God Blesses the Cheerful Giver

 The Ministry of Helping

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 8

 

 This chapter deals with the need to help other believers and other human beings who were being threatened with starvation and death and were spiritually poor.

 Many of them did not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

 The need for church missions is a never-ending call.

 We know we live in a sin-sick world and things are never going to get any better than they are now, at least until the return of Jesus Christ.

 2Ti_3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

 The desperate needs of the world will always confront the Church.

 The challenge for the church is to help whenever possible.

 What is stewardship? Believers also are described as stewards of God’s gifts and graces, to dispense the benefits of them to the world.

 While we are watching for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to remain busy in the work of the Lord.

 1Pe 4:7  But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 

1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 

1Pe 4:9  Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 

1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

1Pe 4:11  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. 

 The ministry of helping is being a good steward of the manifold grace of God!

 *****2Co 8:1  Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 

 We sometimes forget as Americans that much of the world lives in poverty.

 Even in our own nation, people are dying of starvation, and there is no excuse for this.

 Paul encouraged every church to become good stewards of God's "Grace".

 1Co 16:1  Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 

1Co 16:2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 

1Co 16:3  And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. 

 At this time, the church in Jerusalem was suffering because every Christian had been excommunicated from Judaism, their jobs taken away from them, and no Jew would help them.

 The thing about humans and money is that everybody wants as much as they can get and then tries to hoard what they have.

 It is quite human of us to prosper and then forget those who have needs.

 Here is another place in the Scriptures where the church meets on Sunday before anyone set a decree.

 The plate was passed on the first day of the week, which was Sunday on the Jewish calendar.

 The challenge to the Church is clear! Give all you can to reach and help the desperate who live in our world.

 What we see today while our own costs for food skyrocket, people are dying of hunger while tons of food are destroyed to create an artificial demand and to keep the prices high.

I have never seen a time when so much food is being recalled and destroyed, and we should wonder why.

 Every day, there is some recall of food or people getting sick because of eating tainted food.

 Thousands of animals are destroyed every year without proving they needed to be destroyed.

There must be reasons this is taking place.

 The churches in Macedonia had accepted this challenge to help the church in Jerusalem and were giving because of the Grace and favor of God.

 The churches of Macedonia included Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.

 These were not wealthy churches in monetary terms; they were rich in grace and mercy.

 These places had been ravaged by war, and Rome had stripped them of their wealth.

There should be no one upon this earth who defends the Rome of those years.

 We see this happening in Iran today, even though the rulers of Iran are to blame.

 It does not stop the fact that the Christians and the poor people in Iran need help.

 The poor people of Ukraine need help.

There are still poor people in Israel who need help.

 There are poor people in America who need help.

 Food is not the greatest need of the poor because most of them are also poor in the Spirit of God, but starving people will not respond to the Gospel. 

 There are always people who need help, and the church cannot feed them all, or can it?

 What do we know about giving?

 Paul does not speak about the percentage of income one should give. Everyone knows that the Old Testament norm was ten percent of the income.

 In the New Testament it is not about the amount but about the motive, the mind and the way of giving.

 *****2Co 8:2  How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

The self-sufficiency of some places of worship convinced them they no longer needed to depend on God; they were blind to their desperate poverty in the eyes of the Lord.

The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of this in the Book of Revelation.

To protect the Church from the deception of worldly riches, Paul was pointing out that all the riches and treasures that have eternal value are found in Christ. 

I like to say that the real riches we need are all the things that money cannot buy.

Biblical stewardship is living in the reality that everything we have belongs to God. We are managers, not owners. 

Wealth is a gift to be used wisely, held loosely, and shared generously.

God does not want us to live in poverty.

God prefers we do not live in riches because we will become dependent on our riches rather than upon Him.

What does all this have to do with giving?

The question isn't whether God will bless us with resources. The question is whether those resources will draw us closer to Christ or cause us to live as though we no longer need Him.

This is the main reason why the teaching of a prosperity gospel is a lie.

Wealth is a gift — not a god. It can meet certain needs but not the most important ones. Everything we own belongs to the Lord, and every blessing should draw us closer to Him, not farther away.

Biblical giving is the practice of generously and willingly sharing resources, time, or talents in accordance with God’s principles, motivated by love, gratitude, and faith.

There are 10 Principles of Christian Giving:

       1. The Lord Jesus expects and requires us to give. Jesus said to His disciples, "when you give," not "if you give"!

Mat 6:2  “Therefore when thou doest thine alms”, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Christian giving is not optional, but rather essential. We often hear folks say: "In the Old Testament they had to give, but not in the New - now we only give if we want to." This is clearly not Jesus' teaching. He expected all His followers to be givers. Christians will give. Are you giving?

       2. The Lord Jesus wants us to give for the right reasons. Jesus warned His disciples not to give for the sake of being admired by men. 

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them," 

Jesus said: Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

When we give, we must be careful to examine our motives. We ought to give for the glory of God and the good of His people. We must desire His approval of our giving, rather than the praise and admiration of people. Are you giving for God's praise or men?

