfolding of the gospel story. Drywall is necessary for a house, but I wouldn’t recommend using it to build your foundation.

No matter how great your experience of God may be, real Christian maturity is marked by a deepening confidence in the Word of God alone.

Have you had a powerful experience of God? I’m talking about one of those experiences that you can’t forget? Something that was so supernatural, you knew without a doubt that it was God moving right in front of you? How important is that experience (and experiences like it) to your faith? What I mean by that is, if someone asked you why you believed the Bible, would you tell them right away about that experience?

In 2 Peter, we find Peter giving an apology for why he trusts in the gospel of Jesus. He begins his defense with an extraordinary experience of God. In fact, he recounts the greatest experience of God’s glory that anyone on earth could ever have - he saw the incarnate Christ transformed into his divine glory. That is, the transfiguration. It’s the first thing he thinks to mention when defending his reason for the hope that is within him. But then he continues to say that there is a stronger reason for his faith, a more certain foundation for his trust in Christ. And that is the Word of God - the Scripture. Both are crucial, yet there is clearly a hierarchy, a progression.

Should we value our experiences with God? Absolutely! Peter does. Do we grow out of them? Never! Peter doesn’t. But do we grow in them? Yes. Experiences of God are necessary for true faith, but they ought never be our primary apologetic - that is the role of Scripture and the prophetic unfolding of the gospel story. Drywall is necessary for a house, but I wouldn’t recommend using it to build your foundation.

No matter how great your experience of God may be, real Christian maturity is marked by a deepening confidence in the Word of God alone.

The apostle Paul writes to those who have obtained like precious faith through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11).

Jesus Christ Himself IS the gospel. Belief, or placing faith in the crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven is the beginning of a relationship and fellowship with Him. We can never underestimate the importance and necessity of faith in the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. But Peter exhorts us to add to our faith.

There are some who talk about nothing but faith, as if that is the sum of the Christian life. When the apostle Paul was sharing Jesus with Felix and his wife Drusilla, he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come (Acts 24:25). Growth in our faith in Jesus is measured by good fruit, such as virtue, knowledge, temperance or self control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity or love. Saving faith abides in The Lord Jesus and brings forth fruit.

The fruit is not the cause of our salvation. The fruit is the evidence of our salvation. Peter tells us that it is by the manifestation of this fruit that we make our calling and election sure. In other words, there is the fruit of saving faith. Paul the apostle writes, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.(Galatians 5:22,23).

This growing in grace that produces fruit is an ongoing process of being conformed to the image of Jesus in the life of every believer. None of us bear all of the fruit all of the time. But every true follower of Jesus will display the fruit of the Spirit in their lives to various degrees, which in doing so allows us to be the light and salt here on earth for which we have been redeemed as witnesses of Jesus. SELAH

Have you ever heard the saying, it’s not what you know, but who that makes all the difference in life? To some extent, that is true in regards to “success” or “promotion” for our life here on planet earth. But that same principle is often applied to a person’s spiritual life as well.

For example, there was a group of people on earth in the early days of the church known as the Gnostics. Gnostics were anti-gospel, anti-Christ, individuals who were heady, intellectual, mystical, high-minded and puffed up with esoteric knowledge. They had a spiritual and pseudo-religious philosophy which stressed that the way to “experience” the “unknowable God” was via a plethora of books. In other words, it is what you know, not who, because according to them and their “spiritual offspring” today, the who you know can be whoever you want them to be. But the Lord Jesus boldly declared in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. That certainly narrows down the Who doesn’t it?

In his last letter before being martyred for his faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle Peter writes in his opening sentences, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. The Authorized Version translates this as ‘the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ’, as if this referred to two persons, God and Jesus; but in the Greek, there is only one person involved and the phrase is correctly rendered our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Both grace and peace are multiplied in our lives through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The word knowledge here means “to become thoroughly acquainted with.” The apostle Paul does not say in 2 Tim 1:12 ‘I know what I have believed’; he says, I know whom I have believed’.

Eternal life is the personal and intimate knowledge of The Lord Jesus Christ. So, dear reader, if are you concerned about the salvation of your eternal soul, please know that both what you need to know and Who you need to know is The Lord Jesus Christ. John 17.3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. SELAH

Haggai was the first of the prophets to minister to Israel following the return from the Babylonian captivity. The period of Israel’s history during which he ministered is recorded in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. The reason and purpose for this powerful two-chapter book was this: The remnant of Israel had returned from Babylon and enthusiastically laid the foundation for the new Temple, but the work was interrupted in its restoration because of opposition from residents of the land. Ezra 3:10,11 tells us that the work started gloriously, but the work came to a sudden standstill for about 14 years.

The rebuke we read in Haggai 1:4 was directed towards an indifferent and apathetic people: Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? The reason for the challenge/rebuke in verse 4 is because the people who claimed that they did not have the time to devote to the building of the temple of God evidently had found the time to build themselves luxurious houses that were paneled (not only on the walls, but also on the ceilings) with fine woods. So The Lord says to His people these timeless words that need to be spoken to us today. Consider your ways. This command is issued five times throughout the course of this prophecy (Compare verses in Haggai 1:5, 1:7; 2:15, and 2:18 (twice)). It is a plea on the part of God for the people to take note of what they are doing, compare it with what they should be doing, and amend their ways accordingly.

A “street way” of saying consider your ways is literally “put your heart on your roads.” Haggai asks God’s people to consider the priorities in their lives. It has been said that Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. Their actions, which were driven by their desires, prompted the exhortation consider your ways. The people made their excuses sound spiritual. They couldn’t speak against the idea or importance of building the temple, so they spoke against its timing. “It isn’t God’s timing to rebuild the temple.” The Lord Jesus best put the phrase consider your ways like this in regards to any excuses that we may come up with to put anything or anybody before Him and His call to Follow Him: Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Beloved, whenever a Christian makes the decision to prioritize their life around sowing and eating and drinking and clothing yourselves and earning wages instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God, their entire Christian life will be one of constant frustration and emptiness inside. The problem with the people of God in Haggai’s day and the problem with so many of God’s people today is simple: Distorted priorities often times lead to an indifference to the things of God and the glory of God. The temple of the Old Testament existed for the glory of God. And the Church today exists for the glory of God. One author wrote: A kingdom man is a man who visibly demonstrates the comprehensive rule of God underneath the Lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of his life, both publicly and privately.

As we near the end of another year and consider what lies ahead in 2025, the words of Haggai ring loud and clear. To consider our ways, we must purpose in our hearts to set spiritual goals that are in alignment with the Word of God and the purposes and the exercise of the gifts and call of God on our lives both individually and as a local fellowship. SELAH

Every story that finds a resonance in culture, happens so because it contains an echo of the gospel. There is really only one story that mankind is able to rejoice in, and that is the story of the gospel. We repackage it, reshape it, change a few details, but the main redemptive plot always remains. God designed us to respond and leap for joy at the good news of the gospel so when we see its common thread in any story (whether it be Harry Potter or Crazy Rich Asians), we rejoice.

One of those resonant stories was prominent during the 1300’s-1500’s in England. It was the “King-in-disguise” motif. All throughout these centuries, this fictional motif worked its way through thousands of stories in England, Scotland, and surrounding kingdoms. The basic plot went like this: King goes incognito amongst the commoners. A humble and good man helps this incognito king. Then the king rewards the humble man.

Now, we could simply write this popularity off as a coincidence. That someone came up with this plot, it somehow got circulated, then more and more people started to employ its concept. But something else was taking place - this story was finding a resonance in society because it is an echo of the gospel story.

The aspect of this storyline that we find so attractive is that of someone with great power, becoming lowly. The thought of someone using their authority to lift the humble, is an idea that sends our hearts soaring with a “Yes and Amen!” How we long for those who dwell in the “high places” in our government to do the same - to genuinely care for the lowly. To take a minute and learn what it is like to flip burgers at a McDonalds… of course, without the gimmicks. How we long for genuine lowly leadership to occupy the highest offices in our land. And that is exactly the type of God we serve. He is “high and holy”, yet he decides to make His home with the “lowly and contrite”.

The prophet Ezekiel said in Ezekiel 18:23, “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” The prophet Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3:33, “For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men”. The apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. Lastly, but of course not least, the Lord Jesus said weeping in Luke 13:34, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”

In our study today, some people will call God a monster when they read verse 8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”. They cry, how can a God of love, a good God send people to hell? The answer: He doesn’t.

Jesus Himself declared in Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”. Hell was prepared for the devil and His angels. So why does man go there? They make a choice. They reject the gospel because they love darkness rather than light.

As image bearers of God, mankind possesses the gift of choice. They can choose to heed or ignore the gospel call of God unto salvation (Romans 10:13-16). Moses and Joshua exhorted the Israelites to make a choice (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15). Read Proverbs 1:24-29.

From the time that God sought out Adam in the Garden of Eden, to the time of the end of the ages, God is crying out to man. (Genesis 3:9; Revelation 22:17). The great commission of the church is that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”(Luke 24:47).

Revelation 21:8 is not saying that “bad people” go to hell and “good people” go to heaven. We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. We are made new creatures and begin to walk in newness of life. We become holy as He is holy. Listen to how Paul describes the life that is changed by faith in Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”. Verses 9&10 are bad news (BC). Verse 10 is good news (AD).

Which verses describe your life today my friend? SELAH

Holiness at once breeds in our hearts a deep attractiveness and a trembling horror. We find in it something that our souls crave, and yet something that we inherently know we will never have of our own accord. That perfection and purity is something we desire acutely, and yet are certain of its im-possess-ability. Like an injured Olympian, who watches on as another competitor runs and wins the gold medal in his absence, we encounter God’s holiness and find that we cannot look away, and yet cannot look at it square in the face either.

And how the angels produce this same effect on those faithful, simple God-fearing Jews who were shepherding their flock. Every time one of those angelic beings dwelling in the light of the creator would descend to dirty earth, their very presence, though helpful and desiring to bless, would innately inspire fear. Such fear was inescapable, even to the most devout. It was to Mary that the archangel said, “Do not be afraid…” Yes, even Mary - she who was “blessed among women” was stricken with fear at the very presence of the angel.

This great holy revelation, before serving as a source of eternal comfort, inflicts our soul with trouble. Before God’s perfection can be a balm, it must first be a bitter herb. Before it can cure, it must first cut. Is that not the state that we find all the great angels responding to? That their very presence had stricken horror in the hearts of those they were sent to minister to. And that horror had to first be addressed before any healing could be administered. “Fear not” were those ever comforting words, striking down what was natural. Yes, I do say “natural”. To fear the presence of God’s holiness is the first and most natural response. It was the response of many faithful men and women all throughout the Scriptures. The closer one was to God, the more acutely aware they were of the gaping disparity between their own composition and God’s. The more they felt that God’s ‘otherness’ was an unapproachable good - something they deeply desired, yet were certain of its ‘un-attain-ability’.

But on that great Christmas day, the angel found new strength to exhort the fearful to take courage. Not because they had found favor with God on their own, or because their prayer had been heard, but because God, in His sovereignty, had decided to bring good news to men.

We now begin our Christmas Series for 2024. We will be using Revelation 21:1-8 as our bases texts, with verse three, “Behold, the tabernacle (dwelling place) of God is with man”, being the main point. The tabernacle of God that is spoken of here is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. On Wednesday nights, we will be looking at the promises of God that refer to the first coming of Jesus Christ.

In prayerful consideration of our series this year, I read a phrase that caught my eye and pricked my heart. “Don’t let Christmas distract you from Christ.” Bear in mind that the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown. This much we do know. He was not born on December 25th. Sorry to inform you of that. There are a lot of different themes and traditions that are going on in our culture this time of year. The vast majority of them have nothing to do with the biblical account of Christ’s birth and the purpose of His birth.

For example, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word Christmas originates from the phrase “Cristes Maesse”, first recorded in 1038, which means the mass of Christ. But the Incarnation of Jesus Christ isn’t about going to mass. It isn’t about Santa and Rudolph and mistletoes. Although the word “Christmas” is never used in scripture, (neither are the words Trinity or Rapture), Christmas is a time when Christians choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But it is much more than celebrating the day of His birth.

Why was Jesus born? According to Scripture, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, or Christmas if you like, is the proclamation of the gospel or good news about how the Father gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sin, that sinners, by Gods grace, by repentance and faith in Him would receive forgiveness of sin, and enter into a relationship with Him of love, hope and joy.

But Jesus spoke of the reason for His first coming for our sin, He actually said much more about the fact that He is coming again a second time in glory, majesty and power to usher in a new kingdom, wherein dwells righteousness. And for those who received Him as Lord and Saviour, this promise of God is stated at His second coming. Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God”. At His second coming, only those who have repented of their sin and received and followed Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will be with joined to and united with Him forever in glory. The beautiful tradition of giving gifts to one another at Christmas is meant to reflect Gods gracious gift of eternal for us. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

Our prayer for you this year is that the real meaning of Christmas would be much more than a one day event that comes and goes, but a new birth that brings you into fellowship with God. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:3, 4). SELAH

Before our presidential election this year, an unbiased conclusion that I drew from listening to the television and podcast pundits on both the left and on the right prior to the election was one of extreme anxiety and great concern if “the other party or wrong candidate won”. Sadly, the levels of anxiety and concern about the outcome of the election were not much different within the church. But then I read this incredible article from Time magazine’s website that stated: “2024 is not just an election year. It’s perhaps the election year. Globally, more voters than ever in history will head to the polls as at least 64 countries (plus the European Union)—representing a combined population of about 49% of the people in the world—are meant to hold national elections, the results of which, for many, will prove consequential for years to come.”

With that thought in mind, I asked myself, and now I am asking you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, of those 64 nations, that consist of nearly half of the planet’s population, where or in Whom does a born again Christian’s peace come from as a result of the outcome of their elections? Where or in Whom does a born again Christians peace come from if they have no choice at all in the outcome?

Almost immediately, I began to think of our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in nations where Christianity is a crime, where owning a Bible or being publicly water baptized or witnessing will land you in prison or cost you your life. Can those brothers and sisters have the peace that the Bible promises if they live in Kabul? Gaza? North Korea? Is the promise of peace only good for the saints who live in the USA if the right candidate or political party wins? Think of answering that question if you were a believer like Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany during World War 2, if you were a believer who was thrown to the lions in the Roman Colosseum, or beheaded along a beach by ISIS radicals because you would not recant your faith in Christ.

I told Lizzy as we were watching the election results, “We do not know who will win the election, but this much I can tell you….we can go to sleep tonight and wake up in perfect peace because tomorrow morning the solar system is going to be running like a clock. Tomorrow morning those waves on the Gulf of Mexico will be flowing the same way that they are tonight. That beautiful sunset that we have seen will be there tomorrow, and it will not depend upon who wins the election, or who is the elected leader of any other 63 nations”.

The basis of my answer is found in Daniel and Revelation. In Daniel chapter 4 in verses 17, 25, and 32, it emphasizes the importance of knowing that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Dan 4:35 adds, And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, we read in Rev 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Read those words again beloved and think of being a Christian in any of those other 63 nations, under any form of government. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men and The Lord God omnipotent reigns. End of discussion.

Beloved, the source and degree of our peace in this life stems from Who we believe is in control of these 5 things: the universe, this planet, this country, this church, and your life. Here are our options: Man, Satan, or The Living God.

Beloved, my message today is far more practical, and far wider and more comprehensive than the political realm in our nation. One is a declaration: as Bible believing Christians, our only source of peace and rest on this crazy planet lies in the fact that our God reigns and that my times are in His hands. And two, is a question: Has the outcome of any election in any nation changed the mission of the church?

In light of the fact that Jesus is coming again, how then should the church be living? SELAH

The Christians are the only light for culture. There is no other hope to brighten up a dark world than for the redeemed of the Lord to rise up and shine. But what does that look like exactly? How does the heat and light of the gospel flood into a cold and dark world?

When the believers prayed for boldness in Acts 4, it wasn’t a simple prayer for a little more courage than they had before. It was a desperate plea to God to help them keep their flame lit. They were faced with a serious problem - Peter and John (their leaders) were threatened by those in power. So they turned to God with one accord and prayed that he might strengthen them to continue to obey and preach the gospel. The result was two-fold. They (1) boldly proclaimed the word of God to the outside world, and they (2) built a vibrant Christian community.

In other words, they cultivated a blazing fire around which they gathered with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and they lit a blazing torch which they carried to the outside world. There was a fire to warm them and a torch they shone on the world. When the smoldering embers of their spiritual light were threatened, the Holy Spirit fanned their community and evangelism into a ferocious flame. They had a strong base and a strong attack. They lit themselves and the world.

This community was no ordinary social group. It was characterized by a radical selflessness and profound sense of unity. We find these same words - “selflessness” and “unity” - used in the secular world. But when they are used (or rather, simply mused) in those circles, they are thought of in a much lower grade. An ancient hieroglyphic compared to the vivid picture of an overpriced TV from Best Buy. The selflessness and unity of this Acts 4 community would send shockwaves through the world today. Much like how a caveman might respond to seeing the glimmer of a new 60-inch Samsung. A Christian community, properly set ablaze, will shine with stunning distinction against the bleak communities that the world offers.

In the US Army survival manual, there is a chapter on building a fire. The last sentence of the intro to that chapter says this, “Remember, weigh your need for fire against your need to avoid enemy detection.” Fires provide all sorts of benefits to those who are around them, but they also draw the attention of the enemy. The stronger the fire, the easier the target for the enemy. Thus, the plea for boldness and power, of necessity, accompanies a people who have a well-flamed community. That’s how the light works. It repels the wolves and attracts the sheep. And there are yet many “other sheep that are not of this fold” and Jesus will “bring them also and they will listen to His voice”. So let us inflame ourselves by the Holy Spirit, so as to bring in as many who are fleeing from the darkness as possible.

With the 2024 election over, you may feel that you have your ‘man’ in the White House. You may feel thrilled at the possibility of the US government over the next 2-4 years. You may feel that a major victory was just won for the sake of the pro-life movement and the Biblical sexual ethic. But don’t rest on your laurels! It is a grave mistake to feel that a political victory is a complete victory. Even if all the right laws were to be passed, Christian Supreme Court Justices appointed, state constitutions re-written for the glory of God, and the Chick-fil-a sauce recipe was leaked… there would still be work to be done. The laurels are not yet complete. They are yet to fully blossom. Don’t rest on a rose bud, you’ll crush it before it blooms and snuff out its glory.

Jesus said that the Christian people, those who have been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, are the light of the world. The only hope for a dark world is light. And the only light that exists is that which the Christian carries in his spirit. Too often we forget this glorious truth and think the “light” of God to be housed in some ideal or doctrine. We consume ourselves with talk of laws and policy, as if those legal statutes carry the light of God in them. They do not. They may point to the light, but they are not the light themselves. WE are the light. Those who are born again by the Spirit of God, are alone the light of the world.

Shall we fight and advocate for righteous legislation in our land? A thousand times ‘Yes!’ For when the laws of a nation reflect the glory of God, they clear the skies for the sun to shine. They weed out the garden for the rose to bloom. Any Rochesterian knows the daily slog produced by those long and cloudy wintry months. Our moods swing low, seasonal depression rises as the sun hides. But those occasional February days, when the clouds part and the sun gleams off the perfect white snow - they remind us that there is a sun, that it is warm, and the dreary days will soon end. Righteous laws have the same effect. They clear away the moral and social fog. They warm up the soul and remind us of God - that there is a real moral standard. But they only clear the way for the light to shine clearly. And what is that light which righteous laws make room for? It is the light of the transformed soul. It is the light of the “glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” to which a person has been totally awakened to. If that light does not shine like a “city on a hill”, then what good are the laws? What good is the clearing of the skies if the true light is but a dim whimper of a single candle.

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE! You are the light of the world. No doctrine or law can light up the dark world, but only you! Only the soul that has been transferred from the “kingdom of darkness” and “brought into the light” can emit the light that the world needs. The laws may clear the skies, but you must shine the light. You are the light of the world.

In Genesis chapter 16, we are introduced to Hagar. She was the Egyptian maidservant of Sarah, wife of Abraham. Sarah suffered barrenness and as a result, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

How many of you have ever been tempted to take matters into your own hands, and you just make a bigger mess, instead of giving it to God and placing it in God's hands? Sarah said to Abraham in Genesis 16:2, the Lord has kept me from children having children, go sleep with my slave, perhaps I can build a family through her.

Abraham agreed to go along with Sarah's plan, and Hagar conceived a son named Ishmael. Scripture says when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she despised Sarah. And Sarah blamed Abraham. Sarah then mistreated Hagar a and Hagar fled, attempting to escape the difficult circumstances in her life.

Hagar is running towards Egypt, where she is originally from, and we know in the Bible that Egypt, is a type of the world. Hagar is running to the world to find solace, but the world only leaves you in a more desperate, more empty and broken place.

How many find us running to the world for solace, for an answer? 1 John 217 says this world is passing away. Its system and values, its political systems are passing away. Did you hear that, church? Its political systems are passing away. They are not eternal. God has a greater purpose for us than anything we can find in this world.

The world offers you no hope. The world offers me no hope. Those of you watching or listening online, the world offers you no solution, no peace, no hope. It is this reality that the Lord desires for us to let go of this world and reach for the greater purpose for which he created us.

We live in a world in which our greatest eyes can never be realized, because God wants us to look towards something else, something far greater and something everlasting.

The apostle Peter exhorts the saints at the close of this letter of 1 Peter with the exhortation to “be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). The Prophet Micah said, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).

Humility within the church family can never be overestimated; Peter had already written to the saints about submitting to government, to the design of God in the marriage covenant, and now he writes about submitting one to another. The opposite of humility is pride. God resists, is actively opposed to the proud. God hates the sin of pride (Proverbs 6:16, 17; 8:13).

Pride disturbs and disrupts peace and unity. Oh how we need to guard against pride in any form personally or congregationally. Pride corrupts. Pride defiles. Pride is a glory monger. Pride destroys. Only by pride comes contention. Pride grieves the Spirit of God. Nebuchadnezzar knew firsthand the tragic consequences of exalting himself. He writes, “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (Daniel 4:37).

One of the most needed attributes in the local church are people who walk in humility before the Lord, and one another. Humility is the atmosphere that attracts the presence and power of God. It takes grace to submit to one another, but God does give the grace to the person that humbles himself before Him, and all submission is to be done under the mighty hand of God that directs our lives. The Prophet Isaiah said, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15).

The punchline of Jesus in the teaching of the Pharisee and publican in the temple is this: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14). I believe that this word of humility is a word in season for the church today. In the eyes of God, you are either walking in pride and are about to be abased, or you are walking in humility, and are about to be exalted. “He that hath as ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches” (Revelation 2:7). Selah

The first time that the English word sufferings is used in the New Testament is when Paul the apostle wrote in his letter to the Romans, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Two things that Paul writes here are things that every serious follower of Jesus Christ can count on. In this life there is going to be suffering for the cause of Christ. But in the life to come, the glory of God is going to be revealed in us who suffer for HIs names sake. That is exactly what the apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:11 when he writes about “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow”.

Contrary to the carnal, fleshly, self centered, me-centered gospel of health and wealth, the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of self denial and persecution for those who follow Jesus in spirit and in truth. Years ago, Leonard Ravenhill said: "The early Church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity." The subject of suffering for the cause of Christ is not a popular one, but it is a biblical one.

Peter tells us in verse 12 of chapter 4 that we should not think that fiery trials for the cause of Christ are strange. Quite to the contrary, we see them as ways in which we partake of the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings (Philemon 3:10). And the promise of God is that if we partake of His sufferings, we will also reign with Him partake of His glory and joy (2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Peter 4:13).

This suffering and persecution that Christians experience are not things that we go out looking for. They are things that happen to us because we live in a fallen world that is influenced by the spirit of antichrist. Jesus said, “if they have persecuted Me, they will also persecuted you” (John 15:20). To choose to follow Jesus Christ and live holy and pure in a world that loves darkness rather than light, persecution is inevitable (2 Timothy 3:12). The stony ground or shallow faith individual is offended and flees when persecution comes their way (Matthew 13:21). But the true follower of Jesus Christ knows that persecution can separate him or her from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35).

Peter concludes this section on suffering for the cause of Christ with these words, “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). The Lord Jesus would say to every one of His people who are suffering for His Name sake these words. Matthew 5:12 says, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”. Amen. So be it, Lord Jesus. SELAH

There are many ways we relate to God in Scripture. He is our father (Matthew 23:9, Malachi 2:10, James 1:17). We are his children (1 John 3:2, Romans 8:15). We are heirs of God (Romans 8:17, Ephesians 1:18). Our relationship with God is not one-dimensional, but multidimensional. He is not only our father, but he is also our master. We are not only his children, but we are also his servants.

This concept of being God’s servant is what our culture finds so repulsive. We are in love with the “rugged individual” and the “self-made man”, the one who is their own boss and needs to answer to no one. We want to “climb the corporate ladder” because we are desperate to finally get out from under “the machine”. Being someone’s servant our whole life is not only repulsive, it’s terrifying. It frightens us to think that we might dehumanize ourselves to the point of robotic servility. Just doing what someone above us told us to do.

Now, if you take that cultural attitude and mix it with the gospel’s call to be God’s servant, it doesn’t make a pleasant drink. But that is primarily because people are only concerned with what we might call “circumstantial servitude” - living, moving, and operating in submission to someone above us. All our cultural attitudes find the idea of living for someone else to be wildly unattractive. But they neglect a different and deeper type of servitude - what we might call “motivational servitude”. Some of us are servants in a circumstantial sense, but all of us are servants in a motivational sense. That is, something moves us to live, whatever it may be, and we are servants of that thing.

No matter what servile circumstance we may find ourselves in, it is always true that we are living FOR something. There is something that moves us to get up and do things. It is this “motivational servitude” that the Bible challenges us on. That is the big question for our souls - what is our motive? What do we live for? We may do well for ourselves by escaping the circumstantial servitude of the corporate world or a minimum wage job, but, hard as we may try, there is no escaping our motivational servitude.

So, the question becomes: what/who is our master? We have two options - (1) our human passions or (2) God. To say I serve myself may be a western ideal, but it is the furthest thing from freedom. Our passions and desires are not masters, they are designed to be servants. But when we live for our desires, and make them our masters, we find ourselves in a retrograde system. The janitor has been put in the C-suite, and the CEO is now cleaning floors. That only leads to frustration for everyone involved. If you don’t want to frustrate your desires, but want them to have their full and healthy expression, then displace them as your master and become a total servant to God.

Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrificial death. He died for sins. Jesus did not die for his own sins, for he never sinned. He was the only perfect man and sinless spotless Lamb of God. Jesus suffered (died) once for our sins. “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5, 6).

Jesus’ death on the cross was an unrepeatable death. When Peter says Jesus died once, the Greek word literally means “once and for all.” Jesus died on the Jewish Passover. Scholars suggest that 250,000 sheep would be killed each year at Passover. But that great river of animal blood could never accomplish what the holy blood of Jesus accomplished when He died on the cross for us. What the blood of bulls and goats could never do, Jesus did in his death on the cross. Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us”.

Jesus’ death on the cross was a substitutionary death. His death was the just for the unjust. Jesus, The Just One, took our place on His cross; He bore the penalty of our sin on His cross. Jesus and Jesus alone paid the price for all our sin. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus’ death on the cross was a reconciling death. He died for our sins, in our place, that He might bring us to God. Listen to how Jude describes us being brought before God after placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Jude 24 says, “To present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy”. Glory to God for His gift of eternal life and fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ our Lord. SELAH

In our last teaching we began a section of Scripture in 1 Peter that addresses the biblical subject of submission. One of the definitions of the word submission means "to place in order". As we learned, another definition is that it was used in the military to describe the submission of a soldier in lesser rank to one in a higher rank. One thing that most believers overlook whenever we study the topic of submission is this: We tend to focus on the institution or person that we are called to submit to instead of the One who is the head of all principality and power.

Ultimately, every time Christians are called to submit we are in reality submitting to God, regardless of the institution, personality or character of the individual. The only exception to any level of submission is when the individual or government in authority commands you to disobey God, as was the case with the Hebrew midwives, the 3 Hebrew children, Daniel or the apostles in the book of Acts. Today we are going to tackle the topic of wives submitting to their husbands as unto the Lord and husbands submitting to God in how they are to love their wives like Christ loves the church.

To say that Jesus “entrusted” Himself to God at the end of chapter 2 and to say that holy women of old “hoped” in God means the same thing. They submitted themselves to God by submitting to the authority that He placed in their lives. Although there is an ontological spiritual equality between men and women, there remain physical, positional and functional differences. There are designated functions for a husband and a wife which man cannot change because God has ordained them. Any endeavor to effect change will bring frustration, vanity, and emptiness, for the simple reason that God did not create us unisex, but male and female.

Beloved, the number one enemy of submission to God is SELF! The opposite of submission to God is rebellion. So as I “walk the plank” of addressing the subject of submission to God in marriage, I can tell you right now that what God has to say is not popular in our culture that cannot even tell us who is a male and who is a female anymore. Beloved, submission to God isn’t about you or your husband. Submission in a Christian marriage is all about you and your relationship to God, which is why I’ve been saying it for 40 years and it’s as true today as it was then. Any relationship conflicts or causes of disruption or disturbances in a Christian marriage stem from disobedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The late Tim Keller wrote, "When you come to Christ, you must drop your conditions. You have to give up the right to say, ‘I will obey you if . . . I will do this if . . .’ As soon as you say, ‘I will obey you if,’ that is not obedience at all. You are saying: ‘You are my adviser, not my Lord. I will be happy to take your recommendations. And I might even do some of them.’ No. If you want Jesus with you, you have to give up the right to self-determination. Self-denial is an act of rebellion against our late-modern culture of self-assertion. But that is what we are called to. Nothing less.” SELAH

Yes, you read that title right. Submitting to the government is not a polite way of talking about political slavery, it is in fact the evidence of someone who is a totally free person.

I can hear all your internal objections rising up: “What about the last few years in America? What about all the wicked things the government has done? What if the government is totally corrupt? Aren’t I free to disobey the government as a Christian?” and so on. Yes, all valid points and worthy of consideration. Needless to say, there is a lot of emotion and personal experience attached to these few verses of Scripture.

Few things come more naturally to Americans than pontificating on politics and the state of the nation. We hear one word introducing government into the conversation and we are off to the races, rehearsing the greatest one liners from Tucker Carlson to Don Lemon. Maybe even touting our deep political knowledge by quoting a president or two. All wonderful tools for ending the family dinner early, but horrible habits for receiving God’s word about government and our relation to it.

When we come to this Scripture, we must resist the urge to jump to our own conclusions and rehash the same arguments. Letting the Bible speak for itself is easy to conceptualize, but difficult to execute. We must begin with asking lots of questions about this text - what is the context? What did this statement mean to its original hearers? Why does Peter bring up this idea of government in the first place? What grounds does he give for his propositions? And so on. Beginning with an attitude of Biblical curiosity goes a long way in damming up the tide of subjective political pontification.

There is one other thing that is crucial for understanding this passage: having a grammatical hermeneutic (meaning that we believe the very words and grammar in Scripture are inspired by God and therefore the grammatical style and choices determine the true meaning). Peter’s argument is intentional and inspired. Just pulling one phrase out - especially when it’s something as emotionally charged as the idea of government - will only lead us away from what is Biblically true and good.

Here’s what I mean: Peter’s command to “Be subject… to every human institution.” is interpreted in light of the preceding verse (“keep your conduct among Gentiles honorable…”), the grounds/reason for this command (“for this is the will of God…”), and the qualifying phrase in the middle of the sentence (“for the Lord’s sake”). See what I mean? The grammar really matters.

Okay… warm up over. I hope you feel stretched and ready to understand God’s word!

As we continue our journey through Peter’s first letter to the scattered, persecuted followers of Jesus Christ, we’ve come to that section where Peter begins to tell them who they are in Christ. Back in the 60s, the hippies were constantly trying to find themselves. In the pursuit of seeking to find out who we were, many of us sought the “help” of psychedelic drugs and only found ourselves more lost than ever. Many, however, ended up being found by hearing and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, The Jesus Movement as it was called.

But did you know that The Jesus Movement was in existence way back in the first century? These scattered, but born again saints, were now starting to live a new life; a life in Jesus Christ via the new birth. As they began this new life, they immediately were made aware that there was this entity within them called the flesh. The old man. The old life. And in verse 1 of chapter 2, Peter tells them to lay that old life and the old way of dealing with things away.

In verse 11 he tells them to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul. And what was the basis of Peter giving such direct commands? “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy”. (1 Peter 2:9,10). Because of the mercy of God that awakens them to place faith in Jesus Christ, they were now born again.

He is exhorting them to remind themselves of who they are in Jesus Christ. Chosen. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A peculiar people. They were called out of darkness and ushered into His marvelous light. As a follower of Jesus Christ, there are times when you are going to find yourself wrestling with your old ways of thinking and living. If you are not careful, you can even begin to believe the lie that your old life and old way of living IS the real you. That is a lie! Stop listening to the lies of the enemy.

Stop listening to the lies that you are saying about yourself. If you are in Christ Jesus, you are a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Don’t let the devil, other people or even yourself tell you who you are….speak to yourself the truth of God that we see in 1 Peter 2:9,10. Tell yourself this in the morning and throughout the day. To use my hippo analogy, do not let the devil or your feelings “put you on a trip”. Let the truth of who you are in Christ set you free with gospel centered thinking and living. SELAH

Suffering, of any degree, always consumes us. How many delightful Saturday afternoons with the grandkids have been darkened by the clouds of our foot being impaled on a scattered lego. Or a delicious meal being ruined by an overzealous bite that chomps our tongue instead.

When pain or suffering arises, all else is forgotten. No matter how rapturous the joy, the suffering is able to smother it completely. All the light-hearted humorous conversation of a mother and daughter turns sour when the cancer test comes back positive. As Frank Sinatra put it, “The days of Wine and Roses laugh and run away like a child at play.”

What should you say to the suffering soul? “You’ll get through this?” “Better times are ahead”? The inevitability of suffering poses a great puzzle for each person - how do we handle it?

In 1 Peter we get to eavesdrop into a conversation between the apostle Peter and a group of Christians facing a fiery trial of suffering. But much to our surprise, Peter does not send them a Hallmark get-well card. Instead he sends them an Apostolic wake up call.

Much like a warrior that is about to march to the front lines, Peter sees the suffering Christians as in a battle. Suffering is a weapon that is wielded with remarkable effect - for good or evil depending on who holds the sword. When God holds the sword, it is a weapon for refinement and for glory - “you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes through it is tested by fire…” (1:6-7). But when it is in the hands of the enemy, it is a heat-seeking missile launched to destroy our future salvation. Suffering seeks to consume us so that we would lose our hope, and fall away from our faith.

So, the get-well wishes will have to wait for another time. What general would send a fruit basket to the colonel on the front lines? What we get instead is a strong order to re-orient ourselves in the midst of suffering. It is the disorienting nature of suffering that leaves us so vulnerable to attack from the enemy. And so, we must make it our business to consciously orient ourselves, in the midst of suffering, back onto Christ. Peter gives us three points of focus to reorient ourselves. We ought to focus on: Heavenly future (“set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you…”), Heavenly family (“As obedient children… and if you call on Him as Father…”), and Heavenly affection (“love one another earnestly…”). These three points of focus will triangulate us in our suffering and keep us from losing our way.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! (Isaiah 40:9)

My prayer for each of you dear brothers and sisters in Christ is that you will have a BEHOLD day. What do I mean to behold? Well it doesn’t mean to glance at. It means to perceive. To gaze upon.

The apostle Paul exhorts us to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). His face is shining upon you, beloved. The more that you behold the face of Jesus, the more clearly you see Him in all of His splendor and glory. The call of God to you and me on this Lord’s Supper Sunday is to behold our God. The word behold is so full of wonder. May we gaze upon His beauty and behold His majesty.

The prophet Isaiah says to you and me today, “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:10, 11). The passages obviously point us to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is your Shepherd. Behold, Jesus Christ is Adonai, Jehovah. He is the Lord, your God, your Great Shepherd who feeds His sheep and gently leads us. In Isaiah 12:1 we read, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation”.

Behold this morning beloved, the Lord God Himself is your salvation. Behold the Lord Jehovah is also your strength and your song. As we draw near to the communion table this morning we hear the voice of John the Baptizer make the following proclamation: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). By the grace of God, the Lord Jesus has taken away your sin. Hallelujah. Behold what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself declares in Revelation 1:18: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death”. Glory to God, beloved!

Jesus Christ is alive! He has conquered sin and death. And because Jesus is alive, the mercies of God towards you are new. From Genesis to Revelation, we are exhorted to behold our God who was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). In the context of the Passover Meal in the upper room, Jesus gave the disciples a simple command, this do in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19). So when we take the bread and cup of common today, may we do it remembering and beholding the redeeming love of Jesus Christ, the One who came to seek and to save that which was lost. SELAH

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:24-25). Jude is a much needed book that is full of warning and the exhortation to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints, but it closes with supreme confidence in God. Here at the end, Jude reminds the saints who were facing many trials and opposition with the words: our God is able!

“Now to the One who is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began”(Romans 16:24). “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

Amen” (Ephesians 3:21-21). My precious brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, our God is able to keep us from falling. Not only is He able to keep us from falling, He is going to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy! We are not going to be presented faultless before God because we are without fault. We are going to be presented faultless before God because of His grace and the imputed righteousness given unto us through faith in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Jude closes the letter with a beautiful doxology or a brief declaration of praise to God. The crescendo of a worship song if you may to the only wise God our Saviour (speaking of the deity of Jesus), be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. We declare that there is only One wise God and our Saviour. The prophet Isaiah said, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11). “Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the LORD? And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me” (Isaiah 45:21). Who is this only wise God and our Saviour?

Let’s let Scripture interpret Scripture for us. “But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 1:3-4). “Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (Titus 2:10). “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). One of the staggering truths that we are called to contend for in proclaiming the truth of the gospel is that this One wise God and Saviour became a man in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in order that He would die on the cross as fallen man’s sin bearer that we may be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Him alone. SELAH

Jude is a one chapter letter that packs a powerful punch of apologetics that is as necessary today as it was the day that he wrote it. Jude was going to write something to the saints about the common faith that we have in Jesus Christ. However, when he was about to put the quill to the parchment, the Spirit of God told him to exhort the church to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”. And the reason for the exhortation was that there were “certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Jude in verses 4-19 is going to give us the “profile” of a false teacher, false prophet or counterfeit Christian, but I want to draw your attention to two heresies that are common to all false teachers and false prophets. One, is that they turn or change, or redefine the biblical meaning of the sanctifying grace God as a license for lasciviousness or sexual promiscuity. Two, they deny the biblical doctrine of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

False teachers and false prophets distort or redefine the Biblical meaning of the grace of God. In Jude’s day there was an apostasy known as gnosticism. Gnosticism taught that all matter was evil, and that the spirit alone was good. Therefore, the material body was essentially evil. Therefore, since the spirit alone is good and you are saved by grace (which is true) you were free to satisfy what the Scriptures calls sexual immorality (which is heretical and false). Beloved, any teaching that winks at, condones, or justifies the practice of sexual sin, be it heterosexual or homosexual, as a God given freedom that we have in Christ is exactly what Paul is addressing when he writes: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Romans 6:1-2).

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

Any teaching with any disregard for the moral law of God is known as antinomianism (no law). This heretical description of the sanctifying grace of God is contrary to the scriptural call of God to walk in holiness and righteousness.

Secondly, these false teachers denied the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to both Jude and Peter, these false prophets and false teachers were denying the Lord that bought them. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying ( refuse, reject, renounce) the Lord that bought them (that is redemption language), and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).

The Greek word that is translated “Lord” by Jude and Peter describes “One who possesses supreme authority”. What a man teaches or believes about Jesus Christ makes the teacher true or false. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The name Jesus or Yeshua means Jehovah is salvation. Paul writes to the elders from Ephesus in Acts 20:28, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Note, the church of God was purchased with His own blood. God the Father is Spirit, but it was God the Son, the Word made flesh, that took upon Himself a human nature so that He might bleed and die to redeem sinners. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”(Philippians 2:5-8). Prior to His death, Jesus asked the Father to glorify Him with the glory which He had with Him even before the world was created (John 17:5). Jesus Christ, the Word of God appeared in the form of man so that as the Lamb of God, He would pay the price necessary to take away the sin of the world. Jesus Christ IS the gospel. SELAH

Did you know that you can “go” without “going”?

When Jesus was leaving earth, he gave his disciples one final command - “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus had a massive vision for his disciples. He desired them to become missionaries and ambassadors to the entire world for the sake of the gospel. This vision is so compelling that we still orient ourselves around it today. In fact, all Christians look to this verse (what we call the great commission) as an anchoring verse for our personal life mission. We are all called to do this.

But we often feel tension in obeying this grandiose command. It is the tension of “going” into all the world when we have built our lives in one place. What about our jobs, our families, our local churches? We feel a strong sense of responsibility to go into all the world, while we also feel a strong sense of responsibility to stay and build where we are, and that is GOOD! In fact, it is Godly. So then question remains: how do we obey this great commission?

John answers that for us in his letter to Gaius. When we support those who literally do “go into all the world”, then we become fellow workers with them. During WW2, lots of Americans were shipped off to Europe to fight. The rest of Americans wanted to help the effort, but they knew it wasn’t their place to go out and fight overseas. Instead, they did all sorts of things from their home communities to help the war effort - accepted rationing of essential goods, took on extra hours at the factory, purchased war bonds, and some people even grew their own food in home gardens. Though they did not “go out into all the world”, they became “fellow workers” for the war effort.

We have an awesome opportunity to become “fellow workers for the truth”. We can either go ourselves, or we can give and support those who do. If we stay put (as most of us will), we can still contribute to the great cause of Christ - the discipling of the nations. We can become fellow workers of that eternally glorious cause by giving financially to support those who do go out. There is no cause more meaningful, none more esssential to mankind, none more breathtaking, none more worthy of all our efforts. May we all be “fellow workers for the truth.”

Paul’s letter to Philemon is the most personal of all his prison epistles. It is a short, heart-warming letter that is filled with a number of practical applications for every true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me share with you one that I find to be one of the most challenging and at the same time the most comforting aspects of the Christian life.

In the letter, Paul identifies himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Yes, he is sitting in a prison cell in Rome, but all the time that he is there, he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ. What a glorious perspective! As a bond servant of Jesus Christ, Paul interpreted his time in prison as God’s will for his life. He did not stop serving the Lord because he was incarcerated. He used his incarceration as a time to write the letters that were filled with sound doctrine and practical admonitions to the saints in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians in addition to this letter to Philemon. He told the church in Philippi that "the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel".

In this letter, Paul writes of how he met a former slave by the name of Onesimus and led him to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He attributes this "coincidental” meeting to the providential plan and purposes of God.

The point is this: The life of every disciple is going to have prison-like seasons. Whether you are married or single, old or young, rich or poor, you are going to find yourself in some sort of prison. It could be relational. Financial. Health related. Whenever you find yourself in some kind of a prison in life beloved, seek to have the same heavenly perspective that Paul had. Some prisons are self-inflicted because of sin, and in those we need to confess and repent in order to be set free. But the vast majority of prisons in the life of a disciple happen in the day in and day out course of following Jesus.

The best medicine for the disciple of Jesus when you find yourself in prison is to get your eyes off of yourself and look for ways to pray and minister to others. For those of you who are in a prison today, does someone come to your mind right now that could use a word of encouragement? Do you know people who are at odds with one another like Philemon and Onesimus were? Pray for divine intervention and if possible be willing to be a part of the answer.

Paul did not enjoy being in prison, in fact he requests prayer for his release if it is God’s will. But, until God saw fit to release him, he used the time to draw nearer to Jesus and further the kingdom of God in any way that he could. Do not let your prison incarcerate you, let it inspire you to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself"(Luke 10:27). Let it inspire you to pray like our blessed Savior, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done"(Luke 22:42). SELAH

Free love. If you were alive in the 1960’s and 70’s then you remember the hippie movement which brought the resurgence of the idea of free love. The lusted after ideal was that of unrestricted love, unrestrained sexual activity, unhindered pursuit of pleasure. We could call this type of lifestyle a “compass-less love”. It all sounded lovely and utopian, until it had room to grow. The unrestricted love eventually led to criminal activity and the unrestrained pleasure eventually produced an AIDS epidemic. The compass-less ideal was given too much rope. And with no direction, they made a wreck of themselves.

That is the exact sort of thing that John warns us about in 2 John. The big idea on John’s mind is to love one another. And to that we would all say “Amen!”, yes even the hippies would agree. But there is no thought here of the free love that we saw in the 60’s. This is an anchored love - that is, love with a compass.

John, writing to a local church congregation, says that he loves them “in truth”. Swimming in the true doctrines of the Gospel, John finds a deep love for this congregation. The truth is his compass to true love. But it is not just him. It is not just John’s personal disposition. Yes, we know John to be the “disciple whom Jesus loved” and the one who rested on Jesus’ bosom. But this is more than simply the expression of an ancient hippie-type. It is the natural and inevitable response to anyone who loves the truth.

“Not only I, but also all who love the truth.” Regardless of distance or prior relationship, all those who love the truth of Christ have a real love for this congregation. Even those who have never met them. It is not their giving to each other that drives their love, nor is it their agreeable personalities. These people, who have never met each other, have been totally overwhelmed by the same truth - that Christ has come in the flesh to redeem them. And when their hearts wake up to love that truth, bursting forth from that is a love for all those who have been saved by the same power. Like the citizens of the same country, though they have never met, when their nation declares final victory in a long war, find themselves hugging and kissing strangers on main street. Nothing can build a stronger love than a shared savior.

It’s not that we must think long and hard about Christians in other places in order to love them well. It is that we must think long and hard about the doctrines of Christ and salvation. And when we have grasped that in our head and our heart, we shall find our hearts swelling with affection for all those who share the same convictions… even those which we have never met, and may never meet until that glorious day.

Today we finish our study in the book of Ruth. There is no mention of any extraordinary miracles of God. On the surface, it appears to be a normal story of a family that runs to Moab because of a famine in Bethlehem. During which time the husband and his two sons die. The wife returns to Bethlehem with her two widowed daughter in laws. One of them decides to return to Moab, and the other decides to stay with her mother in law, and chooses to follow the Living God.

This amazing book ends with one of the most read and loved stories in all of Scripture, the wedding of Ruth and Boaz. Coincidence? No! Providence. What we have before us in this book is a lesson of God’s sovereign hand at work in the lives of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz that brings to pass another piece of the prophetic plan of the ancestry of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I doubt that Ruth, Naomi and Boaz were aware of the full purpose and importance of their God honoring decisions. Like you and I, they would wake up every morning, pray, and live out their faith in God. Be like Ruth, Naomi and Boaz, and seek to live every area of your lives for the glory of God, and then observe how the providence of God unfolds before your very eyes. I am convinced that Ruth never imagined when she made the decision to follow Naomi that she knew that she would come into the family of Boaz and in the family of the Son of God, who would become the Savior of the world.

Do you really think that Boaz said to Ruth, “Why don’t we get married and have a baby, so that you can become the great-grandmother of King David?” God worked out His eternal plan and purpose for bringing the Messiah into the world through three people who simply chose to follow Him unreservedly. We walk by faith and not by sight, beloved. That is what the life of a disciple is all about beloved. It’s living a life of surrender to God in the school of providence. The life of a disciple is a moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day life of faith and trust in God. In this life of faith, there are many strange twists and turns.

