Love

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 KJV
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

The importance of our love; first for the brethren and then for all men, cannot be overestimated. We begin (in the Christian walk) by learning to love the Lord. we progress, and I do not say it happens secondarily, but simultaneously in loving the brethren. Love of God and our neighbor: these are the greatest commandments. But the love of neighbor must not stop at the church doors. Christians are commanded to love all men and to even increase in that love.

Now for the results of that sort of love; The word of God says such love will, "....stablish [our] hearts unblameable in holines before God...."

We cannot love enough. We must not allow ourselves to become passive in our love but to be proactive in building and increasing and strengthening our ability to love.

May God grant it to be so.

Grace, Grace

Zechariah 4:7 KJV
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Zerubbabel, as a type of Christ, lays the last stone completing the Temple. The picture is of Jesus Christ, bringing the last soul possible to the saving knowledge of the Lord.

As he brings this stone he shouts and cries, "Grace, grace unto it."

The marking characteristic of Jesus Christ is grace. He gives freely and He gives to those who are so undeserving of His gifts.

• His message is a message of grace
• His identity with man is all of grace
• His sacrificial death was a gracious act
• His calling of the sinner is grace
• His preparing a heavenly place for us is gracious
• His promise that we will be with Him is of grace

Again

Zechariah 2:12 KJV
And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

Jerusalem, chosen of God to be the center of true worship and the source of blessings for the world around, had been set aside. After the destruction of the city by Babylon and even after the Jews returned some 70 years later, still Jerusalem has never recovered to anything near her former glory.

• She is half occupied by Muslims today
• She is the site of terrible controversy
• She has almost no friends in the world and those who were friends are pulling away
But God is not finished with Jerusalem and in the end of God's plan will possess a glory that makes those days under David and Solomon pale. "The Lord...shall choose Jerusalem again."

We have days as believers when we likely feel as Jerusalem must. We remember when we first got saved and we remember the joy, the sense of victory, the glory of our first few steps in the Christian faith. But then the attacks of this world come upon us. We learn that God's intention is not that we experience wealth in the world, but in the world to come, and we can wonder if God has left us to our own stumbling.

Never fear, dear Christian. God will choose you again. God has not forgotten us. God has not set us aside. God has not left us or forsaken us. God's plan for us is that we bear in our bodies the dying the Lord Jesus Christ today. But there will come that day when Jesus Christ will come in the clouds to call us to heaven with Him. And then, what joy!

Fervently ...in Prayer

Colossians 4:12 KJV
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

I am encouraged today to be in much prayer for my church and for those whom the Lord has been so gracious as to have some place in my life. Epaphras was a fellowprisoner with Paul and was a minister to the church in Colosse, perhaps their pastor, now imprisoned. Yet still, even in a prison cell, his ministry toward them could not be stopped.

Gill says,
"...in all his prayers, which were many and frequent, he never forgot his dear flock at Colosse, of which he was pastor, but strove with God for them, even to an agony, as the word signifies; he wrestled with the Lord as Jacob did, nor, as he, would he let him go without a blessing for this church; he was incessant, importunate, and fervent in prayer for them: and what he prayed in particular for them was...."

...that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
I can see that in two lights
First, he prayed that his congregation may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God

Second, his prayers enabled them to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

It is no small thing to pray. Epaphras understood that and gave himself the more fervently to prayer, knowing that his prayers would make that difference in their lives.

Dead?

Colossians 3:3 KJV
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Now here is an interesting and powerful thought. The Bible says I am dead. Taking the Scriptures as a whole I know that I was once dead in trespasses and sins. When I came to Christ I was born again and my spirit was quickened and made alive. Now that I am saved I am again dead and my life is hidden with Christ in God.
• I was dead
• But now I am alive
• To die again so that
• Death cannot reign in me
Now practical application of this truth is evident in the passage; being dead we would have no interest or affection for earthly things.
• Summer, winter
• Heat or cold
• Wealth and power
• Fame and influence
None of those things concern the one who is dead.

It is obvious this death is of a peculiar kind because it is the one who is dead who is told to "set your affection on things above." This is not the sort of death that leads to absolute powerlessness. This is the sort of death that leads us to exercise ourselves in one direction alone; a direction that is heavenward and away from earthly.

A Warning About The Show

Colossians 2:23 KJV
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

The Word of God cautions us as well as warns us against a kind of religious faith that copies Christianity and in some respects will appear to be a wonderful form of Christianity. They will indeed have a show of
• Wisdom
• Worship
• Humility
• Temperance and
• Discipline
But it will not be of the Lord.

Too many have been led astray and swept from the truth by following movements and religious leaders and others who appear to have all that is really spiritual.
• They appear to be wise and well educated
• They appear to be reverent and worshipful
• They appear to be humble, modest and in some cases even disciplined physically

But it is all a show. It is no substance. It is designed to bring in the followers, but once they have them, they lead them down a dark path.

Would to God Christians would become more prudent and discerning. Would to God that believers would see the value of local church ministry as a means of protection from those who would lead astray the people of God.

The Lord Will Not...

Zephaniah 1:12 KJV
And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

Perhaps one of the greatest sins any man can fall into is that of not expecting God to do anything. It may be that we don't call the work of God evil; just that we don't think God works much if at all.
• We don't expect that He will come again
• We don't expect that He will judge sin
• We don't expect that He will reward the righteous

Even Christians can fall into a trap of complacency about the working of the Lord. We just don't expect Him to answer our prayers
• We don't expect Him to honor our service in church
• We don't expect that there is any chastening for our unfaithfulness

It was likely in Zephaniah's day, that the work of God among the people was not as apparent as at other times. We do know that those times of great miracles came in waves and not all of the time. It could certainly not be said that they were always seeing the sick raised to health and God speaking to them from burning bushes. While there was always someone preaching the Word of God it wasn't that there was always someone receiving brand new revelations. We walk by faith and not by sight. If those powerful types of miracles happened on a daily basis we would be walking by sight and not faith.

Most of what God is doing, good, or evil (as in the sense of reward or judgment) happens in an unseen and spiritual realm and not in the obvious and visible world. In order for us to expect God to do god and evil we must do so by faith and look for it in unseen ways and in eternal values.

Old And New Testament Prayer

Habakkuk 3:1 KJV
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.

Scofield's Notes says of this passage
"Prayer in the Old Testament is in contrast with prayer in the New Testament in two respects:
(1) In the former the basis of prayer is a covenant of God, or an appeal to his revealed character as merciful, gracious, etc. In the latter the basis is relationship: "When ye pray, say, Our Father" (Mat_6:9).
(2) A comparison, for example of the prayers of Moses and Paul, will show that one was praying for an earthly people whose dangers and blessings were earthly; the other for a heavenly people whose dangers and blessings were spiritual. "

I want to introduce then
Colossians 1:10 KJV
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Paul's prayer for these believers was in part
• That they would walk worthy of the Lord
• That they would be fruitful in every good work
• That they would increase in the knowledge of God
Those are the kinds of prayers we find repeated throughout the New Testament. Not that it is wrong to pray for, "earthly people whose dangers and blessings were earthly" but that we would find ourselves praying more and more for, "heavenly people whose dangers and blessings were spiritual."