    3. The Lord Jesus wants us to practice benevolent or charitable giving. Jesus said, "When you give to the poor . . . 

(Matthew 6:2-3). Jesus is specifically teaching about "alms" in this passage: alms are, aid, charity, or benevolent offerings for the needy. 

Do you give enough to the Church that she can be generous in benevolent giving?

   4  The Lord Jesus reminds us that our giving is ultimately to the all-seeing heavenly Father. Jesus said, "When you give:

Mat 6:3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 

Mat 6:4  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

When we give, we are not simply adding to the Church budget; we are giving up a thank-you offering to the Father Himself. 

Thus, we must all give "as unto the Lord." Our ultimate goal in giving is to please Him. Are you conscious of the fact that your giving is to the Lord and seen by the Lord?

  5. The Bible teaches that Christian giving is an act of worship. In connection with the previous point, we see this truth stressed in another way in Paul's words 

"On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save" :

1Co 16:2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 

Paul here teaches the Corinthians that their taking up of the collection is an act of worship which is to be a part of their regular Lord's Day worship.

When we put our money in the plate, we are worshiping Almighty God in accordance with His Word. 

Note well, Paul is speaking here of a "collection for the saints" - this is giving by the Church to the Church for the Church. 

Did you realize that giving is a part of worship? 

Is your worship in this area abundant or inhibited? 

Is giving to the Church a priority with you?

   6. The Bible teaches that Christian giving should be done in light of the incarnation. Many Christians argue about whether the tithe (10% of our income) is still the standard for our giving to the Church (disputants usually want to show that less than 10% is fine). Paul scuttles the whole debate in one verse. 

Paul says: 2Co 8:8  I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. 

2Co 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich"

Christ's self-giving is now the standard for our giving! We begin from the base of the tithe and aim for emulation of His self-sacrifice. 

Our giving is to be inspired and instructed by Christ's inexpressible gift. In light of such a challenge, who could satisfy himself with asking "how little a percentage is acceptable for me to give

Do you try to get by giving as little as possible to the Lord, or do you give in view of the Lord's costly sacrifice?

    7. The Bible teaches that Christian giving should be done in accordance with our means. Paul is quite clear on this: "For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

2 Co 8:12  For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 

Put another way, Paul is saying that you should give in proportion to what God has given you. 

He said it this way in 1 Corinthians 16:2: each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper." This means at least two things: 

(A) Since we are all supposed to give proportionately, those who have more money are expected to give more [those who are particularly blessed materially must remember this], 

(B) The Lord never asks us to give what we do not have or contribute beyond our means.

 Are you really giving in proportion to the material blessings that the Lord has given you?

    8. The Bible teaches that the liberality of God's blessings to us is connected to the liberality of our Christian giving. 

Though it may seem strange, both Jesus and Paul emphasize that there is a relation between our giving to the Lord and the Lord's giving to us. 

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6:  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 

   9. The Bible teaches that Christian giving must be willing giving, free giving.

2Co 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 

 But doesn't this contradict what we learned under the first principle, that Christian giving is not optional? The answer is no. 

True Christian giving is both mandatory and voluntary. It is required by God, but always willingly given by the believer. 

Is your giving to the Church something you do wholeheartedly, or indifferently, or grudgingly?

  10. The Bible teaches that Christian giving ought to be cheerful giving. As Paul says "God loves a cheerful giver."

Paul assures us here that the Lord takes a special delight in those who are joyful, energetic, merry givers.

Is there joy in your heart as you give? Can you truly be characterized as a "cheerful giver"?

Giving to the work of the Lord is rooted in Scripture, reflects our stewardship of God’s resources, and yields both spiritual and practical benefits.

What is the Biblical foundation for helping those in need?

From the Old Testament, Israel was commanded to bring tithes and offerings to support the Levites, priests, and the temple work.

In the New Testament, the early church shared resources freely.

The principle is that all we have comes from God, so we are stewards, not owners, of our resources.

It honors and reveres God – Giving is an act of worship, acknowledging God as the source of all we have 

It aligns with God’s pattern – Biblical examples show godly people consistently giving a portion of their resources.

It brings God’s wisdom and order to finances – Prioritizing God’s work helps guard against materialism.

It is a practical reminder that God owns everything.

It opens the way for God’s blessings.

It supports ministry and outreach – Giving sustains pastors, missionaries, and church projects.

It yields eternal rewards – Faithful giving is recorded in heaven and linked to spiritual growth and eternal treasure.

Heb 6:12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 

1Ti 6:18  That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 

1Ti 6:19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

It reflects God’s love through service – Giving time, talents, and spiritual gifts is part of the work of the Lord.

Spiritual and personal benefits

Joy and gratitude – Giving cultivates a heart of thankfulness and trust in God’s provision

Spiritual growth – Supporting God’s work deepens faith and dependence on Him.

Eternal perspective – It shifts focus from temporary gains to lasting spiritual rewards.