Beware the temptation of trying to figure God out. Obstacles and mysteries are all a part of walking by faith. But this much we do know. God is good. “All things work together for those who love God and are the called according to His purposes” (Romans 8:28). Surrender yourself to God and leave the consequences in His hands.

The story that starts with a funeral, ends with a wedding. The Christian life really begins when we “die to self” and live a life of faithfulness to our Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Beloved, the providence of God is working in and through all things going on around you as you are reading this devotional. Determine to walk in the light. Determine to walk in the Spirit. Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your times are in His hands. No good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly. Just ask Naomi, Ruth and Boaz when you see them in heaven. SELAH

The Book of Ruth is packed with so many pictures and types of the Jesus Christ and the Christian life. In my devotional today, I want to speak to you about one of those types or pictures is from verse 1 of chapter 3, “Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?” The Hebrew word for “rest” in verse one is the same word for rest in Ruth 1:9, where Naomi hoped that her daughters-in-law would find rest and security in the God ordained covenant of marriage.

This rest here is referring to the rest that Ruth would find in the covenant of marriage to her kinsman redeemer Boaz. But it is also a beautiful type or picture of the rest that a sinner (typified by Ruth) enters into when they cease from their own works and receive the imputed righteousness of God that is granted by His grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (typified by Boaz).

This Hebrew word that is translated rest speaks of what a Christ centered home and marriage should be, a place of rest and security. In fact, the NASB gives us the word security and the NIV reads find a home for you. The ideal Christian marriage is a love (agape) triangle of a man and a woman who are in love with Jesus, through Whom, they find that place of rest and security in spite of all of the twists and turns that come their way because the basis of their love for one another and the root cause of their rest is based on the faithfulness and presence of Jesus in their hearts and home, not circumstances.

Likewise, in biblical soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), Scripture teaches that there is no rest and assurance of salvation for sinners apart from being married to Jesus Christ, by grace, through faith in Him, God’s Kinsman Redeemer. Romans 7:4 declares, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God”. So the soul of a sinner who is married to the Risen Jesus Christ enters into that place of rest and security.

On this Lord’s Supper Sunday, let us remember beloved that path in the Gospel and the God of the gospel provides a rest for our souls. Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burdens light”. Read those words of Jesus dear ones. Read them slowly. Prayerfully until they soak your heart and mind, for they are a promise from Jesus to all those who come to Him.

Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer has completed the work of redemption. The work of redemption is all His work. There’s nothing for you or I to do, except repent and receive Him as Lord. In Hebrews 3 and 4, we find that the people of God are promised His rest when they reach out by faith and embrace the finished work of Jesus Christ. We can rest in the Lord the morning beloved because the Father has declared that we are accepted in His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Reader, have you entered into the rest of God by grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ? Call out to Him today and find rest and eternal life by entering into this personal relationship with the Boaz from Heaven. Selah.

Gleaning was a social welfare system in ancient Israel. Those who owned land would hire laborers to go through the fields and harvest the crop. Inevitably, they would not grab all of it on the first ‘go’ round the fields. However, the laws of gleaning instructed the landowners to leave what was left after the first pass of harvesting so that it could be gathered or ‘gleaned’ by the poor and the foreigner living in the land.

I’m sure we all have gleaned once or twice before; that is, picked up the scraps. Every 6 year old, sooner or later, waves around a $20 bill to their parents and says “Mommy, look what I found!” And when pressed for an answer as to where it was found, reluctantly reveals that it was found in mommy’s purse. Gleaning? Sort of. Although, probably a little closer to stealing.

The father who always finishes the scraps off his kids dinner plate, now that’s a bit closer to gleaning… although, if we’re honest, dad rarely is in need of those extra calories. Ruth, however, is in desperate need of grain. Having gone around to several different fields, she happened to come to the field of a man named Boaz. He heard of Ruth’s incredible faithfulness to Naomi and, in response, showed her incredible grace and favor by giving her protection, steady work, and free refreshments (Ruth 2:8-9).

But, things didn’t end there. Without Ruth even knowing, Boaz commanded his servants to go above and beyond what the law required of him to give to Ruth. He told his servants to intentionally ‘drop’ thick, healthy bundles of grain behind them for Ruth to pick up. Even though Ruth only had a right to the scraps, Boaz’s grace was much deeper, working behind the scenes to richly bless Ruth far more than she was even aware of.

The God of Ruth is the same God of His people today. He still goes above and beyond the demands of His own law in order to richly bless His faithful ones. He is the God “who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Though we do not even deserve the scraps, because of Christ, there is nothing withheld from us. Even more than that, just as Ruth did not see all the depths of Boaz’s grace towards her, we do not see all the depths of God’s grace towards us. We see the cross just as Ruth saw the thick bundles of grain. And we know it is God’s great grace.

Yet, there is more behind the scene. So much more that “in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). We see Jesus. And all God’s grace is revealed in Jesus. But we do not presently comprehend all of Jesus. There is such an infinite measure of grace that God has towards those who trust in Christ, that it will be continually revealed to us all throughout the endless years of eternity. The path which the saints walk has been infinitely furnished with heapings of grace from the God who “pulls out some from the bundles” for us. And one day we will walk that path, look back, and join Ruth’s chorus saying “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me?” (Ruth 2:10)

In the midst of a season of pain, suffering, sorrow and loss, Job declared, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25). In fact, that passage of Job is the first of eighteen times that we find the word “redeemer” in Scripture. David said, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Reader, do you know who the Redeemer is? Can you say today that the Lord is my Redeemer? The book of Ruth is a book about redemption on both a human and spiritual level.

Halleys Bible Handbook writes so beautifully these words:

This lovely story of a lovely woman follows, like calm after a storm, the turbulent scenes of Judges. It is a delightful and charming picture of domestic life in a time of anarchy and trouble. A thousand years before, Abraham had been called by God to found a nation for the purpose of one day bringing a Savior to mankind. In this small book of Ruth we have the founding of the family within that nation into which the Savior would be born. Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David. From here on, the Old Testament centers mainly around the family of David. And the New Testament begins with a genealogy that begins with Abraham and ends, via Boaz and Ruth, and via David, with Jesus, “who is called Christ,” the Messiah (Matthew 1:1-16). The central theme of the book of Ruth is redemption. The Hebrew word for redemption occurs 23 times in the book of Ruth. Ruth may be considered a “type” of the Christian church, while Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, is a type of Christ who is our Redeemer.

Oh the glorious gospel of the love of God our Redeemer for us! Listen in holy awe to this description that glorious Redeemer gives unto us of Himself. “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself” (Isaiah 44:24). “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called” (Isaiah 54:5).

Just as God in His divine love sent Boaz to personally redeem Ruth the Moabite, He has sent His Son Jesus to personally be the very means of redemption. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). The good news that drew bitter and sorrowful Naomi back to Bethlehem was that God had visited His people with bread. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:32,33 and 51).There may be some off you here this morning who have gone to Moab, seeking to find a solution to your emptiness and famine soul. Like Naomi, you have realized that there is only life in Jesus Christ, the Bread of life, and He is calling you back home today. SELAH

On this Father’s Day 2024, listen to this promise from Scripture regarding the man who fears the Lord. “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments” (Psalm 112:1).

There is a ubiquitous story told in prison ministry circles that speaks to the state of fatherhood in our day. One year, a group decided to provide cards for inmates on Mother’s Day. The response was overwhelming, as nearly all the inmates showed up to sign and send cards to their mothers. The event was so successful that the group decided to do it again on Father’s Day. Almost no one participated.

The point of this story? Well, it depends on who you ask. However, at the heart of the discrepancy is fatherlessness, both in terms of the men who are absent from their children’s lives (a major indicator of future incarceration, and a whole host of other maladies), and in terms of the culture’s slow, steady slide into the abyss of radical feminism and anti-masculinity.

It’s a two-edged sword; (1) fathers are not there, and (2) the culture argues increasingly that they are not necessary.

The Biblical laws of design, like the laws of God in nature, are timeless. The law of gravity that “began” when God created the universe are arsenal today as they were then. One of the greatest and most damaging aspects in today’s culture is the subtle (or not so subtle) undermining of the biblical teaching of manhood and fatherhood, and we are seeing the deadly consequences it is having in our society. I believe that our Heavenly Father is calling ALL men of God, and in particular fathers to rise up and hold up the biblical standard of being a husband and father.

The Christian marriage, family structure and design as is seen in Genesis was created by God. This creational order was established according to the infinite wisdom of God at the beginning of the creation of the world and is fundamental to the order of both the state and the church. When this order is violated or rebelled against, the outcome is confusion and chaos. In God's creation order He has made man to be the head of the Christian home for functional purposes. Headship does not mean that God values man more than a woman, and it most certainly does not mean that husbands should be a dictator.

I have put together an acronym for the name Father. F- He Fears God. A- He Adores his Wife. T- He Teaches his children by example and precept. H- He Chooses to be a vessel of Honor inside and outside of the home for the glory of God. E- He Exercises himself unto godliness. R- He Reflects the character of the Lord Jesus Christ in word and deed.

My prayer and heart’s desire for every father is that God’s Spirit would ignite within each of our hearts a renewed passion for Jesus Christ, with the overflow of that passion being the fruit that manifests the biblical design for a husband and father as a man if God that brings glory to the name of Jesus Christ. SELAH

When I was in 5th grade, the biggest enemy I faced was my list of chores. Nothing terrified me more than walking downstairs on Saturday morning, and slowly peering into the kitchen to see if that mother of mine had scribbled out one of those motherly death sentences. They usually read like this: “Dylan, before you watch TV or go play with friends, do these three things.” A 5th graders gallows if you ask me. So, I would do my best to avoid my chores, but eventually, I was forced to complete them. Then one day, I was practicing the piano, and my mom said, “Aww! I could listen to you play piano all day long.” And suddenly it dawned on me - as long as I play the piano, my mom will never force me to do my chores. And thus began one of the most rigorous practice schedules ever known to a 5th grader.

In Acts 26, Paul finds himself facing an actual death threat, not just a list of chores. But, this isn’t his first rodeo. Back in Acts 22 and 23, he faced nearly the same thing - on trial, retelling his story of conversion as his legal defense. In Acts 23, Paul faced a council of leaders and escaped only because he was able to stir up division amongst his accusers. “Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees…” (Acts 23:6-7). After much confusion, almost being illegally flogged, and nearly killed, Paul resorted to some old school tactics - the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And, miraculously, it worked!

Now, over two years later, Paul is before a council of leaders again. This time, he knows how to handle the situation. He’s learned how to avoid the mob uprising, just like I learned how to avoid the chore list. So, he begins his testimony by bringing up this heated point of contention, instead of waiting until the end.

But does Paul bring up this dispute at the beginning only to avoid danger? Or is there a deeper reason? Back in Acts 23, the Pharisees and Sadducees split over Paul because of the issue of the Resurrection. The Pharisees believed that there is a Resurrection, whereas the Sadducees held that there was no none (Acts 23:8). So, when Paul brought up the dispute, they took sides. But their siding with Paul was simply a matter of philosophical discussion. It was purely about what things are reasonable to believe and what are not. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were not concerned about anything fundamental to the Gospel itself. Their only concern was with general metaphysical realities. As it were, in an attempt to avoid death, Paul turned their attention away from the person of Jesus, and onto a philosophical debate.

Knowing this, Paul takes a different approach in Acts 26. He begins by bringing up this heated debate regarding the reality of the resurrection because he wants to drive home a different main point. Right after mentioning this societal ‘hot topic’, he says, “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” (Acts 26:9). Paul turns their attention away from the philosophical debate around the feasibility of the resurrection, and turns their attention onto the person of Christ. Paul sees that when he was opposed to the gospel and living in sin, he still believed in the Resurrection (since he was a Pharisee). It didn’t matter at all where the Jews landed in the debate around the resurrection of the dead. What mattered was that they reckon with the person of Christ. There is no saving faith in affirming correct metaphysical truths. There is only salvation in relating rightly to the person of Christ, by repenting and turning to him alone.

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (exhibits) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners (far from being good, deserving), Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7, 8).

Every word in these two verses progressively increases the depth of the glory and riches of the grace of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. One commentator said that Christ didn’t die for frogs, He died for humans….my friend, frogs didn’t rebel against God in the garden, man did. Frogs aren’t bad enough, but we are, our debt to God is so great that only a divine sacrifice could pay it. God’s love is not like human love. Jesus Christ died, not for those who were friendly towards Him, but for those who were His enemies. It was while we were yet sinners (ungodly, unworthy, undeserving), that he died for us. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus Christ died for ungodly, unjust sinners, not "righteous" people. “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). The gospel is the demonstration of God’s love toward us. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).

All the blessings of God that have been bestowed upon us are by virtue if the “exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). Our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is the eternal redemptive plan of God. “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). The redemption of fallen man is the fruit of God’s everlasting love; before the world began, we were in the eyes, yea, in and upon the heart of God. “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:3-6). Hallelujah!!!

The death of Christ for sinners is an evident demonstration of the love of God the Father. While God's righteousness and justice led to his plan of salvation through the death of Christ, it was His love that motivated this plan. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Romans 5:11 tells us, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement”. Anything or anyone that bypasses faith in Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation is someone who does not know, or does not understand the gospel. Reader, do you understand the gospel of justification by faith! Selah

The past few weeks, we’ve been journeying through the time in the life of Paul when he is being falsely accused of both religious offenses and violations of or rebellion and disorderly conduct against the Roman government. We have learned that neither of those accusations were true. However, we have also been given a “fly on the wall” so to speak insight into how Paul lived his life during those trying times. Through it all, Paul was being a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus said to the disciples before He ascended up into heaven, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts1:8).

What is the calling of every born again son or daughter of the Living God? It is to be a witness, here on earth, of the fact that Jesus rose from the dead after He paid the full price for man’s redemption. In other words, we are called to testify of the good news, or gospel, of Jesus Christ. Throughout all of his appearances before religious and political individuals, Paul is always seeking to find a way to bring into the light, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Paul tells the church at Ephesus, as well as you and I this morning that a vital part of the armor of God is that “your feet are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). Paul was constantly being a witness of the truth of the gospel. And as we learned last week, he was doing it both inside and outside of prison. Peter declared on the day Pentecost, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:32). We see in Acts 4:33, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all”. To witness is to attest to a fact.

As Bible believing Christians, our witness here on earth is our attesting to the facts of truth of Scripture and the record of the Lord Jesus Christ. “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2).

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:1-4).

Beloved, we are ambassadors of Jesus Christ. As you and I engage with people, we will find ourselves engaging in many types of cultural discussions. May we prayerfully seek for ways to bring eternity into those to discussion by being a witness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. SELAH

In the midst of being falsely accused on trumped up religious crimes, Paul makes a statement about what he could be and was guilty of. “But this I confess unto thee (this I do confess unto you), that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust” (Acts 24:14-15).

Now that is the kind of confession that every follower of Jesus Christ should be “guilty” of. He worshipped The Living God, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets. He declared to the household of Cornelius, “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). He cites the witness of all the prophets bearing testimony to The Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus was speaking to the two disciples on the Road of Emmaus, it says in Luke 24:27 that, “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” May The Spirit of God ignite within each one of our hearts a desire to read and believe all The Word of God. Paul then quickly mentions the hope that all believers have, as well as a promise/warning about the bodily resurrection of the dead.

Every person is going to be raised from the dead to live forever in glory with The Lord Jesus Christ, or to live forever in everlasting fire with the devil. The Prophet Daniel declared, Dan12:2 “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Note two groups of people will raised from the dead, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. The Lord Jesus said in John 5:28-29, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

According to Rev 20:6-13, the 2 resurrections will be separated by time period of 1,000 years. Every person who has ever lived is going to be raised from the dead to live either forever in glory with The Lord Jesus Christ, or to live forever in everlasting fire with the devil. John 3:36 says: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Romans 10:9-10 states: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Have you made that profession of faith in The Lord Jesus Christ? In 2 Thess 1:7-9 we read: “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.”

Reader, make your calling and election sure. Today is the day salvation. Two resurrections. Two eternal destinations. The choice is yours. SELAH

We continue our study in the book of Acts and the account of a group of men who were determined to have the apostle Paul killed. "For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law." (Acts 24:5,6)

In this portion of our study, we are going to see firsthand an amazing account of the providence of God intervening in the life of Paul, and what we read in Psalm 33:10-11 "The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations." We read in Proverbs 19:21, "There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand."

The will of God for Paul was that he testify before Herod in Rome, but we learn in today's passage that "when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy." (Acts 23:12,13). They are going to learn the hard way that in spite of their planning and plotting to kill Paul, the will and purposes of God for Paul are going to prevail. The Prophet Isaiah declared, "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand." (Isa 14:24). Proverbs 21:30 states, "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD."

Glory to God that His counsel shall stand and nothing and no one is able to thwart it. Every single prophetic plan and purpose of God will come to pass, beloved. The Lord Jesus said to Paul: "Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." (Acts 23:11) So tell me beloved, whose will is going to come to pass, man’s or God’s? We both know the answer. Thus, we must bear in mind this “Christianity 101” principle of being a disciple of Jesus Christ: When it comes to our walk with Jesus Christ, may we always seek to know and believe, and do the will of God in all things, in spite of how we think or feel, because the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand and His will and His counsel is the best for our lives and His glory. SELAH

The angel said to the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus Christ, He is not here, but is risen. We also declare this morning this glorious truth. Yes, Jesus was crucified, but He is risen. Beloved, Jesus is risen. He has conquered sin and death, and has risen from the grave! Our salvation from the kingdom of darkness and deliverance from the debt of sin has been paid in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As glorious as the resurrection of Jesus is, we also declare that He has ascended unto The Father. Jesus is seated right now at the right hand of The Father. And because Jesus is exalted, The Father has given unto Him all power and authority. In other words, the ascended Jesus is not only The Great High Priest and Advocate of the saints. He is also The One Mediator between a holy God and sinful man. But we also know that Jesus rules and reigns from that lofty position in heaven all the affairs of heaven and earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Risen and Ascended Jesus is ruling over every nation, every power of darkness, every event that takes place on planet earth take place according to “the clock” and timing of heaven. Lest we forget, the church is called to be an active part in the redemption of man on earth. This redemptive plan is known as The Great Commission.

Because Jesus is risen and ascended, we read in Luke 24:46-47 Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Mark 16:15 says, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus declares, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus is notably a message of forgiveness and life, but it is also a command to proclaim Him to the lost because He has promised that He is coming again, and only those who turn to Him in faith with spend eternity with Him in heaven. SELAH

Nobody’s life personified second chances like the life of the Apostle Paul. We can learn a lot by observing the relationship that Paul had with God throughout his life. Earlier in his life, Paul persecuted people for following Jesus. He had them beaten, imprisoned, and even put to death because of their belief in God’s only Son, yet God forgave him and offered him a second chance.

Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves. Sometimes we wonder if God could still love us after all of the sins we have committed. Paul’s story reminds us that God’s love, mercy, and grace know no limits!

Wrongly accused of disrespecting Jewish law, Paul shares his upbringing, religious training, and conversion to Christianity with the crowd. As soon as he says, “Gentiles,” people remember their anger and begin rioting again. There are few things more powerful and disarming than a story, particularly the story of how Jesus can change someone’s life.

Paul could have argued the finer points of the law with anyone in the crowd. He could have expounded on Jesus’ fulfillment of every nook and cranny of Old Testament prophecy. Instead, Paul shared his story of transformation with a vicious mob. A murderer of Christians morphed into a preacher of the Gospel, all that is compelling stuff. Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus was a life-changing event. From that moment on, Paul went from persecuting Christians to risking his life repeatedly in his service to the Lord.

As we study Paul’s life, we will see three things:

God had a plan for Paul.
Paul was Obedient.
Paul became one of the most significant people in the history of the world.

Just as He did for Paul, God has a plan for each of us. The question is, will we follow it? Will we allow God’s plan to work in our lives? When God’s plans take us out of our comfort zone in a direction that we did not foresee, will we stay the course? If we do, our reward in Heaven will be great!

Every Christ follower has a story to tell. All of us have been rescued from a life of sin and disobedience, set free to follow Jesus. We don’t need to be articulate salesmen or well-educated theologians to tell others about Jesus. God has given each of us a story of transformation and the power of the Gospel.

Who are we sharing our stories with? What does this passage teach us about God? How does it apply to you? How do you feel when faith comes up with people who don’t believe? Do you shy away from talking about Jesus with friends, family, and co-workers? Why or why not?

How do we measure whether or not a ministry outreach is a failure or a success? As we continue our journey through Acts, earlier in chapter 21, we read And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.(Acts 21:10,11).

In spite of the danger, Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem to deliver a financial gift to the struggling Jewish from their Gentile brethren. When Paul arrived, he was made aware of a problem by some of the Jewish brethren who accused Paul of teaching all the Jews which are among the Gentiles that they were to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. To “solve” the problem, the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem suggested this. We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law (Acts 21:23,24). Paul agrees. Problem solved right? Wrong!

The Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place (Acts 21:27,28). Their attempt to solve the problem “backfired.” Or did it? Not really.

Paul asked for an opportunity to share the gospel with the very same angry crowd of Jews who were out to kill him. The desire to share the gospel with his fellow Jews was the prayer of Paul’s heart (Romans 9:1-3). Outwardly speaking, it would appear that Paul’s ministry there was a disaster. But in the eyes of God, it was a success, because God spells success by our obedience and faithfulness, in spite of the outward response, good or bad. SELAH

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he presented the church with both a gift and a problem. He brought a gift for the financially struggling church in Jerusalem from the Gentile churches, but he also brought a problem because rumors had been spread that he was encouraging the Jewish believers to forsake the Mosaic traditions and customs.

In light of our study today, I see two reasons for Paul’s readiness to go to Jerusalem in spite of what trouble awaited him there: (1) Paul’s had an intense love and concern for the Jewish Christians that were hurting financially and (2) according to Paul’s own words in Romans 9:1-5, Paul had an intense love to win his fellow unsaved Jews to come to know Jesus as The Christ. Personal comfort or safety was of no concern to Paul when it came to being obedient to the will of God in his life. Paul’s love for Christ, along with his intense love for his fellow Jewish people, both saved and lost, constrained him to live the way that he did. Truly, the Spirit and heart of Jesus Christ was alive in him.

But a problem arose. "And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come"(Acts 21:21,22). Nowhere did Paul ever say that it was wrong for a Jewish person to practice their ancestral customs, so long as they did not trust in that particular custom or ritual as the reason for their salvation or the basis of fellowship with the Gentile believers. Paul did teach that circumcision was not necessary for either a Jew or a Gentile to be saved. However, contrary to those rumors, Paul had Timothy circumcised before taking him along on the second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-3).

So to “solve” the problem, these Jewish leaders of the church in Jerusalem suggested to Paul that he demonstrate his respect for the law of Moses by identifying himself with four other men that had taken a Nazarite vow (Num. 6:13-21). By doing so, they were convinced that Paul would give them all to understand that the matters which had been reported concerning him were without foundation. It is important to bear in mind that Paul didn’t take this vow because he was commanded to do so. He took this vow because he wanted to win these fellow Jews to Jesus Christ, The Messiah (see 1 Cor 9:19-23).

So did their advice to Paul work? The very thing by which he hoped to pacify the Jews backfired. Paul was attacked in the temple by a mob incited by the false charge that he had violated the temple. The Romans rescued him and kept him in custody.

There are going to be times in the serving The Lord beloved when others will attack you or judge you or spread rumors about you even though you are doing the right thing with the right heart for the glory of God. This did not stop Paul from fighting the good fight of faith. Do not allow opposition from within or without the church stop you from serving The Lord beloved.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Cor 15:58 SELAH

Reader, can you say today that, “The Lord is my shepherd?” The 23rd Psalm is one of the most cherished of all Psalms. For it declares the truth, that Jesus Christ IS The Great Shepherd. When Jesus ministered on earth, we read that when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd (Matt 9:36). Mankind is likened to sheep. We are sheep who need a shepherd.

It is one thing to say that you know you need a shepherd. It is another thing all together to say, know, and believe in your heart that “The Lord is my shepherd.” On this Lord’s Supper Sunday, the words of The Lord Jesus from the gospel of John, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (John 10:11), come to mind. The Bible states that without the shedding of blood is no remission of sin (Heb 9:22; 10:18). We read in Hebrews 13:20,21, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Please note the phrase, beloved, the blood of the everlasting covenant.

It is by faith in the sinless, perfect blood of Jesus, The Lamb of God, that we enter into an everlasting covenant with God. Jesus has become unto us both The Lamb of God and our Great Shepherd. You see that it is not until you come to faith in Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, as the Savior of your soul, that you can come to know Him as your Shepherd. We are born into this world alienated from the life of God. He is our Creator, but He is not our Lord or Shepherd until we are born again. Peter writes to those who have repented and trusted Christ as their savior, for ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls (1 Pet 2:25).

You were gone astray, before your conversion, but now have returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your soul. Beloved, have you returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your soul, Jesus Christ? The prophet Isaiah foretold that when The Great Shepherd appeared, He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young (Isa 40:11). So as we study Psalm 23 together this morning, my prayer is that every person reading this or hearing this message would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the testimony of David is your testimony as well. The Lord is my Shepherd should never be a question in the life of any who claim Him as Lord, but an exclamation point!! SELAH

This portion of the text gives us a narrative of the events that took place on Paul’s third missionary journey. We as believers regularly face situations where it is not clear whether we are hearing God. When we feel that we have heard something, we may be conflicted and unsure if we should act on it or not. We question if it is really from the Lord, especially if it leaves us feeling uncomfortable.

When we are in these kinds of situations it requires courage on our part; courage to be obedient. Courage involves knowing the danger and yet pressing forward to do what we are convinced about even though there are doubts and concerns. Paul is in the midst of such a situation. Paul is convinced that he must go to Jerusalem regardless of the consequences. His friends on the other hand seem just as convinced and give the impression that they too have heard from the Lord that he should do just the opposite.

So how do we navigate these situations? What would you do if you were in Apostle Paul’s shoes? Do you give in to the persuasion of the godly people in your life or do you stay the course? Certainly, if the outcome seems good, you may find it easier to obey God’s personal message to you, but if the outcome seems bad, it would be difficult to find courage and be obedient.

Which message is from the Lord? Why is it so conflicting? Is it really from God or perhaps from the devil? How does one hear God and know for sure that they have heard from Him?

All of this comes down to submission and obedience, and you may fall into one of three categories:

You have no desire to know the will of God.
You have knowledge of the will of God but no desire to do it.
You know and desire to do the will of God regardless of outcomes.

When it comes to obedience don’t go looking for a loophole, or what we would spiritualize and call, confirmation. God does give us the gift of godly human counsel, but you must discern if you are using it to escape an unpleasant situation or if it is really a confirmation or denial of what you thought you heard from God. We must be resolved to obey more than anything else, do it willingly and not grudgingly and do it completely.

We cannot have reservations about the wisdom of doing it God’s way because we are conflicted about it. We cannot apply the worldly standards of logic because the end does not justify the means. Sometimes God is simply not logical. It is possible the conflict has come to play because compromise has seeped through the cracks. It is also possible that you are focused on just one portion of what God desires and not the whole aspect of obedience. It is well said, God has said it and that settles it!

Paul took this approach and did not allow his well-intended friends to sway him away from listening and obeying God. He was sincere in his desire to live God’s will, nothing more, nothing less and nothing else - regardless of the cost!

As the apostle Paul is preparing to part from his meeting with the church leaders from Ephesus, he passes along to them an urgent message that is timeless and needs to be heeded today as much, if not more so, as when he spoke it back then. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:28-31).

Do you sense the gravity of those words beloved? Paul tells the leaders of the flock of God that the church is going to come under enemy attack from within and from without. He identifies these individuals as wolves, men who will appear to be sheep, but are actually tares, spiritual counterfeits who will teach damnable heresies, and individuals who will cast out devils and do many wonderful works “in the name of Jesus”. Peter tells us that spiritual frauds “privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you” (2 Peter 2:1-2).

Long story short, these individuals will live lavish lifestyles that will cause people to speak evil of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will preach a doctrine of covetousness and merchandise that totally misrepresents the name of Jesus. They will preach things with the spirit of antichrist and other metaphysical teachings like Gnosticsm and Mysticism. These, and every other kind of “ism”, are the spiritual grandfathers of the heresies that the church is facing today. The Lord gives ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us today. SELAH

It has been well said, the quantity of your life is up to God, but the quality of your life is yours to choose. Paul made his life count! You can feel his passion dripping off of these words. His life was lived on purpose. He was even willing to face suffering and death in order to make his life count for Jesus. I want to encourage you to realize the urgency of this one message and mission. Without Jesus people will spend eternity in Hell. We can make a difference in people’s lives for eternity! Let’s make this one life count. One message, one mission, one life.

Is the gospel we believe, preach, live and practice worth dying for? What does that look like for you? Moral reform? Save yourself through good works? Social action and improvement? Religious traditions? Merely having spiritual conversations? Some mumbo-jumbo? Self-esteem? Ecological salvation? Political correctness? Feel-good?

“Yet there used to be a gospel in the world which consisted of facts which Christians never questioned. There was once in the church a gospel which believers hugged to their hearts as if it were their soul’s life. There used to be a gospel in the world, which provoked enthusiasm and commanded sacrifice. Tens of thousands have met together to hear this gospel at peril of their lives. Men, to the teeth of tyrants, have proclaimed it, and have suffered the loss of all things, and gone to prison and to death for it, singing psalms all the while. Is there not such a gospel remaining?” (Spurgeon)

The Christian life: is it supposed to be tough or easy? Does our faith in Jesus Christ cause us difficulty, hardship, suffering, and loss? Or does it pave for us an easy road to heaven?

These aren’t easy questions. But if we look at some of the people in the Bible, the ones we admire and respect for their obvious faithfulness to the Lord—we see that they didn’t have a life of ease. Paul, for example, faced difficulties that would make most of us wonder where God is: shipwrecks, imprisonments, beatings, and other kinds of abuse (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). It seems he was better off before he started following Jesus.

Following Christ is demanding. One needs to be all in, but when it is presented as one way ticket to heaven, just say a prayer, it is easy, fun and no cost, you are leading people to devastation. Jesus Himself said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). That’s a clear call for self-denial.

Paul was given a task, and he did it wholeheartedly for God’s glory, no matter what the cost, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

Some Christians run nobly at the start of the race, some do well halfway, but blessed is the man who makes a good finish. Paul's last words to Timothy "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course and I have kept my faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Are you wholeheartedly pursuing the mission God has given you? If not why not?

I am writing this week’s devotional from India, and as I’ve been observing their church services and Christian lifestyles, a thought has popped into my mind that I hope you find encouraging. As we journey together through the book of Acts, we often are focusing on the opposition that Paul and apostles and any other servants of the Lord encountered in sharing the gospel. We read about the sacrifices of time and the almost non-existence of personal comfort that was made by them in order to reach the lost and minister to the church.

But I wonder if in our focus on those servants, we have overlooked the radical lifestyle and devotion to Jesus Christ that was being made by the “laypeople” within the local churches. Whatever opposition the leaders faced, these dear saints would be facing long after the apostles and others left town. It was through the sacrificial financial support of these saints that enabled the apostles to travel and spread the gospel and edify their brothers and sisters in other areas.

We know from today’s Scriptures that they made it a priority to meet for teaching and fellowship on the first day of the week, and that they usually met in the evenings because they worked long hours during the day. And at least one of those church services was pretty lengthy, which also was not uncommon in those days. Bear in mind that they did not meet in a comfortable, Western style church building with AC for the summer and heat for the winter. The parents and children would all sit together under the teaching of the Word and worship.

Acts 2:41-47 was the pattern of lifestyle that was adopted by each local church. What would happen each person who calls KF their home church would adopt a Acts 2:41-47 pattern of commitment to Jesus Christ and one another? How radical would that be? Just thinking and praying that we would be a Spirit filled, Godward focused, Christ loving and others centered congregation for the glory of the Lord. SELAH

When we look back to what Paul’s opponents said about him and his missionary companions in Acts 17:6, they testified that these men who have turned the world upside down have come here, speaks clearly how they lived a radical gospel-shaped life.

The message of the gospel and the lives of those who have believed the gospel confronts sinners with their sin. If people are not sinners, then they have no need for a Savior. Any gospel that presents Jesus as a way to peace and happiness in our lives but ignores sin is no gospel.

Romans 3:23 states, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. None are perfect by his Holy standards. In our thoughts, words and deeds we rebel daily. We have failed to love Him with our heart, soul, mind and strength. For us to appreciate and respond to the message of the gospel, we must first embrace the bad news about our sin.

You can engage in idolatry without statues. It is idolatry to be devoted to your work, finances, and success more than you are to God and His Kingdom. Our culture’s devotion to sensual pleasure through pornography and immorality is a form of idolatry.

Even some pursuits that are legitimate like a hobby and a sport can become an idol when a person devotes an inordinate amount of time and resources to it. Sitting in front of screens for hours in a day but not spending time in prayer and meditation on His Word and to Him is idolatry.

The fact of the matter is that the first century Church faced unbelievable trials and persecutions. The type of people who walked with Jesus in that time were, by definition, sold out to Christ and His gospel. They had to be. Would we live the way they did and have counted the cost? I very much hope we would have been. I very much hope that all of us are walking with Jesus in such a way that you could pick us up, drop us in the first century, and we would not miss a beat. But is that so? Do we possess the courage and grit and determination it would have required to stand in the crucible of the first century and preach Christ?

The gospel at that time was often met with outrage and violence, unlike in our day when it seems to be met with indifference (in western Europe and the United States anyway). Consider what it meant to follow Jesus at that time. Consider, for example, what happened in Ephesus when Paul stayed and preached and planted churches and followed Jesus there. Want to know what happened? The place rioted!

Do these things impact our culture? Do unbelievers begin to see the effects of the gospel in our lives and be convicted of their sins? If we lived the way Paul lived, would it cause a disturbance in the United States?

The Gospel is a radical message that produces radical change that often provokes radical opposition.

The stunning ruins of Ephesus gives us a glimpse of how important the city must have been in when Paul first came there. Two thousand years ago, Ephesus was the major port of modern-day Turkey, and the Romans called the city the crown jewel of Asia Minor. At its peak, 400,000 lived there and the international trade that arrived daily made it one of the most famous cities in the world. Only 10 percent of the ruins have been unearthed, and yet the area uncovered today stretches for miles near the coast of Eastern Turkey, southeast of modern-day Izmir. When it was in its prime, the city must have been a fantastic sight.

In Ephesus, Paul continued teaching about Jesus and performing miracles. Fearing they’d be put out of business, local idol makers started a riot. Today we are not that aware of what pagan idolatry is; many think of idolatry as worshipping an image as a manifestation of a god. In reality, the worship of idols involved far more than that. All sorts of economic and political ramifications accompanied idolatry. Cult prostitution, often with minors and involving both heterosexual and homosexual sex acts, brought in huge sums of money to the temples. The selling of images, of both the false gods and their temples, brought some people great financial gain.

A dedication sacrifice to a false god, and later to the emperor himself, was part of many civic and public events. Much of the meat in the markets came from the pieces of meat left after certain other parts had been sacrificed. Ephesus was the center of many of these practices and had become the financial center of the Roman Empire, much like Rome was the political center. When people followed Jesus, they turned away from idolatry. Their repentance threatened economic and political life in the Roman province of Asia and especially in Ephesus.

People in Ephesus were passionate about maintaining the prestige of their patron goddess, Artemis. Their temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. To worship Artemis was as much a part of the city's culture and identity as loving latte’s and barbecue is a part of ours. Silversmiths knew if people started believing in Paul's God instead of their man-made idols, their income would suffer.

While silver statues may not be the objects of our affection, we have plenty of false gods of our own. One of our most prevalent gods is the unquenchable desire for more and more income, a bigger home, luxury vacations or the newest gadget. Jesus understood the pull materialism can have over our hearts. In Jesus' longest recorded sermon, He warned His followers of this, saying, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).

At the heart of this passage is idolatry. The church in Ephesus is a text book example of when you fall in love with something other than Jesus! What are you passionate about? What vision drives you? Have you let an excuse stop you from expressing that love for Christ? Love for Christ simply never retires. It can't quit. It drives the people who own it until they've squeezed every last ounce out of life into the love that continues to call them.

In our study, we see how important every part of the body Christ is. The key people in this section of Acts are the apostle Paul and a couple by the name of Aquila and Priscilla. Lastly, we are introduced for the first time to a new covert by the name of Apollos.

It is beautiful to see how God uses different people with different gifts to serve Him and minister to one another. Though an apostle, Paul was also a tentmaker who was accompanied in ministry by Aquila and Priscilla who also were tentmakers. Apollos was a highly educated man, knowledgeable of the Old Testament, who came to know Jesus was the Messiah through the ministry John the baptizer. Only the Spirit of God can bring together individuals with such different backgrounds and use them in a complimentary way to share the gospel alongside of one another as well as help each other grow in the faith.

Paul mentions this diversity of individuals and gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Within the Spirit driven body of Christ, there is divine order for functional purposes, but no hierarchy. There us unity, but no unanimity. There is no caste system based on skin color or education. There is that Genesis distinction of male and female, but God uses both in a powerful way to bring Him glory.

As we journey through the book of Acts, we have seen, and will continue to see that the wind that drove the sails of the church was and still is, the Spirit of God. It was the Spirit of God that anointed the preaching of the gospel and led the church to apply the various “one another’s” that we read about in the epistles. Nothing has changed since then. The church today must be Spirit-driven and Spirit-led if we are to carry out the Great Commission.

My dear family, how are you using your gifts to bless others within the body? Did it ever occur to you that any gift that you have that has been hidden under a basket, may be the very answer to a ministry need here at church, as well as an answer to the prayers of others in the body? Paul and Apollos needed the ministry of Aquila and Priscilla and vice versa. Such is true at your church. Think on these things…..SELAH

When your vehicle starts drifting to the left or to the right, in most cases, the problem is that you need a front end alignment. The same holds true in the life of the believer.

Because of the remaining corruption in our flesh, it is possible for any child of God to find themselves looking at the easy and successful life of the unsaved and begin to ask the question, what is the point of me living my life for Jesus? Such was the case of Asaph in Psalm 73.

In verse 3, the psalmist confesses that he is in the grip of envy and jealousy. The problem here, beloved, is that the Psalmist was defining prosperity, success and happiness by this fallen world’s value system. Because Asaph’s heart was out of alignment with God, he began to ponder why everything in their life seemed to be going fine and trouble free. They not only seemed to have everything, they also appeared to be getting away with everything.

Every believer, writer and reader alike has those “pity party” and “why do the wicked prosper” moments in life. After all, they speak blasphemously against God and they spread their godless philosophy of what life is all about throughout the earth. They speak against the Genesis account of creation. They speak against the Genesis account of gender. They speak against the Genesis account of marriage to name just a couple of things.

Beloved, one of the devil's most potent fiery darts is when you start comparing your life to the rich and godless and begin to think that it is vain to serve the Lord. So what does God do? He puts this wrong perspective in Scripture so that you and I would not fall prey to this twisted and perverted way of seeing things in this life!!

What turned things around for Asaph or any other Asaph reading this devotional today? The first step out of the sinkhole of resentment, envy and a wrong perspective is when we come into the presence of God together and simply worship Him. The psalmist entered the sanctuary, and in the presence of the Living God, his vision cleared and he begins to see the eternal perspective of life on earth. All of the griping, complaining, envy and jealousy did not solve his wrong perspective of life, it actually fed it. We would call what he ate “devil’s food cake”!

What gave him the eternal perspective of life was when he went into the sanctuary or presence of God and worshipped. And in verse 25 he declares, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee”. This is getting things back in the right perspective again. This perspective in life is the ultimate “front end alignment of the heart” before God. This is the gospel-shaped, life-changing perspective for the child of God.

Pastor John Piper wrote: "If you can't see the sun you will be impressed with a street light. If you've never felt thunder and lightning you'll be impressed with fireworks. And if you turn your back on the greatness and majesty of God you'll fall in love with a world of shadows and short-lived pleasures."

May God Almighty grant unto Koinonia Fellowship, both individually and collectively this much needed heart alignment in life in order that we might be a Jesus-following, cross-bearing, Gospel-shaped, Word-driven, Spirit-led congregation for the glory of Abba. SELAH

Hebrews 12:2 is a passage that is like the North Star for the Christian journey in this crazy and chaotic world that live in. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.

As we come to the end of the year 2023 in anticipation of the year 2024, it is important that we decide what it is that are going to look at or look to in the days ahead. Puritan author John Owen wrote a book called the mortification of sin. He said, “some aspects of your life are not befitting a Christian. There are things that are not befitting to your mouth, to your mind and to your mouth if Christ is in you”.

I think that we are all aware of the fact that our nation and the world around us is rapidly changing. We are being constantly impacted by fear mongering images in the realms of politics, wars, and new strains of COVID. Man is not the the answer to any of these consequences of sin. My exhortation to you my precious church family is a simple one. Look unto Jesus. In the midst of all the craziness and chaos of this world, this we can be sure of.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:3, 4). We lose our peace whenever our eyes are off of Jesus and fixed on something or someone else. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, beloved.

Looking to Him. Abiding in Him. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. Peace or panic stem from whatever we choose to look to and dwell on. Selah

We are at the final part of our Christmas series, “Why the Incarnation”. This is the ultimate purpose for the incarnation of Jesus Christ is found in Revelation 5. The glorification of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

That is the purpose of every church and every child of God. To worship, pray, serve and live for the glory of Jesus Christ. A divine revelation and recognition of the slain Lamb Jesus Christ, who takes away the sins of the world. Anyone who truly sees the slain Lamb cannot help but worship. The psalmist declared, “oh magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt His Name together”(Psalm 34:3)….note the things that belong to and speak of the glory of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, in this heavenly scene.

Power – Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”. Absolute power belongs to Jesus Christ, as He is the mighty God.

Riches - Ephesians 3:8, “the unsearchable riches of Christ”. The riches of the Lord Jesus Christ are beyond description. The riches of His grace, the riches of His glory, the riches of His goodness.

Wisdom - Colossians 2:3, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. Jesus is the wisdom of God, as He is the only wise God; and He is the author of all holy and heavenly wisdom.

Strength - 1Samuel 15:29, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent”. Remember beloved, that the joy of the Lord is our strength. It is Christ that strengthens us.

Honor - Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. As man and Mediator, was crowned with glory and honour that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Glory - John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”.

Blessing- Nehemiah 9:5, “blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise”. Every blessing comes from Christ, from whom all blessings flow. Thus, the gospel of the grace of God exalts and magnifies the glory of God. This truth strips man of all pride and self aggrandizement.

Worthy is the Lamb is the declaration of heaven. The ultimate purpose and goal of the Father sending His Son Jesus Christ into this world is that those who trust in Him as Lord and Savior would throughout all eternity declare what John writes of in Revelation 7:9-14, “I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen”. That declaration turns the question of the why of the incarnation into an exclamation point!! Selah

The Apostle John writes, “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin” ( 1 John 3:5) and “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Verse 8 is one of the many Scriptures in First John where Jesus is identified as the Son of God.

As we ponder our Christmas theme, Why the Incarnation, one of the most remarkable thoughts is that Jesus Christ, The Word of God who is God, is also the Son of God who was manifested for our sins and to destroy the works of the devil. So the redemption of fallen man is the plan of God, not man. How important is it for a person to believe that Jesus Christ is The Son of God?

Let Scripture speak for itself. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” ( 1 John 4:15). “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).

The very assurance of our forgiveness of sin and being set free from the grip of the devil is because it was none other than Jesus Christ, The Son of God who has done it. For those of you who have repented and trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ for the salvation of your souls, let those biblical truths sink deep down in your souls this morning, beloved.

You are forgiven. You have been released from the trap of the devil. We see in those two Scriptures two more purposes for why Jesus was manifested. (1) To take away our sins and (2) to destroy the works of the devil. Both sin and the devil are bent on our destruction, and God sent Jesus to destroy both sin and the works of the devil on our behalf. Our Heavenly Father sent His Son because we not only need to be forgiven and delivered from the debt of our sin; we also need to be delivered out of the kingdom of the devil. The kingdom of darkness.

Jesus came because our salvation and our deliverance from the works of the devils depended upon Him. Salvation and deliverance from the works of the devil is a gift because there was no other way whereby we could be redeemed and rescued. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”. When we forget why the Son of God came to this earth, we inevitably fall prey to the guilt and condemnation for our sins, which are two of the most effective fiery darts of the devil.

Beloved, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

Grace gives what someone doesn’t deserve. That is why forgiveness has the word give in it. Forgiveness is not getting even. It is giving away the right to get even. God settled the debt of sin by laying it on His Son Jesus Christ. Thus, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). If we believe in Christ, God no longer holds our sins against us. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25). Glory be to our God for the redemption that He has given unto us in Christ Jesus. SELAH

What does listen to the music have do with Christmas? Well, my answer beloved is this. What music are you listening to? Let me explain. According to Billboard Music Charts, some the most popular songs this time of year are “All I want for Christmas is you” by Mariah Carey. “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee. “Its the most Wonderful time of the Year” by Andy Williams. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby.

I am not here to knock or slam these songs that are favorites this time of year. The problem is this. None of the lyrics of those songs have anything to do with biblical reason for why Jesus Christ born. And yet for the vast majority of people, that is what they think Christmas is all about. Parties. Snow. Rudolph. Santa.

The Lord Jesus declared, (and if anybody should know what Christmas is all about it would be Jesus!) “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:46-48). Those words are the reason for the incarnation of Jesus Christ. That is why our Christmas theme this year is, Why the Incarnation?

In the remembering of the biblical reason for why Jesus was born we are carrying out the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ. You may have been blessed to have born into a Christian home, but nobody is born into this world a Christian. God does not have grandchildren. You must be born again. Born from above. If you listen to the words of these songs, “God Rest you Merry Gentlemen” or “O Little Town of Bethlehem” or “Silent Night, Holy Night” or “Mary Did you Know?” you will hear the lyrics that declare the reason for the incarnation.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God’s gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ is the message of the incarnation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS. It is a message of forgiveness of sin that manifests itself in inexpressible joy to the person who repents of their sin and receives Jesus Christ as Lord. Repent and believe the Lord Jesus Christ and you will begin singing a new song. SELAH

The title of this week’s devotional is the Christmas theme for our 2023 celebration of the birth, or incarnation of Jesus Christ. To set the record straight, we can be 99.9% sure that Jesus (Yeshua) was not born on December 25th. The closest biblical festival to Jesus being the Light of the world, would be Hanukah, which is also known as the Festival of Lights. It is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting this year on December 7th, and runs until December 15th according to the Hebrew calendar. Jesus refers to this feast in John 10:22. So the question that is prone to be asked is why is our Christmas theme, Why the Incarnation? There are many reasons, but let me ask you a question. When you look at the majority of Christmas displays or listen to the majority of Christmas songs that are played in public places, do they have anything to do with the reason why God sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to die for sinners?