Circumcision

Philippians 3:3 KJV
For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

The Word of God here defines the circumcision, true Israel, the children of Abraham by faith. We are given three characteristics of this circumcision:

Worship God in the spirit
This absolutely cannot be accomplished unless that spirit has been quickened in the new birth. A prerequisite to true worship is that the worship be offered by one who has been born again. Then, this worship is to be offered, "with much attention, diligence, and fervency; or in a spiritual manner, in opposition to the carnal worship of the Jews, and the bodily exercise of formal professors...." (Gill)

Rejoice in Christ Jesus
True believers joy in Christ. They enjoy knowing the Lord. They rejoice in what He has accomplished for them. They love His name being lifted up. They enjoy the things that please the Lord. They cheerfully reject the world in favor of the things of the Lord.

Have no confidence in the fleshJust as we are saved through faith, so we are to live by faith and walk by faith.
The flesh cannot save and neither can the flesh live for or serve God. The flesh has no talent or ability that will do in Christian life or in the work of the ministry. True believers know to count all their fleshly talents as dung in favor of the power of Christ's resurrection

Working Out

Philippians 2:12 KJV
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Gill says of the phrase, work out your own salvation'
"....which is to be understood not in such a sense as though men could obtain and procure for themselves spiritual and eternal salvation by their own works and doings; for such a sense is contrary to the Scriptures …. and is also repugnant to the perfections of God, as his wisdom, grace, and righteousness; for where are the wisdom and love of God, in forming a scheme of salvation, and sending his Son to effect it, and after all it is left to men to work it out for themselves? ..... Moreover, was salvation to be obtained by the works of men, these consequences would follow; the death of Christ would be in vain, boasting would be encouraged in men, they would have whereof to glory, and their obligations to obedience taken from the love of God, and redemption by Christ, would be weakened and destroyed..."

And he therefore observes that a proper sense of the passage would be,
"...employ yourselves in things which accompany salvation, and to be performed by all those that expect it, though not to be expected for the performance of them..."

I take the phrase to be interpreted by the context of Paul's presence or absence and take the passage to mean that, now that Paul is not there, they need to carry on in their life as saved creatures without the support of this preacher.

God has blessed His work with men who are both called and equipped for the work of bringing souls to salvation and encouraging and aiding them in their walk with Christ. What a help these believers are to the body of Christ. But they are not Christ and, should we be, from time to time, left without them we should realize we are still responsible to go on in the Christian conversation.

That a beloved pastor has been removed from us is no excuse to quit living as the saved
That a mature believer who has always been there for you is no longer there is no good reason to trim back your life for Christ

Too many Christians depend too heavily on another to prop up their faith and life. It is time we "work out our own salvation" and keep on for Christ.

Glorious Salvation

Nahum 1:2 KJV
God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

Scofield's Notes says,
The great ethical lesson of Nahum is that the character of God makes Him not only "slow to anger," and "a stronghold to them that trust Him," but also one who "will not at all acquit the wicked." He can be "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom 3:26) but only because His holy law has been vindicated in the cross.

This passage in no way minimizes
Micah 7:18 KJV
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
God's character is to delight in mercy, and as wonderful a character as that is, what makes it even more wonderful is that He accomplishes this mercy by vindicating holiness. He does not merely sweep sin under the carpet. He doesn't just ignore our sin nature. God looks full face into our sin and pours His fury, vengeance and wrath out upon it.

But not upon us; that would have spelled our eternal doom. God became one of us, a man. He identified Himself with fallen humanity in the Person of Jesus Christ and then, once fulfilling the righteousness of the Law, God poured the wrath He had reserved for His enemies upon Christ.

What a glorious salvation!

Who Is A God Like That?

Micah 7:18 KJV
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
I love this exultation of the Lord. The prophet bursts out in rejoicing toward His God and closing this phrase with the words, "...because He delighteth in mercy."

Thank God for this quality of His. God delights in mercy, in showing kindness and favor to those who least deserve it.

Thank God for His grace. It is the grace of God that provided Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for our sins so God
• Can pardon iniquity
• Can pass by transgression
• Can release His anger against the sinner
Justice could have never allowed for mercy if it had not been for this grace. Mercy would have been an injustice if God's sentence of death upon sin had not been executed upon Jesus Christ when He identified Himself with mankind.

Who is a God like this?

Where in this world will you find any other god who is both merciful and just, who is both holy and gracious, who will pass by the transgressions of sinner, but do in justly because He has Himself been judged for our sins?

Proving What Is Acceptable

Ephesians 5:8 KJV
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Ephesians 5:10 KJV
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Between verses eight and ten is a parenthetical sentence. It is important to be sure, and I would never want to leave it out. But there is something to be gained to see the flow of the Word of God with it set aside for a moment. The Word of God says that when we walk as children of the light we are "proving what is acceptable unto the Lord."

When the Christian walks as a Christian ought to walk, we demonstrate to the world that we approve of (one of the definitions of proving) those things that God accepts. It is a shame that we have so called Christians today who obviously do not approve of those things which God approves of and who do approve of things that God's Word declares He does not approve of. The nature of sin has so infected modern Christianity that in many cases it can no longer be called Christian.

Sin is approved of (and wantonly practiced) among many who claim to be Christians.
Righteousness is mocked by those same "wanna - be" believers.

True Christians are children of light. Let us walk as children of that light and let the world see we have proven that which is acceptable to the Lord.

The Questions We Should Be Asking

Micah 4:2 KJV
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
The passage before us is written to Israel concerning the Kingdom of Christ, still future for us all. The Kingdom will be wonderful in several respects, both for the Jews and for those Gentiles who enter into it
• Christ will be physically present
• The world will live in peace (until the last days of that Kingdom)
• Animals will not be violent to themselves or to mankind

But there is an underlying tone in the Kingdom that is not so pleasant.
• Christ will rule with a rod of iron (suggesting that it takes a "heavy hand" to restrain the sin nature that still exists in man.)
• The Kingdom ends with the release of Satan who gathers an army against Christ (suggesting that even the presence of the Lord and the heavy hand of restraining sin does not curb the nature of man.)
• Christ will destroy those who follow Satan (suggesting tears even in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.)
I want to consider this passage under a secondary application today. Should not the Christian, in whose heart Christ already rules, be busy about asking the same questions that the Bible says the Jews, under the leadership of Christ will ask?
• Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord
• And to the house of the God of Jacob
• He will teach us of His ways
• We will walk in His paths
God grant that it be so.

Mystery Revealed

Ephesians 3:4-6 KJV
Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

One of the, I think, the weaknesses of the human flesh is our tendency to lose the wonder of really wonderful things. People come to the Pacific Northwest and one of the first things they want to so is see Mt Rainier. No doubt, it is spectacular! But those of us who live in the shadow of the Mountain very often miss it's view for months on end (and not just because it is raining). We can grow so accustomed to its presence that we no longer see this magnificent creation of God.

Paul here defines a mystery, a marvel that for ages men knew nothing about, but is here revealed. Christians today dwell in the midst of this revealed mystery and, for too often, fail to see the wonder of what God has revealed to us. Paul says this mystery is, " That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel."