Community impact – It strengthens the body of Christ and enables outreach to the needy.

*****2Co 8:3  For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; 

2Co 8:4  Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 

 The number one priority of the Church is to gather to worship the Almighty Living God.

 Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

 The number two priority of the Church is bringing souls to the Lord Jesus for salvation, and this will never change.

 The third priority of the Church is to make disciples.

 As far as giving to the Church, giving to God can never be measured by the amount.

 God doesn’t measure the gift by the amount. God measures the gift by the cost to the giver.

 You see, if you’re making a million dollars a year and you give God a hundred thousand dollars tithe, you’re not really giving very much.

 Doesn’t really cost you much. Look at all you’ve got left to live on.

 Now if you make only ten thousand dollars and you give a thousand dollars, still a tithe, that is giving a lot because it does not give you that much to live on.

 So, we see that according to the Lord Jesus, a tithe is not always enough in the modern church.

 To the poor a tithe may be looked on as enough, but to the rich a tithe may not be near enough in the eyes of God.

 Even the Lord Jesus gave something to the poor!

 Joh 13:29  For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. 

 Biblical foundation:

 From the Old Testament, Israel was commanded to bring tithes and offerings to support the Levites, priests, and the temple work.

 Mal 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.  

In the New Testament, the early church shared resources freely.

 Paul taught that “God loves a cheerful giver”.

 The principle is that all we have comes from God, so we are stewards, not owners, of our resources.

 Psa 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 

Psa 24:2  For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. 

 The area of Macedonia had been in three civil wars, and Rome had stripped this area of its riches.

 These new converts to the church still gave more than they had to give.

 What did Jesus actually say? Luk 11:41  But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. 

  1Jn 3:17  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 

 The Church in Corinth was filled with people who were not poor like the Macedonians.

 Corinth was a rich city.

 Corinth was Grecian city, on the isthmus which joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. It is about 48 miles west of Athens. The ancient city was destroyed by the Romans (146 B.C.), and that mentioned in the New Testament was quite a new city, having been rebuilt about a century afterwards and peopled by a colony of freedmen from Rome. It became under the Romans the seat of government for Southern Greece or Achaia. It was noted for its wealth, and for the luxurious, immoral, and vicious habits of the people.

 What is the most important thing we can do as the church founded by Jesus Christ?

 *****2Co 8:5  And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. 

2Co 8:6  Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. 

2Co 8:7  Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

 Those who have given themselves to the Lord are more apt to be generous in their giving.

 Remember the Lord Jesus gave all He had for our salvation, including His life.

 It always seems that those who are poor give more to others who are poor because they know how it feels to be poor.

 Those with a pocket full of money are just too stingy to share any of it, but that is not the way of God.

 God does not expect all Christians to be poor. This would set the wrong example of Christianity.

 God wants us to help those around us when a need arises.

 First, those who are in need in the church, and second, those in the community.

 Then there are ministries to support.

 There are missionaries to support.

 A pastor deserves our support.

 The maintenance of the church must be supported.

 Part of the mission of Titus was to collect the offerings they had laid aside for Jerusalem.

 Nothing was going to Paul or the other preachers.

 There was no manipulation or exploitation.

 If not for the first Christian church in Jerusalem, there might not be Christianity today.

 Giving keeps the Church moving in the right direction if done properly.

 My church is independent, and we have total control over where church money is spent as we try to answer the call of God.

 As we study the Book of 2 Corinthians, we can see that this church had been obedient to the things Paul had written in the Book of 1 Corinthians.

 We should always love those who brought us to the Lord!

 They cared enough for us to try to keep us out of Hell.

 The Pastor who preaches the truth of God without watering it down or twisting God’s words into something false is also someone who loves us.

 God sent us His love letter from Heaven, so we know He loves us.

 Love is the key to keeping a functioning church in the modern world, but not some carnal love, love in the Spirit of the Word of God.

 *****2Co 8:8  I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. 

2Co 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

 Every true man of God does not issue commands to his church; he is just a messenger to deliver the Word of God.

 Every message must come by the Holy Spirit.

What's wrong with the modern church? The Holy Spirit is not allowed to do His work because the Word of God is rejected.

We say all the time that we want to be more like Jesus Christ, that He is our example to live by.

We know the Lord Jesus Christ was rich, yet for our sake He became poor.

Yes, He has a great inheritance, but He has chosen to share His inheritance with us.

That inheritance is in Heaven; we only need enough in this world to get us through it until the Lord returns to take us home or we go home by the way of the grave.

The Lord Jesus Christ proved His great love for us with the things He did for us, especially His dying for us.

Sometimes we just don't see that the God who made us came down to this earth in the form of a man and then died for us that we might live an eternal life.

Stewardship is trying to be like Jesus Christ.

*****2Co 8:10  And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. 

God expects us all to give to His work upon this earth, and He has special instructions for the rich.

1Ti 6:17  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 

1Ti 6:18  That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 

1Ti 6:19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 

These same guidelines work for us all!

All gifts that are given are God's to begin with!