Sadly, the answer is no. But the tragedy of it all is that those who are spiritually lost are blinded by the god of this world to the truth of the Incarnation and in reality, are not celebrating the birth of Jesus at all. How absurd would it be for me to think that I am celebrating someone’s “birthday party” (to use an illustration), when their name is not mentioned once? Why the Incarnation? 1 John 3:5 “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin”. 1 John 3:8 “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. 1John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him”.

Hallelujah! Jesus Christ, the Light of the world came into this world to take away our sins. To destroy the works of the devil. That we might live (be given eternal life) through faith in Jesus Christ. Charles Wesley wrote the song, “Hark the herald Angels sing”….listen to the words. Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings Risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by. Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing. "Glory to the new-born king". Those words are the reason and answer to the question, Why the Incarnation? Join us every Sunday this December and invite people as we search the Scriptures declare why Jesus Christ came into this world of sin and sinners. Selah

After the apostle Paul left the city of Athens, his next stop was the city of Corinth. Paul wrote two letters to the church at Corinth. We read that he stayed there for a year and a half teaching and preaching the Word of God.

It was in Corinth that he tells us that he met a couple by the names of Aquila and Priscilla. They had come to the saving faith in Christ in the city of Rome, and came to Corinth because Claudius had deported all Jews from Rome. Because they, like Paul, were tent makers by trade, they not only worked with Paul, but they also took Paul into their home and family. Scripture indicates that this hardworking, hospitable couple was sold out for Jesus Christ. They were tremendous helpers to Paul in the ministry of the gospel.

In Romans 16:3,4, Paul writes, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles”. In addition to making tents as a means of income by trade, this husband and wife also put their life on the line to assist Paul in his ministry of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 16:19 Paul writes, “Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house”. They were a couple that had an “open heart, open door” policy who knew the importance of opening their home for fellowship with other saints.

Years later, Paul writes from “death row” in 2 Timothy 4:19, “Salute Priscilla and Aquila”. The fact that Paul mentions them while he was on “death row” near end of his life reveals Paul never forgot the hospitality, help and love that they showed him over the years. They were not fair weather saints who bailed out when the going gets tough.

Its couples like this in the local church that make the ministry a pure joy and delight. Its couples who have an open door of hospitality and are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of others in the body of Christ that will receive those crowns of reward at the Bema Seat of Christ.

I am so thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for the multitude of sold out couples who have served the Lord and have been a great help to me and others in ministry here at Koinonia during the past four decades. Thank you for putting Jesus first in your lives and for choosing to live for Him and His glory. Your labors in the Lord and neither in vain, nor are they unnoticed not only to me and others, but to the One who loved us and died for us. Selah

When the apostle Paul was in the city of Athens, his spirit was grieved because he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Paul wasn’t snapping photos like a typical tourist, he was grieved when the image bearers of God were doing such things. As he is looking at the various temples and shrines that were places and objects of “worship” and devotion, he writes “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23).

It is at this point that Paul begins to unpack the biblical revelation of the Living God as our Creator, and His Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, whom He raised from the dead. Paul refutes the notion of an unknown God with the biblical revelation of God as Creator, Lord of heaven and earth. Scripture clearly reveals in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth”.

Contrary to the multitude of evolutionary theories or the plethora of superstitious myths that seek to “explain” the origin of the universe, Scripture declares from Genesis to Revelation, that the universe and everything in it was created in the beginning by an All-Wise, All-Powerful and loving God. The universe or the existence of mankind on planet earth is not left to chance or to some impersonal fate. That is why the scientific and philosophical views of this fallen world system regarding the origin of creation are constantly attacking and seeking to dismantle the biblical doctrine of Creator and creation. Why? Because the Bible teaches that man was created in the image of God, and being created in the image of God, man was created to worship God. But Adam sinned when he believed the lie of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and from that time, man has given the worship that belongs to God alone to idols.

Athens-like idolatry is thriving in America. Whether it’s the god of wealth, fame, power, or pleasure. Whether it is the gods or goddesses who are athletes, entertainers, or politicians, America today is filled with idols. These idols are “counterfeit gods” or “substitute gods”, because an idol is essentially anything or anyone that takes God’s rightful place in a person’s life. But the clock of human history is one day coming to an end. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30, 31).

Once again we see that every question regarding the origin of life and why mankind exists on planet earth must ultimately lead to the question of who Jesus Christ and the gospel that bears His name was. Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead is the heart of God’s plan for history. It is only when we “see” by the Spirit of God that Jesus Christ is both the Creator of Man and also our Redeemer, that we know why we were born and are set free from the emptiness of seeking to fill that God shaped hole in our soul with idols. SELAH

We are transitioning into the 2nd part of the book of Acts, which is filled with descriptions that picture salvation. We will notice that the Gospel is on the move and God is on a mission. There is a pattern of proclamation, persuasion and persecution. God is in the business of saving souls.

In today's passage, Paul, Silas and Timothy have made the 100 mile journey from Philippi to Thessalonica. As was his pattern, Paul went to the synagogue first, where he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.

Paul proclaimed, examined and proved to them Christ from the pages of the Old Testament. I think this is really important for us to see right now in our time and culture. Paul did not preach himself. He did not preach his ideas. He did not preach emotionally touching stories or tell jokes. He did not preach what everyone wanted to hear. He did not talk about the Roman Empire and all of its problems. He did not preach the politics of the day, whether they should be zealots against the empire or workers for the empire. Paul followed the example of Jesus, taking the scriptures and explaining them and reasoning them to others.

This is a timely text to remind us how to navigate current culture of division and toxicity. We are not in the business of reasoning politics, the problems with the country, or trying to win people to our ideas about how we think the world should be. We need to reason the Scriptures. There is lack of knowledge of Scriptures and certainly lack of experience with God. People may know of the Bible but they do not know the Bible or the God of the Bible. We have heard what other people have said about the Scriptures. But so many have not seen the Scriptures for themselves.

The apostle Paul demonstrated that faith does not come through politics or arguments, Faith only comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Paul told people what God said from the Scriptures. This led to two responses. We are told in verse 4 that some of the Jews and Greeks were persuaded, including women. At the same time there was persecution. They were dragged before the city council (vs. 6-7).

What is this Scripture trying to get us to see? The truth that God’s Word needs to be the priority in our lives. We must approach people with what God says, not our opinions, values, perspective, politics, or anything else. The world needs the Word because it is only through the Word that people will come to faith.

We also need to know the Scriptures ourselves. We will be considered virtuous and noble if we desire God’s word and examine them daily. If you do not desire to know the Scriptures and spend time listening to God’s word, ask yourself, why? What happened?

Jesus said in his parable that weeds can choke out the power of the Word in your life. What weeds are covering over your spiritual roots so that you do not desire God and his Word? Would you pull out those weeds in your heart? Would you start that today? There are 168 hours in a week. How many hours is God getting from you? The character God wants for us are lives that are guided by God’s word.

The Bereans were in the Word every day. What is blocking you from being in the Word? Do we need less entertainment? Do we need less technology? Do we need less time on our devices? What is blocking you from enjoying Jesus?

Sin is an offense to God, and divine justice must be satisfied. The penalty for sin is death. The suffering and righteousness of none but Christ could have been sufficient and satisfactory. He paid all that justice demanded, and God is well pleased with his sacrifice. And that is the reason salvation is found in no other name under heaven but Christ.

This topic is as old as it gets and maybe gets under our skin because it has become so casual and generic in Christian conversations. The reality is that we as believers are constantly faced with this issue as individuals and as a body together. So as we prepare for worship, how essential is forgiveness? How eager should we be to forgive ourselves and others? What are the consequences if we are reluctant to show mercy to someone else? Does unforgiveness lead to bitterness, anger and resentment? Does the Bible teach forgiveness without limits?

As we live our lives, we accumulate lists. Many of us have running lists of people that have hurt, abandoned or wronged us in the past or the present. What is the purpose of these lists and how are they helpful? When Jesus says, rip your lists away, don’t track them, and don’t accumulate, does this seem that it is asking way too much of us? We all know how difficult it is to forgive. Forgiveness is not natural; what is natural is to get even. At times we hold our hurts, anger or resentment in a tight embrace thinking it will shield us for further pain, but it cuts at our well-being weakens us and if not dealt with, it becomes very destructive.

Forgiveness is divine because it is not natural, thus causing difficulty in doing so. But it is critical that we first receive forgiveness. You will never be able to forgive someone until you have deeply experienced forgiveness yourself. Generally people wait for others to make the first step. Today you may want to reconsider your position and be the first one to change the embrace of hurt into an embrace of forgiveness. Much of the life we live, we do not have control over, but this is something that is within our power to do. You embracing forgiveness could be the healing touch you need at this time.

Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. In the story, you will notice the word “wicked.” It refers to the depravity working in our evil nature. This wicked behavior of unforgiving man is revealed in his unregenerate heart. Do we really want to face the consequences of our wickedness like the man in the story was forced to? We see mercy replaced with wrath.

Saints, an unforgiving spirit reveals an unregenerate heart and an unregenerate heart eventually lands a person in the place of torment. This is why this parable was shared with Jesus to his disciples. We need to repent, seek forgiveness and live in the freedom of what has been forgiven us, because the weight of what we could not repay will always outweigh what we would need to forgive.

In our study today, Paul and Silas are in a maximum security prison. They have been brutally beaten as a result of the crime of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. No doubt they are bruised, bloody, chained hand and foot in the stocks, and unable to sleep. We read in Acts 16:25, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them”.

Now set aside the fact that they are no doubt in much pain as a result of the beating they were given. A beating that was intended to “teach them the lesson”, do not preach Jesus Christ around here or this is what will happen to you. A lesson that they never learned as you read the rest of the book of Acts. Set all that aside for a moment. Ask yourself a question, when was the last time that you or I rolled out of bed to sing praises to our King at midnight?

They sang praises and it says that the prisoners heard them. But lest we forget, Paul and Silas were prisoners as well. But they weren’t prisoners of the Roman government; they were prisoners of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 9:12 speaks of “prisoners of hope”. As people who are devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ, we too are prisoners. We too are transplants of heaven who have been redeemed to be ambassadors of hope here on this planet that lies in the hands of the devil. In our journey with the Lord Jesus, we too find ourselves is all kinds of prisons. Relational prisons. Financial prisons. Prisons of the flesh. Prisons of health. Prisons of persecution. These kinds of prisons are unavoidable.

Like Paul and Silas, one of the most powerful ways to confront those various prisons is by singing praises to our God. Praise “invites” the atmosphere of heaven in the room, so to speak. God inhabits the praises of His people. Think about that for a moment. Talk about a “pick me up!!” Praising God is more energizing than those 5 minute energizer drinks and it will only “cost you” a few minutes of redirecting your attention. “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:62).

Prophetically, we are living in the last days. The Lord is at hand. Our redemption draws near. The Lord Jesus told us in the parable of the ten virgins “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). Singing praises at midnight. Rising at midnight to praise and thank God for His righteous judgments. Ready at midnight to hear, “The Bridegroom is coming, go out and meet Him”.

Yes, in this world we do suffer tribulation. There is sorrow and sadness all around us. But when we choose the “uplook” of praise over the “outlook” of prisons, it changes things. Beloved, determine to be a person who sings at midnight. In the morning. At noon. Like Paul and Silas, you never know how many fellow prisoners may hear and turn to Jesus. SELAH

In our study today, a demonic spirit is causing a distraction when Paul and the others are preaching salvation in the name of Jesus. Dr. Luke tells us, “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17,18). It is then read, “but Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (Acts 16:18).

Beloved, demonic spirits are real. The apostle Paul confirms this with the words, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Who are the “we” that wrestle not against flesh and blood? It’s the church of Jesus Christ. These demonic spirits are as alive and well today as they were in the book of Acts. But praise be unto God that there is power and authority for the child of God over those demons in the name of Jesus Christ.

In the account of the 70 disciples mentioned in the gospel of Luke we read in verses 17&19, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”. Satan and demons are not mythological characters; they are real entities who are wreaking the same chaos, confusion as they always have. They feed fears and phobias. They lie, masquerade and distort the truth of God, and often as angels of light. Demonic possession cannot be cast out with medication, therapy rehabs. There is only one name that is powerful enough to cast out demons just as true as there is only one name under heaven whereby we must be saved, and that name is Jesus Christ.

“Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” (Acts 19:13) There is a full blown war for souls on planet earth today beloved, and even demons know the difference between a sheep and a wolf. There are demonic entities who oppose the work of God and the people of God. Many are religious counterfeits. Others are pseudo spiritual who seek to control your minds. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

Praise God that there is salvation, deliverance and healing in the name of Jesus today just as much as it was in our study this morning. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt 1:23). “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11). Reader, do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? Call upon His name in times of darkness. Resist the devil and he will flee. Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. SELAH

One of the most fascinating studies in the Scripture is observing the mystery of divine providence at work in the lives of His people. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). This passage indicates that the people of God are led or guided in their journey here on earth by adhering to the revealed will of God, which is the written word of God. But, it also reveals that as they are walking the revealed will of God for their lives, they “discover” the “unrevealed” or providential will of God.

In our study today we find Paul, Silas, Timothy and Doctor Luke setting out to visit the churches that had been planted on their first missionary journey. They attempted to go Asia and then to Bithynia, but the Spirit of God closed the door. Their desire to preach the gospel in Asia was right, for the cities of Asia needed to be reached for Christ, but their timing was wrong.

The great cities of Asia would be reached for Christ by Paul, but it would be in the future, not then. Scripture does not give us a reason for the closed doors, other than they were closed by the Holy Spirit. No doubt they were somewhat bewildered by the closed doors UNTIL, in the providence of God, “A vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them” (Acts 16:9, 10).

Why the closed doors? Very simply, the Holy Spirit stopped Paul and these brothers from following through with the plans that they were making, in order that they would be in the place that God wanted him to be. This teaches us that as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should never be discouraged by closed doors. For those who are walking in His revealed will and are seeking to know His unrevealed or providential direction, we have come to understand that the closed doors in life are a vital part of “discovering” the open doors of God. Not only are the steps of a good man ordered by The Lord; so are His stops.

When God closes a door in your life, keep abiding in Him and serving Him in what you know to be His revealed, practical will, knowing this: in His time, He will providentially reveal His “secret” will to you, and when He does, do not delay to obey Him.

We read in Acts 9, “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26). Saul as we know was a zealous man who persecuted Christians and murdered them. After getting saved, he went to his hometown of Tarsus.

It was Barnabas, visiting Antioch, who made the long journey to encourage Paul and pull him back into serving the Lord. Barnabas persuaded the disciples to allow Paul to fellowship with them.

As we read in today's passage, Paul and Barnabas later had a falling out. This tragic separation of Paul and Barnabas is well preached over the years. The conclusions reached vary. What caused this? Who was to blame? What can you and I learn from this account?

From what we can read, John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) and he went with Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey but decided to return to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). We are not told the reasons for his departure.

Now the second missionary journey is being planned and the dispute arose about taking John Mark again on the second missionary trip. Paul was adamant and wanted no part of it while Barnabas was adamant that he was coming on this trip. This fallout was not over doctrine, it was over a judgment call, and it is clear that this fallout did not impact their calling to preach the Gospel. The details are scarce in this account, so how do we exegete this text?

First, believers will at times have disputes on matters like this. When we find ourselves or others in a dispute, we want to know, who is at fault? Who is right? We do know that the church in Antioch commended Paul and Silas in Acts 15:40 but nothing is said about Barnabas and John Mark. This does not mean the church had issues with them. Paul was focused on ministry and Barnabas was focused on the minister.

What we do learn is that this dispute and fallout, as contentious as it was, did not permanently destroy their love for each other. Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 9:6 very fondly that Barnabas should be supported for his work on behalf of the Gospel. Luke and the Holy Spirit intentionally allow us to see from this narrative so that we understand that disputes, conflicts, fallouts existed in relationships but they navigated through them well.

Many of us see life as truth versus grace! John Mark who was adamantly deemed useless and unfit by Paul had now become useful and fit as he writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:11. Romans 12:18 gives us good counsel….. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men”. Paul says, “if possible” – this creates room on both sides of the aisle but we are also admonished by Paul in Ephesians 4:32 and then in 1 Peter 4:8. At times there will be fallout among believers but our love must never end.

Let us pursue faithfulness in fallouts, aim to love, aim to reconcile but if we must part, know that God can heal and continues to fix broken relationships and lives!

Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Being a servant, or more accurately, a slave of Jesus Christ is a life of freedom, not bondage. No person can serve two masters, said Jesus. Reader, both you and I must serve somebody or something. If you are not serving Jesus, then you are serving something or someone else. But only Jesus sets you free from anything or anyone who puts you in bondage.

Before coming to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, the Gentiles were in bondage to idolatry and sexual immorality. Meats were offered in sacrifice to various idols, and the remainder of the meat was eaten as an act of worship unto your idol. Superstition abounded in the offering up and eating of these meats. Various kinds of sexual acts were performed as acts of worship by devotees to these various gods. Male and female prostitutes made it their business to lure converts to their gods via sexual perversions. By the grace and love of God, many of these people became Christians. Now what were they to do in regards to the various rituals and sexual immorality that they were at one time a slave to?

The following letter was immediately sent out to these Gentle converts. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well, Fare ye well. (Acts 15:28,29). The conclusion was simple. Repent.

Now that they were new creatures in Christ Jesus, old things had passed away, new things had come. Formerly they were slaves who were in bondage to false gods and all kinds of sexual immorality. Now they were slaves to Jesus, and are no longer in bondage those kinds of things. They were free as slaves, for only those who are in Christ Jesus are free. Christian freedom should never be understood as the right to do whatever I want, regardless of whether or not it is sin or against the moral law of God. Only Gods Word defines the source and context of true worship, sexual expression and freedom.

So my question to you today is this: Who’s slave are you? Who is your master? Jesus Christ came into this world to set sinners free from the debt of sin, the bondage of sin, and ultimately, the presence of sin. Repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master. Learn to walk with Him every day, and you experience the joy, peace and freedom of being a slave of Jesus. SELAH

The prayer and heart of Jesus written in John 17 gives clear direction that he wanted the church to be one, so that the world would know that He was sent. All the divisions, drifting from primary matters to secondary matters have caused much harm within the Church. The confrontation with the Pharisees compelled Paul to drop his writings, drop his missionary trips and head to Jerusalem some 300 miles to meet with the apostles and elders to resolve what the Pharisees insisted on teaching and making the Jewish law mandatory, rather than Jesus.

At this point, there was no New Testament, and no letters or gospel literature readily available. The only people who could resolve this, were in Jerusalem. It had been 20 years since the Resurrection. After all that time, the disciples still believed and taught that Salvation was only for the Jews. They were all still living under the old covenant of Law.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, who is now the leader of the Jerusalem Church, addresses the council. He quotes the following: “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this”(Amos 9:11, 12).

It is clear that this was God’s plan and heart all along and not contrary to God’s will for Israel. This prophetic word was fulfilled the minute Peter accepted the invite from Cornelius and saw what the Lord did among the Gentiles thus further establishing that there is no longer a need for anyone to become a Jew first to receive the gift of grace and thus be saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. We cannot earn our salvation through our works or good deeds. We are incapable. Only God can provide this free gift and All we can do is “receive” it.

Acts is critical in giving us a glimpse of events that the first century church was dealing with and how they dealt with it. All of us are familiar with disagreements! This passage helps us to navigate and handle these situations as they pop up. Our source for understanding in our circumstances and situations is doing what honors and glorifies God. This passage clarifies our relationship with the Old Testament and the Mosaic Law. The details of Acts 15 give us a blueprint to follow. When we encounter these matters, we should come together with the related parties and have a discussion. No one can manage a secret. They had understanding hearts to hear each other out and when a decision was reached, it was communicated clearly to everyone involved.

Thus, we are called to show compassion and not judgment and may it all be done in love. We are known as His disciples by the love we have for one another.

It has been said, “Singular focus is the mother of determination”. Those who are focused on one great goal cannot be distracted with anything that would pull them from it! To the extent that the Church is focused on Christ, the Church model’s endurance. A weak focus on Christ will eventually result in a lack of endurance. A radical focus on Christ walks hand in hand with astonishing perseverance.

I see this play out in counseling more than I would like to see. People quit far too quickly. There is a lack of endurance. This passage is quite an indictment for us all. Can you imagine, if Paul simply demonstrated this amazing capacity of focus and endurance, then he would be considered a superhero but one most likely beyond our ability to relate. What he did next, was call the churches to the same focus and endurance that he exhibited. It is a sobering thought, and one that seems outside of the norm, when placed beside modern sermons about self-esteem, happiness and success: He is encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations and trials, we must enter the kingdom of God.

Paul is not saying that by tribulation we earn entry into the kingdom. But, he does say that the road to the Kingdom on this side of Heaven is marked by hardships. Sometimes these hardships are intense, such as those suffered by Paul. At other times they might be less so. Regardless, it is a fact that those seeking to live obediently to Christ will pay a price.

We should be encouraged by Paul’s own example of endurance and perseverance and his call for the Church to be prepared to accept suffering. We cannot be caught off guard, and we cannot cave under pressure when trying times come. Christ is with His suffering Church in the midst of her trials. It is the presence of Christ that enabled Paul to walk back into that city and it is the presence of Christ that enables us to be able to walk back into that conference room or break room, that living room or that school room or even that church building after we have paid the price for being faithful to our King.

And it is compelling to see that Paul and Barnabas do not merely proclaim an ideal, they organize the churches for disciple making, stability, and mission. On his return journey, heading back to Antioch, here at the end of this missionary journey, Paul strengthens and organizes the churches. He was a champion of the gospel calling the gathered Church to rise up and do likewise right where they were.

Suffering is a normal part of the Christian life, it is beneficial in turning our eyes from ourselves to God. It causes us to be dependent upon Him, to trust Him, and not ourselves. If you are faithful in living the Christian life and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world, you will be persecuted for it, count on it, anticipate it and expect it.

If I have learned anything in my walk with Jesus Christ (and I am still learning!!!) is how important it is to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to fit the work of the Spirit into our little “how to” boxes. “One size fits all” methods of evangelism is not found in Scripture, nor does it work in real life, real time Christian living. Now the gospel message itself never changes, but even a casual look at Scripture clearly shows that God uses different ways to minister to different people at different times. He uses different passages of Scripture to minister to different people.

When the apostles went into the synagogues, they reasoned with the Jews and religious proselytes from the Scriptures, because they knew that they were familiar with the Scriptures. But when they went into pagan areas, they would talk about the Living God and Creator. When they went to Athens, they met with people in the market places, and engaged with them about philosophy and even drew their attention to their altar that was erected to the Unknown God. Now in every different scenario, they would “find a way” to bring the subject of the conversation to the gospel of salvation by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, but the point that I am making here is how important it is to be sensitive to people where they are at, and begin ministering to them there.

We see this in our study today, and it is a pattern that is consistent throughout the Scriptures. We also see that signs and wonders do not save people. In spite of undeniable miracles, many of the people rejected the gospel and persecuted those who preach it. At times they stayed and witnessed in spite of the opposition. At other times, they were either expelled or went into another area. And the same is true today. Like Paul and Barnabas declared, we are people of like passions. Imperfect people like you and I are called upon to be a witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And like the apostles, the “success rate” of evangelism percentage wise is not that high.

So do not despair my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Keep praying. Keep sharing. Keep open to how the Lord may want you to get out of your “one size fits all” way of witnessing. And never get discouraged or “throw in the proverbial towel of sharing Christ” because people just do not want to hear it. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58). Much love in The Lord Jesus. SELAH

The prophet Isaiah declares that God said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). The apostle Paul wrote to the saints in Rome, “Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom 11:31-36).

Note the words that speak of the mind or wisdom of God as far as it relates to our ability comprehend it; higher, unsearchable, His ways past finding out. In our study today we read, “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles, for so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:46-48). So we see in verse 46 that the Jews rejected the gospel and in so doing, “judged yourselves unworthy of everlasting life”.

Then in verse 48 we read that “as many as were ordained to eternal life believed”. Who were they? The Gentiles who heard the gospel and believed. So were these Jews who rejected the gospel damned to hell before they were born without any chance to repent? The answer should not be, what saith Arminius or what saith Calvin, but what saith God? “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek 33:11).

Were those who were ordained to eternal life chosen before the foundation of the world? What saith God? “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Eph 1:3-6). The answer to these divine mysteries is more complex than the most brilliant mind on earth could ever figure out, but so simple that a little child can understand. Jesus Christ was sent into the world to save sinners. Repent and believe the gospel. Make your calling and election sure. SELAH

Paul begins this section with a history of Israel, starting with Egypt and ending with Christ. There is a natural transition to this. Jesus came from the line of King David. All the kings of Israel left God’s people disappointed. They kept waiting for the true king, the Messiah. And finally, he came! The prophecies are fulfilled. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5). Paul announces that the Messiah has come to save their souls.

Of this man’s [David’s] offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Paul gets to the heart of the message. The blazing center of the Bible’s message is Jesus. He’s our promised prophet, priest, and king.

Paul’s message was about Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises. Jesus is the Messiah, the only Messiah. Jesus came from the seed “as he promised” (13:23). Paul was establishing an important principle in the interpretation of the Old Testament Scriptures: they pointed to and culminated in Jesus Christ. When the resurrected Christ taught the Scriptures, he did the same thing.

Read Luke 24:27. We see in this passage:

-Promised Savior

-Salvation

-Fulfillment

-Resurrection

-Prophetic words

-Justification

All from Psalm 2, Isaiah 55, Psalm 16.

The message of Paul is centered on the Promise. Paul showed how God delivered them, kept His promise to them. They failed at their responsibilities to take the Gospel to the world and so God sent His Son, Jesus to be the Light of the World. Through the Cross and the Resurrection, they could be justified. Paul based the entire book of Romans on what Habakkuk said to the people: The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 1:5). Paul knew his audience, they needed to know that One Event, the Resurrection and not the Law and the Prophets have changed everything. For us, the application is simple and profound: Eternity is at Stake!

Chapter 13 of the book of Acts brings us to a transition from the ministry of Peter to the ministry of Saul, or better known as, the apostle Paul. Despite severe opposition from both the religious and political parties, the gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading. Opposition to the gospel never hinders it from reaching the lost, it actually enhances its impact because the only message that can give to sinners a future hope and peace in this present evil world is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In verses 1-4, we get a glimpse today of “how” the church obtained direction in spreading the gospel. They set aside time to pray and fast with the outcome bring that they were led by The Holy Ghost. How refreshing! No “church growth gimmicks”.

They knew that apart from Spirit-led, Spirit-filled guidance, preaching and teaching, their efforts would be in vain. How many churches begin in the Spirit, but sadly are led by the flesh? The church of 2023 needs a divine visitation of the Almighty One. We need to bathe the work of the Lord in prayer. We need His divine guidance and unction. Only Spirit-filled ministry can detect and rebuke the forces of Satan that seek to oppose the work of the Lord. The divine pattern of evangelism and church growth is found in the book of Acts. May the Lord of the harvest and Great Shepherd of the church, Jesus Christ, pour out His Holy Spirit upon our church family to the end that all that we do to reach the lost and make disciples would be prayer-driven and Spirit-led. May each ministry from the nursery to the nursing home be Spirit driven and give glory and honor to the One who died for us to give us life. SELAH

The Bible is an incredible book that weaves the mystery of God’s sovereign rule over all things, and human responsibility. In Acts 12, persecution of the church is reaching a new level. King Herod has the apostle James killed, some say beheaded, and Peter is arrested and placed into a maximum security prison. This is hardly the scenario of a triumphant church taking authority over a godless, secular government and Christ rejecting religion.

But through it all, the church is praying. Mystery of all mysteries. Why was James killed in prison and Peter delivered from prison? Deuteronomy 29:29 comes to mind. Has the devil got the upper hand? Has a secular politician thwarted the will and purposes of God? Can this particular prayer group be declared “guilty” of praying the “prayer of faith”?

Bottom line is this. God is going to show to King Herod who the real king is at the end of chapter 12. The natural mind is incapable of understanding the ways of God. He sovereign ways and workings cannot always be put into a formula that “makes sense” or understanding to our thinking. The gospel of Jesus Christ helps us to make sense of things that we cannot understand, for the gospel itself is a divine mystery. God became man to die for man’s sin, in order that man, through faith in Jesus Christ may live forever. Ultimate victory and triumph over sin and death has been promised by God to those who trust in Christ.

“Life is short, death is sure, sin the cause, Christ the cure”. SELAH

Every week we pastors get emails, notifications, and invites to seminars, podcasts, and webinars on how to market our church in today’s world. They want to teach us how to make the church comfortable and friendly for outsiders. They speak about the length of the sermon and how to use slides, videos and other media to make our points and to be effective.

The church we are studying went from a persecuted group of runaway refugees to large numbers of people coming to know Christ. It is fascinating to learn that they had no social media, websites, or in the church; no growth strategies were applied. They had no marketing strategies in place and no demographic studies that propelled them. The reason they experienced this growth – verse 21: “the hand of the Lord was with them”.

This example of a successful Gentile Church is recorded so that we won’t conclude that if we follow the principles this church followed, it would result in numerical growth. We would be mistaken to arrive at the conclusion that God is blessing every growing church. What we do want is the “hand of the Lord” to be upon us.

The question that comes to my mind is: What does God want in a church to have His hand upon it? Do we just keep things going? Or do we pursue new and creative ways of doing ministry? When persecution drove the believers across the countries around, they had to trust the Holy Spirit and step out in faith. If you are moving logs around in a bonfire and you get too close to the fire, what do you do? You pull back. The flame burns you and you want to withdraw and isolate. Well, God used the flame of persecution to spread the gospel.

We as a church are on a mission, not because of our size but because of what He has commanded us to do. We are going to learn the principles of this mission as a church so we never settle for maintenance, but are propelled towards His mission. A church on a mission disciples, encourages and sends the saints out into the world. A church on maintenance is focused on internal programs, traditions, keep people busy with activities. A church on a mission is about sending people out and not bringing them into a building.

This is difficult to do. It carries risk and requires trust. But we must always remember, Jesus says, “I will build My Church”. It is His church and He gave His life for His people. We want to be a church that is not going through motions but stay on His mission regardless of size and resources.

The Bible and the Holy Spirit, on a regular basis, thrusts us into consequential narratives. At times, the Holy Spirit will lead and instigate you to transgress things you have held dear as Gospel traditions or valuable implications from the Scriptures. Peter has a startling vision not to exclude any creature from his diet, thus transgressing laws that God laid out in Leviticus held by the Jews since the beginning of the Jewish race.

This narrative is the story of inclusion of the Gentiles in the plan of God. It also gives ample caution to any who would exclude others from the Gospel. Any act that causes believers to look upon others as second class have failed to hear the rich implications of this narrative from the early church. God is not a respecter of people or partial to some. Exclusion of any group of people in the church is a sin directly against the Holy Spirit. All are welcome in the Church, whether they are gender fluid, LGBTQ+, divorced, transsexual, bisexual, covetous, glutton, greedy, idolaters, fornicators, Blacks, Whites, Asian, Hispanic etc. It is the Gospel that will cleanse us all of our sins. It is not judgment and exclusion that is going to reach anyone to turn from their evil ways and pride to surrender to the weight of Christ dying on the Cross, being buried and rising on the third day.

Perhaps you are being accused of something. It can be difficult to be attacked even when you are at least somewhat in the wrong. But to be accused of evil when you have done what is good (even at personal cost) can be a sore trial indeed. Not only have you taken the risk to do what is right, but now you are being attacked by the very people you thought you could count on for support! In those circumstances, it is easy to lash out and to fight back.

But instead, follow Peter’s approach here. Tell the story, the whole story, from the beginning. Set the context. Let your critics understand why you have done what you have done so that they can track with you and be more likely to see why you reached the conclusion you did. The Church would be healthy if there was fuller disclosure of the account of why something happened, what the thinking behind it was, why the leaders had done what they did, what the chain of events was that led up to the decision. People tend to “fill in the blanks” themselves, to fill in the details with rationales that may not be fair, or at least not accurate. Instead, if you are criticized, do what you can to follow Peter’s approach. Tell the whole story, starting from the beginning.

If on the other hand, you are someone who is criticizing someone else because they seem to have done what to you appears to be wrong, then have the softheartedness of these early Christians. Once they heard how God had spoken to Peter, how God had saved these people, they raised no more objections, but instead rejoiced and got behind what God was doing.

Let us be intentional in reaching those in every diverse community. It has been well said, “a prophet is not honored in his own home” it is an opportunity that we can embrace and reach out. It is God’s responsibility to open the doors and as He does, be available, be bold and be confident that the Holy Spirit will reach those that are open to the Gospel.

Last week we prepared for what is called, “Gentile Pentecost”, because Peter would say to the curious Jews who asked him about welcoming and eating with Gentiles the words, “and as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15).

So what Peter and the six Jews experienced when they saw and heard the Spirit fall on the people who were gathered together at the home of the Roman Centurion Cornelius’ house was exactly what took place on the day Pentecost. The astonishing thing was that these Jews heard the Gentiles magnifying God speaking either in their own Hebrew or Aramaic tongue.

A couple of things “jump out” to us as we read this account. One is pretty obvious; the second can easily be overlooked. One, the Spirit fell upon them right after Peter said, “and he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:42;43). The second is the very last verse of the chapter. (Of course we know that there were no chapter divisions). Let’s read verse 48. “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days”.

Note that they were saved and Spirit filled before they were baptized in water. This poses a huge problem for those who teach water baptismal regeneration. The point that can one overlooked is that they requested that Peter stay with them certain days. Now that they are saved, they request that Peter stay with them, no doubt to teach them what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and how to walk with Him day by day. These newborn babes in Christ are hungry for God’s Word; like a newborn baby is hungry for their mother’s breast milk.

Two of the evidences of the new birth are (1) a hunger and need for God’s Word and (2) a desire to be in fellowship with the people of God. When the 3,000 were saved on the day of Pentecost we read: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Please note that at the top of the list of the fruit of the new birth was first of all doctrine then fellowship, because sound doctrine teaches us among other things the importance of fellowship with one another in Christ. The apostle John put it this way: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

Speaking of the importance of gathering together for teaching and fellowship with other believers, Tim Keller wrote: “The glory of God is available to you in the church in a way it’s not available to you anywhere else. . . . There is no more important means of discipleship than deep involvement in the life of the church.” To think that you can truly grow as a Christian apart from regular fellowship and interaction with other believers is like thinking that you can grow as an athlete on a sports team but you do not have desire or see then need to go to practice, and when it is game time you wonder why you are sitting in the stands instead of being on the field where you belong. SELAH

The account of Peter preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius and his kinsman, has been called by some, Gentile Pentecost, because on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. The vast majority of us who are gathered together in the Name of Jesus, are the offspring of what God did here in Acts 10. But when we ponder the narrative in Acts 10 a bit closer, we discover a beautifully orchestrated plan of God that brought all of this to pass.

The Great Commission as we read it in Matthew’s gospel was, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt 28:19). But up to this point in time, for the most part, the gospel was preached to and received by the Jews. So here in chapter 10 we see the Sovereign God moving upon the hearts of two men, one a Jew and another a God-fearing Gentile to set in motion this “beginning” of the spread of the gospel to the Gentile nations. The Jew, was none other than the apostle Peter, the Gentile, a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius. As a result of two separate messages from heaven, we see these two men brought together by the mighty hand of God.

Overcoming religious taboos about being in company with Gentiles, and years of being taught to eat nothing that was not kosher, Peter goes to the house of Cornelius and begins preaching the gospel, we read, “and they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 10:45). Behind the scenes of one of the most important moves of God in the spreading of the gospel beyond Jerusalem, we see Him working in the lives of two men, who prior to the coming of Jesus Christ, would had nothing to do with one another. But by the end of this meeting, Peter and Cornelius would embrace one another as brothers in Jesus Christ and give all the glory to God.

Praise God for the power of the gospel that tears down the divisive walls of religious legalism and nationality distinctions. SELAH

At this juncture in our study of the book of Acts, the narrative swings from Saul (Paul) to the ministry of the apostle Peter.

Every miracle that we read about in the book of Acts or elsewhere in the New Testament is a fulfillment of the words of the Lord Jesus in Mark 16:15-20, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen”.

Please note that these signs, healing and casting out demons were acts of God that were done by those who believed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God. It would be incorrect to say that they were only performed by the apostles because we have already seen of miracles were done by God through Phillip in Acts 8, and by Ananias in Acts 9. But there were also undeniable miraculous proofs of those whom Jesus chose to be apostles.

Such was the case of Peter. God used him to heal a man who was paralyzed for eight years. And God also used him to be the instrument through who a woman was raised from the dead. Neither miracle was done apart from a divine purpose. Both were done in conjunction with the result being that many people turned to the Lord by preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The miracles done by God through Peter didn’t save them. The preaching of the gospel by Peter did.

After Peter was restored by the Lord Jesus after his denial of Him, the one thing that Jesus asked Peter before commissioning him was this. “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17).

Jesus had commissioned Peter to care for the sheep, which meant that he was called by Jesus to love and feed them spiritually and have compassion upon them practically, and Peter was faithful to fulfill that commission. We must all learn to live with the mystery of tension of why some people are healed and some are not. Both show that God is sovereign in all things. Here is what we can learn from Peter: we demonstrate our love for Jesus by loving others and showing them compassion. Not all are called to be apostles. Not all are used by God to perform miracles. But all are called by God to love Him supremely and to love one another as Christ has loved us. SELAH

In this digital world of communication, we are predominantly communicating via emails, text messages or voice to text messages. The smart devices have an auto correct function and at times it changes words from what you meant to what you did not mean. If we don’t “proofread” our emails and texts, it could communicate opposite of what you desired.

1 Corinthians 11 encourages us to proofread our lives. Searching our hearts is a helpful discipline that needs to be incorporated in our daily routine. This helps us to become aware of selfishness and root out sin that impacts all that we are.

You have heard the saying, “it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission”. Sin has consequences and white lies like the above statement lead us to ignore God’s commands. This morning we will partake in the Lord’s Supper. What comes to your mind first, when you think of Communion? Does this have present and eternal effectiveness? Could this be harmful? Do I have to be sinless? Does the juice and bread become literal blood of Christ and body of Christ?

The Bible teaches us that none of us are worthy to partake in the Lord’s supper. We are given this sacrament as a sacred act in a privileged relationship. We come to the table as unworthy, not because we deserve it or have earned it but simply because we put our faith in Jesus Christ and he invited us to this dinner solely based on His worth.

The Lord’s supper helps us reflect vertically on our relationship with Jesus. This helps us examine our hearts, repent, seek forgiveness and receive the power from Him to overcome the sins that easily beset us, so that we can live in light of the new covenant that He has established. The new covenant takes care of the guilt by substituting himself in our place and forgiving our iniquity because this cup is the new covenant of His blood.

He also addresses rebellion; we tend to run away from God and follow the sin nature. He replaces that nature by writing his law on our hearts so that it is not just his will imposed from outside, but it is his will experienced from the inside as our own will.

Finally, it establishes the body of Christ, both universal and local. The new covenant established one great people of God. The divisions Paul addresses in Corinth in this context are speaking clearly and directly about the local church. Therefore, the local church was not only created by the new covenant, but it is controlled by it and shapes the nature of the body of Christ it creates. Saints who are bought with the blood of Jesus partake in the cup that is the new covenant in His blood.

Have you Experienced God’s correction? Did it draw you closer to Him? Knowing sin leads to Consequences, help you evaluate your actions? Is there anything you need to confess to Jesus and repent of before it gives way to sin?

It is significant that after the conversion of former enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus, that he went immediately went into the synagogues declaring, “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). Saul preached that Jesus, the Christ, was the Son of God. How important is it for us to believe that Jesus Christ is The Son of God?

There are so many passages of Scripture that would prove the need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son if God, but let me give you few. The very beginning of the gospel of Mark declares this: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). Putting it another way, Jesus Christ IS the Gospel. There are those who would challenge the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, or God’s Son. Even the devil himself challenged the validity of Jesus being the Son of God. “And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt 4:3).

The angel said to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ these words, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). It is only by believing in the Name of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God that we have eternal life.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). The Lord Jesus Himself declared: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:5). The very summary of the gospel of John, if I may call it that states, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).

The Lord Jesus “introduces” Himself to the church at Thyatira this way, “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass” (Rev 2:18).

Near the end of the first century, the apostle John writes these words to combat the heretical teachings that denied the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ this way, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:10-13).

Reader, have you believed on the Name of Jesus Christ, the very Son of God for the salvation of your soul? SELAH

The apostle Paul writes these words in 1 Timothy 6:11, "but thou oh man of God” to his son in the faith, Timothy. These words are so necessary today for all men claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ. They are so pertinent to every father reading this devotional. Being a man of God in our modern culture had come under attack, especially if you are a father who takes his walk with Jesus and role in the home as the spiritual head seriously.

The casualty rate of men of God in the church today is alarming. Pressures to conform to this fallen world system's ideology and worldly standards has caused many Christian men to cave in, with the consequences felt not only in the home, but in the church as well. Not all men who profess faith in Christ are men of God. Men of God are men who are confronted with the common temptations and trials of other men, but, by the grace of God, they choose to stand and fight the good fight of faith.

Fathers, dads (and I’m speaking to myself as well), what are you teaching your children about loving your wife, their mother? What are you teaching them about the importance of reading the Scriptures and prayer? What are you teaching them about the importance of assembling together with the saints at church? Is your home Christ centered and driven or culture centered and driven?

I believe that Jesus is calling ALL men of God, and in particular fathers to rise up and hold up biblical standards of marriage, gender and biblical fatherhood. It has been said that any generation of the church is only one generation removed from extinction. Yes, the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church, but the church can indeed implode if men of God fail to heed the clarion call of Joshua, but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. May that cry of Joshua be the cry of our hearts, my fellow man.

And may it be the prayer of every man’s heart to be men of God not only for our life and children's sake, but most importantly for the glory and honor of the Name of Jesus Christ, to whom all praise and glory belongs. Our heavenly Father, who is the only perfect Father and husband, is our role model, brothers. May the Holy Ghost grant unto each one of us the power, passion and desire to be a man of God. And may the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ enable us to rise up and be the kind of father and husband that is a witness of Jesus Christ in an ungodly and unholy world. Love you brothers. Rise up oh man of God!! Selah

This iconic chapter is as deep and wide as the Grand Canyon. When you read these verses, you stand in awe. The gulf between Saul and Jesus is clear. If you are a believer, the gospel is personal to you. Your journey most likely has steps from knowing about Jesus to meeting Jesus for the first time, where you came to the realization that He came to this earth, died for your sins, was buried and raised on the third day to give you access to eternal life.

What is not mentioned, but captured by the author Luke, is the gulf between the Old and the New Covenant. Saul as a Pharisee believed that the kingdom of Israel would be restored by keeping the law. He was unaware and unwilling to recognize the New Covenant Jesus had established. It is consistent about how we felt about Jesus, prior to meeting Jesus. Paul had a misplaced zeal in his quest for truth.

It is quite fascinating to read the details about Paul’s conversion and what takes place immediately thereafter. God sends Ananias, an obscure Christian to minister to Paul. The very first thing that takes place after Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, is that he is introduced to the body of Christ. The body of Christ ministers to Paul. It speaks volumes about how God uses the local church and the importance of being involved in a church.

Significantly important that as Paul waits for three days, he is praying. This is critical to a believer. Believers pray when they have met Jesus. Their lives are marked by prayer. Immediately after Ananias prays and Paul’s physical eyes are opened, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and the first thing he did was to get baptized.

Paul’s conversion is a model that anyone can come to Christ. Nothing prevents you from receiving the grace of God. Not everyone is going to have this dramatic experience but the regeneration of a sinful person, receiving God’s spirit, and being declared righteous is no less miraculous or dramatic from one person to the next.

Lastly, Ananias’ obedience, even though reluctant at first helps us to evaluate what God might be asking of you. Would we obey God to serve someone that had similar background as Paul? God does ask us to obey Him in risky or difficult things. The reason: Jesus loves His Church. You might call this entire account the doctrine of the Church. Jesus loves when believers get involved in His church, commit their lives to serve in the church and through the church. It is not enough to be saved. There is a responsibility God has placed on us and we “GET” the privilege of fulfilling His mission in response to the vastness of Grace He bestowed upon us.

Questions:

How does this apply to you?

Are you religious?

Have you met Grace?

Are you Involved in your Local Church?

Acts 8 provides us another one of those examples of divine providence in operation. That God is absolutely sovereign needs no explanation. He alone is God and He moves in the lives of people by what is known as divine providence. God uses an angel of The Lord to speak unto Philip that he should leave the revival in Samaria and go down to the desert area of Gaza.

Once there, Philip is going to “coincidentally” meet a man of Ethiopia who was returning from Jerusalem where had gone to worship. He will find him “coincidentally” reading from the prophet of Isaiah. I say “coincidentally” tongue in cheek of course, because God is orchestrating the entire event. God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This Ethiopian man was hungry for God. He was looking for more than “an experience”. He craved a relationship with The Living God and he knew that he could only find Who He was through the lens of Scripture. Philip, led by The Spirit, joins himself to the Ethiopian in his chariot and begins to share with him the biblical interpretation of Isaiah 53, and that Jesus Christ was The Lamb that was slain for our sin.

As they journey a bit, the Ethiopian sees a body of water and asks to be baptized. He asks Philip what prevents me from being water baptized, and Philips response is, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37). Philip baptizes him, and then The Spirit of God caught Philip away to another place. Incredible baptism. None has ever happened like that. God sent His Son the save sinners. To seek and save those who are lost. And He does it the same providential way in each life as we find here in our study this morning.

For Philip to hear the angel and The Spirit, number one, he had to have ears to hear, and number two, he had to be listening. Such is true for you and me today, and throughout the day. Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:4 &14). But oftentimes we are not listening for Him because the thorns of this life or the roar of our flesh drowns out His call. For the Ethiopian to be granted the proper understanding of The Lamb that was slain, he had to have a hunger for God and a desire to serve Him as Lord. May God give us ears to hear His voice and obey it. May God give us a hunger and desire to know Christ and serve Him as Lord. Selah

The great commission that The Lord Jesus Christ gave unto His church as we read in the gospel of Mark 16:15 was “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”. The promise that Jesus gave unto His disciples in the upper room was “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

As we journey through the book of Acts, we enter into that stage where the gospel message is going beyond the city of Jerusalem and into the regions of Judea and Samaria, exactly as Jesus prophesied would happen. But may I suggest to you that God used persecution against the church to spread the gospel into those areas. And we “discover” that it was the common folk of the church that were scattered abroad spreading the gospel.

Yes, Phillip who was one of the 7, as was recorded in Acts 6, and then Peter and John were later sent to lay hands on them to receive the Holy Ghost, but it was these everyday followers of Jesus that God used to spread the gospel. This scattered seed of saints were preaching the word. Not in the official “office” of an evangelist as we read in Ephesians 4:11, but as armor clad soldiers of Jesus Christ whose “feet were shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15).

When Jesus gave the commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, the word “go” actually means, “and as you are going”. In other words, the spreading of the gospel is an everyday part of the life of a believer. We read in Acts 11:19, “Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only”.