It was never a mystery that Gentiles would be saved. The mystery, the marvel, the wonder is that Jews and Gentiles would be fellowsheir and of the same body. The mystery is the church and its composure of Jews Gentiles, males and females, bond and free and that, in Christ we are all equal. Every time a church assembles a miracle is taking place, people who at one time in history would have been at each other's throats address one another and brother and sister. We are family.

And the mystery is that the thing that makes us one body is that we have all become partakers of His promise through the Gospel. What a privilege it is to have heard and received that Gospel. What a privilege it is to tell others that Gospel!

Dead Defined

Ephesians 2:1 KJV
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins
Following this verse the Word of God gives us a description of what it means to be dead in trespasses and sins;

Walking according to the course of this worldAnd further, according to the prince of the power of the air. The one who is dead in trespasses and sins is characterized by two things; he does what this world does. He goes with the flow, he follows the pattern of and is conformed to this world. He thinks like the world and is fixed to the direction this world is traveling. Although he may not know it and might even deny it, the Bible says this is the course of the prince of the power of the air, the devil.

A conversation in the lusts of the flesh
The word conversation means to busy oneself and it refers to our lifestyle. The lifestyle of the one who is dead in trespasses and sins is that he is driven by the lusts (forbidden longings) of his flesh and he (eventually) fulfills the desires (lusts) of both his flesh and his mind. He is slave to his worldly cravings.

By nature the children of wrathThe one who is dead in trespasses and sins is by nature fitted for wrath and destruction. His natural tendencies are towards wrath. He is angry at the world, the people around him and his own circumstances. He has little peace in his soul because he has no peace with God. His terrestrial inheritance is doom. Unless there is a supernatural intervention, his case is hopeless.

But that is just the point. The verse says "...you...were" because they no longer are. God had quickened and made them spiritually alive. A new birth had occurred and with it a new nature with an entirely new inheritance.

What grace!

Should Not I Spare?

Jonah 4:11 KJV
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

This passage oozes the love of God for the souls of men, even those who will likely turn against Him. Though Nineveh's wickedness was such that God was prepared to destroy it and its inhabitants, God graciously calls the unwilling prophet, Jonah to preach repentance there. When Jonah expresses his anger that God has been gracious to them God's response is to point in two directions:

There are there, "more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand...."These are the children of the city. Though members of a pagan nation and souls who we know in looking back (and God knew through omniscience) would turn against the God their parents turned to in Jonah's day, still at this point in their lives, they are innocent, and God extended grace to them.
We are far too narrow sighted. We see things through the perspective of ourselves and often fail to see that others have a perspective too. There were children there. There were children in that city who, though their parents had been enemies of Israel, would have, at least at this point in their lives, cheerfully played in the streets with the Jews own children.
There would come a day when they would be judged for their own sins. But that wasn't this day.

"....and also much cattle"
I do not pretend to believe that the lives of the animals in Nineveh equaled the worth of the souls of the children in the city. But God did point them out as creatures not deserving the destruction that would have happened had not Jonah preached and Nineveh repented.
In my mind I came back to the animals that were sacrificed for the sins of the Jews. If God was willing to spare this wicked city at least partially for the sake of the animals that existed there, if God cared that much for those animals, did He not care as much for those creatures whose lives were taken and whose blood was spilt in the place of the Jews' sin?
It is not wrong to take the life of an animal for food, or clothing, or another need. It would be wrong to see that life as worthless.

God's eyes must have welled in tears as the Jews slew the animals in sacrifice day after day.
• Blood was shed
• Life was taken
• Christ was remembered and
• Grace was bestowed upon manIn each and every one.

Ye Which Are Spiritual

Galatians 6:1 KJV
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Gill says the one overtaken is not the lost "...because sins before conversion do not come under the notice and cognizance of a church, or are liable to its reproofs and censures....."

He goes on to say of the one taken in the fault, "...before the man is aware, through negligence and imprudence, for want of caution and circumspection, and so is carried away, either through the treachery of his own heart, and the power of corruption; or through the temptations of Satan, who goes about, and comes on the back of them, lays snares for them, and attacks them unawares, and takes all advantages of them; or by the ill examples of others, whereby they are drawn aside, and into sin."

A spiritual man is marked by three characteristics;
He recognizes those overtaken in a fault
He is not so focused upon himself that he cannot or does not see another in danger.

He seeks to meekly restore and help those so overtaken
Rather than judging and condemning he comes to the aide of those in jeopardy.

He is cautious in so doing
Because he knows that he is as likely to be overtaken as the once he seeks to aide. He is not arrogant and proud. He does not see himself as better than the one who has been overtaken. He is merely the one who is standing next to another who has fallen and therefore reaches out his hand. But he does so in such a way as to avoid falling alongside the other.

• He does so meekly
• He does so thoughtfully and
• He does so with another (vs 2)

The Hope of Righteousness

Galatians 5:5 KJV
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Through the Spirit I wait for only One, that is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the hope of righteousness.

My righteous standing before God is a standing made for me in Jesus Christ.
• He paid the debt of my sin
• He provided for me His own righteousness
• He paved the way to the Father for me and
• He has prepared a place in the Father's house for me

Hope is not to be understood as a wishy-washy, I hope for this but cannot be sure I will ever have it, type of thing. Hope is to be understood as the certain procurement of those who have placed saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, the hope of righteousness

True, Timeless and Trustworthy

Amos 9:11 KJV
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:

I was encouraged this morning by the consistency of the Word of God. We have these sixty six books, written by 40 some different men over the course of 1400 some odd years, and yet they tell the same story and build upon one another so flawlessly that I can't help but believe they have but one author, God Himself.

Amos ends with a summary of God's plan for Israel, the Tribulation (Daniel's seventieth week) followed by the return of the Lord to establish His 1000 year reign and to re-establish David's kingdom.

Minor Prophets, Major Prophets, and New Testament prophecy all come together to paint the same picture. God's Word is true, timeless and trustworthy.

The Worst Sort of Famine

Amos 8:11 KJV
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

The worse famine the world can ever experience is a famine not of food or water but a famine of the Word of God.

Such a famine appears to be flooding over the world today. As in the day of Amos, there was no shortage of priests, prophets and ministers of the Amaziah sort, who did not know the Lord. So we have congregations large with pulpits that are filled with men whose motives have little to do with God, but are all about building their own universe, their empire, their own comfort and prosperity. That type of minister will always bring a dearth of the Word of God. They are a curse to the congregation they pretend to minister to, and am abomination to the Lord.

Amos made no pretense toward pleasing the powers that be. His only goal was to serve the One who had called him. That kind of preacher has power in prayer (Amos chapter 7) and delivers the Word of God to his land.

This Present Evil World

Galatians 1:4 KJV
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

"...to deliver us from this present evil world..."

Last weekend I preached out of 1Cor 15 on "The Gospel Paul Preached." I concluded in that message that that Gospel is of course the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ but that it does not end there. The "good news" of the Gospel is not merely what Christ did, but the purpose for which He did it. The "good news" is that this Gospel gives victory to the receiver. This verse compliments and is a companion to that concept. Here Paul makes reference to "another Gospel" which he says "is not the gospel." So there are those preaching the gospel, but it is not the same one he preached.