So, it is the "Giver" that is important.

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 

Giving is sharing.

Giving is the ability and willingness to share our material goods with others.

Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 

 Rom 12:13  Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 

Giving with liberality refers to open-handed and open-hearted giving out of compassion and singleness of purpose, but not from ambition.

The Philippians helped Paul the Missionary when no one else would.

Php 4:18  But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 

Where would the Church be without the Apostle Paul today? But remember the "Giver" resides in Heaven and He wants all of us to be a part of giving to the Church.

Only you know how much you can give without it seriously affecting your family, which means most of us could give more, but God does not expect us to live in borderline poverty.

There is no such thing as a prosperity Gospel! We are to build up a treasure in Heaven, not here on Earth.

*****2Co 8:11  Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. 

2Co 8:12  For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 

A year earlier, these Corinthians began to do something for the poor; it stopped when the church was going through sin that made its way inside the church.

They wholeheartedly had a great desire to help the Church of Jerusalem. They needed to finish what they had started.

Great intentions are not a help to anyone!

Willingness to give is not actual giving!

As we make plans for giving, we need to follow through with that plan consistently!

There must first be a willing mind!

We give from what we have and not from what we do not have!

We must put great emphasis on supporting the missions of the Church and those men and women who give all their lives to these ministries.

Some things that Jesus said:

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

The truth is: Luk 11:41  But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. 

The truth is, we are to give as we have, and we will be blessed for it.

God has never asked us to do more than our very best!

Amen

Godly Sorrow

 The Ministry of Godly Sorrow

 2 Corinthians Chapter 7

 

 What do we know about sorrow?

 1) There is sorrow that leads to repentance.

 One of the great examples in the Bible of sorrow that leads to repentance is the story of the prodigal son.

 Luk 15:20  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 

Luk 15:21  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Peter wept because he denied the Lord those three times.

King David had a broken and contrite heart because of his adultery and the murder he committed.

 2) There is sorrow that does not lead to repentance, but we still suffer because of it.

 Rom 9:1  I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 

Rom 9:2  That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 

Rom 9:3  For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 

 This is the sorrow we may feel because some of our family members are not saved, especially at their passing.

This is the sorrow that Judas had because he had turned against the Lord, and it led to his suicide and not to repentance.

 If you understand the meaning of joy in you, then you must realize that sorrow is the opposite of joy.

 We cannot wallow in our sorrow; we must do something about it!

 For instance: once the twelve disciples realized that the Lord Jesus was going to die when He went to Jerusalem, they were sorrowful.

 Joh 16:5  But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 

Joh 16:6  But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 

 Once these men, all but one, accepted the truth, their sorrow was not as great.

 When our sorrow brings us to repentance, then we must repent for that sorrow to become joy in the Lord.

 1Th_2:19  For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

 *****2Co 7:6  Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 

 We know from chapter one that the Apostle Paul was in great distress.

 In chapter two, Paul wrote how troubled he was and how anxious he was waiting to hear from Titus, who was to bring him the news from Corinth.

 Paul was surrounded by hostile people; the love he had for the churches he had planted sometimes wore him down, especially the churches like the church at Corinth.

 Titus brought good news: the church at Corinth was having a revival.

 The first letter to these Corinthians had been effective to all that had read it.

 Titus had brought "good news" from Corinth, and we all know that the "Gospel" is the "Good News" from Heaven.

 The Gospel is the true "Good News" from Heaven.

 Col 1:5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 

Col 1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

 Paul had written a stern letter to this church, but it still had shown them his great love for them and the great love that the Lord has for His Church.

 We must never feel guilty for proclaiming the truth of God!

 The Lord Jesus said:  Jhn_8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 Jhn_8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 The Lord Jesus is never wrong!

 *****2Co 7:7  And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more. 

 The Apostle Paul was not just comforted by the news that Titus had brought to him, but he was also comforted that Titus had been comforted by what he had seen of this church in Corinth.

 It is probable that Paul sat down and wrote this letter of 2 Corinthians shortly after he had gotten this good news from Titus.

 This church had met this sin head-on and eliminated it without destroying the church nor rejecting the teaching of the Apostle Paul.

 When God's servants are under attack, we should know that God will meet the need of His servants.

 We should understand that the Apostle Paul had to first endure heavy trials for a long time before God moved.

 We must learn from every trial we face to be better servants of the Lord.

 This is not being a slave to God, but it is being a servant.

 God has never ordained slavery as the atheists believe He has.

 Even when the Jews had slaves, they had to pay them an honest wage and provide food, clothing, and shelter for them and their family until their debt was paid or a certain time had passed.

 These slaves were those people who sold themselves to pay the debt that they owed.

 A Christian is a servant and not a slave of God because God does not allow us to try to repay Him; His salvation is a free gift.

 All He asks of us is to repent and return to Him with love.

 Paul learned obedience by the things he had suffered, just as did the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our example in our Christian life.

 Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

 When the atheist asks why a Perfect God would allow suffering in this world, maybe it is because this world we live in causes all of God's people to suffer along with that atheist who is always causing problems for God's people, whom he says he does not even believe exists.

 A church that learns from suffering will stand its ground when evil tries to get through the doors to cause problems.

 Paul had only written to them the truth of God.

 We know that because we have a copy of the exact words that Paul had written.

 *****2Co 7:8  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.

 A church that has begun to believe in false doctrine is a church headed for trouble. It is the duty of that Pastor, that Man of God, to make sure that church gets back to the truth.

 There is a great possibility that some members will leave that church because of this.

 A Pastor must be very careful with who he allows to share his pulpit.

 A church must be very careful about who is allowed to teach any of the classes of adults down to the children.

 Once false doctrine gets into any church, it is hard to get rid of.

 The answer to this is that every Christian has a good understanding of a proper translation of those Hebrew and Greek Scriptures that never change.

 Paul regretted the necessity of having to take such a stern approach, but the Holy Spirit had required him to do so.

 It is every soul that brings joy to Heaven, and losing even one is in itself a tragedy.

 To give credit to this church in Corinth, they mourned, wept, wailed, and lamented over the sin that was within their midst and over their true minister, the Apostle Paul, and they made the necessary corrections, and then the church began to grow in the "Grace of God".

 *****2Co 7:9  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 

2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

 To cause grief is never a pleasant thing, and no man of God wants to be a cause of grief, but every true man of God must preach the message given to them by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not allow a true man of God to preach against the written word of God.

 If that church has been led astray, then that person was not a true man of God, and that person did not have the Holy Spirit living in them.

 We are never to intentionally make people feel sorry for their actions; we are to simply give them the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit do His work in them.

 We are always to work with the lost or the backslider in a way that God would approve.

 The Lord Jesus died for the saved and for the lost, for we were all lost until we met the Lord Jesus Christ and had faith in His work.

 It is sin that causes sorrow, but sorrow has no healing power by itself.

 Only a change of mind or a turn of life (repentance) can heal the heart of that one suffering from sorrow!

 **There is worldly sorrow: Sorrow over doing something wrong or coming up short from what is expected of us.

 It can be said to be a violation of one's values.

 It can also be sorrow from being found out for something that you thought was hidden, or suffering the consequences from doing something that was wrong, or even from punishment when you know what you did was wrong.

 The sorrow of the world works death!

 It eats us up on the inside with guilt and remorse.

 Remember Judas who sold out the Lord Jesus: Mat 27:3  Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 

Mat 27:4  Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 

Mat 27:5  And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 

 It can cause bitterness and rebellion: Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

 **There is godly sorrow: This is the sorrow we feel from Holy Ghost conviction. Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

 The Holy Spirit will go quiet in us: 1Th 5:19  Quench not the Spirit.

 The Holy Spirit will do His best to lead us in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can hinder that work: Mat 26:75  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

 Godly sorrow will always lead to repentance, where worldly sorrow leads to bitterness.

 Isa 55:6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 

Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 

 *****2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 

 Repentance and returning to God will always bring the fruits of good living to honor and glorify God with our lives.

 We should remember that this church had not at first acknowledged this individual as sin.

They had not immediately corrected this offender nor themselves for ignoring these things, even laughing about it.

 Repentance cleared them of God's displeasure!

 When the heart is changed, then life and the actions will change.

 We must hate sin, but at the same time not hate the sinner.

 We must see the hatefulness of sin!

 It is the hatefulness of sin that will bring us to repentance!

 Godly sorrow will repair our relationship with the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

 *****2Co 7:12  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. 

 The modern church today seems to forget that we are all accountable to God.

 We must take our stand on the complete, infallible Word of God and stay the course.

 There is no room in the Church to veer to the left or to the right.

 God says over and over that He will not and does not change, and we cannot read into the Scriptures hunting for an excuse to say He has changed or that He is not the same God from the beginning.

 Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

 God has a purpose for every word He has given to us, and God has a plan that will be fulfilled just as it is written.

 We can accept Him as He is, just as He accepts us as we are.

 Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 

 There is nothing that is taught in this world that will ensure our future in God's New Heaven except the truth of the Scriptures!

 It is only the truth of God that will bring comfort to the soul!

 *****2Co 7:13  Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. 

 We know that the Word of God brings results!

 Look at the conversation that Moses had with Jehovah God.

 Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 

Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. 

 This is the God that I serve. He is not some old grandfather figure that does not care what happens to us.

He is not some wimp of a God who will let us get away with not repenting and returning to Him as our Creator, our Savior, and our Redeemer.

He is the God who gave us His Words to live by, and He expects us to do so.

 Titus was comforted by what he saw of the church in Corinth, as they had repented as he had preached the Word of God from the Apostle Paul.

 Paul was comforted at knowing that the Word the Holy Spirit had given to him to put in this Epistle had brought that repentance.

 Paul was also comforted by the comfort of Titus, as he had been an eyewitness to the truth that the Word of God brings Holy Ghost conviction, Holy Ghost conviction brings repentance because the Word of God brings results.