The most effective way of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is one on one, heart to heart, sharing of the word of God. Evangelism is the call of God upon every part of the bride of Christ. But as we will see this morning, Lord willing, there are times when the gospel is spread under great persecution and opposition. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”. We are living in the last days beloved. We are the church of the latter rain. Yes, there is much opposition to the sacred truths of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, but may the fires of opposition encourage us to preach the gospel with the power of The Holy Ghost and for the glory of God. SELAH

This is the longest sermon in the Book of Acts. Stephen was one of the 7 men chosen to take care of the Hellenistic widows. How does someone who has the task of food distribution become the target of the highest religious order? There is no doubt that Stephen was motivated by an empty tomb and empowered by the Holy Spirit. His life displayed the fullness of Jesus.

How we are measured in life is not by our accomplishments or length of days or contentment. It is found in a life that is Christ centered and living for that purpose. When we put God first in our lives and go to work to glorify Him and to serve others, He will open doors for us that we never thought were possible to be opened. To please God, we need to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to follow His plan. This means allowing God’s Word and Spirit to dictate our actions and not the desires of the flesh or ways of the world.

Stephen provides a powerful example of sacrificing for the Lord. His courage and conviction are worthy of respect and he is a wonderful example for us to learn from and try to emulate in our own lives.

Stephen when given the opportunity to defend himself does not. Rather, he takes the entire council through their history. He was a man that read, digested, memorized and was able to articulate the Word of God. He begins with Abraham and takes them to present day. He reminds them that to glory in their land was pride and that their forefathers had rejected God and the Prophets. Stephen shows them the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 was in Jesus. He speaks to them about their idolatrous hearts and worship of strange gods while forsaking the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He reminded them that God is not bound by a temple or things made with hands. He reminds them that Solomon acknowledged when he dedicated the temple, that God does not dwell in temples made with hands and is not confined to it.

They were fine with the dissertation of the Old Testament history but as soon as he made reference to being governed by a spirit of holiness and love and not by stiff necked, uncircumcised hearts, these words cut to their core. They were convicted. Instead of repenting, they rebelled and began stoning him.

Stephen responded by praying two short prayers: First, just as Jesus committed his spirit into God’s hand, he gave his spirit in God’s hand. Secondly, Stephen knelt down in humility and cried with a loud voice, pleading God to not lay this sin to their charge. What a life!

How is God using you to accomplish His purposes?

Is there anything distracting you from fulfilling God’s purpose in your life?

Is unforgiveness keeping you from maturing in Christ?

Today is a day that our nation has set aside to honor mothers. Scripture exhorts children to honor their mothers and fathers in The Lord. So, let’s look at a biblical portrait of a woman who honors and fears The Lord God.

In this case, a mother, a wife, who fears God and lives a life totally devoted to Him. Even a casual glance at this mothers lifestyle would reveal how womanhood today has drifted far from the biblical pattern, which is self driven. Beauty driven. Career driven. As you read these verses today, would you not love to have this kind of a woman for your mother? Your wife? Sadly, the consensus of our culture would look at such a devout and dedicated wife or mother as someone who was being trapped by some archaic religious mold that smothered her from freely expressing herself.

On the contrary, this woman is the wise woman who builds her house because she defines freedom as serving God and pleasing Him. She is the godly mother who teachers her children by precept and example what it means to be a lover of Jesus Christ. She is the kind of wife that a husband boasts about because of her tireless expression of Christ like loyalty to him and their children. Her tongue is filled with the law of kindness. Not cutting. Condemning. She is industrious. Hard working. Others minded. She is frugal. She is a true homemaker in the truest sense of the word. She would fit the description of the godly woman in Titus 2.3-5.

Motherhood is a high and holy calling. Biologically, women can have children, but only a virtuous woman can make a home that produces GOD fearing children and support a God fearing husband. The Holy Spirit declares, Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

So today, I want to thank my Lord and Saviour for a GOD fearing wife, daughter, and the many of you dear mothers and wives who make your homes a place where Christ is honored and His love and heavenly hospitality is put on display 24/7. Fellow husbands and children, Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Amen and Amen. SELAH

The Lord Jesus declared in John 12:23 “And Jesus answered them, saying, the hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified”. He was speaking of His imminent death on the cross, for He would go on to say in John12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 12.33 This he said, signifying what death he should die”. The redemption of man by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the divine manifestation of the glory of God.

Jesus said in His high priestly prayer in John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”. The cross of Jesus Christ is the means by which sinners are redeemed and made acceptable in the sight of God The Father. We will see this morning that the law of Moses made nothing perfect. God did not give us the law to save us, but to reveal that we are unable and incapable of keeping the law and in need of a Mediator, Priest and Savior. In John 12:41, John, writing further about the cross of Jesus Christ makes reference to that holy scene recorded in Isaiah 6 with these words, “these things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him”.

Jesus Christ leaves no room for any man or religious system as the source of the salvation their souls. 1 Corinthians 1:31 declares, “That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord”. Reader, you were created to have fellowship with and glorify God, but sin entered into the world through Adam that caused a separation between you and a holy God. Immediately, God began to reveal in various types and shadows throughout the Scriptures His plan of redemption that all pointed to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. Blessed be His glorious Name!

Hebrews 7:19 reads, “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by which we draw nigh unto God”. That better hope, beloved, is not something, but Someone, and His Name is Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal that is meant to serve as a reminder of the redemption price that was paid by Jesus Christ for our sin. But this price that Jesus paid for us must be believed and received in the heart and confessed with the mouth for it to apply to anyone. The only response to the cross of Jesus Christ is a life that is devoted to live for the glory of God. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. Do not stagger at this promise of God with unbelief, but with the hand of faith, repent and believe on The Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation and in doing so, give Him the glory (Romans 4.20). SELAH

Acts 6 gives us a glimpse of a church that finds itself in transition and has to quickly insert systems, processes and strategies to be able to function. This would establish the foundation for further development of the early church. This chapter also exposes how the enemy attacks the church and has been since it was founded. In a Holy Spirit driven brilliant move, the apostles deal with this attack that is spreading like an infection.

As any church grows, you can expect difficulties. Usually those difficulties are from within and not without. The text specifically quotes that complaints arose, there was murmuring, giving us insight that these matters were not brought to the Apostles, rather they heard it from the grapevine. As soon as they heard it, they knew this was a serious issue that needed to be dealt with. After all, the Apostles were the ones that were “taking care of the widows” up to this point.

We see the first church meeting, first choosing of men filled with Holy Spirit and of good reputation, to be appointed to serve within the church. Many priests had accepted the gospel and received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What is this chapter trying to communicate? Is this about racial discrimination? Did the Apostles become too important not to serve? Was this an organizational issue? What is Jesus communicating to this church and to all of us today?

This chapter begins with a complaint and ends with accusation. At the core of these is fear. The enemy has no bottom or limits on how far he will go to destroy individuals and churches. The authorities realized that the temple was becoming obsolete, just as Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple. Stephen’s attack had far reaching repercussions for the Jews in Jerusalem. The pattern in which Stephen applied his convictions regarding God’s program of salvation, not found in a place, system or preconceived format of time. The Jews were threatened because their faith in the law and temple was being dismantled as of no value and thus irrelevant.

Luke records in Verse 15 something substantial – “they saw his face as it had been the face of an angel”. Stephen was in front of these religious leaders, not because he was popular or thought he knew more than them but he knew that “for a moment such as this”. God had presented an opportunity to him to serve and represent Him before the world. He spoke with certainty, authority and clarity because he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

In this passage we will see a biblical example of when civil disobedience is appropriate in the sight of God. Ironically, the context of this display of civil disobedience is not the Roman government, but the religious Supreme Court of the Jewish nation, the Sanhedrin.

The Sanhedrin are irate. They have commanded the apostles to stop preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus. They were arrested and incarcerated, but God, in a stroke of divine humor, sends an angel to break them loose. FYI, Sadducees (who formed the majority of the Sanhedrin) did not believe in angels.

So early the next morning, the apostles are doing the very same thing that got them arrested the first time…preaching and teaching The Risen Lord and Prince of Life, Jesus Christ. When confronted by this religious high court about their “civil disobedience”, the apostles reply, “we ought to obey God rather than men”.

Civil disobedience is not uncommon in the Scriptures. Consider the following examples:

• The midwives in Egypt were told to kill all of the Jewish male children. They refused, and God honored them (Exodus 1:17, 21).

• Rahab the harlot hid the spies who were sent in to scope out the Land, and she withstood the questioning of civil authorities. God blessed her and put her in the line of Messiah (Joshua 2:4; Matthew 1:5).

• Against the king’s command, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego did not bow their knees to the image of Nebuchadnezzar. God blessed them and stood with them in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:18, 25).

• Daniel refused to cease from praying three times a day, even though doing so was in direct violation of the law. God honored him and saved him in the lions’ den (Daniel 6:10, 21, 22).

Every example of civil disobedience mentioned went against a secular government, and they were done because the government commanded them to disobey a clear commandment of God. Any act of civil disobedience must be carried out with scriptural authority. And the singular condition is whenever the church is being singled out and being commanded by the government to disobey a clear command of God.

Also note that the persecution that the apostles faced was because of their direct obedience to the biblical proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were persecuted for taking a stand for righteousness sake. Those who live a godly and take a stand for righteousness sake will be persecuted. It is inevitable.

Let us be clear beloved. Protesting and opposing any unjust laws or decisions made by our government is not the same as civil disobedience or being persecuted for righteousness sake because not all of these laws demand that we disobey a clear commend of Scripture or forbid us to stop preaching or teaching of the name of Jesus Christ. May God give us the wisdom and discernment to know the difference. SELAH

It is daunting when you give any thought to the hurt and pain in our world, including many in our church that are going through difficult circumstances. Kindness and compassion are the antidote to a burdened soul. If we scanned our prayer requests, we would find these dominant themes (for transparency – I have not done that) – but I am convinced that we would find some of these on the list – Physical Healing, Cancer, Family and Relational Matters, Salvation and so on. These all point to the battlefield we find ourselves in.

The account of what took place with Ananias and Sapphira brought a spotlight on how God views sin and reminds us that He is a Holy God. Interestingly, the words used in verse 13 – “dared” and “join” address courage and that as believers we are to gather with God’s people. Moody often said, “The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible”. There is no substitute to the truth and grace of the Gospel. Superficial spirituality and cheap grace will water down the gospel and minimize the holiness of God to please people. There is a cost to following Christ.

The believers had a good report in the community because they were compassionate, caring for the least and the lost. They were regarded so highly that many bystanders felt that if only their shadow falls on them as they walked by, then they would receive what they desired. Despite living in a culture that despised the Christian movement and women, Luke writes that the church was growing with them. The hurting people that were cared for were not just those with physical issues but those doubting, weak, powerless and without strength.

The call to us as a church in the midst of persecution is this: go, stand and speak. Are you willing to take this command and mandate? This is what is at stake - “setting people free from eternal bondage”.

There are six English words recorded in the bible that changed everything not only on planet earth, but throughout the entire creation of God. Those words are “It Is Finished” and “He is Risen”.

Therein lies the gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, He has risen from the dead, and has ascended to the right hand of The Father where He now dwells as our Advocate and High Priest. But the work of redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ is not applied to anyone until they repent and believe in Him as Lord and Savior.

The hinge upon which the gospel rests is the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The bodily resurrection of the Jesus Christ from the dead means that He is a Living Savior. The bodily resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ from the dead means that The Holy Spirit now dwells within and is poured out upon all those who call upon His Name. Faith in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead changes everything.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we too shall one day rise from the dead (John 11:25, 26).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are justified in the sight of God (Rom 4:25).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we have access to the throne of grace and mercy for help in time of need (Heb 4:14-16).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are new creatures (2 Cor 5:7) and can walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we can walk in the power of The Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we have been delivered from the fear and power of death (Heb 2:14, 15).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we have been delivered from the power of darkness (Col 1:13).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we will one day be given a new body (1 Cor 15:49-54).

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we have assurance of His presence (Matt 28:20; Heb 13:5, 6) and peace (John 14:27) in this fallen world.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we have victory and can abound in the work of The Lord (1 Cor 15:57, 58).

Reader, do you believe that It Is Finished and that Jesus Is Risen? Repent and believe on The Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. SELAH

According to the Lord Jesus Himself, the gospel of the grace of God is an “It Is Finished” gospel (John 19:30). “It is finished” means paid in full. Hallelujah for the gospel of the grace of God. We are going to be looking at the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ as it is depicted in Hebrews 9. In this chapter, the Holy Spirit reveals to us how Jesus Christ fulfilled all of the types and shadows of the atoning work that were recorded in the Old Testament. Every single part of the tabernacle speaks of some aspect of the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross for sin. What a remarkable book the Bible is!

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. Thus, we see what that is so important that followers of Jesus read the Old Testament, for the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, whereas the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. All the work of atonement was accomplished by Jesus Christ, for it is by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph 2:8, 9). When Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, we read I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (Gal 1:6, 7).

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not faith in Christ plus something else, it is faith in Christ and Christ alone. Any “Christ plus” anything “gospel”, be it good works, observing of sacraments, or requirements imposed upon by any religious leaders out system is simply not the gospel that is found in the Scriptures. You would be hard pressed to find anything other than Jesus being mentioned in Hebrews 9 as being the very basis of man's sin being atoned for and repentant sinners being ushered into fellowship and the very presence of God.

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb 9:12). For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb 9:24).

Reader, have you sought to be saved by trusting in Jesus and by your good works? Observing some religious ceremony? If so, listen to the witness of God regarding Jesus Christ and His one and final sacrifice for sin. Trust Him and Him alone and receive the gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Selah

For those of you who are as young as I am, the title of this teaching is taken from the introduction to the sports program, The Wide World of Sports. That's the theme of our study today.

In Verses 32-37, we see the beautiful flow of the unity of the church in the way that they sacrificially loved and cared for one another. That giving and sharing with one another is the fruit of being Spirit filled, be it an individual or a congregation. They were functioning as a family, not a business. There was no need for them to be prodded into helping one another out, it was the naturally supernatural way that a Spirit filled believer or church operates.

They learned quickly that they could not follow Jesus as a lone ranger. One of the almost immediate works of The Spirit of God in the life of a follower of Jesus is the desire to follow the unselfish, do unto others, example that Jesus left for us. The entire book of Acts is actually the original Jesus Movement that the church is meant to follow.

Consider not only the signs, and wonders and miracles of The Spirit as the gospel is preached and the church meets together in homes and in the temple, but also the wonderful expressions of giving and helping one another out. Oh, how good and how pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in the unity of the Spirit and the love of Jesus. BUT, oh, there is that sometimes beautiful, but at other times ugly word, we see in the midst of giving and sharing and unselfishness, the leaven of hypocrisy.

Sadly, the names of Ananias and Sapphira are not choices that young parents choose to name their sons or daughters. Why? Because their names will forever be remembered as individuals who were really slain in the Spirit (they dropped dead), because of the sin of hypocrisy. Jesus told us to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. Do a study of Matthew 23 if you want to know how Jesus defines hypocrisy. It is ugly. It is the anti-agape state of heart and mind. The leaven of hypocrisy was a threat to the unity and flow of the Spirit in the early church, and this incident is recorded for us to read and learn from.

May each and everyone of us hear what the Spirit is saying to us today. May the Spirit of God do that work in our hearts and cause us to be convicted, corrected, encouraged and molded as a church family into the kind of people whose faith in Jesus is genuine and without hypocrisy, for the glory of God. Selah

In this chapter we have studied the art of civil disobedience. We have learned how you can stand up for your beliefs in the courtroom or in the boardroom, even if you have to pay a price.

The early church was threatened. Imagine if someone threatened your life, would you be afraid? When faced with opposition and persecution, the New Testament believer’s default was to first turn and pray to the Sovereign Lord, and not to some god out there who is not alive, and who is abstract and impersonal.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to be bold witnesses of the gospel. God intends to fill all of us with the Spirit so we may partner with Him in the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20).

If we were in the same situation of being arrested for proclaiming our faith in Jesus Christ, would we pray? If so, what would our prayer be?

The church before the Spirit was given was fearful. We could say the same about today’s church. We do not live boldly and courageously, but instead we are stuck, fearful, and in hiding. We are missing out on God’s invitation to do great things through us. These fears are unwarranted, since we are admonished throughout the Scriptures to fear not! God’s blessings are unimagined and unexpected and are waiting for us on the other side of boldness!

The early church was committed to prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, because they understood the power behind having the Holy Spirit’s presence and the power it bestows. When you know God is with you, you can be bold!

Courageously saying ‘yes’ as the Spirit is moving us outside of our comfort zone, proclaiming our faith and the gospel with those around us. Being honest, vulnerable and teachable. Being bold and speaking up when something is not right.

As we live in this way, may it be said of our lives as in Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”.

Let us pray with confidence that God can change our world and the world around us.

In our study today, the very same religious crowds who tried and crucified the Lord Jesus Christ are coming after the apostles Peter and John. The reason? They were grieved that they taught the people, and preached of the resurrection from the dead through Jesus. It was because Jesus is alive that the lame man was miraculously healed!

According to Deuteronomy 13:1-5, “If there arose among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass (and the lame man is right there before their very eyes), whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul”.

That was why they asked Peter and John the question, “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” To which they replied, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner”.

Touchee!! “It was by The Name of Yeshua Christos, whom you crucified but whom the God of our Fathers rose from the dead, that this man stands before you whole”.

After being threatened to stop preaching in the Name of Jesus, Peter and John, filled with The Holy Ghost, (and the lame man) put their life on the line in sharing the resurrection of Jesus and the glorious gospel that “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”. The only hope of salvation that any person or any nation has is in the Name of Jesus Christ!! You can count your life on it!! SELAH

As he did on the day Pentecost, Peter once again calls upon those who rejected Christ to repent and be converted in order that their sins might be blotted out.

After the miracle of the healing of the lame man, Peter told the bewildered crowd once again that everything that happened was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies that pointed to The Messiah, Jesus The Christ.

There are three words that begin with the letter R that are benefits of the redemption of Jesus Christ, repentance, refreshment and restitution. It is through the atoning work of The Lord Jesus Christ that the door of repentance is opened unto all men. That redemption is the first fruit of the times of refreshing that comes from the presence of The Lord. It is also the guarantee that there will be a final restitution of all things that were spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets of God since the world began.

In other words, conversion for the child of God is just the beginning of a life of fellowship with Jesus Christ. It is just a taste of a life of refreshment in His presence. It is seeing with our very own eyes the beginning of God bringing to pass all things that are found in bible; prophecy from the creation of the world. What we personally experience of the refreshment of The Lord is but a foretaste of what is to come in the eternal state.

What we see happening now in the news of the day as it relates to the nation of Israel is but a foretaste of the restitution of all things that God promised to the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Repent and be converted today my friend. Repent and believe the gospel and you shall be saved. The gospel is not something, He is Someone, and His Name is Jesus. Selah

This story is loaded with life lessons for the Church; Peter and John walked in and out of the temple gate for many years and were familiar with the beggar at the Beautiful gate. This man had to sit away from the temple because he was considered unclean. The place that could have been a place for the broken, needy and lost was within sight but not within reach. I can only imagine the thoughts that he had in his mind. “If I could only walk I would be in that place of worship and not locked out of it”.

We are all living a story. Perhaps you identify today with the lame man, who is broken spiritually and physically. It is possible you identify with him emotionally or relationally. You feel stuck, in a rut, passed by, uncared for and unnoticed. The one miracle you want to see is change, but it seems hopeless. It is possible that your life is so overwhelming, you see him or her that represents the “lame person” but you have no time or the issues in your life are so big that you cannot possibly have anything left to give. You are just one person with all kinds of limits. You would love to make changes, but you cannot see it happening.

What this story does, is realign us to what is most important. We learn that our hope is found in the name of Jesus. The confidence we have brings healing, transformation, renewal and changes the paradigm and trajectory of our lives. Only Jesus can take something (“lame” = “sin” )that has brought lameness, brokenness, failure, ugliness, keeping us from the very thing that can bring healing, restoration and beauty. Through Jesus you now have all the rights and privileges restored to what was once broken is made whole and what was once ugly is made beautiful.

Please consider these questions:

What does this passage teach us about God?

How does it apply to you?

Are there any broken areas of your life that you have accepted as normal? What’s one step you can take today to begin healing?

In Acts 3:11, the beggar held on to Peter and John as they stood by him.

Who do you hold on to in times of need? Do you have friends who will help you follow Jesus?

If there were such thing as a website to describe the church in Acts 2, what would it look like? No doubt there would the testimony of The Holy Ghost being poured out because Jesus Christ had not only risen from the dead, but He also had ascended up into heaven where He is seated right now at the right hand of The Father.

The miraculous “sights and sounds” on The Day of Pentecost would have been traced back to the Old Testament Prophet Joel. The Kingdom of God had been poured out upon this lost kingdom of darkness. Without the help of any human program or the aid of modern technology, on the day of firstfruits, God’s Spirit brought into the church 3,000 souls, who were not only baptized into the body of Christ, but were also water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

We know that God was adding to the church daily through the Spirit filled followers of Jesus who began to tell others that Jesus was both the Christ and Lord of all. So how did these brand new Christians live? What would their church services (if I may call them that) consist of?

Well we do not need to speculate because we read that they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. They were together, and had all things common. They parted them to one another, as every man had need. They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God.

And while this is going on, fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

So what would the church logo look like? What would they call themselves? I suspect that they knew would have known themselves as nothing other than born again followers of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus WAS their creed. The Lord Jesus WAS their song. The Lord Jesus WAS their message. The Lord Jesus WAS their identity. They followed Jesus with gladness and simplicity of heart, period. SELAH.

Everything that happened on the Day of Pentecost was according to the will and timing of Almighty God. This universe that we live in belongs to Him, and nothing happens by chance, but according to His eternal purpose and plans. The crowd both saw and heard the mighty outpouring of The Spirit, and caused some to wonder and others to mock. But Peter, standing on behalf of the apostles and other disciples of Jesus, opened his mouth and declared that what they saw and heard could be read about in the book of the prophet Joel.

It should be noted that when we read the book of Joel, we discover that Joel also had a great deal to say about the Day of the Lord. In three chapters of the book of Joel, the Day of the Lord is mentioned five times. Joel talks about the fact that it is a time of war, a time of judgment upon the earth.

The Day of the Lord will begin with the Great Tribulation period and will go on through the Millennium. Thus, the Day of Pentecost was the beginning of prophetic things to come. It was also the beginning of the miraculous works of the Spirit of God in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel.

And as Peter continues to preach the gospel of the grace of God to them, he cited passages from the Psalms that pointed to the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, of which they all were witnesses (Acts 2:32). The empty tomb of Jesus was the proof of His Deity and the reply to religious leaders who asked Him the question, “What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things (cleansing the temple)? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body (John 2:18-21).

Jesus Christ has risen, beloved. Our King is alive and will one day be seated on His throne. The Spirit of Pentecost is alive and working today dear ones. Jesus is still doing His wonderful works in and through His church. Jesus is still saving all those who call upon His Name (Acts 2:21). The Lord God Almighty reigns!! Selah

Philippians is a unique letter written to a very unique church. Paul visited Philippi around AD 50, his first visit is recorded in Acts 16, where we read about Lydia, a businesswoman. Paul leads her to Christ and the first Church is established. Paul repeatedly used words such as “joy” “gladness” and “rejoice” to help communicate how God viewed this church.

These past few years, there has been a continuous debate and conversation in the church at large about what a church is, what it should be, what should it look like and why people should want to be a part of it. These conversations and debates have led many people to conclude certain things and move in directions that were not quite as accepted or available before. The word community seems to have replaced the word church. The word fellowship is socially attributed to getting together for coffee at Starbuck’s.

We seem to have evolved in our church experience and have determined that if we switch from sanctuaries to auditoriums, then we may be more relevant in an effort to make it seamless for unbelievers to feel comfortable in a church setting. Somehow we wanted to create a new church experience that was not like the church of the old.

In this process and transition of trying to rediscover what Church is and should be, we have lost our way in some ways. When Christ said, “upon this rock, I will build my church” or “the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church” what did he actually mean, what picture was in his mind?

We see plenty of evidence in Paul’s letters to the seven churches of Asia concerning how Jesus viewed the church. His rebukes and promises give us a better understanding of his expectations from his church.

The overwhelming amount of reference to joy and gladness shows us that the emphasis in this letter is a church that has a living relationship with Jesus Christ that is filled with joy. Their source is Christ and we are partners with Him and thus enjoy the greatest privilege of helping spread the Gospel to the World.

The word Pentecost means “fiftieth day”. It signifies the start of the Jewish holiday that occurred 50 days after Passover. It was also known as the Festival of Weeks (Deut 16:10) and the Festival of Harvest (Exod 23:16). Every Jewish adult male was required by law to go to Jerusalem three times each year to celebrate the major feasts (Deut. 16:16). The Feast of Passover was observed in the spring. The Feast of Pentecost was observed seven weeks and a day later (Lev. 23:15, 16).

The calendar of Jewish feasts in Leviticus 23 gives us a picture of the work of Jesus Christ. Passover pictures His death as the Lamb of God (John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7), and the Feast of Firstfruits pictures His resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-23). Pentecost is traditionally held to be the birthday or formation of the church, composed of both Jew and Gentile.

Interestingly, on the Feast of Firstfruits, the priest would wave a sheaf of grain before the Lord, but on Pentecost, he presented two loaves of bread. “ Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD”(Lev 23:17). Unlike most other sacrifices, these loaves had leaven in them, which is the presence of sin. Why? Because the church is made up of sinners who have been saved by grace, and the church will not be perfect until it gets to heaven.

The miracle that took place on the day of Pentecost was that the disciples were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. In Acts 2:6, 8, Luke uses the Greek word which referred to known and understood ethnic languages, or "dialects." The "other tongues," mentioned here should not be confused with the "unknown tongue" spoken by the Corinthians (1 Cor. 14:2, 4, 13, 19, 27). This "unknown tongue" is always in the singular and is accompanied by a singular personal pronoun. The Apostle Paul demanded that this unknown tongue always be interpreted. The tongues that were spoken in this passage, however, needed no interpreter because each man heard the message of the Lord in his own language.

Thus on the day Pentecost, the Holy Ghost anointed the disciples with tongues of men to miraculously proclaim the wonderful works of God. All may not speak with the tongues we read about in 1 Corinthians, but all born again, Spirit filled disciples are anointed by God to proclaim to sinners the wonderful gospel of the grace of God. Selah.

Before He ascended up into heaven, Jesus told the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with the power of The Holy Ghost. During that ten day period of time, we find the apostles assembling a prayer meeting of about 120 disciples that included women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brethren.We read that during this period of time, Peter stands up in the midst of the disciples and tells them that Scripture foretold that the vacancy left by Judas needed to be fulfilled. This reveals to us that the apostles believed in both the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture. How vital it is for the body Christ to adhere to the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture.

We find that after casting lots, the brother by the name of Matthias was numbered with the eleven. That is the last time in Scripture that we find the church casting lots to find the will of God. We discover the will of God for our lives through prayer and the Word of God.

As we read ahead in the New Testament, we discover that this is also the last mention of Mary in the bible. Evidently, she really did not have a prominent or leadership kind of a role in the early church. There is no mention of her death or of her miraculous ascension into heaven, without death. Nothing is mentioned in the scripture. It is silent. No doubt Mary was a blessed and chosen vessel of The Lord. Her own lips declared, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46, 47).

We also find that Acts confirms the gospel record that Jesus had brothers and sisters. “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?” (Matt 13:55, 56). My point in bringing out these two points is to remind us that as we work our way through the Scripture, personally and congregationally, may we be wise Bereans who “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). May we receive the teaching of Scripture as the final authority and solid foundation of what we believe. Selah

The Book of Acts is an incredible book in New Testament history. Luke gives us this account of crucifixion and resurrection in the Gospel of Luke, and here in Acts he continues to describe the events 40 days post resurrection. They had gone from despair to delight and joy to meet the resurrected Jesus who takes these broken and scattered men and puts them back together.

The first thing Jesus does is cause them, and us, to understand the power of God. He does so by speaking, and also by supernatural things taking place in those 40 days. Every question they had he answered, and every doubt was turned into assurance. They were able to witness his ministry, his death and now his resurrection. They were ready to go, yet it was not sustainable. Apart from receiving the power from above, the Holy Spirit, living a Christian life is unsustainable.

The distinction made in verse 5 about the two baptisms, gives us clarity. John’s baptism speaks to the intention of the person to change course. But it is not enough. The baptism of the Spirit is what gives us power to do what we intend to do.

So, they waited. Verse 8 gives the purpose of waiting and describes the work thereof. As much as this verse is coined as a missional verse, it is a transformational verse at its core. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to be His witnesses. It is a declaration of identity. When Jesus took the disciples just outside of Bethany where the Ascension took place in front of their very eyes, they were now witnesses. The angels asked the question – “Why do you stand gazing up into heaven?”(Acts 1:11) I think that is the question we must answer in our lives today. What are we looking for or to? Insights? Clarity? Exit?

What Christ wants us to experience is His transforming power. Once we experience this power it changes us, transforms us, so we are no longer looking for the wrong things in the wrong places. We get on track with the leading of the Holy Spirit and live transformative lives that display our response to being filled with the Holy Spirit. The reason being, “this same Jesus….” (Acts 1:11) that they saw taken up in clouds, is coming back again. Our responsibility is to share this truth so that those that are broken and lost will turn from their dark ways and to the transformative power of Christ.

Today's message starts a verse by verse, chapter by chapter study in the book of Acts. This is the book that reveals to us the birth of the church. It gives us a historical account of the day-in, day-out operation of the church. It also reveals to us how the gospel spread throughout the then known world.

In a day and age where we are finding more ministries spreading literature about “how to do church” in the modern era, it is so refreshing to go back to the beginning and “see” how the Spirit-led teaching of Christ in the gospels was passed on by the apostles. It transformed the apostles and followers of Christ into a far-from-perfect, but dynamic, Spirit-filled people who loved Jesus and one another.

Without the internet, and without “Christian” television or radio, these born again saints spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost part of their then known world within a period of around 40 years. By the power of The Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8), these saints, personally and congregationally, carried out their faith with a holy boldness that could not be stopped. Bear in mind that the vast majority of them (including the apostles) were considered by religious “elite” of the day as being unlearned, uneducated, untrained and ignorant men.

The power of God works mightily in the lives of people whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. On the days following Pentecost, we find that the organic, Spirit-led, Spirit-filled “church bulletin” looked like this: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:41, 42)

“They were a community who were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:44-47)

That was how they functioned in “the modern era" of the first century. Sadly, when the church began to think that they knew how to “run” a church better than The Holy Ghost, we read in 5 out the 7 letters of Jesus to the 7 churches, that by the end of the first century the church was already compromising with worldly prosperity and success, false doctrines, and immoral, unholy behavior.

We need to go back to the divine blueprint of the church in the book of Acts, and ask God to align our teaching, evangelism, and church community as He intended it to be. Selah

Would you join me in declaring a New Years determination to draw waters from the wells of salvation every day in 2023? That is essentially what Isaiah is doing here in Isaiah 12. I am not suggesting that Isaiah wrote this declaration of praise unto his God on Rosh Hoshanna (the Jewish New Year); but what I am suggesting is that Isaiah, having been in the express presence of God and having experienced the majesty and the power of His forgiveness (Isa 6), is here making a life time declaration of giving praise and thanksgiving unto Yahweh.

In verse 1 Isaiah declares that he will praise God, and that he is going to do continually, no matter what. He is determined to praise Him continually because He is the God of is His salvation. Because He is the God His salvation (deliverance, healing), He is determined to trust Him and not be afraid. He then declares that Jehovah is The One Who gives him strength and his song.

Now turning to the people of God in verse 3, Isaiah declares, Therefore (because of Who Jehovah is and does for His people) with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation (Isa 12.3). Isaiah’s personal determination and declaration to the people of God is simply this: Seek His Face, not His hand! Thank God for His daily benefits and blessings. But let’s not fall into the “Christian Consumer” trap of only seeking God’s hand instead of seeking His Face.

Oh may the body of Christ rise up every morning in 2023 and determine to seek His face, with the overflow of seeking His face, declaring among the people the doings or wonders of God and making mention that His Name is exalted. When the New Years ball drops, and the fireworks go off, and the crowd lifts their voices to only God knows who and what, may the body of Christ fall to our knees and declare, Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Cry out and shout, oh church of The Living God: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. When we determine to seek first the face of God, His hand will supply whatever it is that we need to bring Him the glory and honor that He deserves. Selah

Of the seven churches in Revelation, the church in Laodicea receives an evaluation that is mind-boggling. Located 90 miles east of Ephesus and 45 miles south of Philadelphia, the city had a lot going for it. It was prosperous, with tons of trade, and rich in natural resources. They had a mineral springs and invented an amazing aqueduct system to bring water from these springs to Laodicea.

The people in this church seemed satisfied and considered it a blessing to be living the way they were. There is no mention of persecution or gross immorality in this church. It was certainly a comfortable place to be. Verse 14 begins with “words of the Amen” (NIV, ESV), meaning this is the final evaluation of the individuals in the church - the last word, not just an opinion. Jesus alone is the final authority and statement of our lives. It is not our circumstances. It is not things like depression, bankruptcy, divorce, or even death.

This church seemed to the natural eye to be about as perfect as an imperfect church can be. They had everything going on. They had prayer meetings, good preaching, small groups, enough wealth to go around – but they were the same temperature as the ungodly and unsaved people around them. Nothing distinguished them from the culture. They had become one with the environment they were living in. Instead of being the catalyst of change, they were being slowly and subtly changed. They essentially were doing nothing.

This indifference of heart is prevalent today. There is a gradual slip into living as a “moderate” Christian. This church had become comfortable and complacent. They had all the lingo down, and they had walked for a while with the Lord, and yet they had lost the excitement of the gospel. Jesus uses a shocking mechanism to wake up this church. His rebuke is very personal, but so is His promise. He wants in and He waits patiently; but He doesn’t just want a visit. He wants a relationship. The worst church gets the best offer from Jesus.

In our Christmas 2022 series entitled “The Coming King”, each church is given a different promise from The King, Jesus Christ. However, each promise is given to those who are overcomers.

A very important principle in interpreting the bible is to let Scripture interpret Scripture. In his first letter the apostle John, under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, provides for us the definition or explanation of who is an overcomer. We read in 1 John 5:4,5: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” So John clearly defines those who overcome as those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, meaning that they believe all that the Scripture declares Jesus to be in both His humanity and Deity.

But lest we think that being an overcomer is an “achievement”, we need to step back and listen to the words of Jesus, The One Who overcame. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We overcome, beloved, because He has overcome for us. Earlier in his first letter John wrote, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Never forget that we overcome because He that overcame dwells in our heart. Yes, we are responsible to fight the good fight of faith. Yes, we are responsible to put on the whole armor of God if we intend to resist the fiery darts of the enemy. The victorious Christian life is not a passive one. Every message that Jesus gives to the church is one that exhorts, commands, and in some cases, calls to repentance behavior that is unfitting for the disciple of Jesus Christ. But at the end of the day, we only have the power to overcome because The One Who overcame on the cross and rose again victoriously over sin and death dwells within us!

We are thankful for His promises, but all praise, glory and honor belong to The One Who is The Overcomer, Jesus Christ. The King is coming, beloved!!! Selah

Adrian Rogers once said, “Sometimes we come into church and pray nonchalantly saying, “Lord, show up here today. Reveal to us Your glory and Your majesty.” Imagine if one day God answered that prayer and boom, the back door opened, and He came down that aisle in the same way John saw Him in Revelation. Imagine, His hair glistening, whiter than snow. His face with a Shekinah glory, brighter than the sun. His feet glowing as if in a furnace. He comes, and His voice is deafening. He’s wearing regal robes, and He begins to walk down the aisle. What would you do? Would you ask Him your biggest question or give Him a hug? You’d fall on your face before Him, would you not? That’s what John did. When you truly see the Lord Jesus as He is, it will bring your full submission. The Apostle John fell before Him prostrate as an acknowledgment of His lordship. Have you surrendered everything to Jesus? When we truly see the glory of God, it will bring us to full submission, giving us reverence for Him and great assurance.” I could not have put it in better words myself.The Revelation of Jesus in Revelation 1:10-18 is one of the most profound statements of the of deity of Jesus Christ in all of Scripture. It is a description of our Lord that fills our hearts with wonder, awe and amazement. It puts us in our rightful place before Him. It is my personal conviction that the body of Christ as a whole has been lulled to sleep spiritually because our view of Jesus and our regard for what He deems important have been overcome by our affections and preoccupations with lesser things. Who the apostle John sees on the island of Patmos is not only The Lord Jesus arrayed in the garments of our Great High Priest, but The Lord Jesus arrayed in the garments of The Coming King!To quote Adrian Rogers again: “When Jesus came to Earth the first time, He came to a tree—but when He comes again, He’s coming to a throne. When He came the first time, He came to redeem—but when He comes again, He will come to reign. When He came the first time, He came as a Savior—but when He comes again, He is coming as the Sovereign.” The One Who was born as The Lamb to be slain, is The One Who is returning as King of kings and Lord of lords. It is this King whom we celebrate and adore! SELAH

Contending for the faith is actually contending for the glory of God. This powerful letter from Jude, which is exhorting the church to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints (verse 3), ends with the amazing doxology, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 23-24) This praise and glory that is given unto God here at the end of Jude’s letter is actually the theme of the entire bible. As glorious and wonderful as the redemption of man is, the major theme of the bible is The glory of The Redeemer of man. David, the man after God’s own heart declared, “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11) The closing words of The Lord’s prayer are, “…For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6.13). In Ephesians 3, the apostle Paul concludes his beautiful prayer for the church there with the words, “unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:21) When the apostle Peter exhorts the saints to use their God-given gifting, he writes, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11) When the apostle John writes about the heavenly scene that he saw, we read: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11), and “…Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Revelation 5:13) The very reason why creation exists is the give glory to God. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1) The very purpose of our redemption is the glory of God. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36) May the glory of God be the very reason why we exist as a local church and may the glory of God be the motive for all that we do. Selah

The title for this week’s devotional and message is taken from John MacArthur’s excellent study in Jude on the passages that we will be looking at this morning. These passages paint for us a picture of an apostate, be it in the first century or on November 20th, 2022.The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” (1 Timothy 4:1).When Paul met with the elders from Ephesus, he tearfully said, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31)The Lord Jesus Himself declared in His Olivet discourse that “false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” (Mark 13:22) Jude is declaring to the church that the time of great deception and apostasy that was foretold has come, and that the church is called to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) As I mentioned a moment ago, one of the signs that we are living in the last days is that some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. That is certainly true today.The Spirit of God speaking through Jude takes the mask off of those who claim to be “Christian Teachers and Leaders” and exposes them for what they truly are. The personal characteristics of these religious frauds are the same today, beloved. They are wolves among sheep, tares among wheat, frauds among faithful.May The Spirit of God open our ears to hear the truth, and may that truth reveal to us any individual whose life and theology fits the portrait of an apostate, including the person in the mirror. Selah

Using professional boxing terminology, the book of Jude can hit you like a Muhammad Ali jab or a Mike Tyson knockout punch. But it can also leave you with the peace that passes all understanding. (Picture the boxer who is on the canvas and gazing at the ceiling with starry eyes.)

Jude 3 is a timeless verse that expresses the urgency of the book. Here we are nearing the close of the first century and the devil is pulling out all stops to corrupt the gospel with the leaven of immorality and heretical gospels, proclaiming newer revelations from God. This twofold attack of Satan caused some early writers to label the book of Jude, “The Acts of the Apostates” or “The Epistle of Apostasy”. The same holds true today. The great, great grandchildren of the leaven of those false gospels and teachings amounted to a perverted version of grace that allows for “saints” to engage in any and every kind of immorality because grace abounds where sin abounds. Sound familiar? “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1,2)

Lord willing, as we journey through this powerful epistle, we will discover as Solomon said, “…there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Not only will the two-edged sword of the Spirit prick our desensitized hearts and call us to repentance, but it will also console and comfort us as we hear the assuring words, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 24,25)

So what prescription does Jude write to those who are exhorted to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints? “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 20,21) Would you please join me in praying that the Spirit of God will have His way in making those changes within our church family that we may bring unto our Lord Jesus the praise and glory and honor that is due His Name as we contend for the faith together. SELAH

The Bible clearly reveals that we are living in two worlds. There is the world of the physical and natural, and there is the world of the invisible and supernatural. The world of the physical can be seen with the natural eye. The world of the invisible is seen with the spiritual eye. In today’s study we read one of the more memorable accounts in Scripture which emphasizes the importance of seeing things from God’s point of view, with spiritual insight and with faith. Through the eyes of fear and unbelief the situation at Dothan looked hopeless, as we read that the servant of Elisha is terrified by the presence of the army of the enemy. With his physical eyes, he sees only one army. But Elisha prays that his servant might see all of reality, not just the visible but the invisible too. Once the veil of the invisible world is peeled back, Elisha’s servant perceives the fullness of reality, and the reason for his fear no longer exists. Elisha was given eyes of faith to see what the natural eye could not see and to know what the natural mind could not know. To believe the impossible one must first see the invisible. After Elisha prayed for his servant, God opened his eyes to see the invisible.

“Seeing is believing” is the motto of the secular world. “Believing is seeing” is the motto of faith. Holocaust survivor, Corrie Ten Boom is quoted as saying, “Faith sees the invisible and believes the impossible”. God gave Elisha’s servant the ability here to see what the natural man could not see. And when his servant’s eyes were fully open, he not only saw the problem, but he saw the solution.

Now, we are all aware of the inability of our flesh to produce fruit or spiritual gifts. However, we often become so concerned about what God is doing in us that we neglect to see why God is working through us. His work is so that His Son Jesus would be glorified. We have been predestined to be conformed to His image. Just as Jesus is the express image of the Father, we are to be the express image of Jesus.

In Hebrews 11:25-27, it was written about Moses that he “Chose to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.” Moses endured because he saw Him Who was invisible. In 2 Corinthians 4:18, we read that the reason that the apostle Paul gave for his ability to endure such difficulties and hardships in his ministry and life was because he “look(ed) not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Herein we learn that the way to live a life of being more than a conqueror, in spite of all of the problems, pains, and hardships in life, is by asking God to give us eyes to see the invisible.

“We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), beloved. When facing overwhelming situations that seem impossible to deal with, may we have God-given, gospel-seeing vision that enables us to see the reality of the invisible, instead of only the realm of the natural. “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17) Selah

This passage of Scripture from Acts 1:8 is our Lord’s guarantee of power and the thrust for evangelism. The purpose of the Holy Spirit, directly or indirectly, is to testify of Jesus (John 15:26). When the Holy Spirit is active in our lives, the fruit of His work is a good witness for Jesus Christ.

God knew very well that man, left to himself, could only produce flesh. The prophet Joel prophesied about the age when God’s Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh (Joel 2:28-32). Jesus Himself declared that He had to go away so that the Comforter could come (John 16:7).

Now, we are all aware of the inability of our flesh to produce fruit or spiritual gifts. However, we often become so concerned about what God is doing in us that we neglect to see why God is working through us. His work is so that His Son Jesus would be glorified. We have been predestined to be conformed to His image. Just as Jesus is the express image of the Father, we are to be the express image of Jesus.

Whether we like it or not, we are witnesses for the Lord at all times. And in order to be effective, fruitful witnesses, it’s imperative that we be controlled by the Spirit of God. In fact, the Greek word for witness is “martus”, or the English equivalent, “martyr”. After the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you become a “martyr” for Christ, dying to sin and self. The result? Power … dynamite!

May we yield to God’s Spirit more and more, and in so doing become dynamic witnesses for Jesus!

The Understanding of the Holy Spirit is critical to the life of a believer. It is the oxygen to our souls. John 14:16-18 primarily gives us the Ministry of the Holy Spirit, that after Jesus’ departure, the Holy Spirit would come in His place. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin. John 16:8 says, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:” Not only to convict of sin but to also guide the believer into all truth (John 16:13). We need to learn to walk in the Holy Spirit, to establish that same personal relationship as is had with God the Father and with Jesus. When we receive Christ, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.

I would like you to meditate on these questions: Do you understand who the Holy Spirit is? Do you view the Holy Spirit as some force or energy alone? Do you associate the Holy Spirit only with manifestations? Would you describe Him as an impersonal force? Or some sort of power? The Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity and is eternal God, worthy of our worship and service. The same honor, glory, and majesty we give to God the Father and God the Son, we must give to God the Holy Spirit. All three are one divine Being, having one essence and existing in three Persons. Each possesses all of the divine attributes and is fully God.

It is essential to understand that the Holy Spirit as a Person because it impacts our relationship with Him. Since the Holy Spirit is a Person, you either have a relationship with Him or you don’t. The Spirit teaches us the truth, guides us in truth, sanctifies, produces righteous fruit, and equips us for His work, until we are eternally united in Christ and take possession of all that Christ has prepared for us. It is impossible to live a Christ-like life without one’s life fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit.

Here’s an important question for you to consider: How much of YOU does the Holy Spirit have?

Most of us desire a BFF (Best Friend Forever). Few of us have a BFF close by who understands the challenges we encounter. You may be looking within the family or among friends, and you have folks around who are compassionate and give great counsel, but not anyone with whom you can be wide open with your thoughts, emotions and feelings. You desire to have someone you can pour out your heart to and know that you will be cared for and not judged, looked down upon, or considered a burden.

Ministry can be a lonely place and at times a lonely walk. I am fortunate and blessed to have a few people whom God has brought into my life who, over the years, have invested in this relationship with me. The reason this relationship becomes increasingly difficult to navigate is that, really, who can understand fully what someone else is going through?

The passage we will study gives us an outstretched hand of a guaranteed relationship with Someone, who not only understands and relates to you, but has experienced what you have or are experiencing. He lived it; therefore He understands when you come to His throne with your temptations, trials, hurts, anxieties, or worry. What is needed is perseverance in the midst of your loneliness to put your confidence in God and not return to your default coping mechanism or inadequate human relationship, which is what you have always done. Even though it is only a temporary relief, you are comfortable with it because it is familiar and you don’t know what else to do. But as believers, we have a great High Priest with continual access to Almighty God because of what Christ has accomplished on the Cross. THAT is what we hold fast to.

It is possible you are hurting and disappointed and find yourself in a valley. Maybe you don’t see a way out. The good news is there is One Who is able to help! He is available to strengthen you, restore hope, and give you confidence in your circumstances. Confess what you are feeling or experiencing to Jesus. Acknowledge it. Desire His healing and be willing to walk through the process needed to receive it. No matter how painful that leading of God may be, at the end of it you will find healing. You may need to forgive someone, or end an ungodly relationship, or do some other hard thing, but just do it! Obey! Choose to trust God and allow Him to work. He is available and waiting for you to ask for His help.

Faith is talked about quite frequently but it is also often misunderstood. It is hard to put our arms around what faith truly is, how we experience it or acquire it. If what we believe is to make any difference, then it has to change the way we live. However, at times we don’t take faith seriously but take it for granted.

Just the thought of what must be believed for one to become a Christian is a tall order. We believe that we are created by God, but we sinned (offended Him). God is holy, and therefore sin must be punished. Jesus Christ came into this world to atone for our sin. His righteousness was imputed to us, and the condemnation of sin and guilt was swept away so now we are counted righteous in God’s sight. This results in the glorious truth that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:5-8), and death is not an end to the believer but the beginning of a new reality of spending eternity with Christ. We cannot see any of this. None of our physical senses can apprehend or measure any of this. We simply have to believe it.