The Gospel He preached was "to deliver us from this present evil world." another Gospel which is not the Gospel would be one that has another purpose: perhaps a Gospel that is supposed to change how we behave in this present world or even a Gospel that will change this present evil world. Both ideas would be consistent with judaistic thought.

Through Weakness

2 Corinthians 13:4 KJV
For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

"...He was crucified through weakness..."

Christ took upon Himself the weakness of the human body and it was through this weakness that He was crucified for our sins. Had he not accepted that mortal weakness there could have been no Saviour. What a wondrous thing that he was so willing.

Now Paul makes the transition from Christ to himself as a minister of God and says that the weakness he has in Christ also makes him alive by the power of God "toward you." His ability to minister to others rested in the weakness he took on in Christ.

Thank God for some who still today are willing to become weak so that, not themselves, but the power of God might live in them toward others.

Sufficiency

2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I have three thoughts;
First the sufficiency of grace
It would do us very well to realize that grace is more than enough. We preach this as a truth but we don't often demonstrate it in our lives.
We want tangible things
We want to see successes
We want answers to our prayers now
Would to God we could really live under this truth, that God's grace is sufficient.

Secondly the publicity of his infirmity
Scofield's notes says, "It has been conjectured that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was chronic ophthalmia, inducing bodily weakness, and a repulsive appearance."

Scholars claim two physical infirmities of the Apostle, a twisted back and some sort of eye condition leading to near blindness and runny, eyes that would be difficult to look at.

The point is that Paul's charisma was not physical by any means.

Thirdly the power of Christ despite itWhat we are in desperate need of today are for some preachers whose only power is that which comes from Christ.
Not their natural abilities
Not their inherent associations
Not their learned skills
Not their good looks and slick demeanor

We need some today whose only source of influence is the grace of God flowing through them.

False Apostles

2 Corinthians 11:13 KJV
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

There is no question that the Apostle fought to protect those he had ministered to from the ravages of some who appeared to be ministers of God but were in fact, not. He says that there were some who appeared to be godly men, successful leaders in the work of God who were in reality

False apostlesThey were not truly sent from the Lord. Their qualifications were trumped up, falsified. They played the part but they were not the real thing.
The Old Testament prophets dealt with the same problem. Almost anyone could claim to be a messenger from God. Most of the time those guys became the more popular because they were the ones that said what most people wanted to hear. Often times they even appeared to have the better credentials, having been more highly educated, or having been brought up among the royalty or having been born into the priestly family.
Still they were false.

Deceitful workers
This has to be a key in understanding them. Their motives were not pure. They were deceitful, tricky, crafty. While it might appear they were there to minister and to aide, that is merely a ruse. Their work is to draw people away from the true path of Christ.

Maliciously transformed
They follow after the tendencies of Satan in appearing to be light when they are really darkness.
They lead people away from the truth with what appears to be good, moral, decent, successful, prosperous, godly, etc.
They will look like the ones they are attempting to deceive want them to look like. And their goal is not for good, but for evil purposes.
I know Paul said that if Christ was preached, even in less than positive circumstances, he would rejoice. But he also was careful to point out that these men were not of God.

May we have preachers who will do the same today.

Resurrection Sunday

Hosea 13:14 KJV
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

I suppose the most intriguing thing about reading this verse today is the timing of it. Today is Resurrection Sunday. We observe the resurrection of our Saviour from the grave which is the moment this verse (and the parallel passage of 1 Corinthians 15) is fulfilled.

For the first time in I can't remember how many years, I will be preaching on a Resurrection Sunday. It has been my habit ever since Pastor Bill Bramblett went into evangelism to have him preach for us on this day. Most of the time we combined it as a revival meeting, but some years was just for the Sunday. Generally he and sister Pearl would have Sunday dinner with our family and we joked that we would have him on Resurrection Sunday until he was not able to preach any more. I do not know that he is completely out of the picture for future years, but it serves as a reminder to me how much I long for the promise of these passages to become reality for me.

The Valley of Decision

Joel 3:14 KJV
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

I have used this passage to appeal to souls to make a decision to come to Jesus Christ. And I believe it is fine to make that appeal. However the context is quite different.

Rather than speaking of this age it is in reference to the end of the Tribulation when Jesus will sit on his throne and judge the Tribulation survivors in the valley of Jehosaphat. and
Rather than the individual making the decision, it is the Lord who is doing so, among the believers and the unbelievers.

The appeal here is that we ought to flee to Christ before this day takes place and we cannot say for sure when that will be. Should Christ rapture the church age believers today then tomorrow will be too late for many.

Today-now is the time of salvation. Accept his offer today.

My Reaction to Our Faith Promise

2 Corinthians 9:10 KJV
Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

This is a promise that ought to be claimed.

Because these Christians had gotten some things right (a person needs to read chapters 5-7 to get the context under which Paul writes these words) Paul boldly pressed them for a sacrificial offering and then made this prayer/promise to them.
1 God will provide your food
bread for your food
2 God will increase your ability to earn (seed sown)
multiply your seed sown
This can be taken as both the ability to earn as more seed sown is going to yield a greater harvest and thus yield greater income, and the results of their gift as God would use the seed (gift) sown and multiply it to meet the needs of even a greater number. I believe it is better to use it as the ability to increase income because the third part of the promise fulfills the idea of increasing the results of their gift

3 God will make your righteous deed fruitful and effective
increase the fruits of your righteousness

Both their righteousness in the gift given and their righteousness in their service to the Lord in their own home.

I have been humbled and blessed this week as the results of our Faith Promise have been added. We have increased our promise far greater than I could have dreamed. My prayer is that God will do all of the above for the people of our church.

I Am Not Sorry I Made You Sorry, But I was Sorry

2 Corinthians 7:8 KJV
For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

2 Corinthians 7:12 KJV
Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.

Paul speaks of his first letter to the church at Corinth and points out that
Though the letter was stern and designed to confront
Though the letter had caused sorrow upon the believers in Corinth and
Though the letter had even caused Paul to reconsider if he had done wisely in writting the letter
The purpose of the letter was to show his care for those people in the sight of God. His goal was not to cause sorrow or to create a break in their ability to fellowship with one another. His goal was only to see them made right before the Lord.

Sometimes hard things have to be said and difficult meetings have to be held. Sometimes confrontation is necessary on the part of the preacher of God's Word. But his goal is not to hurt but to help the people of the Lord.

The Ministers of God

2 Corinthians 6:4 KJV
But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
Matthew Poole makes a statement that I want to draw upon today. He says, "ministers of the gospel are in the first place to be considered as the ministers of God; secondarily, as ministers and servants of the church..."

There is a priority that I believe a preacher needs to keep that, given the personality of the preacher may get turned around and, even if the preacher attempts to keep straight, his congregation might try to insist he get twisted. The preacher is

First a minister of God
His first responsibilities are to the Lord. He must make sure He walks with the Lord. He must make sure He follows the Lord's guidance for his life. He must make sure that the concerns of God are his first concerns

Second, a minister and servant of the church
And I see this as the organism of the local church. The preachers duties lie towards seeing that the congregation as a whole is functioning to the glory of God. He must place the congregation as a whole as his priority, not favoring one member over another, but ministering to the body more so than to the members.