 There was now great joy in the Apostle Paul because the church could have closed its doors but became a powerful church in their community, and the work of the Lord continued its journey all around this world just as it continues today.

 Paul was refired up to continue in the work that God had given him to do, and many souls were saved because of it.

 Our biggest problem is that we do not listen to what God has to say.

 We do not take the time to read and study our own Bibles.

 We listen to men who tell us the same thing that the old Serpent told Eve. "Ye shall not surely die".

 That same serpent, the Devil, is still spreading this lie in every church, and far too many of them have strayed from the truth of God.

 God is not a tyrant, but He does expect us to obey Him!

 God expects every local church to teach the truth!

 *****2Co 7:14  For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. 

 This church at Corinth had a complete revival as they learned the truth of God.

 The Church needs to have a complete revival today and get back on the right track.

 The purpose of revival is always to revive the real, inner, spiritual life of each believer!

 True revival will cause a dead church to come alive again.

 True revival means each church member will come to new life.

 God had used Titus as an instrument in His hands to turn this church around.

 Titus was full of joy just to be a part of this revival, and so it rubbed off on Paul.

 We all need to get caught up in revival!

 Psa 85:5  Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? 

Psa 85:6  Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? 

 We need to stir up the gift of God who is within us, which is the Holy Spirit.

 Deep on the inside of Paul, he could just feel that these people in the church at Corinth would make the right choices.

 In fact, Paul may have bragged about it to other Christians.

 A true church will do its best to make the right choices that coincide with the Word of God and the Will of God.

 In his heart Paul knew this church would respond to the love of God.

 *****2Co 7:15  And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. 

2Co 7:16  I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things. 

 When Titus arrived at the church at Corinth, it was said that he had another letter from the Apostle Paul, and it brought fear and trembling to much of the church.

 They were afraid that they had not done enough to rid the church of sin.

 We must remember these were babes in Christ and had not fully understood the Word of God, and there is no one who can say that they fully understand the Word of God.

 How to be saved is the most important part of the Word of God; then we need to pay particular attention to the Lord Jesus Christ and then the Apostles with us Gentiles, paying particular attention to the Apostle Paul and the Book of Acts, all the New Testament, then all the Old Testament, or we will never understand why God does what He does.

 We must go back to the beginning and know that the same God who saved us is the same God who made us!

 We must accept our creation and the creation of this world just as it was written in the Book of Genesis.

Church discipline must be exercised for the good of the whole church!

Church discipline must take place in every church to protect spiritual purity and the reputation of the church that is obedient to the Word of God using a proper translation of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures.

Let it be known that you can change your own translation to say what you want it to say, but the original Greek and Hebrew Scriptures have not ever changed.

2Pe_1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

There are no mistakes in these Scriptures!

The Pope cannot change the Word of God, nor anyone else!

Mal_3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not;

We can only have confidence in the Word of God because we know that God will never change.

The Bride of Christ must remain pure, or the Bridegroom will reject her, and our Heavenly Father will never allow His Son to return to get His Bride.

Amen

Godly Living

 The Ministry of Godly Living

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 6

 

 What is living Godly? We could say that Godly living is living in obedience to God's commands, the Word of God.

 We could also say that Godly living is living according to the will of God for us.

 We must understand that the decrees of God have been established in eternity past and refer to God's sovereign control over every realm of His creation and over all events that happen.

 Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

 There are two options:

 1) God is sovereign over all His creation with absolute control.

2) God does not have sovereign control, and He was not our Creator.

 "There is no truth" in those who say God has predestined certain people to be saved and the rest to be lost, so keeping God's commandments is not necessary.

 God indeed knows who will accept His Son and who will not because He is omniscient and knows all things.

 Eph 1:4  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: 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

 Our salvation depends upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 

2Ti 1:10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 

 Though many will not accept it, the decision for the Lord Jesus to take on humanity and shed His blood for us was made before we were created by Him.

 1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 

1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 

1Pe 1:21  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 

 We will never understand all these things until we meet Jesus in the clouds.

 Rom 11:33  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! 

Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 

Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 

Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 

 God has a plan, and we can be part of it, or we can reject God's plan and spend eternity in a real Hell.

 This is the choice we must make before we die. God will not make this choice for us!

 What is God's purpose for all these things? God's plan is designed to reveal His glory to us all!

 Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

 Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 

Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 

 God has decreed all these things, yet every individual must be presented the Gospel, and they must believe the Gospel to be saved!

 Act 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 

 Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

 Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

 Godly living begins when we stand in awe of the God of Creation who is wise, powerful, merciful, and loving.

 In fact, love may be God's greatest characteristic.

 1Jn_4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

God cannot be other than love!

 1Jn_4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

 We can entrust our lives to the Almighty Living God.

 We should rejoice in the wonder of our salvation.

 We can rest in peace now knowing our future eternal life has been secured.

 God still holds people responsible for their sin!

 The main problem we have as humans is the fact that we want to run our own lives, and pride and self-righteousness become our greatest enemy.