In Hebrews 11:3 we are told the universe bears evidence of God’s formation, that He commanded it into existence, and the current conclusions cannot explain the origins of the universe away. Without Christ, everyone is morally, spiritually, and scientifically blind to the truth of God the Creator. To put your faith in the power of reason is a dead end. Therefore, without faith, one cannot be accepted by God, nor can one know or please God (v 6). The story of Cain and Abel is mentioned in verse 4. There are many questions that are unanswered. For example, what are their ages? What was their upbringing like? Why did one become a shepherd and one a farmer? However, what we can surmise is that the difference between the two offerings was in the heart. Abel had faith (he believed God) and Cain did not. God is always first interested in the man or woman and then in the offering. God always looks at the heart first. When he looked at Abel’s heart, he found faith and rewarded it.

Pascal said there is a God-shaped vacuum inside every heart. That vacuum, when not filled with God, will fill itself with trash. It is the trash of the world that has made us unhappy, unfulfilled, unstable, divisive, and uncommitted. That is why Augustine said: “O Lord, you have made us for yourself. Our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.”

Taking our physical temperature has been a common practice in society over the past few years. In the natural realm, an elevated temperature indicates that there is something going on that needs medical attention. Twice we find the phrase “stir up” in the New Testament. “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6) “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:” (2 Peter 3:1) In both of these cases, the objective of urging the people of God to stir something up indicates a cause of concern over the apparent lack or absence of fire in the usage of either a spiritual gift or the application of gospel truth. In either case, there would be in medical terms an issue that needed to be given immediate attention to avoid any further loss of health spiritually.

In our study this morning, The Risen Jesus is addressing the church at Laodicea, and He point blank declares unto them as The Great Physician, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15,16) If you were to ask the church at Laodicea how they felt spiritually, they would have said, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;” to which Jesus replied, “knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (v 17). Obviously, there was a great difference in the evaluation between Jesus and the Laodiceans over their spiritual condition. What this compels each of us to ask ourselves is this: What is your spiritual temperature? Hot? Cold? Lukewarm? Those are the only three temperatures indicated in this letter, and only one is acceptable in the eyes of The Lord Jesus.

Having given this blistering account of their spiritual condition, does Jesus just write them off? On the contrary, listen to His appeal to them: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Revelation 3:19) In other words, stir up the gift that is in you. Return to your first love. Reignite the passion that you once held for Me. Amazingly, it is possible for someone to be in the church and unaware that they are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23,24)

The devil can have a heyday when a message as such is given, and we certainly should be aware of his desire to condemn or guilt us as we evaluate where we are with Jesus today. Let the Great Physician probe your soul today. Let His Spirit reveal anything in you that is “sick” or out of order. May each one of us open the door to our hearts to The Lord in a fresh way today and pray as the old hymnal said, “Have Thine own way Lord” Change me. Correct Me. But please do not allow any of us to remain cold or lukewarm in our fellowship with You. Selah

When the account in Daniel 5 was written, it was 539 BC. Nearly 70 years had passed since Daniel and his friends were brought to Babylon as slaves. Daniel is most likely around 80 years old. King Nebuchadnezzar is dead and now his grandson Belshazzar is on the throne. Belshazzar is not wise but prideful. He was arrogant and took for granted everything that was handed to him. As this account begins we see him partying, but this was not just any party. This was a party that had every perverse activity being celebrated. Who throws a party when you know that your enemy is camped right outside of your walls? What picture is he trying to paint? Does he want everyone to have courage? Is he drowning his own fears with alcohol? Or he is so full of pride that he thinks no one has the ability to fight and defeat Babylon?

Similar questions can be asked to us when we are faced with overwhelming circumstances. How did you react in the past and what would you do now? How do you feel about power grids failing? Supply chains breaking down? Finances getting restricted? Fuel shortages? Would you stockpile?

Pascal (a 17th century French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, writer, and Catholic theologian) says we have a difficult time dealing with death, and usually people will turn to jokes or some humor to take the sting out of that conversation. Pascal used several analogies but one stood out, that of a car heading off the road into a steep valley with no way of stopping it or getting out. He said you would find people distracting themselves by observing the natural scenery or by trying to engage in a light conversation instead of thinking about the coming death.

The question this account poses may not be that obvious. Are you prepared for the end? The difference between Belshazzar and you and me is that he found out when he would die, but we don’t know that exact day, although we know it is coming. We only have one life that is given to us. How are you doing with yours? Eternity is all that matters at the very end. You have an opportunity to choose now and have unquestioned confidence that you will thrive and not just survive through all the seasons of life, and when that final day comes, that you will be welcomed home by your Creator into eternity.

Humans are at their core incurably religious. We come with a hole in our spiritual being and that is how we know that we were created to worship God and to know Him. Worship is an essential just as oxygen and food. The fall and sin corrupted God’s creation. Every day you see blogs and Ted talks that tell us how to find meaning and value in our lives. They tell us what things we are supposed to regard as precious and what to live for.

When you speak with people who have bought into an idol you wonder if it’s working for them. Do they look at peace? Are they truly satisfied? Does it answer those life questions of eternal security? Any time we revere something as god it costs us something. Is that cost worth it? In other words, if their god is money, they sacrifice family, integrity, etc – is this worth it? One might be serving the god of food, education, or healthcare. Their god may be a cause for humanity. Does it have the ultimate cure? Can one put their hope and trust in it?

For some people it is their dogma of evolution that is their god. But will nature naturally work itself into higher and higher levels of complexity? How did nature get this power? Some believe that every religion ultimately leads to god. Some think that all morality is equal. The bottom line is that when your life is submitted to an idol in place of the true and living God, you have shrunk everything down to something you can explain. The God of the Bible is unexplainable. Evelyn Underhill said, “If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshipped.”

The God of the Bible is not received simply through explanation but requires revelation. We are surrounded by idols. Are you provoked when you see people in bondage to idols? Jesus was provoked when he saw idols in us. He did not give up on us or write us off, but instead revealed His great unconditional love to us by going to the cross and dying for your sins and mine. That revelation of the death, burial and resurrection has given us eternal hope, and it now compels us to share with those who are in bondage to the idols and idolatry of the devil.

The last words of Jesus before He ascended up into heaven are the marching orders of the church. After 3 years of His Spirit anointed teaching, preaching and miracle-working signs and wonders, what was the singular command that Jesus Christ gave to His church before He ascended up into heaven?

Matthew tells us, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt 28:19-20). Mark tells us, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Luke tells us, “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). John tells us, “but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).

Lastly, Jesus tells us just before His ascension, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus came into this world on a redemptive mission. He came to seek and to save the lost. He came to redeem the fallen sons of Adam. “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:46).

When we read these final words of Jesus before He returns to the right hand of His Father, we are hearing Him pour out His heart’s desire to His bride, the church. Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). The Lord is looking for laborers to reach the harvest of souls. As we observe The Lord’s Supper this morning, may we never forget that as followers of The Lord Jesus Christ, our primary mission here on earth is to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

As you go about your daily lives, look for any and every opportunity to proclaim the truth that Jesus Christ has died, was buried, and has risen from the dead. And that for all those who turn to Him for the salvation of their souls, they will receive the gift of eternal life now. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (John 5.11). Selah

Sound doctrine and theology is a vitally important and necessary element in the life of a Christian. But a careful observation of Scripture reveals that the ultimate purpose or goal of learning theology is that it would be applied to our lives. In other words, every Christian is called to live out what he or she professes to believe.

But we begin this living out of our faith by making an unreserved decision to offer our lives up unto God as living sacrifices. That is the gist of Paul’s exhortation to the Romans in chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. J.B. Phillips has an outstanding and memorable translation of Romans 12:1,2: “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the Plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” Those words sum up what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Think of all the mercies of God Paul has explained to us thus far: justification (Romans 3:24); adoption in Jesus and identification with Christ (Romans 8:15-17); set under grace not law (Romans 6:14); the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11); help in all affliction; standing in God’s election; the certainty of coming glory; the confidence of no separation from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39); total confidence in God’s continued faithfulness. In light of all this mercy - past, present, and future - Paul begs us to present our bodies a living sacrifice.

When Jesus was preaching to the multitudes, He oftentimes would see many walk away after He made the appeal for a full commitment unto Him (John 6:66). A proper understanding of the gospel compels us to devote our lives fully unto God as living sacrifices. Having been redeemed or bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we are no longer our own. We belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19,20). The question is not if your life is surrendered to someone or something, but who or what is that? If you are not living for Jesus Christ, who or what are you living for? You were created by God to know Him, live in fellowship with Him, and serve Him. SELAH

Satan has a strategy for you as you run your race. He will try to tempt you to quit running; he will trip you and make you fall, and he will trap you where you won't get up and run any more. But it's not how you start your race; it's how you finish it that counts. Jesus is not timing you with a stopwatch. He is measuring you with a yardstick.

The secret to winning this race of life is to keep your eyes on Jesus. God’s Word says, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) In any race the most important thing is to keep your eyes fixed on the goal, and in the Christian life that means focused on Jesus. The word "looking unto" in the Greek language is a word that literally means "to look away from." That is, you are to take your eyes off of everything else except the goal. Philippians 3:14 tells us the goal: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

No matter how dark tomorrow may look, no matter how dire your circumstances may be, no matter how discouraging things may appear, determine to plant your eyes on Jesus and run across the finish line where He is waiting for you. Decide that you are not going to be deterred, detoured, or distracted. If you were to ask someone in their 50’s. “What are you thinking about? What do you want to do with your future?” Most likely you will hear, “I want to retire!” What they are really saying is, “I want to do nothing.” Or, “I want to finally be able to do what I want to do.”

Saints, we ought to be doing every day what we want to do, because what we want to do is what God wants us to do (Philippians 2:13). You don’t have to retire to do what you want to do. Paul clearly gives us a road map of what is expected in 2 Timothy 4. There is a Trust given to us and a Reward waiting for us. There is an expectation for us to finish that which God has desired in our life. Decide what God and you want, and remember that God did not put us here to run a “rat race”, but the real race of life.

Generally speaking, the books of Timothy are considered to be Pastoral Epistles. Paul considered Timothy as his son. Timothy’s Mom was Jewish and his grandmother was a godly lady. Paul is writing his final instructions to Timothy as he knows his time on this earth is done. Paul does not complain about his circumstances because he knew Jesus walked the path of suffering and death before He was exalted. Paul was taking the same path that Jesus did before him. Jesus took the path directly to the cross. Jesus, the offspring of David, bears the sins of anyone who trusts in Him for salvation and life. Beyond death the path continued with His resurrection and exaltation. Any time we share in suffering with Jesus we take the same path and walk in His promises, which are life-giving.

We embrace the pattern of Jesus’s life as the story of how our lives ought to be. Upon entering the sufferings of Christ, the pattern of His life becomes the pattern of your life. Now you love and know Jesus in new and deeper ways.

This passage is important because it aligns and focuses us on our priority. This passage sounds mundane and this message may come across as basic. You will be right concluding that. This is where we all need to be. We need this to be our launching pad in Christian living. So many distractions, other passions, other insights, keep us away from becoming the disciples that Christ desires. Paul uses contrasts to get us back to the basics of pursuing Jesus.

As we end our study of Paul’s letter to Titus, we are reminded of the fact that our new birth is nothing less than a miraculous work of God, and that being the case, we no longer are in control of our lives. We are under new management, the “New Management” being our Triune God and Savior, as the Apostle Paul points out in his letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 5:17). What this means is that we have become citizens of heaven who are ambassadors living on a planet that is alienated from the life of God. We are called salt and light by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13-16). Our lives are now governed by God, Who is The Ruler and Maker of all things. He is the Ultimate Authority in our lives, but He also places us under His designed authority in marriage, church, and government. Thus, the task that Titus is given by Paul is to: (1) recognize and teach the church how to conduct themselves under those various areas of God-designed authority, and (2) be intentional in doing good works within that corrupt and fallen society for the glory and honor of God.

Those Spirit-given tasks are to be observed by every believer in every nation. God does not have one design for marriage for The United States and another design for India. God does not have one set of rules for submitting to governing authorities for Canada and another set for Africa. Jesus said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 16:24, et. al.). Jesus Christ recognized His Father’s absolute authority over all areas of life, and He is our example of what submission to The Father and His ordinances looks like. Likewise, we read that Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed with the devil. He ministered to the hurting and the broken hearted (Luke 4:18). He ministered to the religious, moral, and physical wrecks, as we see in John chapters 3, 4, & 5.

The downfall of the nation of Israel in the days of the judges was cited as every person doing “that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6, 21:25) We have been regenerated by The Spirit, and our new life in Christ is meant to reflect the message to this lost world that we are no longer living the way we used to. We have laid down the claim of being independent of God, to being totally dependent and submitted to Him. He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30). Not I, but Christ liveth in me (Galatians 2:20).

Lord, reign over every area of our lives. Work in us and through us that the world may see and know that You are The God Who saves sinners and turns them into trophies of Your grace and mercy. SELAH

Sound doctrine is one of the core principles of the Christian faith. “It is written” is the bedrock of all theology. It is the revelation from God of what we are to believe about Who He is and any other topic from creation in Genesis to the new heaven and new earth in the Revelation. But what must never be ignored is that the truth of God is meant to be applied in our personal lives. Just like Jesus was The Word made flesh, God’s Word must be made flesh in our lives as well.

Pastor Titus was instructed by the apostle Paul to ordain elders to oversee and feed the church (Titus 1:5) who were living on the immoral and godless island of Crete. The saints were planted there by God to represent (re-present!) Jesus in that culture. How were they to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ? By living the kind of lives that are living proof that there is a Risen Savior and Lord Who comes to live inside of His people and enable them to shine as lights in a world that’s dark and lost. Sound doctrine according to Paul was that Pastor Titus teach older men, older women, younger men and younger women what it means to follow Jesus in daily life. I would call this chapter a lesson in “Practical Theology”. It is very easy to talk the Christian life; but it is something altogether different to live out the Christian life.

The Lord Jesus said that His people (you and me, beloved) are called out ones, the church. We are called out to be salt and light in the world. We are called to be living letters of Jesus Christ in our homes, our marriages, our vocation, and society at large. Our singular mission in life, even in the ordinary and everyday activities of eating and drinking, is to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Thank God for the opportunity that we have to hand out tracts to people, but it is a proven fact that the most effective tract that any follower of Jesus can “hand out” to people is a changed life. A new life. A life that is lived for the glory of God. Titus hits the proverbial nail on the head when he declares: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:11-14)

There it is as clear as can be. Those verses reveal to us what systematic theology looks like in the person who is a born again follower of Jesus Christ, regardless of their theological camp. Faith apart from Christ-honoring works and godly living is a dead faith. Let’s listen to Pastor Titus this morning and determine to align our lives to God’s Word. SELAH

Paul’s letter to Titus is a Spirit-filled document with timeless truths regarding planting a church God’s way. It is also a glimpse into the heart of God’s love for lost man. When the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in the Upper Room, men from Crete are listed among those who heard the gospel in their own tongue (Acts 2:11). Paul had left Titus in Crete to organize local churches with elders as spiritual leaders (Titus 1:5) because that is God’s design for church structure and accountability. Thus he established a biblical pattern of God’s design for church oversight and accountability that is as necessary today as it was then.

There were 4 main areas of attack against the gospel of the grace of God in Paul’s day that are still active today.

There was antinomianism (Jude 3), which basically taught that since Christians have been redeemed from the curse of the law, they were no longer obligated to obey the moral law of God (cp. Romans 6:1; Titus 2:11-24). Any religious system that teaches that a Christian is freed from seeking to keep the moral law of God is preaching a false gospel.

There was mysticism (Colossians 2:20-22), which basically taught that Christianity was faith in Jesus plus a blend of esoteric practices of other religions. Any religious or spiritual group that proclaims that there is some other spiritual or religious experience that you must have in addition to faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ is preaching a false gospel.
There was legalism, which taught that the believer was obligated to maintain the ceremonial and dietary laws of Moses in order to be saved. Any religious system that adds any ritual or ceremony or sacrament as a requirement to be saved in addition to faith in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ is preaching a false gospel.
There was moralism. Like the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22), there are those who believe that as long as you are a good person and lead a good life, you will be saved. Any person or religious individual who believes this is believing a false gospel.

Paul lays out character qualities of the kind of men who are to be ordained to oversee the local church. It is worth noting that these men are to be ordained by Titus, not voted in by some committee or congregation. These qualities are timeless and are not to be replaced by any other standards. These men were called to be “servants”, and the Greek word here is "douleuo", which is “slave". There is no greater thing in the universe than being the servant of the Eternal living God, the Creator of the universe. In this day and age when people are impressed with titles, please note that Paul identifies himself first as a servant before the fact that he was called by God to be an apostle. This phrase “servant of God” suggests a direct connection to Moses, David, and Old Testament prophets who were described as servants of God. A servant in the first century did not act on his own authority; he acted on his master’s authority, and in this case the master being The Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

As this letter unfolds, we are going to see over and over again that sound doctrine will always produce godly character and good works in the home, in the church, and in the work place for the glory of God. It would serve us well to remember that whatever the apostle Paul commands pastor Titus to teach and preach to the church at Crete regarding church oversight, Christ-like character for older saints, younger saints, women’s ministry, submission to governing authorities, and good works are timeless truths that are as relevant and necessary for the church today as it was back then. SELAH

Joshua 24 brings us to the end of the life and ministry of Joshua, the servant of The Lord. It is a gripping “Thus saith The Lord” to the nation of Israel, and is a message that gets right down to what we would call the nitty-gritty, "rubber meets the road" message. There will be no tickling of the ears.

It is summarized in verses 14 and 15: “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Again in verse 23 we hear Joshua say to the nation, “Now therefore put away … the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.”

Joshua is going to finish his ministry and go home to be with His Lord and Savior, but his concern is for the spiritual state and condition of the people of God, and not without a reason for as we find in the book of Judges, “ …there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10). Joshua would indeed pass on, but the work of The Lord would continue. Thus his concern for passing on the truth of God to the next generation was (and still is today) vitally important.

I think of similar last words of other servants of The Lord like Moses, Elijah, Paul, Peter, John and many of the minor and major prophets. But most notable are the last words of Jesus Christ. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

“Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47)

“It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:7,8)

That the people of God live lives that are completely yielded to Him and for His glory is clearly found at the heart of each of these “last sermon” messages, and that is my heart today as well.

What kind of “Christianity” are you going to pass on to your children and grandchildren, beloved? What kind of a church culture are we going to pass on to the next generation of Koinonia Fellowship? May The Spirit of God speak to each of us today in a prophetic and profound way. May He cause us to redeem our times here on earth for the kingdom of God and His glory instead of the kingdom of this world and our glory. It is not a question of if you have a master passion in your life, but who or what is it? Jesus said that His meat was to do the will of The Father and finish His work (John 4:34). What say ye, dear ones? Selah

As we have studied through the Book of Joshua, we have learned how God orchestrated events and passed the baton from Moses to Joshua. We have studied the commands and promises God gave to Joshua and through him to the nation of Israel. We have studied the new nation's ups and downs, lessons they learned, and miracles they witnessed God perform as they settled in the land.

Now Joshua is nearing the end of his journey on this earth. As he prepares to pass the baton, there are many things on his heart that he wants to address. He speaks about compromise, indifference, concessions and tolerance. We also learn that God has called us to cross rivers that are impossible for us, and to trust Him when it comes to the Jericho kind of obstacles in our lives. But there is one thing that this aged leader puts forward that is without question heavy on his heart. Joshua, the old warrior, with all the elders and leaders present, knowing that this is most likely his final address to the nation of Israel, makes a statement (Joshua 23:11) that represents the first and greatest commandment: to love the LORD your God (cf. Matthew 22:36-38).

Our love of God is a direct reflection of our relationship with God. Loving God is not a suggestion, so why do we treat it as such? Joshua 23:11 should cause us all to pause and wonder why it is that God’s people need to be told to love God. Yet great emphasis is given by the placement of this command in this chapter to reveal how the people of Israel are inclined to turn back to other gods and forsake the Lord in the land. God knows this, and Joshua knows this. But our motivation for loving God should never be to avoid consequences. Our motivation for loving God is because He is worthy of our love.

In our study today, the 2 1/2 tribes of Israel – Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh – are going to be set free to return to their families and earthly inheritance because they had faithfully helped their brothers in the 9 1/2 tribes overcome their enemies. For 7 years, these 2 1/2 tribes lived away from their families and the comforts of home to keep their word of going to war with their brothers until God gave them victory over their enemies. Now they are sent home with all of the blessings of warfare and to be reunited with their wives, children and loved ones. Before they cross the Jordan, while they were still in The Promised Land, they built a monument, large enough for everyone to see. It was actually a memorial or token of remembrance to remind them not only the faithfulness of God, but their unity with their brothers on “the other side of the Jordan.” Unfortunately, when the rest of Israel heard about what they had done, they mustered an army at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against their brother tribes.

Did you catch that? When Israel heard about this altar or memorial, without hearing the whole story from their brethren on the other side, they decide that they were sinning against God and it is time for war! When the delegation from the 9 1/2 tribes confronts their brothers in the 2 1/2 tribes on the other side of what was the meaning of this altar, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh assured the others by Jehovah, the God of gods, that were not in rebellion against the Lord and did not build the altar to sacrifice offerings. The truth was they built the altar as a memorial because they loved the Lord and feared that in the future the children of the 9 1/2 tribes would say to their children. “What right do you have to worship the Lord God of Israel? The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and your people and you who chose to dwell of the other side of the river have no part in the Lord.” (Joshua 22:24,25) The fear was that this rumor would be believed and thus discourage the descendants of the 3 1/2 tribes from worshiping Jehovah. But they could reply, "Look at the altar of the Lord that our fathers made. Yes, it is patterned after the altar of Jehovah, but it is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a symbol of the relationship with God that both of us have.” (v 28)

The name of the altar was Ed, which means witness or testimony (v 34). The real intention of building this altar was to be a witness or a testimony of the unity of the 12 tribes for future generations. An important lesson that is tucked away in Joshua 22 is that people and churches that are judged falsely are damaged when rumors or gossip are acted on as absolute truth. Beloved, when you hear a rumor about something or someone, before you come to a decision yourself, make sure that you go to the source of the matter and get all of the facts. Had the 9 1/2 tribes not gotten the full story, a civil war between the tribes on the two sides of the river would have broken out! How many wars that have broken out amongst God’s people may have been avoided if after we heard a rumor about someone, we had gone to the person and gathered all of the facts about the situation first? What peril lies in the incompatibility of Christian with Christian! How easily misunderstandings occur, and with what damaging results! How rapidly they spread, and the farther they go the worse they get, until often an evangelical church is completely ruined by this very sin. Why is it we are all so ready to listen to gossip? Why is it that we are so quick to impute the worst motives to other people? Why do we believe so quickly a rumor concerning another person's character, and then repeat it with hundredfold exaggeration?

The devil has used gossiping, slandering, backbiting Christians to infect other Christians to divide more churches and destroy more lives and ministries than drugs, alcohol and sexual sin combined. See what God says about those individuals with loose lips who sow discord in Proverbs 6. Selah

Our God is a promise keeping God. In our study today we read that “There failed not aught of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45) Everything that God promised to Israel regarding the occupancy of the promised land, He fulfilled, just as He said He would. What the ten unbelieving spies at Kadesh Barnea said could never happen did happen, because individuals like Caleb and Joshua believed God and obeyed His Word. In Joshua 23:14 we read, “And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” Once again we read that every good thing that God had promised to the Israelites had been given to them. All the promises had been realized; nothing was lacking. Jesus Himself said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) Even though all that is of a material nature is finite and will end, that which God says is certain and eternal in nature.

Beloved, take a moment to pray and read those passages that I just shared with you. Those are the words of The Living God, Who is our Lord and God and Father. All that He promises will come to pass. To believe that everything God says, He will surely bring to pass, is critical in a world that is filled with lies, chaos, confusion, and empty and unfulfilled promises from every strata of society. That God is faithful to do what He says He will do is the very basis of peace, confidence, and security in this fallen world. However dark things get, however impossible the fulfillment of God’s promises might seem, both history and experience teach us that time and time again, all that God has promised has been realized “exceeding abundantly” above all that was asked or thought (Ephesians 3:20). God is the same today as yesterday; He is not further from us in heart, nor feebler in powers. His promises do not have an expiration date on them, and He is still fresh to do what He has promised.

Saints, do you believe this morning that there will not fail anything of the good that God has spoken to us? Do you believe that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39)? Do you believe that “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19)? Do you believe that “this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” (1 John 2:25)? Do you believe that “all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20)? Yes, we are living in difficult and challenging times. The very moral foundations of our nation and our society are out of control. But “godliness (following Jesus Christ) is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8, emphasis added)

Let the promises of our Great Shepherd direct your steps today and give you peace. Selah

When Russia invaded Ukraine, we saw a flood of refugees into neighboring countries, trying to get to their families abroad. When people feel unsafe in their homes, they travel to places where they can find refuge. Recently violence has been plaguing our country in ways we have not experienced before. We as a country have possibly come to a place where everyone is doing what is “right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6, 21:25) When a person takes on the responsibility of justice, seeking to cure or cleanse the evil in the circumference of his or her hurt and pain, they don’t realize that they have blind spots, that their perspective might be skewed and their reaction is based on anger.

The world wants peace and protection. People are seeking places of refuge for many reasons, whether it is for food, shelter or safety related to emotional, mental or physical matters. Our all-knowing God understands that this is a necessity that needs to be addressed in many lives and generations.

The newly formed nation of Israel did not have a police force or jails. They needed a comprehensive solution for dealing with matters of life and death, whether the cause was accidental or malicious. God gave them a plan for a place of refuge, as we’ll see in Joshua 20, so the young nation would not slide into the chaos experienced in the American west. (See also Numbers 35:9-28.)

All life is valuable to God. Regardless of the consequences, God still demonstrates that we all need a place of refuge. We all need a place where we can run to when we find ourselves in trouble. Where do you run when you have blown it? Where and to whom do you run when you have sinned? Where and who is your refuge? Our refuge is found in the Lord (Psalm 46:1,7,11, et al).

Why is it important for us to study the boundaries of the land that God gave Israel? The first reason is because it is a part of holy inspired Scripture. Secondly, because it is a land that has a special place in the heart of God. It is the land that God promised to give to the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The eyes of God are always upon that parcel of land (Deuteronomy 11:11,12). Not that God is indifferent to the rest of the earth; but He has created and given that particular piece of “real estate” to the Jewish nation as the “theater” for the plan of the redemption of mankind to be accomplished.

Deuteronomy 32:8,9 says, “When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” Ezekiel 5:5 says, “This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.” What a remarkable revelation! It is as if God planned the alignment of every other country on the planet around eretz (“the land of”) Israel, and in particular, the city of Jerusalem.

In this lesson I would like to share some significant facts with you about this parcel of land that we have been covering over the past few weeks. I pray that God’s Spirit will illuminate our eyes and set out hearts ablaze as we read some of the biblical passages about this land, and see how relevant they are to you and me this morning. Beloved, we are living in both troublesome and exciting times! Against all “odds”, Israel was declared a nation on May 14th, 1948. The prophet Isaiah said, “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” (Isaiah 66:8) In spite of numerous attempts to wipe out the Jewish people, the nation of Israel was “reborn”, so to speak, because as I said a moment ago, that piece of property would be the major theater for God’s redemptive and prophetic plan.

Why is it important to study and learn about the land of Israel? Because in doing so, we learn that our God is a promise-keeping God. Every square inch that Israel obtained in the Promised Land that we have been covering in the book of Joshua was because God is faithful to keep His promises. And what is the connection between what God promised Israel and you and me this morning? For those who repent of their sin and trust in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross for their sin debt and believe that He rose again from the dead, God declares: “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” (1 John 2:25) “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15) All praise, and glory and honor be unto our God Who has promised His children that by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, they which are called will receive the promises of eternal life and an eternal inheritance. Selah

Chapter 14 of the book of Joshua reveals to us one of the most “unsung” servants of God in Scripture. His name is Caleb. You recall that Caleb was one of the twelve spies sent to check out the land of Canaan. He was the son of Jephunneh, a leader in Judah. He counseled Israel to go up and take the land, as did Joshua. His own testimony was, “… I wholly followed the LORD my God.” (Joshua 14:8) This testimony was confirmed by God Himself: “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.” (Numbers 14:24) What an incredible thing it is for any follower of Jesus to hear Him say that he or she wholly follows The Lord!

Caleb was a man who “wholly followed the LORD.” If you want a recipe for a long life and a good life, here it is! Although Caleb was just as faithful as Joshua, the Lord had commissioned Joshua as the successor to Moses, and Caleb was in the background. Nonetheless, he remained loyal to the Lord even though Joshua was in the spotlight. I believe that one of the things that quench the Spirit of God in the local church or the body Christ at large is a spirit of pride, envy, jealousy and competition.

God is faithful, beloved! He does not forget or go back on His promises. Caleb reminded his friend and leader Joshua that “Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.” (Joshua 14:7) God had fulfilled His promise, and not only prolonged Caleb’s life forty-five years, but had preserved his strength in such full vigor that, though now in his eighty-fifth year, he felt as strong and as well able to engage in war as when he was forty years old (vv 9-11). Even though forty-five years had been added to his life since that promise was made, Caleb did not lose heart. In fact, his unwavering faith in the promise of God is what inspired him to live wholly for The Lord through every season in his life for 45 years. That’s because the promises of God are real. They contain substance. The DNA of the promises of God are courage and steadfastness. Caleb was determined to finish his race strong. Still vigorous at 85, Caleb helped drive out the Anakim. Before the wilderness, he believed God would deliver the giants into the hands of His people, and nothing had changed (v 12).

The apostle Paul told Timothy, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (1 Timothy 4:15) Like Caleb, wholly following Jesus means that you have devoted your entire life to Him. It means that you have left the world and the self life and given yourself totally unto Him and His will for your life. In a sense, you are so focused on the promises of God and what He has called you to do that you rarely notice what other people are or aren’t doing. Caleb was determined to finish his race strong. In this day and age of self-centered, me-focused, lukewarm and cultural Christianity, the church is blessed when it has “give me this mountain” kind of individuals like Caleb that we read about in 1 Corinthians 16:15: “… (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)”. May God give us the grace and determination to become a church family that is wholly given to being Spirit-filled lovers of God, lovers of His Son, lovers of one another and our fellow man for the glory of God. May we be a promise-of-God-inspired congregation of followers of Jesus who finish our race strong in The Spirit and for the glory of God. Selah.

As we study through the Book of Joshua, we are now at a place where we will see the end of conquest and beginning of settlement. This journey of conquest began when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush to lead the people from slavery to freedom. This journey was not quick or easy, and certainly not without its ups and down, conflicts and setbacks.

There are perspectives and principles these chapters unveil for us. God showed Israel that He was faithful and sovereign in this journey, and He could be trusted even though Israel failed miserably. We also learn that God is responsible to lead, not men. God places men and women into leadership and replaces them, but He never relinquishes His ability or responsibility to lead.

In chapter 13 we see the allotment of the land promised to each tribe. Joshua is handing over their God-given inheritance and with that they are responsible to drive out the peripheral enemies and possess all the land the Lord had promised to them. This was a transition for Joshua as well, as he was no longer leading one army to possess the land.

From this point forward in the Book of Joshua, there is a large emphasis on inheriting what God promised. This inheritance has a direct path to the inheritance that Christ provides by His finished work on the Cross.

It is simply astonishing what fear must have possessed the minds of the nations who continued to come against the Israelites, despite of the military victories that God had given to Joshua.

These verses remind us how the kingdoms of this world are opposed to the Kingdom of God and the church of Jesus Christ.

In this life, there is going be an ongoing battle of those two kingdoms, but one day, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. (Rev 11.15)

Which kingdom are you in this morning my friend, the kingdom of God or the Kingdom of darkness? Who or what determines what you believe or the decisions that you make in life? Here are your only 2 answers. The Bible or anything else.

If today were your last day on planet earth, are you prepared to die and step into eternity, be that heaven or hell?

Hebrews 4.7 reads, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Jesus Christ - the Greater One than Joshua - won the victory over sin and death for you and me when He cried on His cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The work of redemption is done. And you can have rest today because of what our Greater than Joshua did for us.

Joshua 10 is an exciting chapter of the people of God overcoming their enemies. It provides us a picture or type of how the people of God overcome in their battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil by the power of God. As soon as Joshua inherited the leadership of the nation of Israel, God declared to him that He had already given them the Promised Land, but they had to place faith in the promise of God and fight the good fight of faith (See Joshua 1:3-6). Joshua took the promise of God and mixed it with faith. He put legs on his prayers. Faith is not waiting for God to do something for you; faith is responding to what God has already promised to do for you. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

But we also see this morning that this particular battle was due to a hasty, knee jerk decision that was not God’s perfect will. When the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and appealed urgently for help, the Israelites were covenant-bound to come to their defense. On the grounds of the covenant that they made with Israel, the men of Gibeon appeal for help; and on the grounds of the covenant, Joshua arises to help. Even though this covenant was a big mistake, God would remain faithful to His promise and help Israel defeat the coalition of nations now on the attack. God forgives sin and helps us move on, but He does not always cancel its consequences. Even so, God can even use our bad situations and unwise decisions for His purposes.

Let’s look at this battle through the lens of our spiritual warfare. The enemy that was seen was intimidating, but the God that is unseen is the supreme and ultimate reality. This illustrates walking by faith rather than sight. “… I have given them into your hands.” (Joshua 10:8, ESV) The Lord assures Joshua that He will be with him in defending the Gibeonites against the Jerusalem coalition. The past tense “have given” is significant. God has decided on the outcome, but Israel must still do some hard fighting. The Lord gave Joshua the assurance that he was to take on these enemies and destroy them. Previously, Joshua had conquered the land city by city, but now he had to face five foes at once. Knowing that he could not engage in this battle in his own strength, he had no other alternative but to go to battle trusting in the promise and power of God.

Stop for a moment and let these kings represent your enemies, beloved. What deceptive sin or weakness or stronghold has you by the throat and is about to choke the spiritual life out of you? The sins, habits, and attitudes that ensnare us are empowered by two powerful forces that work in concert with one another. The first is the flesh and the second is the devil and his demonic hordes that magnify our problems in our minds and emotions to the point that we are convinced that even God Himself is no match for them.

Remember this battle follows the previous military victory at Ai (Joshua 8). Whenever you or I, by the grace of God, win a battle over the enemy of our souls, know this. Our adversary the devil does not wave the white flag of surrender. He forms a coalition and comes at us from different angles. Their one objective is to get our eyes off The Lord Jesus and on the “magnitude” of the problem, the affliction, or the situation. God’s challenge to His people then and for His people now is the same: not to fear the enemy. The Lord didn't save you to live a life filled with anxiety and tension. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) For those who will walk by faith and not by sight, and learn to cast all of our cares upon Him, the Lord still gives “peace that passeth understanding” (Philippians 4:7)

Spiritual victory is not mind over matter; it is embracing the Lordship of Jesus Christ as Lord over all. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 37-39) Because Christ has risen, we win, even when it appears that we lose, because nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yes, we must fight, but the battle and victory belong to The Lord. Receive it and believe it. Selah

This journey through the book of Joshua reflects our lives. We are constantly in need to commit our ways, objectives, pursuits, decisions, goals and our responsibilities to the Lord for wisdom and direction. The danger is that we think we know His will without seeking and searching His heart and blessing.

The danger when we presume results in us walking by sight, and is multiplied a hundred times because we are in constant conflict with the natural and supernatural forces. We see the world, the physical and concrete, and we evaluate it and determine we can handle this, because it is simple. We must be ever wary because often we are not just dealing with only flesh and blood. Rather, we are dealing with an insidious enemy who uses people to promote his schemes (Ephesians 6:12). We need to consider our weakness and be aware of Satan’s power, deception, and operations in this world (2 Corinthians 2:11).

To walk by faith is to walk in a spirit of prayerful dependence on the Lord and His guidance. We are always to seek God’s wisdom because we need His guidance no matter what the issue is. James warns us against the sin of presuming on the Lord or against pursuing our own dreams and objectives apart from seeking God’s leading and will (James 4:13-17).

Joshua 9 tells us what happens when we presume that we have a handle on things, but it also gives us a lesson on what we can do when we have encountered failure.

There is no biblical record of prayer being made before entering into battle against Ai; thus, the nation of Israel suffered a tragic loss of life (Joshua 7:5). Having seen the walls of Jericho fall flat down, could be that Joshua and the army did not think that it was necessary to seek God because they were entering a battle against a much smaller city? This great loss at Ai could have had devastating consequences of guilt and condemnation of both Joshua and the nation had not God given them another opportunity to return to Ai, but this time with the power and wisdom of God (Joshua 8:1).

Beloved, every single one of us have suffered losses in our lives because we have failed to pray before engaging in some kind of battle, and forged ahead leaning on our own understanding and the power of the flesh. The name Ai means “heap of ruins”. As we seek to follow Jesus and get “back into” the Spirit, the devil, who is the accuser of the brethren, oftentimes reminds us of all of our failures in life. If you find yourself stuck this morning in the spiritual mud of guilt because of failures in the past, Joshua 8 has great news for you. God allows us to return to those battle scenes of defeat, but this time with the wisdom and power of God. The God of our victories at Jericho is the God Who allows you and me to reclaim victories over our losses at Ai.

My precious brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are gripped today in the throes of guilt, condemnation and accusations because of your sins and failures the past, it is proof that you are listening to the devil. Hear what The Father would say to you this morning. Your identity and usefulness as a Christian is not tied to your failures, but to your faith in and relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Simon Peter failed miserably when he denied Jesus three times, and Satan desired to sift him like wheat. But Jesus prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Ask The Holy Spirit to settle your heart and mind this morning as we study this encouraging chapter of how God turns the ashes of defeat and guilt into beauty, and the tragedies of failure into triumph for the glory of God.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1,2) “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33, 34) THAT’S the truth! Receive the victory of Jesus over your losses and failures this morning. Selah

We love the high moments of life. We want the mountain top experiences but we dislike when we find ourselves in the valleys of life circumstances. This is true across the spectrum of our lives and, no doubt, is the norm in every generation.

In Joshua chapter 7, Joshua and Israel are going forward from the “high” of seeing the walls of Jericho go down on a shout. They knew this was an impossible city to conquer, so something supernatural had to happen. Something supernatural does take place, including them walking a considerable distance on the Sabbath. (God does not paint Himself into a corner, and He always stretches us and cares for us, because He wants us to be like Him.) But complacency and self-reliance quickly set in as the Israelites were beginning their journey into the Promised Land, and we see the cost of not seeking the Lord.

More often than not it seems, we find ourselves in valleys. It is not an experience we desire or look forward to. At times the valley we find ourselves in is a result of our own doing. The instructions given by God were clear. Everything needed to be destroyed when they entered Jericho except Rahab and her household, and the gold and silver and fine things were to be brought to the house of the Lord (Joshua 6:17-19). However, Achan intentionally disobeyed God’s instructions (Joshua 7:1). His irresponsibility became everyone’s responsibility.

The cost of sin is great. It is certainly personal but not private, and it impacts everyone around you. God is looking for us to consecrate ourselves to Him. So, how is your tent?

The story of how God destroyed the city of Jericho is one of those Bible events that many people have heard. May God give us ears to hear once again, not only the miraculous, but also the practical lessons of the amazing account of the power of God working to destroy His enemies, while at the same time, deliver His people. Have we become so familiar with reading about this mighty work of God, that we have forgotten that He is the same wall-crushing, enemy-defeating God today? There was no difficulty for God to tear down the walls of Jericho. But for the people of God, it was a true step of faith in His command to walk around the city silently for six days, and then only shout on the seventh trip on the seventh day at the sound of the trumpet (Joshua 6:15,16,20). It has been estimated that it would take at least 45 minutes to walk around this huge citadel. Imagine nearly one million people keeping absolute silence while walking around the city. That in and of itself is a miracle! If you don’t think that this command required faith and discipline, when you go home after service today, try keeping silent for this amount of time. This strategy could not but produce ridicule among the enemy. If Israel was going to experience a victory, Israel was going to have to obey God's instructions, no matter how they felt about it or how foolish the instructions must have seemed.

The same holds true for you and me today, beloved. The Christian life includes facing Jerichos of many shapes and sizes. Just as Israel faced the formidable walls of Jericho, you and I face walls and obstacles in our lives as well. Perhaps it is a lost loved one we would like to see the Lord touch and save, a lost community over which we are burdened, a ministry from the Lord that we feel inadequate about, family trouble that tears at our hearts and leaves us wondering what to do, financial trouble that stresses us to the limits of our patience and faith, a besetting sin that constantly crops up in our life. The Jerichos in our lives loom large in our minds, don’t they? But no Jericho is larger than the wall-crushing power of our God. What is your Jericho this morning? Does God’s word give a command or a promise in how to deal with that Jericho? Chances are His command or promise may seem as farfetched as His command to walk around the city silently for seven days. Proverbs 3:5,6 comes to mind: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Jericho is a picture of the judgment of God on a Christ-rejecting world, as well as a message of deliverance for those who trust Him. Because Rahab knew God, the most dangerous place, Jericho, was a safe place for her and her family. The scarlet thread marked the place where she lived. Because of her faith in God, her home and family were marked as being set apart for God. Beloved, the world that we live in is not a safe place at all. However, when we give our hearts to The Lordship of Jesus Christ and submit to His will, His Name is that strong and mighty tower that we can run into and be safe (Proverbs 18:10). Like Rahab, if you place your faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, you will be spared from the wrath to come. So call upon The Name of The Lord and be saved. He that hath ears to hear, let’s once again hear what God is saying to us today. Selah

In our study this morning, Joshua has led the people of God to the place called Gilgal. One of the many lessons that we will learn in Joshua is that the next generation of Israelites are going to experience the fulfillment of the promises that God gave to their parents and grandparents. Joshua was going to see GOD perform the promises and miracles that He not only gave unto Moses, but to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Our God is a promise keeping God!

From a military standpoint, the perfect moment to attack Jericho would have been immediately upon crossing the Jordan River. The inhabitants of Jericho couldn’t help but tremble at the thought of such a powerful God; but instead of allowing the people to attack at the moment in which Jericho was most fearful (Joshua 5:1), God wanted them to stop and get their hearts right with Him and aligned with His will. Instead of allowing them to immediately go into battle, God instructed the Israelites to be circumcised. In fact, God is going to command them to reinstitute two rites that they had not practiced in the wilderness – Circumcision and Passover (5:2,10). Circumcision was the sign of the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14), identifying the individual as a member of the covenant community, and it was a prerequisite for participating in the Passover (Exodus 12:48).

No doubt Joshua was praying and wondering what the next step would be. Erwin Lutzer commenting on verses 13-15 of chapter 5 writes: “There was still an important question that needed an answer. Who would be in charge of the military campaign against Jericho? Joshua needed some assurance that he was under the control of someone mightier than he. Unexpectedly, he relearned where he fit in the military chain of command.” “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host (army) of the LORD am I now come.” (Joshua 5:13,14) This Person of course is The Lord Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate appearance, which is known in Scripture as a Christophany. As Captain of The Lord’s Host, He was in control of the Lord's armies in Heaven and on the earth. He represented the unseen army of angels who were under His command to fight for the people of God. Thus, in the chain of command, He told Joshua that He was in charge. He told Joshua that He did not come to take sides, but to take over! Joshua now realized that it was not a matter of sides, but a matter of sovereignty. Jericho would indeed fall, but it would not be a matter of Israel’s resources and strength, but God’s.

Beloved, for every Jericho that you and I will face in life, let us never forget that this very same Lord Jesus is in charge and in control. “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38) Trust Him. Selah

As you live your life, there are probably moments you have captured on your camera. Perhaps there are shells you have collected on a sea shore, or souvenirs you have purchased to remind you of where you have been. Quite possibly there are experiences you wish you could frame along with the stories that go along with them. Some of those times were just fun. Some may have been with people who are no longer on this planet. Some of those memorable times had some meaningful impact, and some had teachable lessons.

Our lives are filled with memories and memorials that tell the world about us and what’s important, and, more importantly, about God’s faithfulness in our lives. Even though you may have faced difficult circumstances, and maybe you even wondered about and questioned God in those overwhelming situations, you kept the faith and realized that God has His own way to take you through things to build you up and get you closer to Him and remind you how He has been there all along.

We at times have difficulty remembering who God is and what He has done for us. Perhaps at times we get so busy enjoying the gifts God has given us that we overlook His sacrifice of love and take for granted His care for us because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Saints, struggles will always come in this world, but the pile of memorial stones (as we see in Joshua chapter 4) will be there to remind us of the source of all goodness and joy. To this very day God’s Word reminds us of all God has done, especially through Jesus Christ. It’s a great collection of memory stones pointing us to the Savior as our chief cornerstone.

When you look towards the future, be confident that God will “part the Jordan” – that is, those things impossible to you – so that you can learn and appreciate His faithfulness in your life.

The moment has finally come. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, Joshua tells the nation of Israel that it is time to cross over the Jordan river, and step into the land of promise. I wonder how many of this next generation of Israelites had been told “bed time stories” of how God miraculously parted the Red Sea to deliver the nation out of Egypt. Now here they are, poised on the brink of the river, with the land of promise, and most notably Jericho in sight. Since it was flood season and the Jordan was at its highest level, they no doubt wondered how God was going to bring them across. Listen to these instructions and try to imagine that you never read the story before. “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon a heap.” (Joshua 3:11-13)

There you have it!! In New Testament terminology we would call this a step of faith, wouldn’t we? “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38) Read on, beloved. “And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bore the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.” (Joshua 3:14-17)

There are many practical lessons that we can glean from this chapter, but one sure lesson is this. When God gives us a promise that seems impossible, it is not necessary for us to understand how God is going to fulfill it. It's simply a matter of having childlike faith in our promise keeping God. Selah

One of the most intriguing, yet incredible personalities in the book of Joshua and in the Hebrews “Hall of Faith” chapter, is the woman Rahab (Hebrews 11:31). James 2:25 comments: “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” Here is a woman who had come to saving faith in Yahweh, The God of Israel. Glory to God for His great love and pursuit of sinners!

This woman who had come to faith in The True and Living God was a prostitute, who was raised in a pagan culture with only a cultic religious upbringing, if that. But the news about the greatness and power of Yahweh that had spread fast in the city of Jericho had begun to pierce her empty heart. “She said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:9-11)

Like Lydia in Acts 16:14, The Spirit of God caused the report of the work of God to quicken something in the heart of this woman of ill repute. Bear in mind though, that as far as being a “candidate” for salvation according to the religious culture of the day, Rahab had at least three strikes against her: (1) She was a Canaanite. (2) She was a woman. (An old daily Jewish prayer went like this: “I thank my God that I was not born a woman.”) (3) She was a prostitute. But the grace of God can penetrate the depths of our sin and immorality and bring forth a trophy of His mercy and saving grace. Amazingly, God was working in this woman’s life “behind the scenes”, so to speak, not only to bring her to saving faith in Him, but also to assist the two spies who were sent out by Joshua to spy out the land, especially Jericho. This woman was used by God to provide more valuable information about the conditions of Jericho for Joshua than the 10 Jewish spies of unbelief had done some 40 years earlier.