Finally a minister and servant to the memberPeople have needs and some can assume that the pastor's duty is to meet those needs. Some will demand that the preacher serve them, even to the point of leaving the church to find another preacher who will serve them individually. The trouble is that such ministry will almost certainly lose its focus and become more man centered than God centered.

Sure we are to minister to the saints. But that ministry is best accomplished as we follow the Lord and shepherd a congregation.

We Thus Judge

2 Corinthians 5:14 KJV
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

The apostle makes a judgment in this passage that must not be ignored. He says that is One died for all; that is the Lord Jesus Christ, if His death was in the stead of all of mankind, if Jesus died because of and for the sins of all men, then the conclusion must be this, that all men are dead.

Dead in trespasses and sins
Dead in relationship to God
Dead in a life that will go on to heaven
Dead in understanding of spiritual things
Dead in awareness to the invisible things of God

It is strange indeed to the fallen human nature that the death of one can lead to life for all who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

But it should not be so difficult to grasp;
The death of the seed leads to the life of the plant that springs from it
The death of an animal used as meat leads to the life of the one who consumes the meat
The expenditure of energy (like a death) leads to the power (like a life) that operates our machinery

Even so, but in a much more significant way, the death of God in flesh, leads to the life of those who place their faith in Him.

An Earthen Vessel

2 Corinthians 4:6-8 KJV
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

The Apostle is speaking about challenge of the flesh that is distraught but the spirit that is filled with the power of the Holy Ghost.

I am reminded of Spurgeon once again who said that depression is the lot of the preacher because God will not share His glory. Spurgeon must have picked up something from Paul right here. This is where Paul describes the battle within his own soul; on the one hand, troubles perplexed, persecuted, cast down, and dying but at the very same time continuing on for the Lord to show that the power of God is not in this human vessel, but in what it contains.

The point is to keep on for Christ. This earthen vessel does get cast down, but it does not have to be destroyed. Get up each day and serve Christ. Though the flesh is weak, God's power will accomplish mighty things.

Baali to Ishi

Hosea 2:16 KJV
And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
This context is speaking about Israel as a nation but I think there is also an application for the Gentiles too. The Lord is speaking about doing a work in the midst of this people so that they go from calling God "Baali" to "Ishi."

Now, the term Baali sounds to near to Baal or Baalim for my taste. Baal and Baalim were phonecian gods. The were the idols of pagans. The term Baali is not connected to those false gods with the exception of the similarity in sound. It is a word that means "Lord." The term Ishi means "man or husband." So the Lord simply said to Israel that He would do a work in them so that they progressed from calling God Lord to calling Him husband. They would go from formal (forced, mechanical)worship to having a real, living and soul stirring relationship with God.

I can't help but see that the same need exists today. Too many who are unbelievers have heard of God but do not have a relationship with Christ. They are outside of the faith, outside of the new birth and therefore outside of Christ's church which is His bride.

And too many Christians have a mechanical relationship without a living relationship with Christ. I do not want to imply that everyone whose relationship with the Lord does not meet my own criteria is lost, but I am suspect of any sort of Christianity that is a must do sort and not one that has so changed the heart that our love is to live for and please the Lord.

This is a work that only God can do. No man can choose to love God. We love Him because He first loved us. May more and more bath in the love of the Lord and find that His loving them brings them to Love Him.

Always?

2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

It is not that everything had been easy on the Apostle Paul. On the contrary, serving Christ had been the source of incredible pain, physically and emotionally. So this text should not be read to mean that Christians should always have visible and worldly types of victories in their lives. But Paul did say that God always causes, not just himself but "us" Christians, to triumph in Christ.

The work that the Christian does can seem small in contrast to all that is in this world, but that is a matter of relative position and not real truth. The sun appears little when we place our hand in the sky and can cover up the sun, but that is only because our hand is so much closer to our face than is the sun. We know the sun to be much larger than the planet we live upon. So the things of this world can appear grant, powerful and impressive while eternal things appear minute and trifle. It is only a matter of our position. And our position will change. Six thousand years of human history have demonstrated one indisputable truth; no one stays here. Every human being will face death and it is only after that we can know the real worth of our life's effort.

I'll trust the Bible. I will keep on living for the Lord and accept what might seem like such little victories here on earth as being huge triumphs when everything is said and done.

By Faith

2 Corinthians 1:24 KJV
Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
In my mind a company of soldiers appeared as I considered this passage. Soldiers can be in the battle for any number of reasons.
Some are there because they have been drafted
Some are there because it is expected of them
Some are there for a start in life
Some are there for the discipline
Some are there Because it was there or jail
Some are there because it is the only way they knew to earn a living and
Some are there because they believe in the cause
In Christ's army, the only true soldiers are there because they have a conviction. They stand where they stand by faith.

This is not to say there are some in Christian formation who are there for the wrong reasons. Just about all of the ones I listed above may be translated into some form of spiritual application. Here is the thing though, in the Lord's company only those who stand by faith are truly standing.

You can't be taught to stand (as in boot camp),
No man can force you to stand.
There is no captain over you who is capable of making you into something you are not. (with of course, the exception of Jesus Christ)

Only one thing makes a soldier for the Lord, that is faith.
You either believe to the point of a dying conviction or you are not in this company.

Are there leaders in the Lord's army? Yes, of course. But the Apostle tells us exactly what their position is. They have no real dominion over another soldier; their job is merely to help us in our joy in Christ.

That joy comes from a close and pure walk with Christ.

He Worketh the Work of the Lord

1 Corinthians 16:10 KJV
Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.

Paul had told them in 1 Cor 4:17 that he had sent Timothy to them, but here Paul makes his coming sound uncertain. Paul had undoubtedly commissioned Timothy to visit a number of churches on this trip and, given the days in which they lived;
The general danger of travel
The risk of falling among thieves and
The danger of capture by those unfriendly toward the faithPaul's words carried with them a certain degree of question. And why not?
James 4:15 KJV
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
The Christian ought to live in a state of "if." We are servants of the Lord and His will is oftentimes unique for our own. Even the best of men mistake what would be the will of God and even the best of men are hindered from their own plans as was Apostle Paul on more than one occasion.

Paul gives this testimony of Timothy, "he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do."

John Gill says of Timothy
"though he was not in so high an office as the apostle, yet he was
called to the same work of the ministry, was
engaged in the same service of Christ, andwas
zealous in promoting the same common cause, interest, and kingdom of the Redeemer, and
faithfully preached the same Gospel as the apostle did"

Timothy's position was not the same as the Apostles, but work was the same. This is what makes a local church dynamic and effective for the Lord; we can't all have the same position, but if we will do the same work - under the direction first of the Lord and that as following His pastor, we can make a difference in the world for Christ.