 *****2Co 6:11  O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. 

 Anytime we are speaking to the church or to the lost, our words must come from the heart.

 If our thoughts seem to be fake, then we will be seen as fakes.

 The Lord Jesus expects a personal relationship with us, and we must have personal relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 This is not kissy, kissy love but a heartfelt love as family, because we have the same Heavenly Father.

 Mat 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 

Mat 12:35  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 

Mat 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 

Mat 12:37  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 

 These things must hold as we witness to others and as we live the Christian life.

 Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 We must give the Lord Jesus all our heart, all our soul, and all our body, just as Jesus gave us His all.

 Our body must truly be the Temple of the Lord.

 Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 

 The Lord Jesus is like His Father; He is jealous in a Godly way and He wants all of our heart not just a part of it.

 *****2Co 6:12  Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

2Co 6:13  Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. 

 The Apostle Paul is saying his heart was open to them and his affection had grown since he had been sharing the truth with these Corinthians.

 The word "straightened" is used of these same Corinthians to say that their hearts were not yet open to grow in the Lord.

 We should understand that the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ poured out all of the blood of Christ to make room for the love He has for us.

 Now He does not expect us to spill our blood for Him, but He does expect us to make room for Him in our hearts.

 If we open our hearts to receive the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will also open our hearts to receive those who preach the truth of the Gospel.

 At the same time, if our hearts are not open to the truth of the Gospel, we will never accept the children of God nor His witnesses.

 That word recompense means, open your hearts as the Lord Jesus has opened His heart for all sinners.

 1) Those who preach/teach the truth in the church must be open and honest and have a loving heart toward God's people.

2) That church must also be open and honest and have a loving heart toward God and His chosen preachers/teachers.

3) All those who are to witness of the truth of God must also have a loving heart for those who are lost.

 Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 

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

 Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 

Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 

Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 

Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

 A church that does not show the love of God in their hearts is not a true church!

 *****2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

 Many believe that Paul is speaking only of marriage here, but in truth believers should never be unequally yoked with unbelievers in any situation.

 God gives us such a situation in the Book of Deuteronomy: Deu 22:10  Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

 Here it was forbidden to plow with an ox and a donkey together.

 This represents doing a work together for the Lord.

 An ox was a clean animal and a donkey was an unclean animal.

 A believer cannot do a work for the Lord together with an unbeliever.

 In a marriage, the problems show up immediately, and the believer will suffer serving the Lord, and not many unbelievers in this situation will come to the Lord.

 A true believer is radically different from an unbeliever.

 1) How can we expect to have fellowship when there are two opposing views of the things in this world and the things of the church?

The unbeliever will live and do as they please, and the believer will try to obey the Word of God.

2) An unbeliever has already rejected the truth of Jesus Christ and will not obey God. That person is their own god.

3) They are not seeking the Kingdom of God, and they think they are righteous without the laws of God.

4) They do not hunger and thirst for the truth but say what truth is to them. The truth of the world we know about.

But God says: 1Jn_2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

 The word "fellowship" means sharing and participation.

 The word "communion" means to be in union, in partnership, in a bound fellowship, to be closely bound together.

 When you take a light into a dark room, darkness will do its best to hide from that light.

 It is the same with the Lord Jesus Christ, and we see it in our world today.

 When you take the Lord Jesus Christ anywhere in the darkness of this world, that darkness will try to hide its sin, or it will rebel at any sign of Jesus, and hatred will appear.

 A believer's home is Heaven, the unbeliever's home is Hell, and these two places can never come together.

 1Co 10:21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

 If we worship the One true God, and are a Temple for God, we will want no part of unrighteousness!

 Eze 37:27  My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 Lev 26:11  And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. 

Lev 26:12  And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. 

 *****2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 

 To be a child of God is to be righteous.

 To be a child of Belial(the Devil) is to be lawless.

 To be lawless is doing your own will, ignoring the will of God, without recognizing any authority.

 To be in "concord" is to be in agreement, have similar opinions, have similar sentiments, similar views, or similar interests.

 A believer belongs to Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world.

 A non-believer belongs to the Devil, who is the darkness in our world and worthless. (as useless as a pile of trash)

 To be a believer is to be a follower of Christ not only throughout eternity but now in our daily lives.

 The unbeliever hates Jesus Christ!

 To be a believer is to say, "I completely trust the Lord Jesus Christ"; it's called faith.

 Faith is the sincere and hearty assent and consent of the mind to the belief of the being and promises of God, as especially revealed to the church in the person and redemption, work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Faith is the believing of the testimony of Jehovah(Yahweh), through the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 

 *****2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 Since the Holy Spirit dwells in me, there is no room for idols in my life.

 Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 

Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 

 As I go about the business of serving the Lord Jesus Christ, I proudly wear the seal of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

 As cattle are branded to show ownership, I am branded with a Heavenly branding iron, which is the Holy Spirit.

 The Lord has paid my sin debt, and I belong to Him; He owns me!