When Jericho would be destroyed, Rahab and her family would be saved by a scarlet thread, or rope. The scarlet color of the cord that Rahab was to display in her window was symbolic of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt back in Exodus 12. This of course pointed to the blood of Christ, Our Passover Lamb, which, according to 1 John 1:7, “cleanses us from all sin.” Rahab’s name would go down in history, not just as a harlot, but as a prostitute saved by the grace of God, and one of the world’s most unusual mothers. She became the mother of Boaz, which made her the great-great-grandmother of King David, one of the direct ancestors of Joseph, the husband of Mary to whom Jesus the Messiah was born (Matthew 1:5-16). Amazing grace! Selah

The book of Joshua is a book of transition. “Moses My servant is dead” (Joshua 1:2). Put yourself in Joshua’s sandals. Your mentor and the only leader that you and the nation have had has finished his course, and is in heaven. What God is saying to Joshua boils down to this: “Moses is gone, so now it’s time for you to step up and walk in My will for your life and lead My people into the Promised Land.” So not only is this a change for Joshua, it is a change for an entire nation.

It has been rightly observed that in the kingdom of God all positions of leadership are interim. There comes a time in every ministry when God calls for a new beginning with a new generation and new leadership. All prophets, teachers, pastors, etc. are interim individuals. Yes Moses was dead, but the work of God was continuing because it was the work of God and not of Moses. And that is true of any God-birthed ministry. Joshua had the same promises God had given Moses to carry on the work. There was a work for Joshua to do that Moses could not do. This transition from Moses to Joshua stands as a reminder and a warning that we must never put our hopes and trust in man, but in The Redeemer of man, The Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 118:8, 146:3-10).

Things would be different for Israel now under Joshua. In the wilderness, God miraculously provided them with manna every day. Now, they would need to make provisions of food for themselves and their families. Once they cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, they are going to enter enemy territory and encounter battles that they never had to fight in the wilderness. Of course God would be with them, but now they would be like the baby bird thrown out of the nest by its mother to learn how to fly and provide for itself. Once they cross that river, they would be in the enemy’s radar. News would spread that the people of The Great and Mighty God Who delivered through the Red Sea was leading His people into their land, and the battle lines would be drawn. But God told Joshua, who in turn told the people: “… be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)

Beloved, the promise of God’s presence, and His faithfulness to keep His promises to us personally and as a church family, enable us to live fearlessly, courageously, and faithfully unto Him and for His glory in this crazy world we are in. If we are to conquer the enemy and walk in the victory that we have in Christ, we must have spiritual strength and spiritual courage. We must respond to our Joshua (Jesus Christ), as the Israelites responded to their leader: “… All that Thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever Thou sendest us, we will go.” (Joshua 1:16) Selah

The word Joshua means Jehovah is Savior. Therefore, we expect to find this book to be all about Christ and His work in redemption. Crossing the Red Sea, for example, typifies what we are separated from, and is expounded upon in Romans 6 and Romans 7. Crossing the Jordan River typifies what we are separated unto, and we read about this being fulfilled in Ephesians 1 and Ephesians 2.

God's purpose for Israel was not only to deliver them out of Egypt, but also to bring them into the land of promise. Canaan does not represent heaven. Remember, Canaan had in it walled cities, giants, and chariots of iron. It was a land of conflict, but it was also a land of conquest. God has far more in store for us than simply saving us from the penalty of sin. He desires to give us victory in our present situation, and He enables us to claim what is ours in Christ Jesus. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

Joshua was one of only two men from the older generation of Israelites still alive forty years after Israel’s departure from Egypt (Numbers 14:29-30; Deuteronomy 1:34-38). During those forty years he had gained much valuable experience as Moses’ assistant. In the early days of the journey Joshua served as a military commander, defending his people against the Amalekites, who attacked the weak and infirm at the rear of Israel’s ranks (Exodus 17:8-14; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the commandments of God, Joshua accompanied him part way and was not involved in the sin of worshipping the golden calf (Exodus 24:13, 32:17). Joshua was one of the twelve who explored the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:2,8), and he and Caleb were the only two of the twelve to give a positive report and resist the people’s demands to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-9). At the end of the forty years in the desert, God chose him as Moses’ successor (Numbers 27:18-23).

As we see, by the time the Israelites reached the banks of the Jordan, Joshua had learned some important lessons. And likewise, when God chooses us for a task, He gives us the experiences we will need in order to carry it out, and these experiences teach us valuable lessons.

The study of Bible prophecy is one of certainty and mystery at the same time. The church (and the world) has been victimized by the “unfulfilled” promises of false prophets who have set the day when Jesus Christ will return. While Bible prophecy does indicate certain things that give cause to believe that Jesus’ return is imminent, we must never forget that we see through a glass darkly, and according to Jesus (Whom I personally believe is the best interpreter of how Bible prophecy is to be lived out practically), the most important thing for us to remember is that we are all called to be a witness for Jesus Christ in the power of The Spirit in the midst of a fallen and lost culture.

Last days, Spirit-filled, gospel living is not a political message. It is a message of hope and eternal life, by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It’s turning the narrative from “evening news” to The Good News. It’s refusing to get trapped by the left or the right, and bringing the conversation to the narrow path that leads unto life. It’s a call to walk in godliness, holiness, and purity in the hopes of being a stepping stone instead of a stumbling stone to others coming to Christ. It’s a call to live a life of peace in a world of chaos by living by faith in the Living God instead of by the multitude of fears that are swirling around today. It’s a call to plant the seeds of God’s Word in society in every opportunity that we are given. It is the privilege of shining for Jesus Christ and living in such a way that others can say, “O taste and see that The Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8a). If you could bring Jesus to work, or school, or the gym, or anywhere else, what would you talk about? What would matter the most? The reality of it, beloved, is we DO bring Jesus with us wherever we go. Make Him and His kingdom the topic and let the chips fall where they may. Selah

Daniel chapter 10 begins with prologue and chapter 11 is the continuation with the vision, which is the final vision given to Daniel. It reveals important events starting in 539 BC, giving us Darius as the historical figure. The first 35 verses describe major rulers, and in these verses we are given, not just the macro, but also micro details of events from Esther to Alexander the Great to Antiochus Epiphanes, covering the entire period until 174 BC. Once again we notice the “gap” we are living in, quite intentionally. The last verses speak to the Antichrist and Christ’s return.

It has been noted by many scholars that over 130 prophecies have been fulfilled in the first 35 verses of Daniel 11. Much of what was prophecy to Daniel is history to us. These events are recorded and can be corroborated. Thus the great attacks on the book of Daniel, especially this chapter and its dating, has been a constant cause for secular theologians, but they all have been proven false. This account is the most precise and accurate prophecy of the future, fully demonstrating its Divine inspiration.

This chapter raises the question of the Antichrist. Many have wondered if the Antichrist is living today, and some have wandered in their faith by speculating or trying to name people as possible antichrists throughout history. We simply do not know who the Antichrist is. We do know that when we see certain specific things, we will be able to recognize him. The great danger today is to get caught up in the prophetic interpretation and miss the discernment that this passage gives us. We need to be people who do self-evaluation and purge ourselves from anything that is ungodly and wicked, and lead as many as we can to Christ. This is no time for compromise.

Ultimately the choice is between Christ and Antichrist, and this choice has eternal consequences. The purpose of this study is to prepare and equip you, so that you can be ready to do the work the Lord has called you to do in these last days.

This chapter begins the final discourse in the book of Daniel, consisting of chapters 10 -12. It is 536 B.C. and Daniel would have been approximately eighty-four years old at this time. The exile has ended and it is understood by him that Israel was in for a very tumultuous time ahead. In fact the news was so bad that Daniel went into mourning. What he sees in the vision is pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. (The Old Testament gives us pictures of Jesus all over its corridors as we march down history lane.) Daniel feels quite weary and the Lord touches Daniel. When all the chips were down, Daniel needed to know His God was there, and he felt the touch of the Lord. We can also count on God’s power, love, peace, strength, and abiding grace in our everyday lives. A touch from the Lord in our day means to have a fresh communication with God each day. Getting close to the Lord is our responsibility.

We have as much of God’s presence as we deeply and truly desire. If you are not experiencing Him personally, you are missing out. He said that those who seek Him will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). When Christ dwells within you, you have power to overcome sin and love others as Christ does. In your distress, in your need, in your ministry, in your service, in your sin, in your marriage, in your parenting, in your church-life, in your heart, will you seek the Lord for a fresh touch? Today is the day!

There is the seen and then there is the unseen. We get quite a lesson on what is going on behind the scenes as God sends help towards Daniel. Our understanding of spiritual warfare isn’t adequate to understand what is described in this chapter. This chapter describes a war that has been going on in heaven and continues today. We need to be aware of the Spiritual realm and not just the physical. It will help us both in our outlook and outcomes.

As we study the book of Daniel we discovered why God allowed Nebuchadnezzar and other pagan kings to run over His people. Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 are chapters containing blessings, but mostly curses. One of the final curses for disobedience to God was exile (Deuteronomy 28:64; Leviticus 26:33). Chapter 8 of Daniel points to the future. As prophesied and as we learned last Sunday, there was a man who came on the scene by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was going to usher in great trial to Israel, God’s people. Why? Why would God allow this to happen? Because Israel had rejected God. As a result there was a consequence. God’s judgment fell upon them. God had told them in Deuteronomy exactly what would happen and it happened. What do you do when you’re in a situation like that? You may be reading this and saying, I am suffering the consequences of somebody else’s sin, just as Daniel was suffering.

I think generally we could all say that our country has forsaken God. Systematically our religious freedoms are being quarantined or considered to be intolerance. We no longer have religious freedom in our nation; we have religious toleration. We all know that it is just a matter of time, as the fuse is getting shorter and shorter, to when we’re going to deal with some hard times in this country. Daniel pulls the curtains back and allows us to view how he dealt with crisis in his life. How should we, as citizens of this country and of God’s Kingdom, deal with the obvious apathy of our nation toward God? Rejection of God’s morals and values is not “woke”. How should we react? How should we respond? How should we pray?

Daniel gives us the Biblical narrative available to us, that God’s glory might be seen once again (Daniel 9:19).

Daniel's reaction to the details of the near and future prophetic vision pronounced upon the Jewish people and ultimately the entire planet caused him to grow faint and get sick. The biblical description of life on planet earth at the end times is indeed gut wrenching and sickening. There will be gender confusion and moral degradation unparalleled in the history of man.

A prayerful reading of the Olivet Discourse given by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24, coupled with multiple Old Testament prophecies alongside of the scathing and brutal conditions recorded in Revelation 6-19 are enough to turn one inside out spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. But rather than throw our heads up in the air, we need to be like Daniel, who rose up and did the king's business.

We too are called to rise up, beloved and be about the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s business. Many of Jesus’ teachings center on being wise stewards of our God-given time and talents. Jesus clearly has mandated that His church look out at the lost world and call them our harvest.

I think it is a shame when a Christian's life is known for what they are against, rather than what they are for. That never means that we hesitate to tell the truth, but it does mean that when we share it, we lovingly lay out the eternal consequences of rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem and saw its destruction, He wept. May God give His church backbone and love to live for Him in these last days. Let God’s Word set the agenda for your life, beloved. Respond to His light in the power of His Spirit instead of reacting to darkness in the ugliness of the flesh.

Righteous anger at the wicked things that are going on in the world is a part of love; but it is the goodness of God that leads a lost soul to repentance. The ultimate judge of the destiny of the nations and the souls of men is in His hands, not the government’s and certainly not ours.

Be prayerful. Be obedient to His will. Take a biblical and loving stand for truth and righteousness. The correct understanding of Scripture should cause us to become more optimistic than fatalistic in the sense that what Christ commands us to do and the way He has called us to live as Christians IS the King's business for the last days. Selah

As we jump into this prophetic section of Daniel, one of the things that separates the Bible from every other alleged “Inspired Book” is that The Bible makes exact prophetic statements that have been literally fulfilled. In Daniel chapter 7, 75% of the prophecy has been fulfilled and we are living in the days of the remaining 25%. So, we could say that what we are studying today is tomorrow’s news from approximately 2500 B.C.!

It is so comforting to know, beloved, that in spite of our current chaotic global condition and misplaced hopes due to false prophecies regarding elections and false dates regarding the return of Jesus Christ (which is going to happen!!) that The Most High God is Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omniscient (all-knowing), and Omnipresent (ever present). Bible prophecy reminds us that practically speaking, our God is in control of the universe, not blind chance. His sovereignty rules in the universe that He created and in every single event here on planet earth. The prophet Isaiah said, “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand”. (Isaiah 14:24) Solomon wrote these words: “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth [it], that [men] should fear before him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14)

Edward Hindson and Woodward Kroll write: “The similarities between the general prophetic importance of this chapter and chapter 2 are numerous. Both speak of the same four successive world empires—Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Both relate events of the end time just before the second coming of Christ, and both chapters speak of the kingdom established by the Lord. However, chapter 2 views the situation from man’s perspective in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream—a great shining image of a man. On the other hand, God’s point of view is seen in Daniel’s vision where the four kingdoms are pictured as fighting beasts.” Oh how different God views leaders and nations on planet earth than cable news does!

Bible prophecy teachings draw crowds of curious people who are eager to “know” what is going to happen and when. Scripture indeed declares what is going to happen and when, but we often see those things through a glass darkly. The real question this morning is not what or when, but Who!! “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” (Daniel 7:13) Daniel sees Jesus Christ returning in the clouds with power and great glory, just like in Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 1:7. We know from Revelation 19 that when Jesus returns, the armies of heaven will follow Him, suggesting that His people return with Him from heaven at the time of His Second Coming!! Will you be with Him when He returns? “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.” (2 Peter 1:10) Selah

Daniel is a great book to be studying in these times. As believers, it gives us perspective to live in a world that is hostile spiritually, when winds of compromise seem fierce and every person is inclined to do what is right in their own sight. Even though the gospel brings conviction and further freedom, that same gospel is looked upon as narrow and outdated. We believers have now received a taste of what it is like to be ostracized and forced into following unwanted regulations under the guise of “protection”. What we need to remind ourselves is that there is not just a physical battle, but also a spiritual battle raging all around us. 1 Peter 5:8 speaks of the devil as “a roaring lion”, who is looking for every opportunity to devour saints.

We need to understand that increasingly we are going to live lives that will be scrutinized. We would need to have our sights set on the goal that is set before us. Philippians 3:13-14 stresses, “… but this one thing I do”. We must have a single mind and an undivided heart. We prepare each day so that when that fiery dart comes, there will be no hesitation on our part because the decision has already been made. Having that single focus will give you peaceful boldness and courage.

Here are some questions you should consider as we study this chapter. Are you preparing yourself prayerfully each and every day? Are you certain that when it comes to your commitment to Christ, nothing this world throws at you is going to have you rethink your relationship with God? Are there areas of compromise where you need to repent and get right with God?

The way we persevere in this world, stay on course, and don’t head for the exit when things come at us with warp speed, is to become daily rooted and grounded in God’s word. This consistency, saints, will help us withstand the trials, will purge the sins, and will mature us in Christ.

Whenever you hear the phrase, “the handwriting is on the wall”, you know that whatever is about to happen, whether good or bad, is inevitable. Today we will learn where that phrase came from, and we will also know that it is only when God is the One Who writes on the wall that it will surely come to pass.

We saw in Daniel 4 that because King Nebuchadnezzar took all the credit for Babylon’s prosperity and political and military accomplishments, he lived like an animal until he knew “that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” (v. 32) His grandson Belshazzar saw how God humbled him. He also saw how God allowed him to be restored when he repented and acknowledged that all blessings and good gifts come from above. When Belshazzar inherited the rule of Babylon, the city was still prosperous, but outside the walls of the “impregnable city” was the Persian army, who would soon take over the city and dethrone the king and become the next world power, just like God said.

In an act of defiant sacrilege, Belshazzar ordered that he be brought the sacred vessels that his grandfather took from the temple of Jerusalem and used them to drink wine and give praise to the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. He crossed the line. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace. Troubled and disturbed in his conscience, at the bequest of the queen, he called for Daniel to give him the interpretation. “This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5:26-28) King Belshazzar did not learn a thing from his grandfather’s defeat. “And thou …, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; … and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:” (vv. 22-23).

Who has hardened his heart against The Lord and prospered (Job 9:4)? Nobody. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Selah

How would you answer this question? Who is in control of the affairs and events on planet earth, including your own life? In our study of Daniel chapter 4, we come across the phrase: “to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (v 17) multiple times (vv 25, 32; additionally in 5:21).

Read again the words, “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men”. End of discussion. No truth of Scripture disturbs control-freak sinners as that truth. Oh many Christians would say that they would not want to be in control, but every one of us must readily admit that we are not really “happy campers” when things do not turn out the way we want them to. Consider a few passages with me this morning: “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, [that] did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” (Psalm 135:6); “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:10).

I could go on for hours citing the passages that speak of God’s sovereign control over His entire universe. The purpose of this decree that was given to King Nebuchadnezzar was not meant to be left to his private interpretation. It was to teach not only him, but you and me that in the realm of activity that takes place on planet earth, God reigns. He sets up and pulls down kingdoms. His actions in history focus on the work of humbling men in order that they may dispense with their foolish pride and acknowledge Him as their God. Still not convinced? “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever He wills.” (Proverbs 21:1) “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1)

So let me ask you again, my dear friends, who is in control of this planet? Human beings? Angels? Satan? Prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, we read this declaration of the heavens in Revelation 19:6: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” God’s sovereign control over things does not diminish human responsibility for our actions; it actually enhances the truth that as Christians, we are commanded as His people to believe on His Son Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls and then walk worthy of Him, in holiness and purity. Beloved, our times are in His hands. Every breath we take is a gift from Him. He knew us in our mother’s womb. He knew the day we would be born and He knows the day when He will call us home. Life is filled with mysterious events. Our only source of perfect peace is found in God’s perfect love for us. Resign from being the god of your life, and choose to live like a redeemed soul who humbly walks by faith with The Everlasting God, Who is right now working all things together for good. Trust whatever you are facing today to The One Who died for you and rose again from the dead to give you life. Who you believe is in control will determine your level of peace or anxiety. Selah

In our study today, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are faced with a decision. Their King and employer has made a golden image and commanded all citizens of the kingdom to bow down and worship it, or suffer the penalty of being burned alive by fire. But in the book of Exodus we read, “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (20:1-6) What will these 3 young men do?

Let them speak for themselves. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18) Note the response of these 3 young men….we won’t give in…we won’t bow down…God’s Word says that we are not to do those things…period! Case closed! End of discussion. These three young men were faced with the decision to obey the command of God or the command of the king. They chose to be faithful to God no matter what happened! They trusted God to deliver them, but they were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences. Please note in verse 16 the word “careful”, which means “full of care, anxiety.” In other words, their minds were made up; the issue was settled. God’s Word was so clear in prohibiting the bowing down before a statue and worshiping of other gods that they did not need to think twice about it. Their response to the king’s compromise was that there was no question in their mind about what decision to make. They were not concerned about the possibility of being thrown into the furnace because they had died a long time before this event. But they also declared, Our God is able to deliver us, and if He chooses not to, we still will not bow down. The word “if” is not doubting God’s ability to deliver them; it is submitting to His sovereignty. Even if we die, Our God is still God and your lifeless gold image is still a lifeless gold image.

Regardless of the outcome, these three had purposed to serve God and not the idol of Nebuchadnezzar. The outcome? After being thrown into the fiery furnace, Jesus Christ appears in the furnace with them and delivers them. Scripture is clear that not all of God’s people are miraculously delivered like these three young men, but in every case recorded in Scripture, whenever the people of God are commanded by any authority to disobey a clear command of God, they obey God rather than men. No compromise. Count the cost, beloved. In verse 28 we read that they yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God. So too should we (Romans 12:1,2) Selah

Daniel is a great book to study for many reasons. It is expansive in its reach; it is one of the few books written outside of Israel; it is mostly written in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonians. We also have parallel writings of Jeremiah at this time and make this profound. There is imagery and time expanse that goes from 600 plus years before Christ to the future Kingdom set up in the end times, and includes many things in between. We can certainly get insight on how to live in our Babylon - not just survive, but thrive in our Babylon. There is a responsibility that was given to Daniel and to us to be ambassadors, testifying of the Cross and Christ’s Kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20), so that many would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Hostile environments often create emotional reactions or responses from people who are facing them. Daniel faced continuous hostility throughout his time in Babylon. He spent his life enslaved to a culture and laws that could not have been more contrary to what he believed. Yet, we do not see him reacting wildly or negatively. He again and again responded to whatever fiery darts came his way. He was purposeful, humble and confident of His God. He had his priorities aligned and he knew what to pursue, and his life shows his devotion to and worship of the One True God. There is nothing mysterious about Daniel. His is a life bathed in prayer, commitment, and discipline. He expected to hear God, and God spoke powerfully in His life and through His life.

Do you think you are living in a hostile culture? Do you think that you are being persecuted for your beliefs? Do you feel hopeless? Lost? Overwhelmed? Are you reacting or are you responding? Allow the Lord to speak into your life today through this amazing book and see what you can look forward to in the future.

Today we begin our study in one of the most important books on the subject of bible prophecy, and that is the book of Daniel. But what I want to share with you in this devotional is from Daniel 1:8: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”

One of the most overlooked aspects in the study of bible prophecy is the importance of how it is meant to be applied in our daily lives. The apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2,3) The correct interpretation of Bible prophecy will impact the way we live our daily lives. It will impact the choices that we make. It will have a moral and godly impact on how we live. When the king of Babylon sought to brainwash Daniel with Babylonian theology, culture and lifestyle, Daniel purposed in his heart to refuse to compromise. The word purposed is translated, “determined, resolved, made up his mind, made the decision”; you get the idea. And what did Daniel base his purpose to live in such a way upon? The revealed word of God.

There are only two kingdoms on this planet: the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. Those who have followed The Living God since the fall of Adam in the Garden have always been a counter-culture people. Not obstinate. Not cocky and arrogant. Certainly not holier-than-thou. But pure and simply devoted to God. And Daniel lived with an excellent spirit in the midst of the Babylonian culture that was pagan to the core on all points – theologically, morally, and politically. God noticed and called Daniel, “a man greatly beloved” (Daniel 10:11).

So as we begin our journey through this exciting book of prophecy, let us never forget that the most important part of our study is not so much the information of dates and times that we will learn – as important as all of that that is – but is our daily practical application and inward transformation into the image Jesus Christ. “Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” (Acts 11:23) Have you purposed in your heart to cleave unto The Lord today? Selah

After the people of God returned to the work of building the temple, some of the older saints began to compare the smallness of the new temple with the magnificent temple that was built by Solomon. From the human perspective, there was no comparison at all. In fact, as far as they were concerned, the value of the new temple could not even come close to the value and splendor of Solomon’s temple. But thankfully God’s value system is not measured in terms of dollars and cents or size.

When Haggai prophesies of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, under the inspiration of The Holy Ghost, he identifies Him as The Desire of all nations (Haggai 2:7). Now there is an alternate translation that interprets that same phrase as the wealth of all nations, speaking of the wealth that the nations will contribute to the millennial temple. However, the real glory of God is revealed in The Person of Jesus Christ. When Christ returns, He is going to shake up all the kingdoms and governments of mankind and set up His Kingdom on earth that cannot be shaken.

Followers of Jesus Christ are transformed as they believe and hide in their hearts the promises of God. We believe that Jesus is coming again, because He said that He would (John 14:3). Because we believe that Jesus is coming again, we have a living hope that allows us to be unshakable in a world that is being shaken with fear, chaos, confusion, and despair. The true glory of God is not in any building, including the temple of God. The true glory of God is personified in the Person of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

We live in a world that has a warped and corrupt value system. It is only by receiving Jesus Christ and valuing the things that He values that we find the real meaning and purpose of life both now and forever. Consider your ways, beloved. Is Jesus Christ The Desire of your life? Selah

My devotional today is actually something that I wrote for New Years Day 2017. Four years has passed since then, and a lot has gone on within our personal lives and this church family, but God’s Word remains the same. The exhortation that I wrote to you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is as necessary and timely today as it was then. If possible, perhaps more necessary and urgent being four years closer to Jesus’ return. So read this KF devotional from 2017 and consider your ways.

Today is the first day of the year 2017. Today is the day that many people begin that new diet, or exercise program, or budget. It is a day when we reflect on the past year or years, and come to the conclusion that something has got to change. The status quo is unacceptable. Such was the case when God raised up the prophet Haggai to give a sobering message to the remnant of Jews that had returned to the holy land after being in Babylonian captivity. Initially excited over being back in the land that God gave unto their fathers, they began to rebuild the wall of the temple, only to be confronted by opposition and resistance, both from without and within. For 16 years, the temple was left unattended to, but they went on living their personal lives and building their own kingdom.

Haggai had a three word prophesy from God for them: “Consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:5,7) Those three words echo the warning of Jesus to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). When Jesus spoke about the signs that would precede His Second Coming in Mark 13:33-37, He phrased the words “consider your ways” with one word - Watch.

Beloved, while there is nothing wrong with taking a fresh look at your life and recognizing that some changes need to be made, may I lovingly say to you, that if seeking first the kingdom of God and drawing closer to Jesus Christ is NOT the top priority on your 2017 Resolution list, your life is out of order. Beloved, consider your ways in your personal life. Consider your ways in your marriage or marital state. Consider your ways in how you are using your God-given talents in your personal life and inside the church. Consider your ways. Selah

As I first read these passages, it was difficult to see beyond the ordinary. I know that God’s Word is inspired and wanted to really get beyond my initial difficulties of pronunciations of names and trying to determine what the passage is speaking of. It is always worthwhile to spend time in prayer with His Word. God certainly does not want to make His Word mysterious to us. There is no doubt much can be said about Paul’s characteristics that can and should be cultivated, captured, and applied to our lives.

Many people think that Paul was a loner. I can imagine him being difficult to be with. You can see at times he is very demanding. But we also see that he has the ability to surround himself with people and work shoulder to shoulder in ministry. We also notice that Paul is all about the Gospel but it is not at the expense of the people around him; in fact, just the opposite. He cares for them deeply and was able to build lifelong relationships.

Paul highlights our attitudes, our genuine and authentic concern for others, that we are not alone in the work of the Lord, and we should never think that only I am called to do certain work. We ought to share and lift each other’s burden in the work of the Lord. We also need to be thankful, grateful for all those with whom we co-labor, and always appreciate their kindness and labor.

Lastly, Paul shows determination. He never loses sight as to what the mission of the church is and what our individual mission is. Faithfulness to Christ is primary and his loyalty is to His Lordship. Ultimately Colossians has been about Christ being the head of the Church. These days the Church seems conflicted and confused about who is the head. This is a judicious Word for our times, which helps us navigate the circumstances of the day and bring us to the right place, where we value what is most important in the eyes of our Lord, Savior and Redeemer.

I knew that would get your attention! The devotional this week is not about vaccinations, which is one of the most talked about subjects in the body of Christ today. My appeal to you, dear reader, is about something far more serious than the COVID disease and vaccinations. It is about your eternal soul.

The Spirit of God says in Revelation 20:13-15, “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Read those passages again, slowly and prayerfully. There are individuals who will be cast into the lake of fire forever, which is called the second death. This speaks of eternal separation from God in a place of torment and suffering. God is not warning us of this because He is trying to “scare us”, but because it is a serious thing that every human being must come to grips with. We all will die and step into an eternity in either heaven or hell. Lest we think that this warning of the second death is not to be taken very seriously, The Spirit says in Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Hopefully you (and I!!) are not ignoring these warnings about the second death. The questions I hope you are asking this morning are: How do I escape this second death? Is there a ‘Divine Vaccination’ against the second death? The Lord Jesus Christ said to the church at Smryna, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” (Revelation 2:11) There is ‘the vax’!! It is given to “He that overcometh”. The Lord Jesus said, “… It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Revelation 21:6,7 ) Jesus also proclaimed, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

No human being can come to The Father, and in so doing escape the second death, apart from faith in The Person of Jesus Christ and His atoning death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Faith in Jesus Christ IS how we escape the second death. Jesus Christ IS The Vaccination! “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

Question, dear reader: Have you come to saving faith in The Lord Jesus Christ? “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 21:17) Christ bids you to come to Him this morning and receive much more than a shot in your arm. Come receive eternal life into your soul. SELAH

As the apostle Paul is coming to the close of this letter to the body of believers in Colosse, he urges them to make prayer a priority in their personal and corporate lives. Their pastor was a man of prayer, for Paul would write: “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12) Here is the apostle Paul, sitting in a prison cell, urging the body of Christ to make prayer a priority in their lives.

When the church came into being on the Day of Pentecost, one of the daily activities of the church was to engage in both personal and corporate prayer (Acts 2:42). The Lord Jesus Himself as Son of Man was not only a man of prayer, but He also taught how important it is to pray and keep on praying. Prayer is one of the most precious gifts from God. For sure it is our Father opening up His throne of grace to us for help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16), but it is also that open door of communing with Him throughout the day. It is through prayer that divine guidance is given as we seek to walk in the will and purposes of God in our lives. It is through prayer that we approach The Father to receive cleansing and forgiveness when we sin. It is through prayer with one another that we find healing when we confess our faults one to another. It is during those times of private prayer that we take in the very presence of God and oxygen of heaven into our souls. It is during time of corporate prayer that we lift one another up to God. The purpose of prayer is to discover God’s will, not mine. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

“Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name”, were the first words of Jesus in His answer to the disciples request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1,2) Our Father. Prayer is a family activity, for the body of Christ IS a family. The church is not a business. The church is not a corporation. The Church is a family, and there is only One to Whom we go for help and strength and wisdom and guidance and direction. And we go directly to Abba in Jesus Name and for His glory.

Reader, is personal and corporate prayer a vital part of your spiritual journey with Jesus? Selah

Whenever a person repents and turns to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin, he or she becomes a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is what is known as the new birth, or being born again (John 3:3-7).

With that new birth, we can say that we are now under new management. Formerly self-ruled, we are now under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. All of our lives are now found “in Him”. Thus, our human relationships are now to be subject to God’s “House Rules” and not those of our flawed and fallen society. For the child of God, there is only one Operator’s Manual from which we find instructions for godly relationships. In this Operator’s Manual (The Holy Bible), we discover that God is a God of order and design, and we find that order laid out for us in the realms of marriage, parenting, and work. This God-ordained order or design is not politically correct, to say the least. This God-ordained order supersedes the order as is found in every culture, custom, or race of people. In other words, there isn’t a different Italian or Indian or American structure or design for order in the home or family. There is God’s way as found in Scripture to which any culture or family must adapt. Likewise, parenting is to be done God’s way and children are called upon to honor that way. The way that an individual works or runs a business is to be done God’s way. In every area of life, God has an ordained order that makes that relationship function properly. But when that order or design is neglected or ignored in any way, shape, or form, the net result is the breakdown of harmony within the marriage, the family, or the workplace.

As we look at God’s Operator’s Manual regarding the realms of marriage, parenting, and work, my prayer is that The Spirit of God would minister to our hearts and give us ears to hear afresh these timeless truths and apply them to our lives. “Except The Lord build the house” – the marriage, the family, our vocations and the workplace – we labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). Years ago a dear saint said something to my wife Elizabeth that I will never forget: “The Christian life is only hard when you kick against the goads.” If you are kicking in any area that we cover this morning, give that over to God and start walking again Under New Management. Selah

We are increasingly living in a world that is crying out for peace but does not know how to achieve it. We are trying by rewriting things, changing things that have stood the test of time. The operation mode we find ourselves in as a people is to throw anything and everything at the wall and hope that something sticks and possibly that it can bring about the long hoped for peace. The thought begins with a premise that those things from the Bible are antiquated, those lessons from history are irrelevant, and established processes are restrictive to accomplishing peace.

As they say, the answer is at our door. Everything we have tried to achieve this elusive peace has evaded us and the chasm between peace and us seems to become greater and wider. Paul brings us to a place in this chapter that not only defines what peace in Christ looks like, but also what it takes on our part to secure it. This passage is highly relational and is speaking directly to relationships within the church among believers who were also dealing with racial, cultural, and sociological differences. These three verses are the conclusion of the thought that began in Paul’s mind in Verse 1 of Chapter 3. When you put the entire 17 verses together and the three messages together, you can begin to see the beauty of God’s Word unpacked and how it can impact our lives to make it rich, fruitful, and lived out for His glory.

Although it is true that you cannot judge a book by its cover, how a person dresses says a lot. I may not be a priest by the Catholic definition of the word, but if a person who did not know me came walking down the street and saw me dressed in the black attire of a Catholic priest, they would be inclined to believe that I am a Catholic priest. Likewise, if a young girl was walking down the street and scantily clad, a young man would be inclined to believe that she was a certain type of girl, which she may or may not be. You get the idea.

The apostle Paul exhorts the saints in Colosse to put off the old way of living and put on the new man which is renewed in the knowledge of Him that created him (Colossians 3:10). When you look at what we are exhorted to put on, you see a beautiful picture of The Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to how Paul writes it in our texts this morning: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” (Colossians 3:12-14) To put on means to be clothed. It is like reaching into your closet and choosing the kind of shirt or skirt that you want to wear that day. To put on is another way of saying, ‘Let's dress ourselves each day to look like Jesus Christ.’

In the body of Christ, we have One Model and that is Jesus. To be like Him, we must be clothed with holiness, mercy, kindness, meekness, long-suffering, forgiveness, and above all of those things, love or agape, the Jesus kind of love that is the bond of perfection. That clothing is also the fruit of The Spirit. So let's connect a few dots about how a Christian man or woman should dress. It is all based on completed redemptive facts. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:26,27) Through faith in Jesus Christ’s perfect sacrifice, we become children of God and at the moment of regeneration, we were baptized into Christ. NOW, start living out that new life that you have in Jesus by the power of The Spirit. Refuse to let the old wardrobe dominate your thinking and lifestyle. Dress like Jesus. Selah

The union between Jesus Christ and the believer is a heavenly union. Our life, our identity, our value system are now hidden with Christ in God. Since we have been raised with Christ, our affections and desires are now to be set on things above. In other words, our lives should daily become altogether different. A genuine belief in The Lord Jesus Christ and heartfelt declaration that He is Lord of your life will inevitably change the way you behave. And that is what today’s study is all about. Behaving as a Christian is not about embracing certain regulations; it’s about submitting to Christ. It is about being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. It is about being conformed by God to the image of His Son so that we desire and are enabled to do what His Word commands. To be a Christian is to declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus is Lord, and His lordship not only affects our minds, teaching us what it is we are to believe, but it also affects our moral system, our attitudes and values, and changes the way in which we behave. We are new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Scripture is realistic in its treatment of sin in the believer’s life. It recognizes that sin continues to pose a problem after conversion. No believer is forever done with sin because no believer is ever beyond the reach of temptation. If the devil could tempt the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, he can certainly find many areas to tempt the most holy, but flawed believer. But the good news is that because of our Lord’s victory on Calvary and the descent of The Holy Spirit, we may indeed be tempted to sin, but we need not yield, “for the law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2).

In other words, a regenerated, born again believer in Jesus Christ is not going to live a lifestyle of habitual sinning. Yes, the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7), but the fact that Jesus Christ is our Advocate with The Father pleading our case for us when we confess our sin is not meant to encourage us to sin carelessly. The security and assurance that is ours in Christ is not a security that is isolated from walking in righteousness and holiness. It is not a justification that can be divorced from sanctification. The new birth that places us into Christ transforms us into His image. And this image is developed as we mortify the old life and put on the new man, or new life that we now have in Jesus Christ. The real test of our submission to the Lord Jesus Christ is pure and simple obedience. Jesus told His disciples: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” (John 14:21). Repentance is much more than getting victory over sin. Repentance is being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. It is adopting a brand new way of thinking and living. Our repentance and love for Jesus will be as deep as our understanding the size of our debt and darkness of our sin and His love for us. Jesus taught us in Luke 7 that he who is forgiven much loves much, and he who loves, obeys. Selah

We are all challenged by this section of the Scripture. There is no doubt that Paul is being blunt and painfully negative in this passage. In all of us there is a default button that slides us into a legalistic mode. We may not intend to be critical and negative, but all too often we end up there.

Much can be said about Gnosticism, and we have been bringing that to bear in our preaching as we work through the book of Colossians. What I would like for us to do is focus on what Paul targets in this passage, which are the implications and applications of legalism that impact us greatly and mostly negatively.

When you understand that you are secure in Christ, what hangs in the balance is the motivation that drives our liberties. Paul is giving us in this passage a biblical view rather than a logical, balanced view of how we should live in light of the liberties Christ has secured for us on the Cross.

In our verses today we once again are reminded of the ransom price that Jesus paid for the redemption of our souls. Praise be unto God for the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross, by which all of our sins are forgiven and all of the charges that could be lodged against us before a holy God have been wiped away. They are not merely forgiven, but removed. How thankful we should be for the saving power that is in The Name of Jesus, and the gospel that bears His Name. But there is one portion of our study this morning that every follower of The Lord needs to be reminded of, and that is that on the cross, The Lord Jesus defeated forever the principalities and powers of darkness.

The first promise of this victory over Satan and the principalities of darkness was given in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Jesus has defeated our adversary the devil. The victory has been won! Satan has already been defeated, but the ultimate judgment and destruction of the devil has not yet occurred. Thus we are told in Ephesians 6:12,13: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

In Christ, we have victory over the lies and wiles of the enemy. While on earth, Jesus said to the 70 whom He commissioned to go and preach the gospel, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19,20) Yes, Satan is a defeated foe, but until his final demise, “he roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Spiritual warfare is part of the Christian life. Apart from Christ, we are powerless against the enemy. But in Christ, that is by submitting to Him, we have the power of The Spirit of God that enables us to resist his lies and fiery darts. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Because Jesus Christ has defeated Satan on the cross, we are overcomers. How? “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11) Selah

In today’s study we’re told to “Beware”, which means to be on one’s guard. Beloved, when God says to beware of something or someone, we best take heed to His admonition. Beware means that this something or someone is a danger. This is something or someone that needs to be avoided at all costs. The word “spoil” that Paul uses in verse 8 can also be translated kidnapped or taken captive. Peter wrote, Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before (about Jesus Christ and the gospel), beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness (2 Peter 3:17). This is the bottom line or the objective of all of the secular world’s academic and religious systems: to kidnap the child of God with their empty philosophies and ideas.

Secular and worldly philosophy is really the effort of fallen man to determine the ultimate causes in the earth and the universe apart from God as being The Source of origin as it is revealed in the Scriptures. They seek to answer questions like, How did the universe come about? Why was I born? What is my purpose in life? From the fall in the garden to the present moment, fallen man has sought to explain the reasons for existence, the purpose of living, and all of the phenomena of the universe. They operate with humanistic and clouded judgments based on the mindset of this world system, and not the truths about Jesus Christ, The Anointed One. The Holy Spirit calls these worldly philosophies and religious frauds “vain deceit” (Colossians 2:8). They are a baited hook, for at the end of the day, they offer you no real answers to the origin of the universe, no real help in time of need, and ultimately no real hope after death.

The only message that makes any real sense in this senseless world is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only message that offers any real hope at the graveside of a loved one is the gospel of Jesus Christ. By laying aside the Holy Scriptures, people are being kidnapped by the godless theory of evolution. They are being led astray by the godless notion that truth is relative or that there is no such thing as absolute truth. To which I would ask the question, is that an absolute statement?

Precious reader, the Lord Jesus Christ is the measure for all human knowledge since He is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. So I too say, beware of the leaven of secular, unbiblical, worldly philosophy. I am deeply concerned by the increasing number of believers that have embraced the philosophies behind godless, secular counseling. The real answers to the matters of the heart and soul are in Christ, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). The comfort, compassion, guidance and help that we need come from The Comforter Himself, The Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ and The Word of God is the yardstick by which to measure every human philosophy. Trust your eternal soul unto The One Who rose from the dead, and reject all and any false religious systems and worldly philosophies that are the devil’s means of leading many people astray to a godless eternity in hell. Selah

This first chapter of Colossians provides for the followers of Jesus Christ some of the most powerful revelations about His person and the gospel that bears His name. Picking up in verse 18 we see that Jesus Christ is the Head of the church. There’s only One Head of the church, and His name is Jesus Christ!! This Jesus is the Beginning or Origin of all things. He is the Preeminent One over all things. This preeminent Jesus is the full expression of every attribute of God in human form. He is God Almighty, clothed in humanity, perfection and perfect God, Creator of all.

The mystery of it all is that this same preeminent Creator and God, Who was given the Name Yeshua at birth, was born to bear the sin of the world as the Lamb of God, and in doing so, provide for fallen mankind forgiveness of sin and release from the authority and powers of darkness. And it is by grace, through faith in His blood that we are set free and now stand before God The Father, holy, unblameable and unreproveable in His sight. Good News indeed!!

But bearing testimony to the name of Jesus Christ in a fallen world at times results in being persecuted, reviled, and spoken evil against. Paul calls such treatment being afflicted and suffering for His name’s sake. Paul himself was one of the most ferocious haters of Jesus Christ and those who followed Him; but God redeemed him and made him a minister, or servant of God, who became one of the most influential people throughout the ages of the church. You and I are living testimony of his faithfulness to share the gospel of Christ in you, the hope of glory. Paul was a man with a passion for souls and a passion to make disciples for Jesus Christ. He preached the gospel, He warned the scoffers, and he taught the converts how to grow and become a disciple of Jesus.

When Christ is preeminent in a person’s life, they too will become passionate to reach the lost and mature in their faith in Jesus. This preeminent Jesus Christ is the North Star of every follower of Jesus. He is the Anchor of our souls. He is the Creator and Redeemer of mankind. May the Preeminent Jesus be preeminent in the lives of writer and reader alike. Selah

Paul warned the Corinthian church about those who preach another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). He would go on to say this about those who preach another Jesus: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14,15) God is not honored by ignorance of Who Jesus is. .

We are living in a day and age of spiritual deception, and the blurring of clear Bible truth. Many people are being deceived by the religious rhetoric that comes from world religions and pseudo Christian cults like LDS and JW’s who masquerade themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. When a Mormon, or a JW, or a Hindu, or a Muslim tells you that they believe in Jesus Christ, what they are saying is that they believe that an historical figure named Jesus existed. But as you probe for more information about Jesus Christ, they will refer you to their “inspired literature” because the Bible is outdated and inaccurate. Then they will proceed to tell you who they really think Jesus is according the Book of Mormon, or the JW NWT, or the Hindu Vedas, or the Koran. Satan is the author of confusion, for if you put together what all of these religious groups say about Jesus, here is what you come up with: He is a man who is divine but not God, He is the spirit brother of Lucifer, but he is not a devil. Because He was a disillusioned individual, He went up to the Himalayas and through transcendental meditation, He “discovered” that He was the Christ. Yes, there was someone who hung on the cross of Calvary, but it wasn’t Jesus Christ. Blasphemy!!!

The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of God The Holy Spirit, shatters any teaching about Jesus that makes Him lesser than Deity. The true nature of Jesus is revealed thusly: Verse 14 - In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Verse 15a - He is the image of the invisible God. Verse 15b - He is the firstborn of all creation—that is, the specially honored, first and only Son over all creation. Verse 16a - By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. Verse 16b - All things were created through him. Verse 16c - All things were created for him. Verse 17a - He is before all things. Verse 17b - In him all things hold together. Only THAT Jesus can save you and give you life. SELAH

This passage is central to the book of Colossians. This prayer gives us an opportunity to capture Paul’s desire to model how to pray. A cursory reading will help us see that he immediately addresses the will of God. This is a topic we all wrestle with. At times you may have felt that the will of God is mysterious, possibly difficult to find, is hit or miss, or perhaps you’re just unsure how to really tap into it. There are books, teachings, seminars, and podcasts on this topic; the list is endless. So I would like us to explore what Paul prays for the Colossian church regarding God’s will, and then we’ll see he gives us some very tangible things to consider.

This book ultimately is exalting Christ as the Head of the Church. The context of the book of Colossians drives that as we consider the Word that the Lord has for us this morning. Paul refocuses us on the Most Important thing.

This epistle to the Colossians is one of four “Prison Epistles” along with Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon. Paul wrote all of these epistles during his first imprisonment while he was in Rome awaiting trial before Caesar. As we have already seen, some of the most encouraging letters of Paul were written when he was in prison. Internal evidence suggests that although Paul had not visited Colosse (2:1), Timothy and Epaphras (1:7) had evangelized the city and founded the church during Paul’s three year stay in Ephesus while on his third missionary journey. Colosse is about 100 miles east of Ephesus and the church there was primarily composed of Gentiles.

The epistle was written to combat certain heretical teachings that had crept into the church and have never gone away! We will address these heresies as we go through this powerful epistle. These false teachings were Gnosticism, Legalism, Mysticism, and secular philosophy. False teachers also denied the Deity of Jesus Christ as Creator and His all-sufficient atonement for sin that grants salvation to sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, not of works or ritual lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9). According to Colossians 4:16, this epistle was also to be read to the neighboring church of Laodicea, and a letter that was written to the Laodicean church (not included in the canon of Scripture) was to be read to the saints at Colosse.

As we work our way through this powerful epistle, we will learn once again about the all sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to atone for our sin. We will see Him presented as the fulness of the Godhead in bodily form. We will once again be reminded of the many practical aspects of what it means to be in Christ and live for Christ. It is a book that begins and ends with the word grace, for it is by the grace of God that we are saved. It is by the grace of God that we walk with Christ. It is by the grace of God that we stand against the powers of darkness. It is by the grace of God that we have life in Christ, and that more abundantly. Selah

As Paul closes this letter to the Philippians, he thanks them once again for their generous giving and care for him. He says that they ministered to him in his affliction. That word affliction speaks of being hard pressed. We could call it a tight spot or a difficult place. It is a word that describes someone who is anguished or in distress.

While the normal emphasis of these closing verses is on biblical principles for giving – many of which we will cover this morning – the point that I’d like us to consider is this: Giving is a way that we worship God. This giving includes actions much more than sending money. When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he asked him to bring his cloak. Paul was not incarcerated in a heated cell. I have no doubt at all that these dear saints put together what we would call a “Care Package” of practical things along side of the money that they gave to Paul. While giving to support the furtherance of the gospel is commended in Scripture, so too are we commanded to support one another in practical ways (Matthew 19:21) when we are going through tough times – times of distress, times of loss, sorrow, or pain. It should be noted that these Philippians were not a wealthy congregation. Outside of Lydia who had her own business, 2 Corinthians 8:2-5 tells us the vast majority of the saints lived on a very low income. The key behind their giving was that they gave themselves first unto The Lord.

Sacrificial living and giving is always the overflow of a heart that has been given to The Lord. While many people may give generously, very few give sacrificially. Real giving is always costly. For God so loved… that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). May The Spirit of God pierce our hearts today with a fresh awareness of His love for us that will be translated into a congregational lifestyle of sacrificial giving and living for the glory of God. Selah

As Paul is winding down this letter to the church at Philippi, he mentions the concern that he has for two prominent women in the church who were at odds with one another and causing a rift within the body. He calls upon an unnamed individual, whom he calls a “yokefellow”, to step in and help them solve this problem. Do you find it surprising that individuals whose names are written in the book of life are having problems with one another that are serious enough for Paul to mention their names in this letter?