The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1 KJV
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
We are so often given to defining the Gospel out of this passage of Scripture. And I am sure that is accurate and fine. However I believe we often stop too short of the Gospel. Most of the time we define it as the
Death
Burial and
Resurrection of Jesus Christ
But the chapter never really gives us a clear closing of the gospel after the resurrection. The gospel also includes:

That He was seen of men
That He ascended to heaven
That the saints will be changed either by resurrection or rapture and
That this is the victory of the believers
The good news of the Gospel is the final victory through Jesus Christ.

What Would the Lost Think?

1 Corinthians 14:23 KJV
If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
Here is an interesting passage and one that I doubt many of us really even consider putting into practice. We who are independent Baptists disdain the concept of preparing planning and conducting church services with the lost or unchurched in mind. The current movement that advocates surveying the unchurched in an area to find out what sort of church they would attend if they did attend church and then basing our church format on the message of that survey is completely repulsive to us.

Neither are we in favor of those we label as progressive because they make the services modern and comfortable to the unchurched and lost by
Dressing in more casual ways
Using more contemporary music and
Preaching messages that have to do with the focus of our day rather than on the Word of God itself.

I agree. Our goal is to bring the lost and unchurched into our community, not to change our community to fit theirs.

Still, there is sound wisdom for us in 1 Cor 14:23. When the lost and unchurched do attend our services, would they have any idea what we are up to?
If a person who has no concept of church at all visited our church, would they be completely lost?

The key to making them more welcome in our church is not to change our church to fit him. The key is to be sensitive toward him when he is there.

Are there people in the services who would guide them through the service?
Is the service conducted in a manner that is easy to follow for a visitor who is unlearned in our ways?
Are there things in our services that have slipped into our own traditions but that are plainly disorderly to an unfamiliar observer?

When the unlearned and unbelievers come in to our services they should hear the truth and witness worship that is uncompromised by this world and untouched with modern culture. They should experience something in our services that is totally otherworldly. At the same time, they should also witness a service that is orderly, understandable and beneficial to even the most unlearned of attendees.

Is Charity All That?

1 Corinthians 13:1 KJV
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

As I write this I am in Oklahoma City attending and preaching at a conference for Pastor Rick Carter and Beth Haven Baptist Church. Pastor Carter wrote the material for H. elping O. thers P. ut off E. ntaglements Addiction Recovery Program. I am here preaching at their first annual H.O.P.E. conference.

When I woke up this morning I read this passage of Scripture and jotted down n a piece of paper, "Is Charity All That?" and left for the morning sessions. During those sessions Pastor Carter brought up the following verses:

2 Peter 1:7-8 KJV
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.
Colossians 3:14 KJV
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

John 13:35 KJV
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Yes! Charity is all that!

Four In The Furnace

Daniel 3:25 KJV
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Three Hebrews were cast into the furnace that day but:

They were not burnt
They lost their bondage and
They were visited with a fourth Person
I am afraid that too many of us live our lives in bondage to sin and this world because we are afraid of the fire of the world's disapproval.

We don't want to stand out as different because we don't want to be called out for suffering. Consequently we spend our lives in fear of the flames of suffering and in shackles to the sins of the flesh.

The three were cast in with all that they had. As far as I can see they did not lose a thing when they walked out of the furnace.

But what is worse, many of us never know the blessing of the presence of the Lord because we will not risk ourselves in the flames.

God give us men like these in our own day; men who will not bow, and therefore men who can walk with God.

This One Truth

Daniel 2:28 KJV
But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
When all else is said and done the truth of this passage settles all issues; "...there is a God in heaven...."
People may argue
Christians may endure trials
Scholars may debate
Saints may sufferBut this one fact remains constant; "....there is a God in heaven..."

On that fact believers have lived and died and passed their faith from one generation to the next for these thousands of years.

On this fact we abide.

The Rock That Followed Them

1 Corinthians 10:4 KJV
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

I have fallen in love today with the picture of this passage of Scripture. I see Israel in the wilderness. Before them is the pillar of fire, leading them through their experience in the wilderness. They are often taken places that they would not have elected for themselves. There are challenges. There are many times they accuse God and murmur against Moses over the way they must go.

But here the Bible says that they not only have God before them, leading their way, they have the Rock following them, pursuing after them and perhaps picking up the stragglers.

The paths we take in this world are often fraught with challenges. There are things that lead us astray and things that tempt us off the path of the Lord Jesus Christ. But God is not only before us, pointing out our way, He is behind us, seeing that we remain on that way, and putting us back on the way when we do get out of the way.

Truly God is good to us!

Miscommunication

1 Corinthians 9:21 KJV
To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

Here is portion of Scripture that has been interpreted and misinterpreted I imagine since the first time it was read. Who knows how many people have used this passage and the context in which it is found to permit unlawful and even ungodly behavior in an effort, they say, to gain souls. This is the excuse used of modernism for using almost every worldly means to identify with sin in their supposed desire to win the sinner.

And it appears to me that the Apostle knew even has he penned the words that they would be misunderstood and misused. He added in parentheses those words, "being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ" knowing that someone would say Paul was lawless in his efforts to win souls.

Communication is a complicated thing. Too many of us don't know how to do it.
We are not careful to hear the words of one speaking to us, choosing rather to plan for our next turn to speak.
We seldom listen to hear what a speaker means by what he says, but rather assign usually a predetermined interpretation to whatever he says (since we didn't really hear him anyway.)
We are too ignorant of disciplined rules of communication, having elected to take shortcuts in our education.
We are poor writers
We are even poorer readers
And the result is an awful lot of miscommunication both in written and verbal form.

What then? Shall we discontinue to communicate just we are so poor at it? Should the preacher quit his efforts to preach the gospel because so many will misunderstand his feeble attempts to declare the truth?

No sir! Paul knew there would be people who misunderstood him and others who would misuse what he had said. He said it anyway because there would be others who would read what he meant rather than making what he said to mean what they wanted. And souls would be gained because of it.

This Liberty of Yours

1 Corinthians 8:9 KJV
But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

I came to see the Apostle's phrase "this liberty of yours" as a derogatory statement. The Corinthians were claiming a liberty that, though technically true, was certainly misplaced in their personal application of it. It truly was theirs because it wasn't the sort of liberty the Lord had given them.

In the course of the chapter Paul does acknowledge that there was nothing supernatural in the meat that had been offered to idols. It was just food. On the other hand, eating that meat as a means of the worship of those idols was a supernatural thing. Paul's concern was that when a believer, who knew that there was nothing special about the meat, ate it in the presence of a younger believer who did not yet understand these things, he would cause that younger believer to fall into error. Paul's answer was not to continue eating and teach the younger believer better. Paul's answer was to not eat that flesh in this lifetime. That's a far cry from the arrogant attitudes we find among the "more mature" brethren who tend to flaunt their liberty and prove they really don't care about the concerns of others.

Sure we have liberty. But the best and wisest use of that liberty is to bring it under submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.

For Your Own Profit

1 Corinthians 7:35 KJV
And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

This verse has an important principle in it that I think gets lost in the context many times. The Apostle is speaking on a difficult subject. What about marriage versus remaining unmarried to devote self to the service of the Lord? The subject is a complicated one and is also one that could tend to get people upset. "You mean you don't believe in marriage?" I can hear one objector saying. That is not at all what Paul is saying. He simply says that if a man (or woman) chooses to remain unmarried to devote themselves to the Lord that can be useful and glorifying to Christ. "You mean that you think a man has to be married to serve the Lord?" Another would object. But that is not Paul's command at all. The Apostle simply teaches that if God provides a godly mate, that to is useful and glorifying to the Lord.

The point is this, the intent of the preacher, of therefore of the Word of God, is for our own profit and not to be a snare in our lives. God is not trying to trap us into a lifestyle that we will not be suited for. Whether we are speaking of the subject of marriage versus single living, or full time Christian service, or committing ourselves to a particular ministry, the Lord is not trapping us into something we are not suited for but longs to place us in the spot where we will be best suited and see the most profit.

I can see someone misapplying an misunderstanding what I am trying to draw out of this principle. This does not get us out of our commitments to our church. We ought to be committed to Christ and to His work. Therefore we must be committed to a local church. It just means that the design of the commitments we make ought to be so that
We can attend upon the Lord without distraction and that
We find the ministry we are in profitable our own selves.

As you may have noticed, the last week of walks have taken some time to post. I have been out of town preaching in another church. My wife and I enjoyed the fellowship of the pastor and his family, the scenery of their field, and the privelege to meet and minister to their congregation. Trips like that, though infrequent for me now, do help refresh and bring perspective to ministry. Praise the Lord for the joy of serving Him!

It Is Come

Ezekiel 39:8 KJV
Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
The context is that of the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The prophecy projects the kingdom past time and emphatically declares, "Behold it is come, and it is done...."

Now here is the thing, is has not come yet; it is not done yet. That day which the Lord has spoken of is still not come. Be careful of the scoffer's spirit though. Don't let yourself think God is in any way being slack. In God's eyes the Kingdom of Christ is as good as here.
It is hastening quickly
It is a sure thing

And that is true of everything that is in the Word of God. Faith sees the substance of it even though the flesh has no physical evidence of it.
God's Word is true
God's timing is now
God's work is as good as done and

God's people believe it that way.

God's Intent

Ezekiel 38:23 KJV
Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
God's intent is both to magnify and sanctify Himself

To magnify means to make large
It can apply to the Lord in a number of ways
He will make Himself large in the sense of being seen everywhere
He will make Himself large in the sense of being wonderful
He will make Himself large in the sense of His power and incontestable might

To sanctify means to be clean
Of course, God is holy, pure and clean already. But not everybody sees Him that way.

When God is through with the ages, men will look to Him and see His holiness.

The Bible says that this magnifying and sanctifying will not be only among the Jews but in the eyes of many nations. This is my heart's prayer that Christ will be lifted up and honored and that many souls from around the world will come to know Him as their Saviour.

I Am For You

Ezekiel 36:9 KJV
For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:

The subject of this passage is twice removed from where I am today:
It is speaking of Israel
It is speaking not of the people of Israel but the mountains of Israel

Yet the theme of the passage is an encouragement to me and I believe it is not improper to apply it to myself.

God says
"...behold, I am for you"
It is so needful in this ungodly world, for the Christian to remember that God is for us.
Yes, the world is against us
Yes, many of the people around us are against us
Yes, time and age is against us
Yes, sometimes the people we love the most are against us
Yes, the devil is against us

But God be praised, He is for us.

And that is enough!

God says
"...I will turn unto you"

True enough, before we were saved we were at enmity with God. Though God loved us and sent His Son to die for us, the ultimate evidence of His love, still it was as if His face was turned from us because of our sin. But we must remember that
It was He that sent His Son
It was He that convicted us of our sin and
It was He that gave us faith to believe
And when we did come to know Christ as Saviour, He turned unto us

God says
"...ye shall be tilled and sown."
It just means that we will be useful to the Lord. We will be Christ honoring and God glorifying.

Sure, there are times when we appear to be more like a barren wasteland, but God is not finished with us yet.

God Caused Peace

Ezekiel 34:15 KJV
I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

This passage brings such peace to my soul. It is reminiscent of the 23rd Psalm
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Oh the joy of knowing that God promises to cause His sheep to lie down and be fed. This is not what man is doing; this is what God is doing. At it is marvelous in my eyes!

Not

1 Corinthians 2:1 KJV
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

The topic of this verse is developed throughout this chapter but it will suffice for my devotional time this morning to stay within it.

It is too easy, it seems to me, to lose the focus of this message. It is too easy to be swept in to the scheme of excellency of speech and human wisdom. I have often excused it by saying that all of our preaching is foolishness to the lost so that to prefer one style of preaching over another is only "excellency of speech" relatively speaking. It seems proper that we would want to preach the word of God in the most pleasing way we possibly can so that those who listen can enjoy their experience.

I do not want to imply we ought to try to be poor speakers.

But we do too often fall into the trap of trying to be good ones rather than simply trying to be faithful ones and spirit filled ones.

More time is spent studying and preparing the message than is spent praying and seeking the anointing of God.
Preaching classes will focus on the study time, the construction of the outline and the delivery rather than on the prayer and manifestation of the power of God.

And believers heaps to themselves their favorite preachers, sometimes travelling long distances to hear one they really like while skipping the services of their local church to do it.

We have developed a taste for the "excellency of speech" rather than sound doctrine. And like we do with our taste buds, we buy what pleases us rather than what is right for us.

That Shall Know

Ezekiel 30:26 KJV
And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

The glory of God is not only destined to be known among the believers in Christ, but it will be as known among those who continue to reject Him to their deaths. The Bible says
Philippians 2:10-11 KJV
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.

So that even those whose eternal destiny will be hell and the lake of fire will bow and confess Jesus Christ. No, it will not save them, but they will give God glory.

It is not so that faith is only a means to manage the problems of this life. It is not so that any religion is as good as the other religion so long as your religion delivers to you your needs through this life. The issue is far deeper than that. There is only one God and there is only one way to come to Him. Those who choose a different path, or who believe they need not choose a path at all, will all one day know that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I pray God I may reach many more of them to confess that today and be saved.

The Right Choice

Romans 16:3 KJV
Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:
I was impressed with the long list of those involved in the ministry of Christ.

They did not all do the same things
Phebe is called a servant
Priscilla and Aquilla are called helpers
Some are said to have "laboured in the Lord."
They have different commendations
Amplias is beloved in the Lord
Apelles is approved in Christ

They served in different capacities
Phebe is a servant of the church
Priscilla and Aquilla were "my helpers in Christ."
The thing that rings out to me through all of these (and there are many others here in Romans 16 I did not bring up) is that every believer can have some area of influence and involvement and be in some measure a blessing to the work of the ministry. It is just a matter of surrender. It is only a matter of doing it.

I met who I thought was the sweetest lady this week. She had a pleasant smile. She was faithful to the church services. She was involved in the ministry of the church. What was not evident from the first impression was that she was also a critical spirit and liked to poke painful jabs. First she poked at the preacher and his family. Then she poked at mine. She could have been such a blessing. Instead she was a sore in the church.

It is a choice. We can be an encouragement and a blessing, or we can be a pain in the side and a thorn in the flesh. I know which I would rather be.... do you?