Though Paul is concerned over what’s happened between them and the potential harm that it could cause, he was not in the least bit anxious over it. In fact, prior to mentioning the problem, he exhorted the entire church to stand fast in The Lord, or stay on the course of serving The Lord together. He would tell these two women to set aside their personal issues and have the same mind in The Lord. And he would follow these exhortations by reminding the saints to rejoice in The Lord always (and where is Paul writing from?), conduct themselves with moderation, and present every care, be it personal, family or church concern, over to The Lord in prayer, for Emmanuel is both near and here.

May God give to each one of us individually and as a local church these Spirit-filled exhortations that were given to the church at Philippi, for no body of believers is exempt from problems and needing to be reminded of the promise of the peace of God that is the fruit of prayer.

A.W. Tozer wrote, “The Christian life is a journey, not a destination.” To that I would respectfully add that the Christian life is a moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year relational journey with Jesus Christ.

Paul’s eyes are tearful as he writes the words that we are looking into this morning because the church at Philippi was being influenced by those whom Paul calls “the enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18). These enemies were spiritual frauds who were proclaiming a counterfeit gospel. One group was teaching that in addition to believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ for the full payment of our sins, it was necessary to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. In other words, it was a works-based gospel that required a religious ritual in addition to Christ’s one sacrifice for sin in order to obtain forgiveness of sin. Beloved, adding anything to the work of Christ on the cross is not the gospel of the grace of God.

Another doctrine that was an enemy of the cross of Christ was the pseudo intellectual doctrine of Gnosticism, which taught that only the spirit mattered and what you did with your body was of no importance to God. That heresy led to either strict legalism or blatant hedonism. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a call to follow the example of Jesus as He walked on earth as Son of Man. Paul said to imitate him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Thus, the Christian is an individual who has full assurance of their salvation, because they have full assurance in what Christ has done for them. However, this full assurance of God’s forgiveness and love for them gives birth to a lifestyle of full commitment; that is, a commitment to pursue a loving, intimate fellowship with Christ. This is a commitment to pursue a lifestyle of holiness and purity that The Name of Christ and the gospel that bears His Name would be glorified. Reader, are you fully assured of your salvation? Are you fully committed to Jesus Christ? He that hath an ear, let him hear what God is saying to us today (Revelation 2:7, et.al.). Selah

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

“I’m not perfect” is a common phrase that is tossed around in Christian circles after we fall in some area of life or ministry. What we should really be saying is, “I’m not sinless” because God commands us to be perfect. So exactly what does being perfect mean? Well, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that being perfect is not to be understood as sinless perfection this side of heaven. Being perfect in layman's terms simply means to grow up. In human terms, it could be likened to growing from a toddler, to a teen, to a young man, to a full grown, mature adult.

According to Romans 8:29, God’s number one purpose in redeeming us and bringing us to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is that we might both know Him and be conformed into His image. Being perfect therefore is the lifelong process of being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. The theological word to best describe it would be sanctification, or being set apart for The Master’s use. Being perfect is not attained by adhering to a set of rules or rituals; it is a day by day life of walking with The Lord Jesus and developing an intimate relationship with Him.

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12-15: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” (underline added) Paul used the word perfect twice here as was exhorting this group of saints to grow up in their walk with Jesus Christ and one another. According to Ephesians 4:11,12, God has ordained men to minister to the body in order that the church would mature in their walk with Jesus and one another. It has been said that Christian maturity is measured when our response to a fiery trial, opposition, or persecution is a Christ-like one. Thus, every single saint and every single church is dysfunctional and in need of God’s work in us and through us in order that we might grow closer to Christ and one another. Both reader and writer are far from perfect, but that should never be an excuse for failing or refusing to try.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) That’s not good advice, that’s a command, so let’s grow together in Christ, beloved. SELAH

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Ten times our Lord Jesus gave the warning to beware. Three of the warnings were to beware of false prophets (Matthew 7:15), of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matthew 16:6, 11), and of the scribes (Mark 12:38). Incredible! According to Jesus, one of the greatest obstacles to people coming unto Him for salvation would be religious frauds – people that Jesus said would look good on the outside, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. His forerunner John called them a brood of vipers (Matthew 3:4-7).

In Philippians 3:1-14 the apostle Paul sounds an alarm to the church at Philippi, and his warning is about the very same individuals that Jesus said to be wary of. It would serve us well to take heed to these most solemn admonitions, for the offspring of these religious frauds are alive and well today. Some of the most ferocious opponents of The Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel of grace that bears His Name are religious, rituals- and sacrament-keeping individuals who believe that they are saved by their goodness, moralism, or observation of religious rituals. Paul would call these religious imposters and frauds angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Remember this, beloved, that salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ plus anything is NOT the saving grace of Scripture. While it is true that many of us were born into this world in a Catholic-, or Baptist-, or Methodist-adhering family, in reality we were all born into this world in Adam, apart from God and dead in trespasses and sins. We need a Savior. We need Someone Who will be able to bridge the gap between sinful man and a holy God. And that Man is Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, Who is The Way to God, The Truth of God, and The Life of God manifested for all to see.

Paul himself had sought to get right with God by living a rigid, religious, law-of-God-keeping life. When Jesus Christ apprehended him on the Damascus Road, Paul called his former religious “resume” animal refuse (Philippians 3:8). The Prophet Isaiah tells us that our righteousness (the very best we can do) is nothing but a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). To get right with God, we need to have the righteousness of God, and that righteousness comes only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. You are either righteous or self-righteous this morning. The eternal destiny of one is heaven, the other is hell. Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). Repent of your sin and receive the righteousness of God by placing your faith in Jesus Christ this morning and you shall be saved. SELAH

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

“Counterculture” is a buzzword in our nation today. Its basic message is calling for a radical change of society that is based on new, innovative, and progressive ways of thinking and living. Sadly, that counterculture philosophy has crept into the bloodstream of the church. We are adopting many progressive and innovative ways of thinking and living that are far removed from “It is written” (Luke 4:4, et al.) and the words of Jesus, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19). You would think that the message of Christ was to live for self and fulfill every one of your life goals and desires. Me, myself and I have replaced Father, Son and Spirit as the progressive church’s trinity.

The Church is to be a body of called out people - called out of this world and called to seek first the kingdom of God by denying ourselves and picking up our crosses daily. In today’s study we read about the poured-out-for-Jesus lives of Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus. These were men with passions like you and me, but men who had met Jesus Christ and followed the example and teaching of Jesus.

Is your version of Christianity a hazard to your flesh? The Lord Jesus used the sacrificial giving of the poor widow (Luke 21:1-4) and the woman with the alabaster box (Mark 14:3-9) as examples of individuals who understood the gospel message of deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Me (Matthew 16:24). He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose…..Jim Elliott. Selah

1 Corinthians 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

Because of the abuse of the false “Name it and Claim it” gospel, little or no regard is given to the importance of speech in the church these days. We are pretty good at rebuking sexual immorality, drunkenness, and opiate addiction, but completely oblivious to and tolerant of murmuring and complaining.

Now for some of you, what I just said may be shocking. After all, is there any comparison between the evils of the above mentioned sins and a little bit of murmuring and complaining here and there? While the consequences may differ to some extent, the ultimate outcome of murmuring and complaining is total disaster. Just ask the generation of Israelites who journeyed those 40 years in the wilderness. Murmuring and complaining about the purposes and word of God in their lives literally killed them (1 Corinthians 10:10).

Paul refers to the wilderness experiences of the nation of Israel when he writes to the church at Philippi to “do all things without murmurings and disputing” (Philippians 2:14). Some may say, “Well if Paul lived in our day, he would change his tune. There is a lot to murmur and complain about!” Really? Keep in mind that Paul was writing about not complaining, rejoicing in The Lord, and being content through the strength of Jesus Christ from inside of a prison cell!!

Beloved, when Jesus Christ saved us, we became His servants and witnesses on a lost and morally twisted and dying planet. We became the sons of God, who one day are going to be swept up and away to our heavenly home to be with Jesus forever. Until then, we have a mission: To share the love, goodness, and message of forgiveness of sin by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. To do that with a life that is typified by murmuring and complaining is inconsistent for those who are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We all are tempted to murmur and complain, but the truth is that we no longer need to speak that way if Jesus Christ is Lord. So join me in making the decision to stop complaining and instead start proclaiming the gospel in word and deed. Selah

There was a catch athletic phrase a few years ago that was directed to individuals who were thinking about getting into shape but lacked the gumption to do it. The advertisement said, “Just Do It!!” Of course, the male and female persons on the ad were young, sculpted individuals, and the implication was that if you simply put into practice their exercise and diet plan, you would look just like them.

Paul was not thinking in those terms, as we continue our journey today in his letter to the Philippians, but he was thinking about a radical transformation in the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. As the KJV Commentary expresses it: In verses 12 and 13 we see divine sovereignty and human freedom in blessed cooperation. Our salvation is worked in by the Holy Spirit in answer to faith in God’s promises and it is worked out by the Holy Spirit by our obedience to God’s precepts. It is always a matter of trust and obey. The verse does not say “work for” your salvation. The Philippians had already been saved. Salvation is all of grace (Eph 2:8–10), but it is to be manifested in the daily life by glorifying Christ in everything. One must possess salvation first, and then work it out to its ultimate conclusion, namely, Christlikeness. No one can live the Christian life until he has Christ. It is not a matter of the imitation of Christ but the manifestation of Christ, the Holy Spirit reproducing the life of Christ in and through the believer.

So the ultimate goal of the Spirit of God in our lives here on earth is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. The Master’s workout program is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week program. He uses every resource to get us spiritually fit. He never stops working. He is at work every single second of every day. He uses His Word. He uses circumstances. He uses all kinds of people both inside and outside of the body of Christ. He uses the challenges and human interaction with others. Daily life is the gymnasium that The Spirit of God uses to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the “membership” fee to this exercise program on Calvary. The cost for you is self denial and learning how to trust and obey The Master Trainer. Selah

Philippi was a Roman colony. Every Roman citizen was dedicated to spreading the Roman culture wherever they lived. To put it in modern terminology, every true Roman citizen devoted themselves to promoting the Roman philosophy of religion, worldview, and lifestyle. The Roman way was the only way. It was within this “no compromise” atmosphere of Caesar worship and the godless Roman standard of living that Paul reminds the saints in Philippi that they are citizens of another kingdom and they owe their allegiance to another King, and that King is Jesus Christ. They are exhorted to conduct their lives in a manner that is worthy of The Name of Jesus.

Under King Jesus, the calling of the church is to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13,14). In other words, our lives are meant to be shining examples of what it means to being devoted to Jesus Christ. Thus, Paul reminds them that as “ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20) from heaven their divine calling in Philippi was to stand firm in one spirit, striving together for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). Jesus prayed in John 17 that His body would be one. Psalm 133 teaches us that the Spirit of God flows most powerfully when the church is walking in unity. Walking worthy in The Lord and walking in unity with one another are vital ingredients of effective, impacting, life-changing evangelism.

May The Spirit of God help us to walk worthy of The Lord both individually and as a congregation in order that the lost world may know that only in Jesus Christ is their salvation, hope, and peace. Selah

Contrary to what some people think, nobody is born into this world a Christian. A person may be born into a Christian family where they pray, read the bible, attend church and sings songs. They may even go through a ritual of some sort, such as be baptized and admitted into a church community as a new member. But Scripture is very clear that apart from a new birth from above, (John 3:3-7) nobody is born into the body of Christ.

It is possible for a person to be a cultural Christian. It is even possible for a person to be a conversational Christian. But apart from the regenerating work of The Spirit of God inside the heart of a person, nobody is a Christian in the biblical sense. It wasn’t until Jesus Christ apprehended Saul on the way to Damascus that he became a born again, regenerated follower of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-22). It wasn’t until after that personal encounter with Jesus that Paul could say, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Paul’s conversion experience was indeed unique in that Jesus said that he was a chosen vessel who was called to be an apostle and bring the gospel to the Gentiles. But all new birth experiences are unique and are just as supernatural as was Paul’s.

As we read of Paul’s “struggle” this morning, it is worth noting that he expresses his personal preference of being with Christ in glory, but realizes that it would be more necessary for him to be delivered from prison in order that he might minister to the church at Philippi. Conclusion? The old, self-centered, once religious man Paul is dead, and his one aim, be it in life or in death, is to live for the plans, purposes and glory of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Beloved, how would you fill in this sentence? For me to live is ______ and to die is ______. Only those who not only say, but also live for Christ can truly say, “to die is gain.” What do you say, my friend? Selah

Beloved, motives matter to God. Just read 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 13. Now we should be zealous of good works and we are taught by our precious Savior that we are to do good works before men that they might give glory to God (Matthew 5:16). But as Paul will point out this morning, it is not only possible, but a fact that a person can be doing the right thing with the wrong motives.

The sum of Paul’s philosophy of ministry here in our study today goes something like this: “There is only one gospel that saves sinners and if you preach the true gospel, your motives are between you and Christ. If your motives are bad, or you are using God to promote your ministry or for your own glory, God will deal with you – but at least the gospel is preached. There may be fruit, but as far as you are concerned, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, all of your work will be nothing but wood, hay, and stubble. There will be no reward.

If, however, you are preaching the true gospel out of a love for Christ, a love for the lost and for the glory of God, no matter how large or small, known or not known your ministry is, you will receive a crown at the Bema seat of Christ. Also, if you are preaching a false gospel, it doesn’t matter how sincere or good your motives are. There is only one true gospel and if you are not preaching that gospel, there will be no reward. Sincerity and good motives will never make a false gospel true.”

That same principle applies to “whatsoever ye do” in the Name of The Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17,23). As church family, we can be doing a lot of good things with the wrong heart. May God give unto each and every one of us a God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, Spirit-filled love behind every single thing that we do both inside and outside of these church walls. SELAH

Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more...

One of the most edifying studies is on the prayers of the apostle Paul for the various congregations. What he doesn’t pray is just as instructive as what he does pray. A careful examination of his prayers clearly reveals the emphasis on the things of the spirit. He wanted them to understand that they were blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). He prayed that they would be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19). His prayers were along the lines of the words of Jesus to “seek ye first the kingdom of God”. (Matthew 6:33)

Part of his prayer for the church in Philippi was that they would abound in love for one another (Philippians 1:9). The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But it also tells us that faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). Loving God and one another sums up all the commandments of God (Matthew 22:36-40). This love that Jesus and Paul speak of is a verb. It’s not a nice feeling, and certainly much more than good intentions. This love for one another is demonstrated by Jesus, defined in 1 Corinthians 13, and explained in 1 John 3 and James 2.

Beloved, when we stop loving one another, we stop growing. When we stop loving one another, the Spirit of God is quenched. My prayer for our church family is that we would abound in our love for Jesus and one another. Will you join me in that prayer? Are you willing to be a part of the answer?

Philippians 1:1-2 Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of Paul’s prison epistles, written while he was incarcerated in Rome to the believers in Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony and the citizens of Philippi were expected to uphold Roman culture, Roman philosophy, Roman fashion, Roman religious beliefs, and above all things, proclaim that Caesar was Lord and pledge loyalty to him and Roman rule.

Have you ever heard the saying, “He (or she or they) is out of this world”? Well, Paul is going to remind us this morning that you and I are not of this world. From his prison cell, Paul reminds the believers that they were citizens of heaven, and that their loyalty belonged to The Lord Jesus Christ. He writes to the church that there is joy in The Lord Jesus Christ in spite of the fact that they were experiencing persecution because of their loyalty to Him. Internally, these saints were dealing with self-centeredness that was quenching the unity of The Spirit amongst them. Paul addresses this problem in chapter two with his powerful teaching on the need to walk in humility and being others-centered by putting on the mind of Christ.

Like all Scripture, the biblical truths of this letter from Paul are timeless principles that we need to hear today. A person or church that is alive in Christ will be a person or church that faces opposition and persecution because we no longer live by the standards of this fallen world system. We are citizens of Heaven and our calling is to be ambassadors who reflect the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Paul reminds these precious saints and us of the wonderful promise that “The Lord is at hand.” (Philippians 4:5b) The assertion that The Lord is at hand means both that Jesus is coming soon, and that Jesus is already near them.

Dear ones, The Lord Jesus IS coming soon! The Lord Jesus IS near each and every one of us right now. May the imminent return of Jesus Christ and the reality of His presence with us inspire us to live kingdom lifestyles that bring Him glory and honor in this fallen world. Selah

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians is a short, four chapter letter full of doctrinal and practical insights that are essential for a fruitful Christian walk. Philippi was a Roman colony, and wherever a Roman colony was established, it was meant to express the culture of the Roman Empire. Paul would write to these saints in Philippi that that their “mission” in life was to be an expression of The Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven. That is the high and holy calling of every follower of Jesus here on earth today, regardless of his or her nationality, race, or culture. Paul’s life motto should be ours: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

As we journey through this epistle, may we pray that The Holy Spirit would truly illuminate His life-changing truth to each one of our hearts to the end that the followers of Jesus Christ would be agents of change and transformation in the lives of the people that are around us each and every day.

One of the themes that we find in this book is the theme of joy. How can Paul write a letter that exhorts others to have joy when he is in a prison cell, not knowing if the next visit of a prison guard means his execution? The answer? Paul knew Jesus Christ and he knew that his life now was in the hands of The One Who was working in him both to will and do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

We will talk a bit about this joy and what it means. I trust it will be of great help to you. We will talk about walking in the will of God and how it is at times a mystery. We will talk about being a slave of Christ. Imagine trying to “sell” the gospel of being a slave of Jesus Christ and His will being done in this day and age of self-will and my-will-be-done mentality. It is only when a person is a slave of Jesus Christ that one is truly free. Selah

Matthew 12:39-40 …there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The bodily resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ was the AMEN of His work of atonement. We are told in 1 Corinthians 15 that if there is no resurrection, there is no forgiveness of sin, no hope; our “faith” is vain and meaningless (vv.14,17-19). But Jesus did rise from the dead on the third day just like He said He would. Nobody expected to find an empty tomb, but God rolled away the stone over the grave of Jesus, not to let Him out, but to let the world know that He has risen. Because He has risen, our faith is a living faith in a Living Savior Who has forgiven us of all of our sin and is Himself our Living Hope!!

But along with the resurrection of The Lord Jesus is the mandate given to all believers to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Who is to go into all the world and preach the gospel? Mark says that it is he who believes in the Person and work of Jesus Christ who shall be saved (Mark 16:16). Every follower of The Lord Jesus Christ is an ambassador of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A part of the armor of every born again follower of Jesus Christ is feet that are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15)! When Paul writes of the 5-fold ascension ministry gifts in Ephesians 4:11-12 of “apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers”, it is “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. The purpose of ministry offices and callings is that the entire body of Christ would be equipped for the work of the ministry. Evangelism and sharing the gospel is the work of every single part of the body of Christ. In this day and age of high technology and mass evangelism crusades, the most effective means of reaching the lost with the gospel is via one on one encounters with people.

Here is the gospel: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus began His ministry with the words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) Paul wrote in Romans 10:14,15: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Beloved, Jesus is risen and He is coming soon. May God open the door for you to share the gospel today. The harvest is ready!! Selah

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, ... Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

I have heard it said that the definition of grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Mark 15 would certainly affirm that definition. The only way that fallen man can be saved is by the grace of God. Fallen men cannot save themselves.

Therein lies the difference between the gospel of Jesus Christ and every other religion or religious system. Every religion and religious system on earth bases salvation upon the works or religious ceremonies of man. I do not doubt that there is some kind of affirmation and perhaps even adoration of the Person of Jesus Christ, but at the end of the day, salvation according to religion or religious systems boils down to this: Christ died on the cross for our sins, but saving faith believes in Christ and my religious ceremony or my good works. Beloved, that is what the Galatians struggled with (Galatians 4:8-10). Christ plus anything nullifies grace, because grace is unconditional and free. Salvation is the free gift of God, period (Ephesians 2:8).

Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is The Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Hallelujah to The Lamb of God! The cry of Jesus from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), was a cry of victory, for those words mean “paid in full”. When Jesus cried, “It is finished”, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:37,38), signifying that the way to enter into the presence of God was now made available to whosoever believes in Him.

Reader, are you trusting in a religious system or some religious ceremony or your good works to atone for your sin and save your soul from eternal damnation? Look up to the middle cross of Calvary. What do you see there? Who do you see there? What you see and Who you see is the Lord Jesus Christ, the grace of God Who came to save fallen man from the debt of our sin. “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:22) Selah

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

It is so easy to read the Bible and totally miss what The Lord is trying to teach us. I believe it is possible to know what we are reading and not experience firsthand the eternal and practical applications for our lives.

As we continue to work our way through the steps of Jesus from Gethsemane to Calvary, we see as clear as day that everything that is happening, from the arrest in the Garden, to the betrayal by Judas, to the fleeing of the eleven and the thrice denial of Peter, is all to fulfill Scripture and accomplish atonement for the sin of the world. Nothing is happening by chance. Every detail is according to the will of God in order to fulfill His eternal purpose in Jesus Christ.

Throughout this mock trial and brutal treatment of Jesus we see the worst of man, both friend and foe. In the midst of this scene playing out, it is easy to overlook the character of The Lord Christ on display as He is confronted by His enemies and remains silent. We can miss how He rebukes Peter for taking up the sword, only to heal the soldier’s ear, and by doing so, spare Peter from capital punishment by removing the evidence against Him. Can one even begin to grasp the look on both Jesus’ and Peter’s faces when Peter denied Him the third time? Without a doubt, this final episode of Jesus’ life reveals all that He endured in His drinking of the cup of our sin and God’s wrath. Human words are inadequate to describe what He felt as He became The Lamb of God.

But there are lessons hidden in this account that are meant to challenge, comfort, and convict all believers of Jesus. Observe how Jesus deals with friend and foe and ask how that fits into His call to “Follow Me”. Remember, beloved, The One Who said “It is finished” (John 19:30) also said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9). It is not either - or; it is both. Selah

Mark 14:38 Watch ye and pray... The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Today our study brings us into that portion of The Lord Jesus life that I would call His holy of holies prayer unto His Father. Words are not capable of describing the depth of this time of prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Scripture tells us that Jesus was known to go there. As Son of Man, Jesus was a man of prayer. He was a man Who lived in communion with His Father. Although God Incarnate, this Word made flesh Who dwelt amongst us (John 1:14) is indeed the great mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16).

Once again we find our precious Savior in this hour of prayer being our Master Teacher. Jesus prays with great agony, breaking blood vessels as He submits Himself into His Father’s hands with these words: “…nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done.” (Mark 14:36) In other words, if there is any other way to redeem lost, sinful man apart from Me dying on the cross, let that happen. But there is no other way for lost man to be saved and brought into a right relationship with God apart from faith in The Lord Jesus’s perfect sacrifice for sin.

But lest we miss more of what The Lord is teaching us, we must also see that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. Like the disciples, we can make great claims of loyalty to Jesus yet fail miserably. We can be given the opportunity to spend time in prayer with Him, only to find ourselves sleeping. Thus Jesus said to His disciples these words that we must hear today: “Watch ye and pray... The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)

The word Gethsemane means “oil press” or “crushed”. At this crushing moment in Jesus’ life, He went to His Father in that hour of prayer and He fully submitted to His will. Beloved, life at times is pressing. We often times find ourselves crushed by betrayals and the ill will of others. It is in our Gethsemanes that we find sweet communion with The Father and the strength that we need to say, ‘not my will, but Thine be done.’ To watch and pray is a necessary lifestyle of communion with God, not a religious duty. Selah

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ...the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

As I was preparing this message about The Lord’s Supper this week, the words of Jesus, “…this do in remembrance of Me” kept going through my mind. I jotted down these thoughts. (You may want to compile your own “remember Me” list.)

When your heart is overwhelmed with life, remember Me.

When darkness and doubt surround you, remember Me.

When the enemy comes in like a flood to destroy you, remember Me.

When you are feeling weak and weary, remember Me.

When you feel lost and needing direction, remember Me.

When you feel lonely because everybody has abandoned you, remember Me.

When your friends betray you and forsake you, remember Me.

When your mother and father forsake you, remember Me.

When you are being misunderstood and judged by others, remember Me.

When you are tempted to feel arrogant and proud because of how My Father is using you, remember Me.

When you are tempted to take credit for what My Spirit has done through you, remember Me.

When you are feeling unworthy or incapable of serving Me, remember Me.

When your body is racked with pain and you are doubting My love, remember Me.

When you are feeling like all hope seems lost and that it is time to give up, remember Me.

When fears are filling your heart and mind more than faith in the promises of God, remember Me.

When the fires of temptation are flaring up within you, remember Me.

When you are having a hard time forgiving others, remember Me.

When serving Me becomes routine and mechanical, remember Me.

When you find yourself driven by the pursuit of the pleasures of this fallen world, remember Me.

When you doubt My forgiveness of you, remember Me.

Whenever you think that your sins are forgiven because of something that you have done, remember Me.

When you want to call fire down from heaven on someone because you simply do not like them, remember Me.

When you doubt that there is an eternal hell, remember Me.

When you doubt that there is a heaven, remember Me.

When jealousy and envy are causing you to hate or despise others, remember Me.

When the enemy tells you that your prayers are in vain, remember Me.

When your circumstances are causing you to question My Father’s goodness, remember Me.

When you take your next breath, remember Me.

When you eat your next meal, remember Me.

When you drink your next cup of water, remember Me.

When you are about to say or do something that you know you will regret, remember Me.

Jesus gave this two worded invitation to those who heard Him teach, “Follow Me.” (Matthew 4:19) Do not just be content hearing what I say; follow Me and do what you see me doing. We know that The Lord Jesus is the express image of The Father (Hebrews 1:3). He is The Eternal Word of God made flesh, Who dwelt amongst us (John 1:1,14). Thus, it would be proper to say that The Lord Jesus is not only the perfect theology of God on earth, but that The Lord Jesus is the Perfect Master and Teacher as well.

Contrary to the popular “cross-less gospel” that is prevalent in today’s church, The Lord Jesus is not looking for fans; He is looking for followers. While the “Jesus Fan Club” may have multitudes, the followers of Jesus are few. We are living at a time when the heretical gospel of the healthy and wealthy is producing a number of coddled, comfortable, and covetous pseudo-saints. Did you know that there are two places in Scripture where The Lord Jesus is specifically called our example? In 1 Peter 2:21 He is referred to as an example of suffering. In John 13:15, which we will be looking at this morning, The Lord Jesus is referred to as an example of being a servant. Suffering? Servant? The practical example of The Lord Jesus Christ is offensive to today’s soft living, self-centered church.

Beloved, there is not comfortable or convenient way to suffer or be a servant. It is no surprise when The Lord Jesus invited people to come unto Him that so few responded. Why? Because human nature, be it 2,000 years ago or today, is addicted to living for the inferior trinity of me, myself, and mine. The slightest message of discomfort in following Jesus or an appeal made to serve by putting others first causes many to flee for cover. We have One Master-Teacher and His Name is Jesus Christ. The pathway to happiness and purpose in life is not found is serving self, but by denying self, be it for the sake of suffering or serving Jesus for the glory of God. Selah

Mark 14:3,4 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

What we have before us in Mark 14 today is the lavish expression of love and devotion by Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, upon Jesus Christ. So important was this act of devotion that Jesus said that wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, this act of devotion is to be mentioned (v 9).

Mary expressed the love that she had in her heart for Jesus by pouring out upon Him an expensive ointment that would have been the equivalent of a year’s wages. This ointment was also reserved by a woman for the time when she would meet her bridegroom. What a beautiful, unashamed expression of public devotion for Jesus! And yet Jesus’ disciples, influenced by Judas Iscariot, regarded her lavish act of devotion as a waste, saying that this amount of money could have been given to the poor.

What is a waste? It is something that is a loss or a tragic misuse, be it of money, time, talents or, most importantly, the object of devotion. This story reveals to us an important point, namely, what the world considers to be a waste in contrast to what Christ considers to be a waste. To the world, spending and being spent for Jesus is a waste. To God, spending and being spent for anything or anyone apart from Jesus is a waste. To invest your life in anything other than service and devotion to Jesus Christ is a waste, regardless of one’s wealth or success in the eyes of man. The world system would call the person who is “sold out” for Jesus someone who is wasting his or her human potential.

The prophet Haggai lamented because the people of God were spending all of their time, energy, and money building their own kingdom while the temple of God was being reduced to shambles. Why? Because the priorities and interests of the people of God were more set on self than on the things of God.

Beloved, have we created a type of Christianity where sacrifice and full devotion to Jesus Christ and His kingdom has become an option (Romans 12:1,2)? Have we created a comfortable type of Christianity where being a disciple no longer means to bear a cross (Mark 8:34)? Or hazard our lives (Acts 15:26)? Or be addicted to serving (1 Corinthians 16:15)? Remember, beloved, that what we learn this morning from our sister Mary in her all-out expression of love for Jesus is that she was following the example of The One Who would give His all for us, that we might live our lives for Him and His glory (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Are you wasting your life? Selah

Today we will be remembering The Lord’s Supper. This memorial meal reminds us of the sacrifice that Jesus paid to redeem our souls from the debt and destruction of sin. It reminds us that by grace, through faith in Jesus, we have been delivered from the wrath to come. In our continuing study of Jesus’ Olivet discourse, we will see how God is going to gather once again the Jewish people from all over the world back to their ancient homeland. The restoration of the Jewish people back to their ancient homeland is nothing short of a miracle! The prophets of God said that He would do it (Ezekiel 11:17; Amos 9:14,15) and Jesus confirms it. The prophets also said that Jerusalem would be a burdensome stone to all nations (Zechariah 12:3), and that too has come to pass. God is a promise keeping God. Heaven and earth may pass away, but His word always comes to pass. Thus as we take communion together this morning, we too can be confident that whatever Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, both in this life and in eternity, shall come to pass. Reader, have you repented of your sin and trusted Jesus alone as Lord of your life and Savior from your sin debt? Selah

We are now in the section of Jesus’ Olivet discourse where He tells us about events during the great tribulation period that lead up to His Second Coming. Much can be, and has been, written about this unparalleled period of time, which Jesus said would be unlike any other period of time in all of human history (Mark 13:19).

One key to end times prophecy is the establishment of the Jewish people in the nation of Israel. They had been scattered around the world for more than 1500 years, but continue to be gathered again back to their ancient homeland, where they will one day look up and recognize that Jesus Christ is their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10).

So as we continue to work our way though this amazing end times prophecy, may The Spirit of God cause us to be more tuned in to what God said will come to pass – and live our lives accordingly – than what man’s flawed opinions have to say about any other issue or crisis. Let’s be looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Selah

Mark 13:9,12,13 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Satan has always been opposed to the plans and purposes of God. In the Garden, the opposition came in the form of the question, “Hath God said…?” (Genesis 3:1) He has questioned the word and purposes of God ever since. Persecution is one of the things that Jesus Christ said would happen to His disciples both in the days leading up to the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem in 70 AD and throughout the ages unto His Second Coming.

In his first epistle, John tells us that this spirit of opposition is the spirit of antichrist (1 John 2:22). The prefix anti means a substitute for or replacement of. This fallen world system is antichrist. It is evident in the twisted world values, philosophies, pleasures, and educational and religious systems. In other words, the disciple of Jesus Christ in any generation is never going to be religiously or politically correct. Light and darkness have nothing is common. Truth and falsehood cannot cohabitate. When Jesus taught, multitudes followed Him until He drew the proverbial line in the sand of what it would cost them to follow Him. Jesus said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.” (John 15:18-21) The apostle John said, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” (1 John 3:13) The apostle Paul said, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

We are certainly living in trying times, beloved. Jesus has given His life for us, that we might live our lives for Him and His glory (2 Corinthians 5:15). May God grant to each of us the grace and power that we need to boldly stand for Jesus Christ and live in such a way that proves that we are truly contending for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3). Selah

Matthew 24:3a And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?

Over the years, it has never ceased to amaze me how God has “coincidentally” timed our studies in Scripture. Such is true of our study this morning. We are in Mark 13, and it begins this way: “And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.” What a shocker those words of Jesus must have been for the disciples. But after He tells them about the destruction of the temple, Matthew adds this question: “And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3b) So Jesus is going to prophesy in this chapter the destruction of the temple and, secondly, the signs of His coming and the end of the age. Within 40 years, the prophecy of Jesus Christ regarding the destruction of the temple was fulfilled just the way He said it would happen. Likewise, the signs of His coming and the end of the age will take place just as Jesus said they would.

Did you know that there are more prophecies of the second coming of Jesus Christ and the last days than prophecies regarding His first coming? In other words, the eternal plans and purposes of God are going to happen and nothing is going to stop them. No evil scheme of the devil or conspiracy of man is going to stop the coming of The Lord. No pestilence or natural disasters are going to stop the coming of The Lord. It is sad when the lives of the people of God are more preoccupied with and wrapped up in the current crisis and pandemics and conspiracy theories than with God’s Word.

A word that Jesus repeats in His end of the world discourse is “watch” (Mark 13:33,35,37). It is in the present imperative tense. This means that our lives are to be shaped by the constant anticipation of Jesus. The only appropriate response to darkness is to preach the gospel, not draw more attention to the darkness. In Revelation 22:7 Jesus said, “Behold I come quickly.” Jesus is coming soon. Those were His last words in Scripture. His final words before His ascension were to go into the entire world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15,19). Beware of living your life in constant reaction to the evil deeds of darkness. Like the wise virgins, be filled with The Spirit (Matthew 25:1-13) and be about your Father’s business of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ’s soon return. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12) Selah

1 Samuel 16:7b ...for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

We are presented with a study of contrasts in Mark 12:35-44. Jesus’ question about His identity stands in contrast with the “loop hole” questions that He was asked by the religious frauds of the day. In verse 35, Jesus asks the question, “How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?” Warren Wiersbe writes: This is a far more important question than the ones His enemies had asked Him, for if we are wrong about Jesus Christ, we are wrong about salvation. So many people get all tangled up with questions about the bible that have no real bearing on his or her eternal destiny. When you read the claims of Jesus in Scripture, C.S. Lewis said that you would have to conclude that He was either a liar, a lunatic, or LORD. The real question, dear reader, is this: who is Jesus Christ according to you? What effect does Jesus Christ have in your day-to-day living?

The other contrast we see is this poor widow and the religious hucksters who ripped off widows. Mark writes: “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” What a stinging rebuke! How true that God does not see people the way that man sees people (1 Samuel 16:7b). Religious people have the capacity to talk and even act “holy”. This poor widow has been placed in the Scripture as an example of what true devotion and giving is all about. This woman’s example of dedication and sacrificial giving stands in stark contrast to the “what’s-in-it-for-me” attitude that is so prevalent in today’s contemporary church. The depth of this poor widow’s love and devotion was rich in the eyes of God. Her sacrificial giving and living were an overflow of a heart that loved God and was truly devoted to Him and His kingdom. Amen. Selah

Mark 12:30,31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

For all young people my age, the words of my title were the words of a number 1 song by the Beatles. The love that Paul McCartney and John Lennon were talking about was not the love that Jesus is talking about in our study today.

According to Jesus Christ (thus the true interpretation of Scripture), loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves sums up the practical expression of a true saving faith in God. Love for God and love for others is what faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ will produce in our lives. When we know and believe and receive the saving love of God by grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, we are given a new heart – a heart that will begin to experience a change of appetites and attitudes that are driven by the love of God. This love, though imperfect and in constant need of attention, is demonstrated by acts of love towards all people, saved and unsaved, friend and foe.

As we work our way through our study, think of the love of God in Christ as He died on the cross for your sin. Think of His command to love one another as He loved you. A love for Him stems from His love for us (1 John 4:19). John writes God is love (1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16b). Thus, if a person is looking for real love, he or she can only find this love in God, not in the fleshly, sensual way that is as popular today and it was when I was a young man.

My prayer is that you encounter the saving love of God in Christ today, and may the love of Christ for you be shed abroad from your heart towards others today for the glory of God. Selah.

It’s the final week of Jesus’ earthly life, and the inevitable conflict with the religious hierarchy of His day is going to come to a head. We see in our study that Jesus is being confronted by the strange alliance of the Pharisees and the Herodians. That would be like Adolph Hitler and the President of Israel going out to dinner together. What brought these two rival groups together was their mutual hatred for Jesus Christ. The trap they sought to catch Jesus in was whether or not it was right to pay taxes to Ceasar. If Jesus said yes, the Jews would believe that He was siding with the enemy of Israel. If He said no, He would be arrested as an insurrectionist. How would Jesus reply? “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at Him.” (Mark 12:17)

Jesus saw right through the religious hypocrisy and flattery of the Pharisees. He knew that they couldn’t care less about whether or not they should pay taxes; they just wanted Him out of the picture, and this matter of paying taxes would put the proverbial nail in His coffin. Jesus’ answer about the image on the coin leveled both of these opposing parties.

Yes, God teaches us that human government is ordained by Him and is to be submitted to, with the only exception being when the government commands us to disobey God. But for the religious hypocrites, Jesus said that being made in the image of God means that we owe everything to God. Until a person is born again, Jesus Christ will be a threat to their self-rule. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is this: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Whose image do you live for, Ceasar’s or Christ’s? Selah

It has been aptly said that light rejected becomes lightning. This saying is confirmed in today’s study. What confronts us today is the question of Jesus’ authority. The inevitable conflict between Jesus and the religious hierarchy has reached its peak. Jesus exposed their religious charade by cleansing the temple, for they had turned the sacred place of God into a big business of financial profit at the expense of God’s people. Jesus exposed them for what they really were - false shepherds - and this caused their blood to boil over with envy and hatred.

Because Jesus did not attend their rabbinical schools (what we would call seminaries), they questioned His authority to do what He did, seeking to undermine Him before the people. At this point Jesus drops the hammer by asking them where they believed John the Baptizer got his authority. He sprung their trap! The very question that they thought would trap Jesus trapped them. Jesus’ answer reveals that His own authority came from the same source as John’s. The leaders’ conclusion about John would reveal their conclusion about Him. The leaders rejected John’s authority, who pointed to Jesus as The Lamb of God. Thus, they rejected Jesus as Messiah.

That answer of authority causes Jesus to teach the parable of the vineyard owner and the vineyard. (See Isaiah 5:1-7 and Psalm 80:8-16.) Throughout their history most leaders of Israel repeatedly rejected God’s messengers, a point Jesus made in the parable. The Bible knowledge commentary says: Jesus sharpened the application of the parable to Himself as the Son and extended its teaching by quoting verbatim Psalm 118:22,23. They rejected Jesus Christ and His authority, and in doing so, sealed their destiny.

Beloved, who is the final authority in your life? You or Jesus Christ? “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:44)

As The Lord Jesus is coming to an end of His earthly life, the fig tree that He had cursed the day before is withered up from the roots, which gives rise to Him teaching the disciples about the importance of having faith towards God and forgiveness towards one another. We know that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). God gave to Israel “the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of Whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is over all, God blessed forever.” (Romans 9:4-5). But in spite of all of these privileges and the many miracles that Jesus did to show that He was the Messiah (John 21:25), the religious leaders rejected Jesus. This led Jesus to cleanse the temple and rebuke the religious leaders for their exploiting the people of God with the fig leaves of spiritual hypocrisy in The Name of God! This led Jesus to talk to His disciples about a faith in God that moves mountains. His twofold exhortation was simple and to the point. If you are going to follow Me as Lord, you will need to have faith in God and walk in forgiveness of others.

What might be the mountain that is in your life today? Is your faith in God? Know that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)! Jesus also talked about the importance of forgiving others. Is there someone that you are holding a grudge against? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? This is not only hurting you, but most importantly grieving The Lord. Genuine faith in God and forgiving others are two of the “roots” of a healthy, growing walk with Jesus and one another. Beware of the fig leaves of unbelief and unforgiveness. Selah

Jesus is on the last leg of His earthly life and ministry. The end is near. He knows that He is about to be offered up as The Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). That is what He repeatedly told the twelve as they began their journey from the quiet of Galilee to the chaos and crowds of a typical Passover festival time. By this point in time, the Jews were looking for a Messiah who would be more like a military general to overthrow the mighty Roman Empire’s grip upon the nation. Thus, having either seen or heard about the many miracles that Jesus did - most recently, Lazarus being raised from the dead - when Jesus entered the city proper on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, the crowd began to cry out the long-anticipated Messianic phrase from Psalm 118, verses 25 and 26: “Hosanna!... Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!”

Everything that they saw and said was right on! However, Jesus was not coming as an Army General to deliver the Jews from Roman tyranny, but as The Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. He came to provide the final sacrifice for sin by which fallen man can be restored to fellowship with God. But because of a misunderstood interpretation of Scripture that gave rise to an unfulfilled expectation, this same crowd would soon cry out to crucify Him. Following this dramatic entrance scene, we hear Jesus curse a barren fig tree, and see Him do a little temple “house cleaning” - both with prophetic significance. This scene demands attention from us this morning because we find religious leaders financially exploiting the people of God, and alleged religious people being rebuked by Jesus because of their fruitless lives even though they were going through the motions of observing a religious holiday.

Sound familiar? Jesus did not come to be added as a religious supplement to your life, but as Savior and Lord.

The prophet Isaiah said in chapter 61:1-2 that when the Messianic era arrived, the blind would receive their sight. It is recorded in Luke 4:18-19 that Jesus Christ read that passage of Scripture in His hometown synagogue of Nazareth and made the declaration, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (4:21) From that day forward, Jesus began fulfilling this prophecy with so many miracles that John ends his gospel telling us that not even the world could contain the books that should be written (John 21:25).

Today we will “witness” the miraculous healing of a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus. This account is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew mentions the healing of two blind men with no mention of Bartimaeus. That may or may not be the same account. Other than his father’s name, we know little about him. We do not know his age or marital status. This much we do know. Bartimaeus was one of the many blind people that Jesus healed. Before he was given physical eyesight, he was given spiritual insight, for he called Jesus the Son of David, which was one of His many Messianic Titles. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by him, he cried out, “Jesus, Thou son of David have mercy on me.” (Mark 10:47) Jesus stopped in His tracks and commanded them to bring Bartimaeus to Him. Jesus then asked him, “What will you that I should do unto you?” (10:51) Asking for his ability to see, Jesus replied, “Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.” In Luke it says, “… thy faith hath saved thee.” (18:42) Immediately Bartimaeus was healed! But what is often overlooked in the story is that he did not receive this miracle from Jesus and forget about Him. He followed Jesus, Who was on His way to Jerusalem to be offered up as The Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world.

Praise be unto The Lord Jesus, Who still heals those who are blind and gives them life!

God created us with a desire to be great. But greatness that was both taught and modeled by Jesus stands in stark contrast with greatness as it is defined in the world. In our study today, two disciples asked Jesus, “Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.” (Mark 10:37) The other 10 were displeased with their request, probably because they too wanted to have that prestigious place of greatness and honor in His Kingdom. That request gave way for Jesus to teach them, and us, that the desire to be great is not the problem. The problem is how one defines greatness. Jesus went on to say, “Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)

Greatness according to Jesus is defined in one word - servant. The Greek word for servant means, “A slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other”. The meaning is crystal clear. A person who is great in God’s kingdom is a person whose life is dedicated to serving God and others. This person of greatness follows the example of Jesus, Who only sought to speak and do the will of His Father. Jesus, though God Himself, “made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). Jesus, The Ultimate Servant, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life to save sinners. When a person is regenerated by God’s Spirit, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, they do not become superstars, but servants.

With servanthood being the measure of greatness according to Jesus, how great are you, my friend?

In our study today, Jesus confronts a man who is moral, rich, young, and wealthy. This man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him if he kept the commandments, to which he replied without hesitation yes. But there was something that stood between this man and God. And the thing that kept him from surrendering himself totally to Jesus was his great possessions. His wealth and possessions was his god. He would rather live without Jesus than live without his money and stuff. In light of the ever-changing views and attitudes that people have regarding what it means to follow Jesus, I have had this lingering thought in my mind from what I have observed over the last 45 years. Jesus’ command to “Follow Me” seems to have become little more then a spiritual hobby, based on a decision to accept Jesus, where faith in Him is a weekend pastime that occasionally fits Jesus in on a Sunday, as long as it doesn’t cause a conflict with other hobbies or costs something.

The gift of eternal life is free. Jesus Christ has paid the full price for our sins. Nobody can earn or deserves salvation. It is all grace from A to Z. However, there has been a glaring avoidance of any section of Scripture where Jesus demands a full surrender to Him that includes a cross and promises persecution. But this is what following Jesus actually means. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. There is a cost for following Jesus – a cost that cannot be superseded by anyone or anything else.

May God grant to reader and writer alike the ability to live in such a way that clearly reveals in word and deed that Jesus is not just a religious hobby with a shelf full of counterfeit gods, but Lord of all. Selah

No subject stirs up more controversy today than the subject of marriage, divorce and remarriage. Today, we are going to address these critical issues head on. Our textbook will be the Holy Scripture. Our Teacher will be The Holy Spirit Who inspired the Scriptures. My prayer is that God’s Word will bring a holy clarity over these hotly debated issues that have divided the body of Christ for the past 2,000 years.

I realize that many of you precious saints have experienced the pain of divorce. Some of you have experienced the pain of being raised in a home that ended in divorce. So I do not bring this message today lightly or with insensitivity. But I do bring this message in the love of Jesus and with the hope that The Spirit of God will minister healing, clarity, and hope that only the gospel can provide. Selah

This is what The Lord Jesus says we are called to be in this fallen world. Salt. Salt in those days was a preservative that kept food from rotting. It was medicine that kept an infection from spreading. Like today, it was added to food to enhance its taste. That is our assignment today, beloved. Wherever the Providence of God has us working vocationally or attending school academically, or living geographically, we are called to have a salty influence on society. When a Christian loses his or her godly influence in society for the Name of Jesus Christ, they are good for nothing. They have lost their purpose for existence. Nobody is perfect salt all the time. We fail. We sin and fall short of the glory of God. But when we do, we own it and bring forth the salt of repentance and brokenness before God and man.

Beloved church family, dear reader, Jesus redeemed you to be salt. He redeemed you to be a person of holy influence. He redeemed you to have salty speech (Colossians 4:6). Like salt, The Lord Jesus redeemed you to create a thirst in others for Him and His kingdom. Brothers and sisters, hear this! The Lord wants to reveal Himself in you and through you today so that others may say, “O taste and see that The Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). As Jesus teaches us today, “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” (Mark 9:50b)

In our study today, the Lord Jesus Christ throws down the gauntlet on “Christian Liberty” and the complacent attitude towards battling with indwelling sin in our lives. Once again, Jesus disturbs any self-constructed comfort zones that we create for ourselves in our daily battles with the flesh and our call to be witnesses to a lost and dying world. It is dangerous to ignore the warnings of The Master under the guise of them being “inconsistent with the message of grace.” The saving grace of God is not a license to live carelessly or in a known lifestyle of sin, but a call to walk circumspectly and holy.

Being saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ means that you and I are called to be the salt of the earth. Being salt means that we are called to be people of influence in a world system that is corrupt. Not holier-than-thou, and self-righteous, but people who present themselves as stepping stones, not stumbling stones to those who have yet to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We are to be people who – for the sake of Jesus, and for the sake of reaching the lost with the gospel, and seeking to help those who know Jesus grow in grace – choose daily to deny our “rights” and mortify our sinful flesh that misrepresents the Lord of glory.

The way of salvation is easy, for it is Jesus Who has paid the price for our sin that once separated us from God. But the pathway of personal sanctification and being a witness in a fallen world is a battle that must be waged every day until the Lord calls us home. Jesus has commissioned you, reader, to be His witness, and He has empowered you to do so (Acts 1:8). Selah

Unity in Jesus Christ is the bond that all those who are born again have with Jesus and one another. It is a work of God’s grace in the hearts of all who have been regenerated by The Spirit of God. You are either born again and in Christ, or not born again and lost. Every born again individual is a part of the body of Christ. Each person is a single part of many members. We are fearfully and wonderfully brought together as Christ’s bride, and called to glorify Him and serve one another in love. This is the very command of God (John 13:34, 15:12,17). Within this one body there are distinctions and differences of administrations, operations, and purposes. Within this one body there are non-salvation issues where we may be on “opposite sides” of opinions, interpretations, or even convictions. In love, we choose to agree to disagree, because we all see these kinds of things through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12). A person or church who claims to know it all knows nothing at all. But one thing that we can see clearly and know for sure is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that He rose again from the dead on the third day for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 4:25). That is a non-negotiable, binding truth that links us to Him and one another.

Does this unity mean that there are no sins to repent of, issues to deal with, or religious frauds that need to be exposed? Absolutely not! This side of heaven, no Christian and no church is sinless or perfect (1 John 1:8). Even the apostle Paul was found at odds with Barnabas and the apostle Peter over issues of ministry and compromise. The church at Corinth was filled with doctrines and behavior that needed to be reproved. Five of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 were commanded to repent by Jesus. Warnings were given to individuals whose behavior and unholy speech contradicted their alleged conversion. Every local congregation is a gathering of individuals who are a work of God in progress. But to be divisive or call a brother or sister “Raca” is serious stuff in the eyes of God (Matthew 5:22b). The ”glue” that binds us together as one, warts and all, flaws and all, differences and all, is the love of Christ for us and that love of Christ for one another. Selah

In John 17:20-23, The Lord Jesus prayed for unity in His Church. Only Jesus Christ can make the statement, “my church”. In fact, that is exactly what He said to the twelve in Caesarea Philippi. “…. I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) Hell itself cannot destroy the church that Jesus builds, but, according to Psalm 133, the Spirit of God flows most powerfully in the soil of unity.

This one body that Jesus is building is composed of many members (1 Corinthians 12:12-18). Observe that the body of Christ, like our human body has many members. There are as many parts of the body of Christ as there are human parts. Clearly, not every part looks the same or has the same function, but they all contribute to the wholeness of the body. The arm is not “called” to do what the “ear” or the “eye” does, but they are all dependent upon one another if the body intends to function properly.

In our text, Jesus rebukes the apostles’ sectarian thinking of forbidding an individual who cast out a demon in Jesus Name from doing so because he was not “one of them.” This same sectarianism existed in the ministries of Moses (Numbers 11:24-29), John the Baptizer (John 3:25-30), and the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:11-13, 3:4-6). This same sectarian spirit exists today. While distinctions exist within the body of Christ, divisions are unacceptable (1 Corinthians 12:20-25).

This account of the desperate father bringing his demon-possessed son to Jesus was meant to be published throughout the world. If there was ever a time when mankind needed to hear these words of Jesus, it is now. Remember, beloved, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is wrong to ever speak of the things that Jesus “used to do” in days gone by. Jesus is God incarnate, plain and simple. He manifests the very glory and image of God. Man, though marred by the fall in the garden, still bears the image of God. Satan hates every single image-bearer of God. The devil’s one agenda is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

In our study, we find a young boy who has a physical and mental condition that is due to demonic possession. That does not mean that all physical and mental illnesses are because of demons. But that is to say that in some cases demons are the reason for the condition. The father brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, who had been given the power to cast out demons and heal the sick, but in this case they failed. Why? Jesus said because of unbelief and the absence of prayer and fasting. That is what Jesus said. Unbelief is what kept Israel from entering the Promised Land (Hebrews 3:19). Never sacrifice your faith in the living words of Jesus on the altar of human reasoning or systematic, dispensational theology that nearly explains away the miraculous power of God today in the realms of demonic possession or physical healings.

Are you or somebody that you love in a desperate situation today? Have you exhausted every form of help available, including the church? Bring him to Jesus. Selah

John the baptizer was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was prophesied of in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].” (Isaiah 40:3-5) John’s ministry was one of repentance for The Christ, The Messiah, The Anointed and promised One of God, is coming. “And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:16,17)

This Elijah-like figure had one message. The Christ is coming! He will save you from your sin. He will baptize you with His Spirit. He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30). Your life will now become devoted to Him and His message of hope to this lost generation. Interestingly, John proclaimed Jesus’ first coming. You and I indeed proclaim the same message of forgiveness of sin and life in The Spirit, but in addition to that, we proclaim that this same Jesus is coming again in blazing glory to usher in a new heaven and earth where we rule and reign with Him for 1,000 years! Glory to God! Selah

I find myself somewhat bothered by the fact that sometimes when I am reading my Bible, I come to a spectacular WOW or AWESOME moment, and because I have read it so many times, I simply move ahead to the next verse. I ask The Lord to help me overcome that ho hum way of reading and thinking. In today’s study, Jesus takes Peter, James and John with Him up to a high mountain to pray. As He is praying, Jesus was transfigured before them. While they are praying, Moses and Elijah appear in glory and are heard talking to Jesus about His crucifixion. Luke tells us that these three men were heavy with sleep. (Thank you, guys, for being so human!!) Peter asks Jesus if it would be okay for him to build a tabernacle for Moses, Elijah and Him. Immediately, The Father declares, “This is My Beloved Son, hear Him!” What a word for us today! Hear Jesus. It grieves The Spirit of God when men are quoted more than Jesus Christ, The Son of God.

The transfiguration of Jesus followed His commands to deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). In other words, for those who choose to follow Jesus, this very same transfiguration is what lies ahead for you. Paul tells us that in 1 Corinthians 15:35-54 and Philippians 3:21. However, this transformation begins the very moment that you repent of your sin, receive Jesus Christ as Lord, and begin to follow Him by the power of The Spirit and renewing your mind with The Word of God (Romans 12:1,2; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Selah

Public “altar calls” are intended to be times for the people of God to respond to The Lord after hearing the message that was shared that day. Have you noticed the content of the various altar calls that Jesus gave to the multitudes? Let’s look at a few of them.

The call given in our study today is from Mark 8:34-38: “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, ‘Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’”

Picture yourself sitting in the crowd and being confronted with these heart-challenging questions. I suggest to you, beloved, that even though these commands or demands of Jesus are not often spoken of today in evangelical circles, they are as valid today as they were the day that Jesus spoke them.

When we hear those words from The Master today, ask The Holy Spirit to illuminate them to you. What did Jesus say? What did Jesus mean? What does it mean to deny myself? What does it mean to take up my cross? What does it mean to lose my life for the sake of the gospel? What does it mean to be ashamed of Jesus and His words? Are we prepared for His glorious return? Selah

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:15-17)

C.S. Lewis once said that a person only has three choices regarding the answer to Jesus’ question, “Whom say ye that I am”. The three choices are that Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or He is LORD. I totally agree. You cannot read the Scriptures and hear Jesus’ “I am” statements (e.g., John 6:35, 8:12, 8:58, 11:25) without concluding that He is a liar, a lunatic or LORD. No mere human being born of the sons of Adam would even dare make such claims, apart from being completely delusional or demonically possessed.

The words and miraculous works and wonders of Jesus Christ all testify to His divine nature. But Jesus also spoke of His suffering and death in fulfillment of Messianic prophesies in order to provide repentance and forgiveness of sin for the world.

Reader, who do you say Jesus is? Your answer will be reflected in not just what you say, but in how you live, for believing that Jesus is The Christ is more than a creed. Believing that Jesus is both a LORD and Christ will bring about a change of heart and a change of purpose in life. Whom do Ye say that Jesus is? Selah

In the second miracle of the multiplying of the loaves and fishes recorded in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is angered by the religious leaders from the Pharisee, Sadducee and Herodian sects, who tempted Him and challenged Him for a sign from heaven. These religious frauds, like any hard hearted skeptics, had no intention of believing that Jesus was their Messiah. They only sought to question, disrupt, and discredit Who He was. Jesus called their poisonous belief systems leaven.

But Jesus was also bewildered by His very own followers, who had yet to really understand the meaning of the miracle. In our verses today, upon returning to the Galilee area via boat, the disciples only brought one loaf of bread. Jesus then warned them about the leaven or corrupt influence that these religious groups held. As soon as they heard the word leaven, they thought that Jesus was rebuking them for only bringing one loaf of bread. Obviously, the two miracles of the loaves and fishes had yet to sink in. Though the miracles of Jesus were proof that He was from The Father, miracles in and of themselves do not produce saving faith.

Jesus Christ ended this conversation with His disciples with one final question. It is best to see it not as a continuation of the rebuke, but as a searching appeal to the disciples. He said to them in verse 21, "Do you still not understand?" That is, "Now that I have reminded you that there were twelve bushels left from the Jewish feeding and seven from the Gentile feeding, do you still not understand that I am the Bread of Life for the whole world?" This is a question for our own hearts as well. Is The Lord Jesus Christ your Bread of Life? If so, the meaning and purpose of our lives now revolves around feasting and focusing on Him, not ourselves. If so, we need to remember that our assignment here on earth is found in the marching orders of Jesus: “…as The Father hath sent Me, so send I you.” (John 20:21b) We are called to represent the life and gospel of Jesus Christ, The Bread of Life, in a lost and dying world, knowing that whatever is needed to complete that task, He is able to provide. Selah

In our study today, our blessed Lord Jesus performs another miracle of multiplying loaves and fishes. Though this is thought of by some to be a repeat of the previous miracle that we read about in chapter six, even a cursory comparison of the two miracles will clearly reveal that they are two separate accounts. The first miracle was performed for a Jewish setting and this one in a primarily Gentile setting. The point that is made here is that Jesus Christ was sent by The Father to be the Savior and Bread of Life for both the Jew and Gentile. In both cases, the hungry people gather to hear Jesus. Even though the motives of many of them may have been questionable, Jesus faithfully fed them the Word first and then met their physical needs afterwards.

Yes, Jesus Christ is a miracle-working Savior, but He is also a compassion-driven Lord Who is a lover of image-bearers of God, be they Jew or Gentile. Beloved, how blessed we are to have such a loving and caring Shepherd Who is touched with our every need! Never think for one second that there is anything too large for Jesus to handle or any need too small to escape His interest.

One last thing about these miracles that we observe is that Jesus’ disciples witnessed both of them but, as we will see a bit further on, the intended meaning of these miracles did not seem to sink in. Both writer and reader alike can relate to that, I’m sure. Are you facing a need today in some area of your life in which Jesus has performed a miracle or breakthrough for you in the past? Remember, Emmanuel is with you, and in you, and working. Selah

I love to read the gospels. There is something extra special that happens inside of my soul when I read the accounts of Jesus’ interaction with people. Repeatedly we read things like “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them” (Matthew 4:23,24). I like to stop and pray, asking The Lord to “put me into that crowd and help me to “see” what they saw and “hear” what they heard”. Read those verses again and ask The Lord to do that for you right now. In Matthew 15:30, 31 we read, “And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.” After seeing the miracles of Jesus that took place, they glorified the God of Israel.

But the one thing that lies beneath all of these miracles and wonders is what we read in Matthew 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus was moved with compassion. Divine compassion moved Jesus to minister to the hurting, the needy, the outcasts of society. And in those acts of compassion, Jesus was glorifying His Father, the God of Israel. Divine power is often displayed when we are moved with divine compassion. When our hands, our feet and our lips are moved with compassion, the God of Israel is glorified. And that is what we live for. Selah

Do any of you have a son or daughter that is trapped in the vices of some sort of demonic powers? If so, today’s study is tailor-made for you. The Lord Jesus’ popularity is growing, but so is the intensity of the opposition to Him and His message. Thus, having been rejected by the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus moves into the Gentile area of Tyre and Sidon. We are told that Jesus entered into a house, and apparently was looking for a time of peace and quiet. But Jesus could not be hidden. A Syro-Phoenician woman, who has a daughter that was grievously vexed with a devil, falls at His feet and cries out for Him to have mercy on her daughter. His disciples tell Jesus to send her away, but Jesus ignores their request. At first He is silent. Then He begins to engage in a conversation with her about how His first priority was to the house of Israel. “Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.” (Mark 7:27,28)

Perhaps some background would help here on “table manners” in that culture. In those days people did not have either knives or forks or table-napkins. They ate with their hands; they wiped the soiled hands on chunks of bread and then flung the bread away and the house-dogs ate it. So in essence the woman was saying, ‘I know the children are fed first, but can't I even get the scraps the children throw away? If you will be my Master, I will eat the crumbs that fall from your table.’ Humility in the sight of God is oftentimes the doorway to great expressions of faith. Jesus marveled at her great faith and delivered her daughter from the control of this devil. Her daughter was immediately healed, delivered, set free by the power of God. Devils and demons make it their business to oppress, harass, and attack the image bearers of God. But Jesus declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18) Indeed, deliverance, healing, and salvation are the believers’ bread. Selah

The apostle Paul wrote to the church of Corinth these sobering words of warning regarding defiling the temple of God. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16,17) The religious teaching of the day was that the body was defiled by what we ate or drank, or by eating with unwashed hands. The Lord Jesus said, “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” (Mark 7:15) That was a radical statement. Jesus said that what we eat or drink only goes into our stomach and then is flushed down the toilet! Those kinds of things do not defile a person morally or spiritually. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17)

Jesus went on to say that what defiles the temple of God is the sin from within our very own hearts (Mark 7:20-23). And one of the indicators of the sin in our heart are the words that come out of our mouth (Matthew 15:11,18). As in His sermon on the mount, Jesus once again cites that the problems we face in society, in our families, and in the church all stem from the sin from within. And the part of the body that is most defiling and causes the most trouble is the human tongue. James 3 tells us that “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity” (v6). Proverbs tells us that sowing discord among the brethren is an abomination (6:16,19). Sowing discord is just as disgusting as is sexual immorality and shedding of innocent blood. When is the body of Christ going to stand up against this “fashionable vice” and say NO to gossip, slander, backbiting, whispering, and tale bearing?

Let us pray: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3) “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

When the prophet Samuel went to the house of Jesse to anoint the successor for king Saul, God told Samuel, “…the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Religion places an emphasis on the outward appearances, but God places the emphasis on the heart, the attitudes, the motives. The Pharisees were a religious group that zealously separated themselves to keep their manmade and unbiblical traditions. They upheld their oral traditions above the teachings of Scripture. On the outside, they were very impressive. They zealously prayed, fasted, tithed, observed the Sabbath and holy days. But Jesus called them hypocrites – actors, a false representation of true religion. In fact, in Luke 18:9-14, one of these men was in the temple praying (NOT!) and telling God how holy and righteous he was compared to the “despicable and unclean” publican. He could not be more deceived. Read the story. These religious frauds said “the right things” and even did “the right things”, but their heart was far from God.

Before we point a finger of judgment at these religious frauds or anyone else, let me ask you a few very pointed questions. Are you more impressed with “keeping up” a good show on the outside, while inwardly you are filled with a critical, self-righteous disposition towards others who do not outwardly meet your religious standards? When we worship The Lord, are your lips saying the right things, but is your heart a million miles away, or “critiquing” the way others are worshipping? Beloved, God is far more concerned with what is going on in your heart, than how high you lift your hands during worship. Scripture says that we do not even know what is going on in our own hearts, let alone someone else’s (Jeremiah 17:9). Beware of being guilty of judging Another Man’s servant (Romans 14:4). The Spirit of God will not conform you into the image of a judgmental, critical, holier-than-thou Pharisee, but into the image of Jesus Christ. Think about the people who gave Jesus the hardest time during his ministry. There is nothing new under the sun. Beware of becoming a follower of contemporary Christianity, which is a form of godliness on the outside, but void of the life, grace, love, and mercy of Jesus on the inside. What Spirit is in your heart today, beloved?

When I am reading my bible, I try to place myself into the context of what I am reading, especially when I am reading the gospels. When I “see” Jesus moving and ministering, whether it be to an individual or amongst the multitudes, I am particularly overwhelmed by what happens whenever He touched them, or they touched Him by faith. In our journey through the gospel of Mark, we have come to the place where multitudes of sick people were brought to Jesus, and as many as touched the border or hem of His garment were made whole. Put yourself in that scenario. You are in the grip and pain of some sickness, you touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, and you are immediately healed!!

Luke 6:19 tells us that virtue, or it could read power, healing power, emanated from Jesus to those who touched Him. In Matthew 8, a series of physical healings are recorded, and The Holy Spirit tells us that it was in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4,5: “Surely he hath borne our griefs (diseases, sicknesses), and carried our sorrows (pain, suffering): yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded (pierced) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (wounds, scourging) we are healed.”

These physical healings were recorded in the context of the “Great Atonement Chapter”. Jesus did these healings before He went to the cross. Praise God for His atoning sacrifice for all of our sins and transgressions! The greatest need of every sinner is the personal experience of the saving grace and love of God when we call out to Jesus to forgive us of our sin. But as sure as Jesus will save your soul from the debt and slavery to sin today if you call upon His Name, I believe that when you “touch Him’ by prayer with your pains, your sicknesses, your sufferings and your diseases, He will touch you in a most remarkable way, for the Scriptures declare that before the cross, on the cross and after the cross, by His stripes, we are healed. Selah.

The miracle of the loaves and fishes is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. In John’s gospel, this miracle is followed by the proclamation of Jesus that He is The Bread of Life (John 6:35). There are many spiritual truths that we find in this miracle. It is a manifestation of The Father’s Heart for sinners. Jesus, Who is the express image of God (Hebrews 1:1-3), was moved with compassion when He saw the multitudes because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Never doubt the love or compassion of God for you. Another lesson that we find in this miracle is that when problems or impossible situations arise in our lives, Jesus had the answer before the problem took place. We also see how The Lord uses the little that we give Him to do miraculous things. Andrew brought to Jesus what essentially amounted to a fish and chips lunch that Jesus multiplied to feed an estimated 20,000 people WITH leftovers!! Incredible. Amazingly, many of the people who were recipients of the miracle were unaware of what took place. Many of them never came to saving faith in Jesus. They were only looking for the blessings from Jesus, but not interested in His Lordship. They were only concerned for the temporal and not the eternal. You see miracles in and of themselves do not always result in salvation. Thank God for His miracles, but miracles are given to point people to The Messiah, Jesus, The Bread of Life. Reader, have you repented of your sin and trusted Jesus, the Bread of Life, as your Lord and Savior? If so, the greatest miracle in the universe takes place: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Selah

Amongst the beatitudes we read, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12). John the baptizer paid the ultimate price of persecution and righteousness because he rebuked Herod for his ungodly and immoral relationship with Herodias. The Lord Jesus told the suffering saints in Smyrna, “… be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) Those who born twice will only die once. John will receive the crown of life. The other man in our study is King Herod. He was anything but godly. He was an immoral man, who was ruled by his passion instead of his conscience. Herod had John beheaded at the bequest of his step daughter Salome, who was influenced by her wicked mother Herodias, who had it in for John because he had the audacity to say that her relationship with Herod was ungodly and against the moral law of God. Unless there was an act of God that brought Herod to saving faith in Jesus Christ, he, like all who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, will be lost for all eternity, for those who are only born once, will die twice. May writer and reader alike be amongst those who can say, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20,21)

At the start of His public ministry, Jesus declared that He was the Christ, and that He came to fulfill the prophecies regarding Him (Luke 4:16-21). He was rejected (Luke 4:28-29). Now, as He is drawing towards the latter part of His earthly ministry, Jesus returns to the synagogue in Nazareth, only to be rejected again. The first time, Jesus went alone, He had no followers. This time He brought His disciples with Him. They heard the crowd question the nature of His birth. They could not deny the wisdom and power of God’s Spirit upon Him. But, as far as they knew, He was a carpenter with no rabbinical or theological training. Where then did He get such gifting? There were only two options: God or Satan. Amazingly, even His brothers and sisters did not know who He was. But Mark tells us that His disciples followed Him. He was teaching them both by precept and example that following Him at times includes being rejected, in spite of being in the center of God’s will and calling.

To follow Jesus means that He is The One we look to for a perfect example of what the will of God looks like, on earth, as it is in heaven. When He sent them out with the authority to anoint with oil and cast out devils, they were learning that the power of God is released in His Name, even when He is not present physically. Whenever Jesus is praying, teaching, washing feet, or ministering to the multitudes, He is providing us the example that we are to follow. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Beloved, we are first and foremost followers of Jesus; we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). Christ has purchased us for His glory. Our assignment here on earth is to re-present the life of Jesus in everything that we do. May God grant us the grace to remember that we live to follow and please only One, and His Name is Jesus. Follow Him.

I love to read the gospel’s and “see” how Jesus ministered His healing touch to those who were in humanly impossible situations. As we move ahead in our journey through Marks’ gospel, we come to the place where Jesus is met by the ruler of a synagogue by the name of Jairus, whose twelve year old daughter is at death’s door. He asks Jesus to come to his house and heal his daughter. On the way to his house, Jesus is thronged by a multitude. Amidst this great crowd is a woman with a critical internal bleeding problem. She has gone to doctors for help for twelve years, but to no avail. Because of this bleeding condition, she was considered unclean and was ostracized from society. She was at her wits’ end. Can anyone relate to her? Presumably having heard of His power to heal, she determined that she was going to touch Jesus, assured, like Jairus was, that just by His touch she would be made whole. And she was right! The very moment that this woman was miraculously healed by Jesus and told to go in peace, a contingency from Jairus house told him that there was no sense for Jesus to come to his house now because his daughter was dead. Immediately Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid: only believe.” (v.36) Arriving at the house, they are met with a crowd that is mourning over the little girl’s death. Jesus then is laughed to scorn because He declares that she is not dead but asleep. After removing the scoffers, Jesus raises this precious little girl from the dead. Are you or any of your loved ones in a dire situation this morning? Let’s unite in prayer that the same healing touch of Jesus will come upon all those who are in humanly impossible situations. Selah

God tells us through His Word that one of the reasons He came to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ was to “destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8b) That part of Jesus’s mission on planet earth was to directly oppose the devil’s works is confirmed in Acts 10:38: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” While the primary mission of Jesus was to redeem mankind from the debt and crippling power of sin, there is no doubt that a significant part of His coming was to set people free from the powers of darkness as well. In our study this morning, we see The Lord Jesus setting a man free from the grip and torment of demonic possession. This man dwelt among the dead. Because they had no ability to help the man, they tried to bind him with chains, which he “plucked asunder” (KJV) by supernatural powers of demons. But Jesus commanded the Legion of demons to release their stronghold upon the man, the result being that he was “clothed, and in his right mind.” (Mark 5:15) The Father sent His Son Jesus to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b), not you, my friend. Jesus still delivers people from the kingdom of darkness today by the power that is in the gospel that bears His Name. Praise be unto His Name!!!

Every follower of Jesus is going to encounter storms in life. Some of them are caused by unwise choices that are made outside of the will of God. Some of them are the result of being in the very center of the will of God. In every storm, there is the purpose of God, the will of man, and the counterattack of the enemy. Jesus had been teaching the disciples the word, and now He would give them a practical test to see how much they had learned. Thus, He tells them to get into a boat and launch to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. No mystery or cryptic message here. Thus, they launch out, and suddenly they find themselves in the midst a great storm. Their boat is being tossed to and fro, filling with water. The experienced fishermen - Peter, Andrew, James and John - are unable to control the boat, let alone the storm. The frightened disciples wake Jesus up from a sound sleep and ask Him, “…do You not care that we are about to perish?” (Mark 4:38)

Where is Jesus during this storm? He is with the disciples but is sleeping. (He is not bothered or threatened by the storm,) Where is Satan? He is in the midst of the storm. Jesus wakes up and He rebukes the wind and tells the sea to be still. The words that Jesus used to rebuke the storm were also used for dispossessing a demon of his power in Mark 1:25. No doubt the enemy was seeking to thwart the purposes of God. But as soon as Jesus spoke those words, the storm was muzzled and there was a great calm. One word from the lips of The Master can turn a great storm into a great calm. The Lord God rules and reigns over every demon and storm of life. Jesus then asked the disciples why they were afraid and of little faith.

Beloved, chances are that some of you are in a storm of some sort today. Look to the Savior, not the storm. Your times are in His hands. Selah

Jesus likens the growth in the kingdom of God to a farmer who plants seed into the ground. The farmer does not need to be able to explain all of the germination process that is in the seed for it to bring forth fruit. He simply plants the seed into the ground and believes that there will be a harvest. The farmer is responsible to plant the seed, add fertilizer and till the soil, but the farmer cannot produce the harvest. Likewise, we are responsible for sowing the seed of God’s Word in our hearts, and obey the teaching or believe the promise, but we cannot produce the fruit. God produces the fruit in our lives to the extent that we sow the seed and heed what God says.

The prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 55:10-11: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” When the word of God is planted in our hearts and acted on, the very DNA of that seed will bring forth fruit - 30, 60 and 100 fold. But the key is to keep on sowing and trusting God for the harvest, in spite of the “inclimate” circumstances or feelings. Sow the Word, beloved. Pray it. Sing it. Meditate on it. Speak it. Selah!

Our study today revolves around the two themes. One is the mystery of the kingdom of God, and two is the importance of really hearing what Jesus said. Now when the subject of the kingdom of God is mentioned in Scripture, it is referring to the reign or rulership of God. This mystery of the kingdom of God was brought into light in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Light of the world and the King of the kingdom. All that Jesus taught and all the miracles that Jesus performed where manifestations of the kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven. However, this kingdom is only partially manifested today. It will be fully manifested in the new heavens and new earth. This once secret or hidden gospel of the kingdom is now to be openly proclaimed to every creature.

According to Mark, Jesus said take heed what you hear. According to Luke, Jesus said take heed how you hear. Have you ever heard the expression, “If you don’t use it, you lose it?” Well beloved, that expression was “stolen” from Jesus. Jesus said, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. This heeding what we hear has to deal with the principles of sowing and reaping as well as the importance of wisely stewarding what God gives unto us. How well we listen will be determined by what we sow into other peoples lives and by how wisely we steward what God has given unto us. Are you listening?

In the foundational parable of the sower taught by Jesus in Mark chapter 4, we discover that hearing God’s Word and bearing fruit is relative to the stewardship of our hearts. It is to be noted that the same seed that bears fruit in the one instance is the same seed that ends up being rejected, causes offence, or is choked in others. And where do these various responses come from? The heart. So we could also call the parable of the sower the parable of the heart.

In John 15, Jesus tells us that it is the will of God that His branches be fruitful. In fact, the greater the pruning, the greater the fruit-bearing. Even a born again, regenerated believer has to deal with temptations, along with the hourly and daily assault of worldly and fleshly lusts that seek to undermine the word of God from taking root in our lives. So in this parable, Jesus lays out for us the kinds of things that prevent us from bearing fruit.

We do well to take note of what these spiritual termites are that cause people to reject, run away from, or flat out choke the life out of the seed of God’s Word from bearing fruit in our lives. Like an airline security machine can scan the contents of my luggage, I need to allow the Word of God to scan the content of my heart.

May The Spirit of God move freely and powerfully in our lives today, in order that we may be fruitful and bring glory to God. Selah

I remember singing that old Hymn “Trust and Obey” right after coming to faith in Jesus Christ. One verse says, “Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil He doth richly repay: not a grief nor a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.” That sums up what we will be studying in this morning. When Jesus was told that His mother and family wanted to talk to Him, He replied, “Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, ‘Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:33-35) Jesus was not advocating dishonor to our parents or telling us to shirk family responsibilities, but He was revealing to us that our relationship with Him must be primary and preeminent.

But this relationship that we have with Jesus must be based on trust and obedience to Him. Trust and obey is more than a great hymn; it is a foundational part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus asked the question, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46) The point that Jesus is making is obvious. What is the point of calling Him Lord if you have no intention of obeying Him as Lord? James writes, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22) Jesus taught in the parable of the sower, the seed that is sown on good ground describes those who “in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15)

May The Spirit of God grant to writer and reader alike an honest and good heart that hears, heeds, and brings forth fruit with patience for the glory of God. Selah

The Holy Spirit’s mission on earth is to point people to Jesus Christ. All of the miracles and wonders that were done by Jesus on earth were done by The Spirit of God. Demonic powers were cast out of people by the power of The Spirit. All manner of sicknesses and diseases again were healed by the power of The Spirit. The lame could walk, the blind could see, the dead were raised. So many miraculous things were done by the power of The Spirit that John wrote that earth itself could not contain the books to record them all (John 21:25). The purpose of every single one of these miracles was meant to bring God glory and reveal that Jesus is The One and only Savior of the world.

The unpardonable sin is rejecting the truth about Jesus Christ. It is believing that all roads lead to God. It is believing that salvation is a reward that is given to those who do enough good works or adhere to particular rituals or sacraments. Salvation is only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from any works (Ephesians 2:8-9). To reject that message is the blasphemy of The Holy Ghost and unpardonable.

It is quite a remarkable thing to see the people that God uses to represent Him and proclaim His kingdom and glory. Think of it. Would you call King David a man after God’s own heart if that were not declared to be so in Scripture (Acts 13:22)? What about father Abraham, who put his wife Sarah in danger with foreign rulers - twice!! What about that murderer Moses and his anger that prohibited him from entering into the Promised Land? Today, we are introduced to 12 men whom Jesus ordained to be His apostles, or “sent out” ones. Jesus is going to call them to be with Him and send them out with power to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out devils and raise the dead! You could not get a more diverse group of men than these twelve. Judging them by worldly standards, the men Jesus chose had no special qualifications at all. They were not wealthy. They had no special social position. They had no special education and were not trained theologians. They were not high-ranking churchmen and ecclesiastics. They were fishermen, tax collectors, patriotic zealots; two wanted Jesus to call down fire from heaven and destroy a group of people (Luke 9:54), and one turned out to be a devil (John 6:70,71). Does that sound like the kind of staff that you and I would choose to start a spiritual revolution that is impacting planet earth to this day? Beloved, if Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, He has chosen you, as imperfect as you are, to be a testimony of His grace, a witness of His resurrection, and to bear fruit by proclaiming His gospel with the power of The Holy Spirit for His glory and honor.

Tragically, because Jesus was acting in ways that were contrary to the most influential, yet totally unbiblical traditions and interpretations of the religious leaders of the day, the battle lines have been drawn. Jesus was grieved at their cold and hard hearts.

Jesus Christ is the express image of the will and character of The Father. He only said what He heard The Father say, and He only did what He saw The Father do. Thus, Jesus is the perfect example of the will of God on earth, as it is in heaven. Or to put it another way, Jesus is the Perfect Theology of heaven, manifest on earth. If you want to know what the will of God is on earth, as it is in heaven, look unto Jesus.

Manifesting the compassion of The Father, Jesus went about doing good, healing broken people, and delivering those who were oppressed by the devil. How glorious it must have been to see so many souls delivered from lives of bondage by simply touching the hem of The Master’s garment. Jesus still manifests His manifold compassion towards those who are spiritually dead, or trapped by the powers of darkness, or suffering physical afflictions.

Our study of the life of Jesus reveals to us what happens when the kingdom of heaven invades earth. May God rend the heavens and do those same things today as we call upon His Name in worship and prayer. Selah

Once again, we find Jesus embroiled in a sabbath day confrontation with the religious hierarchy of the day. And once again we see that the subject of the confrontation is because Jesus has “violated” the Pharisees’ tradition of what it meant to do work on the sabbath. Jesus has declared Himself to be the Lord of the sabbath. As Lord of the sabbath, Jesus was revealing the true heart and character of The Father by performing the sabbath day miracles that He did, most certainly not breaking it.

How tragic it is when manmade religious traditions oppose the miracle-working power of the gospel to save, heal, or deliver those who are bound by sin and its devastating consequences. Jesus simply speaks a word to a man with a withered hand and the man is immediately healed. Glorious!

We are all withered spiritually, physically, mentally, and relationally as creatures of the fall. Regardless of the impossibility of your condition, one word from The Master’s lips can set you free today, beloved. Praise be unto God for His unspeakable gift of everlasting life and deliverance in and through faith in His Son Jesus Christ! Selah

Jesus Christ is the express image of The Father. He is the perfect manifestation of the will of God on earth, as it is in heaven. When Jesus performed seven miracles on the Sabbath, did He do it to “prove” something to the Pharisees? I don’t think so. I believe that every miracle, every good deed, and every word that Jesus Christ did was to reveal the heart of The Father for us. In Exodus 20:8-11 we read, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Amazingly, the religious leaders of the day turned these Scriptures into a codified law of do’s and don’ts that were so far removed from the actual meaning of the Sabbath that they even accused The Son of God of breaking the Sabbath because He did not heed their man made additions and interpretations. Keeping their man made rules and regulations were more important to them than seeing people healed and human needs being met. The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives. He came to set us free from elevating man made religious rules, regulations, and traditions that exalt themselves against the true knowledge of God, and the needs of those around us. Selah

Describing the new birth to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) It is true that old traditions are hard to break, especially when they are deeply imbedded religious traditions. Such is the case in our study this morning. The disciples of John and the Pharisees could not understand why the disciples of Jesus were not fasting like they did. How could they be serious about following God when they were not observing the traditions about fasting that were passed down over many generations? Jesus did not deny the biblical value of fasting. In fact, there was a time when His disciples were unable to cast out a demon, and Jesus told them that it could not be done apart from prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). But like any biblical truth, fasting for the most part had become a ritual and sign of deep spirituality instead of a means of drawing closer to God. Jesus declared that when a person truly comes to Him in faith, everything becomes new. And to try to mix the life in The Spirit with the traditions of men would be a disaster. When a person comes to saving faith in Jesus, the motive for prayer changes, the motive for fasting changes, everything changes, because the reason for doing them is not to earn favor with God, but as a means of drawing closer to Him and worshipping Him in Spirit and truth. Selah

There is a lot of conversation going on in our country these days about health care. There is no shortage of opinions. There is no shortage of confusion. There are so many diseases and illnesses that rack our bodies and minds, with little or no help to be found. I thank God for doctors and dentists and specialists and health care providers. But at the end of the day, the greatest need for every single person on planet earth is a physician who can heal our sick and diseased souls. And that is what we come face to face with in our study this morning. The doors of the synagogue are rapidly closing on Jesus because of His message and life-transforming miracles that met the ire of the orthodox community. Thus far, Jesus has recruited four fishermen, and today He is going to enlist a tax collector to His staff. Levi (or Matthew) leaves everything to follow Jesus. He has a banquet for Him and His disciples at his house. Levi invites all of his unsaved friends to the dinner. To sit down and eat with a person in that culture meant that you became one with them. You identified with them. The scribes were blown away that Jesus would have anything to do with these kinds of people. But Jesus, The Great Physician, said, Who goes to the doctor for a cure? Those who are well or those who are sick? I have not come to call the ‘righteous,’ but to call those who are sinners and bring them to repentance.

And what is repentance? It is turning away from a life of sin to God, and from a life of serving self to a life of selfless serving and intimacy with Jesus. It is a radical change of thinking and living by the indwelling Holy Spirit Who enables us to live out the life of Jesus in a sin-sick world that desperately needs to hear about and encounter The Great Physician.

The multitudes began to throng to Jesus when they heard the testimonies of the miracle-working power of God in His life. This caused Jesus to resort to a quiet place to have communion and fellowship with His Father. Having spent time with The Father, Jesus, as Son of Man would be endued with a fresh supply of power and strength for the day. Today we “relive” the account of Jesus forgiving and healing the paralytic. Interestingly, we see a mixed multitude in attendance. There are the friends of this lame man who are convinced of the power of Jesus to heal their friend. Both they and their friend would get much more from Jesus than they asked for! Then there were the Pharisees and doctors of the law (scribes) who were there to criticize and accuse Jesus of blasphemy.

Whenever a multitude is gathered together when Jesus is being worshipped, praised, and being made known by the teaching of Scripture, there will always be a mixed multitude. There will be those who come to Him in faith, hungering and expecting Him to speak to them and touch them, as well as those who observe to find fault and accuse those who look to Jesus in faith. The New Covenant is not a covenant of lesser promises or lesser power than the Old Covenant. The New Covenant is the very power of God in that it grants by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, full remission of sin, and the power of God that heals us in spirit, soul and body. The “theologians” of the day walked away empty and angry at Jesus, but those with childlike faith walked away forgiven forever and healed. Which group describes you today? Selah

Today we will be looking at the miracle of Jesus cleansing the leper. Luke tells us that this man was full of leprosy, meaning that it was in its final stages. Dr. Luke also tells us that Jesus saw a man. Here is an image bearer of God, full of leprosy. Matthew tells us that he calls Him Lord, and falls on his face worshipping Him. He is desperate. He has been ostracized from society. We do not know his age or his marital status. But this much we do know; he was at his wits’ end and laid his pitiful condition at Jesus feet. Note that he said to Jesus, “If You will, you can make me clean.” He did not doubt Jesus’ power to heal Him; he questioned His willingness. Jesus, moved with compassion touched him, and said, “I will” or, “I am willing; be clean.” Immediately, the leprosy left him. Jesus then tells him to go and show himself to the priest and offer the gift that was described in Leviticus. From this we know he must have been a Jew. In Scripture, leprosy is a type of sin. It begins beneath the skin, but it gradually surfaces with devastating and debilitating effects of numbness and loss of feeling. That is what sin does to us, beloved. There are many kinds of lepers today. They are people who outwardly are smiling and look so confident and successful, but deep inside there is the leprosy of deceit, or anger, or unbridled lust, or bitterness, or plain old unbelief and doubt in the power of God to set them free. As we “watch” Jesus minister to this leper, may each one of us ask The Lord to search our own hearts, and see if there is not some leprosy of the old man that needs the healing touch of Jesus today. He has the power; He is moved with compassion, and He is willing.

In our study this morning, we see that spending time alone with The Father was a priority in Jesus’ life. After a busy day and night of ministry, Jesus arises early the next morning for a time of prayer and communion with His Father. I would have probably turned off my alarm and caught a few hours of extra sleep. But Jesus teaches us that the best way to get our spiritual batteries recharged after a draining and emotional day of ministry is by prayer, not sleep.

It was during that quiet time with The Father that Jesus received His marching orders. Multitudes wanted to see Him and be ministered to by Him, but The Father instructed Jesus to move on with His primary calling, which was to go to the next towns and preach the gospel. No doubt some people were disappointed and perhaps even a bit turned off by Jesus’ apparent lack of compassion for them. But we see time and time again in the gospels that Jesus was not crisis-driven or crowd-driven. Instead, Jesus went about doing His Father’s business. For example, when Mary asked Him to do something about the shortage of wine at the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus served His Father according to His direction and time (John 2:1-11).

Jesus models for us in these passages this morning two important relational keys to being used mightily by The Lord: solitude with The Father, submission and sensitivity to The Father’s direction and timing. Selah

In our study through Mark this morning, we are going to get a glimpse into a day in the life of Jesus. Keep in mind that this day would be the first “seminary” lesson for Peter, Andrew, James, and John. It begins with Jesus teaching in a synagogue on a Sabbath day. It is noted that when Jesus taught, He taught with authority and power. Rabbis typically taught quoting another rabbi’s interpretation of Scripture. Jesus taught, “It is written” - nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. While Jesus is ministering The Word, He has an occasion to rebuke an unclean spirit. Ironically, this unclean spirit knew that Jesus was “The Holy One of God”. After He left the synagogue, Jesus entered in the home of Peter and Andrew, along with James and John. According to Luke’s account of this situation, Peter’s wife (Peter was married!) had a great fever, and Jesus touched her hand and rebuked the fever (Luke 4:38,39). (This was the very same phraseology that was used when He reproved the unclean spirit.) She was healed immediately, after which she arose and ministered unto Him. That evening, people brought unto Jesus those who were sick with all kinds of diseases and demon-possessed. Jesus laid hands on every one of them and healed them, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” This day in the life of Jesus is a demonstration of His authority and power over souls and bodies that are bound by demonic powers and diseases.

Oh how I love to read the gospels and see My Lord work in and through His disciples. Among Jesus’ first disciples were fishermen. And even more astounding than their occupation is the belief that they were all probably in their 20’s at the time.

In this study today we see the miraculous catch of fish by the authority of Jesus, and the humbling impact that it had upon Peter, despite Peter’s rather reluctant obedience to Jesus’ command to throw out his fishing net. It was at that moment of realization of his unworthiness that Jesus called Peter to become a fisher of men. It was then that Peter dropped his nets, and decided to follow Jesus, no matter what the cost.

You may not be a fisherman by vocation, but you are called by Christ to follow Him, and be a fisher of men. Selah

In this Lord’s Supper morning, we will be using as our texts the words of Jesus: “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) Jesus is the fulfillment of every bible prophecy regarding His virgin birth and incarnation from Genesis to Zechariah. He is The Christ, The Son of God, the Savior of the world. And with His first advent, He announced that the kingdom of God is near. The proclamation that Jesus is the Christ and that the kingdom of God is near is the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ and His kingdom is not a good idea, it is good news!

But note that Jesus said to those with ears to hear that they need to repent and believe the gospel. Repent and believe, not accept and receive. Good news is only good news for those who understand the bad news. All mankind since Adam are born into this world sinners by nature and by choice. In that condition, we are separated from God. We are incapable and unable to redeem ourselves. By turning away from our sins and placing faith in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sins, I become a part of the family of Christ and a citizen of the kingdom of God. Reader, repent and believe the gospel, and you shall be saved.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the 40-day temptation of Jesus. Since Jesus was alone in the wilderness, this 40-day temptation must have been communicated to them from Jesus Himself. Following Jesus’ baptism and The Spirit coming upon Him, Matthew and Luke tell us that He was led by The Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Mark tells us that The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. This event in the life of Jesus proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Satan, most commonly known as “the devil,” is not some imaginary being. He is the archenemy of God and anyone or anything that God deems is sacred. What a fascinating account we have before us this morning. God and evil incarnate meeting face to face. Satan does not question that Jesus is The Son of God, but he challenges Him to prove it by doing something spectacular. Jesus resisted the temptation of Satan by using the sword of The Spirit, which is The Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Temptation is something that every child of God faces. Beloved, the Scripture is clear that it is not a matter of if we will be tempted, but when. Our victory in the battles of temptation lies in following the “It is written” example of Jesus (Matthew 4:4,7,10).

If John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, why was it necessary for Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, to be baptized? What other practical truths can we learn as followers of Jesus from this incredible event that was recorded in all four gospels? What does the baptism of Jesus reveal to us about the Triune nature of God? What is the significance of the heavens being opened and the dove hovering over and descending upon Jesus?

To be sure, even though we may have questions about the wonder and mystery of The Father, Jesus His Son, and The Holy Spirit, this we can know for sure. The Living God has chosen to reveal His redemptive love and nature to us in The Person of His Son. Behold Jesus, The One in Whom The Father is well pleased today.

The prophet Isaiah identified John the baptizer as The Voice of one crying in the wilderness. What was this voice proclaiming? “Prepare ye the way of The Lord.” Having been told that the long-awaited Messiah had arrived and was about to be revealed, John declared to the multitudes, prepare the way of The Lord, make His paths straight.

You and I have been told that this same Messiah Jesus Christ is coming back again, and what is the message that we are to proclaim? Prepare ye the way of The Lord, make His paths straight, which is another way of saying, repent and believe on The Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

John also declared that his baptism was one of water, but The One Whom he pointed men to would baptize with The Holy Ghost. John the voice who baptized with water, pointed to Jesus, Who would baptize with the Holy Ghost. Jesus Himself said, “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:11-13)

Father, fill us afresh today with Your Spirit and power to declare in our generation the message, prepare ye the way of The Lord!

In this study, Jehovah has a strong word of warning/rebuke for the Levitical priests because of their blatant transgression by divorcing their Jewish wives and marrying women who worshipped foreign gods. Their bad example emboldened other Jewish men to do the very same thing. In Ecclesiastes 8:11 we read, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.” (NASB)

One of the attributes of God is that He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Thus, Jehovah appeals to them to repent in order to abort the consequences of their sin according to the blessing/curses conditions laid down in Deuteronomy 28.

To address this matter concerning the Jewish men divorcing their Jewish wives and marrying these pagan women, God brings out the sacredness of the covenant of marriage and His desire for the children to learn the ways of The Lord and walk in them. Both Ezra and Nehemiah had to deal with this matter of the Jewish men marrying pagan women. For the men that heeded the warning from God and repented, there would be forgiveness and blessing. For those who would continue on in their self-willed, sinful ways, even the blessings in their lives would be cursed. “…who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?” (Job 9:4) “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” (Psalm 130:3,4) Selah

One of Satan’s most effective fiery darts is comparing yourself, or what God has called you to do, with someone else or a work of God in the past. When the people of God began to build the new temple, they began to compare its size and glory to Solomon’s temple in all of its splendor and glory. They could not see how this new temple could have any significance in comparison to the previous temple. But God did not agree with their assessment of the situation. What He told them to do would have a vital part in God’s millennial temple, which will be constructed after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus is called “the desire of all nations” by Haggai (2:7). He is The Ultimate Desire of every human being. But when you look around, it is pretty obvious that Jesus Christ is not the desire of this fallen world system. Neither is He the desire of the vast majority of people on planet earth. Sadly, neither is He the desire of the consumer-friendly, lukewarm church. But the great commission is that we, the Church of Jesus Christ, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every nation and creature (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15). Do not think that your “little” praying or “little” sharing is insignificant, beloved. Do not compare yourself with what anyone else is doing. Be strong in The Lord. Serve Him faithfully. Your Ultimate Desire, Jesus Christ, is coming back soon!

Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). What does “first” mean? Before all things. Above all things. But how easy it is for other things to choke the very hunger for the things of God. It never ceases to amaze me the time and money that people have for entertainment or to build “bigger barns.” The people of God in the days of Haggai were guilty of that very thing. The remnant from Babylon returned to Jerusalem and laid the foundation for the temple. Then opposition to the work set in and the work ceased. Oh they did not deny that building the temple was important. They were saying that it was not the time for the temple to be built.

That scenario is all too common in today’s church world. People get saved and all excited about Jesus, and about reading Scripture and sharing their faith and serving, and then....opposition comes, or the pursuit of other things enters in and chokes the hunger and thirst for the Word of God and the things of God. Haggai would say to reader and writer alike, “Consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:5,7) What motivates you to live the way you do? What brings you joy? What makes you cry? Is your temple in disrepair this morning, beloved? Consider your ways and seek first the kingdom of God! Selah

Jonah is a book that is packed with practical lessons for any person who is a follower of Jesus Christ. It is a book that teaches us that it is impossible to flee from the presence of God. It is a book that teaches us that our sin and rebellion against God affects others and sometimes puts others in danger. It’s a book that teaches how racial resentment can be so deep that it can blind us from heeding the commands to preach the gospel. It teaches us that God’s grace and the gift of repentance are extended to the most wicked of people. But above all things is the singular message that God is ultimately in sovereign control over whales and winds, gourds and people.