Patience+Comfort=Hope

Romans 15:4 KJV
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

This passage gives us an easy to use guide for the use of the Scriptures: The Bible (especially the Old Testament) was written for our learning. Through the Word of God we gain

Patience
We see the plan of God being carried out in the lives of multitudes of believers.
We see some who were faithful but did not yet receive their promises.
We see some who were persecuted, but held to their faith.
We see believers who were rewarded for their faith and we see the ungodly judged for their wickedness.And through it all we learn we can patiently wait upon the Lord.

Comfort
There are so many things in the Bible that deliver comfort and encouragement to the believer who has been beaten down in this world. When times are sore for us we turn to the Word of God and find reason to have joy and to rejoice in the promises of God.

Hope
Through the patience and comfort we receive from the Word of God comes hope; a reason to look ahead not with dread but with anticipation.

Simple Christianity

Romans 14:19 KJV
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

This may be as plain a teaching for the Christian as we will find in the Bible. Simple, and straight-forward, this is Christianity 101, practical application of Christian living.

We can plug this command into any scenario of life. We may rightly decide if a move will be pleasing to the Lord and wise for the Christian to perform if we answer these two questions in the affirmative:

Does our current course make for peace?
Does this action tend to edify (or encourage, build up) another?

It is that simple. True, there are plenty of things a Christian ought to want to grow in, but these two things make day to day Christian living simple.

Now if we will just apply them.

There Is One

Ezekiel 22:30 KJV
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Earlier Ezekiel brought up Noah, Daniel and Job and pointed out even when those three men had lived in Israel, their righteousness was not sufficient to atone for the sins of the nation. Here God says through the prophet that He had searched and had not found one man in the land who could make up the hedge and stand in the gap.

Not one of those born of flesh and blood.
Not one of those who entered this world with the nature of their parents.

But there is One who stands in the gap. One makes up the hedge. He is Jesus Christ. He is flesh and blood but conceived of the Holy Ghost and not of man. He is God become man, and being perfect sinless man, He became sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

The Formula of Romans 12

Romans 12:1 KJV
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I viewed this passage as a sort of formula this morning. I saw

The why
I beseech you therefore
Before the passage tells us the what, it gives to us the why. Why should we obey the what of the verse? The "therefore" in the verse takes us back to Romans 11 and God's work of removing Israel from the root and grafting in the Gentiles, but not permentantly removing Israel, for He will once again graft Israel back into their root in His time. And when it is all done, it will all work to the glory of God

Romans 11:33-36 KJV says
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.

Mankind will probably never comprehend the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God in salvation. The plan of God is so profound and so deep that angels desire to look into it and I believe the saints will spend eternity marveling in it.

We ought to obey the what because of the glory of God.

The how
by the mercies of GodToo much Christianity has become a work of man and not of God. We have learned too well how to perform. We have boiled the faith into a system that we are more than capable of doing. We have made our own religion.

The how of the passage is by the mercies of God. We obey the what of the passage by mercies of God. We depend upon Him and He empowers us to obey.

The what
present your bodies a living sacrifice....unto GodWe give our lives wholly unto the Lord. We die to self that Christ may live through us.

Impossible except by the mercies of God.

The result will beyour reasonable service
God's leading in our lives is always reasonable and it is always in the form of service.

A Jewish Remnant

Romans 11:5 KJV
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Paul, speaking of the day in which he lived, the day of grace and the day in which God had set Israel aside to call out of the Gentiles a people for Christ. Even in this day, God had a remnant of Israel reserved for Himself.

I am convinced that in our day the Jew who believes ought to come out of Judaism and align himself or herself with a local church of believers made up of Gentiles of all nationalities, baptized under scriptural authority and united for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am dubious of so called Messianic Jewish congregations believing the whole concept to be sectarian and contrary to scriptural principles.

And there is a remnant like that; believers of Jewish descent who count that but dung to win Christ and know the power of His resurrection.

Would to God we were blessed to be used of the Lord to persuade some to do just that!

God's Pleasure

Ezekiel 18:32 KJV
For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Gill says of this passage,
"Which is not to be interpreted simply and absolutely, and with respect to all persons afflicted and punished by him; for he does take delight in the exercise of "judgment" and "righteousness", and "laughs" at the "calamity" of wicked men..."

It is important for us I think to see that God has no desire for any soul to die and enter into eternal hell. God does delight in justice. It is right and holy. It glorifies Him. This is not to be understood to mean that God hesitates in exercising His wrath. Not in the least.

But God's burning passion, His desire is that each soul, regardless of their current condition, would come to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved from that wrath.

How gracious is our God, whose wrath is holy and just and will without a moment's hesitation be poured out upon ungodliness, yet pleads for that same sinner to turn and rather live than die.

Not Ashamed

Romans 9:33 KJV
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

This is a plain and simple promise and one that I know to be true through 33 years of trial as a Christian. "Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."

There are many things a person may be ashamed of in their lives:
Opportunities missed
Words that should not have been spoken
Deeds that should not have been done

A person might look back in their life and think, "I wished I had not done that." But this I know to be true, no one ever says, I wished I had not believed on Christ. I wished I had not followed the Lord."

I can hear the cry of countless souls who, in eternal damnation, are ashamed they did not believe on Christ, but none will be ashamed they did.

I Know One

Ezekiel 14:14 KJV
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 14:16 KJV
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

Ezekiel 14:18 KJV
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
I have always been drawn to these verses citing the character of these three men. But this morning I read it in a little different light. This morning I focused on the fact that God said that all three of these men, even though they are some of the greatest characters of the Bible, could do nothing that would avail on the behalf of others. Their efforts were only effective on their own behalf.

Now that reminds me first of all that each of us has a personal responsibility before the Lord. I cannot rest on the relationship my parents have with God, nor can my children rest on the relationship I have with the Lord. We are each responsible before God to have our own personal saving relationship and to walk with God as individuals. We must each know God's Word well enough to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience. We cannot claim ignorance. We each have the ability to learn God's Word and we each are responsible to do that.

However, I also had another thought this morning. These three men could not deliver even their own sons and daughters. Even their combined testimony before God was not sufficient to deliver another. But I know One whose righteous deeds were sufficient to deliver every soul who will eve live on this planet. I know One whose act so satisfied the holy demands of Almighty God that any who plead His name before God shall be saved.

What a wonder is Jesus Christ! That God became man and dwelt among us. That Jesus Christ fulfilled all the righteousness of the Law of God, and that He died in the place of all humanity... Hallelujah!

I Thank God

Romans 7:25 KJV
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

All I wanted to do today is simply focus on the words, "I thank God through Jesus Christ." We need to be a thankful people. We need to give thanks for
Those blessings that are ours through freedom
Those bounties that we have through our nation
Those benefits that we own through family

Every human being can be thankful for those types of things. We have reasons to be thankful on the most secular of levels and it is not improper to express thanks for them.

But on the spiritual level a Christian has so much more to be thankful for.
That God has granted grace to sinners
That God has given a sacrifice for our sins
That God has convicted us to place faith in Christ
That Christ died on the cross for us
That Christ intercedes in heaven for us today
That we have a hope for eternal life with Christ

Truly I thank God through Jesus Christ.