 This seal is permanent: Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

It is the Holy Spirit who is that Seal; God the Father is the Sealer.

The Holy Spirit that gives us the power to show the characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.

Everything about salvation is about the Triune God, and there is no other such God as He!

1Jn 4:15  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

In the Temple of God, God is honored, praised, and served by the true believer.

There is no room for idols of any kind.

The Church, the Body of Christ, is the dwelling place of the One True God.

The God of the Bible has a desire to dwell with His people and walk with us.

God wants to feel at home in His walking, talking temples and move around freely.

Psa 93:5  Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

This is only possible when there are no disturbing elements within us.

So-called believers who associate themselves with the world are not walking with God within them.

*****2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

The people of God must be radically separated from the world and everything found in the world.

Yes, we have to work in this world.

Yes, we have to deal with the unbelievers in this world.

But we must remember that any association with unbelievers is what may give us an opportunity to tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ so they may have an opportunity to be saved.

God has given us His truth and those denominations that have rejected the truth of God were never saved to begin with.

God warns us about allowing the world into the Church!

Jesus did say to love our enemies, and the best thing we can give to our enemies is the truth of the Word of God.

In the end every believer must break all relationships in which God does not have the first place.

This means relationships that we enter into ourselves.

This means relationships where we have to compromise the Word of God just to remain.

This means the relationships that ruin our testimonies.

This means we must not join ourselves to nonbelievers even in business ventures.

2Ch 20:35  And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: 

2Ch 20:36  And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber. 

2Ch 20:37  Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

This means a believer should never marry an unbeliever, but once the marriage takes place, there are only certain reasons that this marriage should be broken.

Keep in mind that as Christians, we may be better off than an unbeliever, but we are not better than they are or anyone else.

There has never been, but One who was/is perfect, and He is our Savior.

We are only better off because of the benefits in choosing the Lord Jesus, which He really chose us.

He came searching for me as He did for every Christian. We must want to be found!

We must never participate in worldly, ungodly events with an unbeliever.

We must not even look like we are being sinful.

We must not question, try to rationalize, twist these words to some other meaning, or ignore this command of God.

If we want God to receive us, we must obey all His commandments!

If God is not our Father, then we are not His children.

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We cannot say we are Christians if we refuse to repent from our old life.

Amen

Spiritual Understanding

 The Ministry of Spiritual Understanding

Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 5

 

 Most people look at Christians as a bunch of religious fanatics, but this is true for only a few people who have their doctrine mixed up, and they need to get it straight before the Lord returns.

 There is nothing fanatical about preserving our future, and this is what a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will do; it will preserve your future.

 I may get a little off track for just a moment, but I think we need to know these things.

 According to those who live by the Marxist movement in our nation today, the greatest enemy of America is the white Christian. They say so without blinking an eye.

 The truth is their greatest enemy is Jesus Christ because they are the children of the Devil.

 A Marxist is a supporter of the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels:

 Marxism, a body of doctrine developed by Karl Marx and, to a lesser extent, by Friedrich Engels in the mid-19th century. It originally consisted of three related ideas:

 1) philosophical anthropology,

2) a theory of history and evolution.

3) an economic and political program.

 There is also Marxism as it has been understood and practiced by the various socialist movements, particularly before 1914.

Then there is Soviet Marxism as worked out by Vladimir Ilich Lenin and modified by Joseph Stalin, which, under the name of Marxism-Leninism which has become the doctrine of the communist parties set up after the Russian Revolution.

Offshoots of this include Marxism as interpreted by the anti-Stalinist Leon Trotsky and his followers, Mao Zedong’s Chinese variant of Marxism-Leninism, and various Marxists in the developing world.

There were also the post-World War II nondogmatic Marxists who have modified Marx’s thought with borrowings from modern philosophies, principally from those of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger but also from Sigmund Freud and others.

 In nations that adopt some version of Marxism, they have started in a way that looks good to many people, but in the end, it turns to socialism, and then some version of communism, and it never works out to be a benefit to the real people who have to give their lives to support such a system and have no say-so in that government.

 Marxism has never worked because evil men enforce their version on the people, and the government will then control every aspect of their lives and their economic classes.

There is no home ownership for the people and really no true freedom.

In fact, in Marxism, the government owns everything from land to homes, and all else.

 Capitalism, far from perfect, allows freedom to those who are willing to work for it.

The trouble with people today is they do not want to work for anything and expect everything to be free.

Free health care, free education, free life to do as they please, but they do not want to think that someone has to pay for these things, or they are okay with these things as long as someone else is paying for them besides themselves.

Look at how many of them refuse to pay for the education that they borrowed from the taxpayers.

Marxism still uses an anti-supernatural approach to life and its origin and begins with the premise that there is no God and tries to explain a life that is lived without God, which we, as Christians know, is not possible.

We have already tried life without Christ, and found it meaningless.

They all believe in the theory of evolution or some part of it, even if they claim to be liberal Christians.

The term "liberal" has come to mean "my way or the highway"!

Liberal so-called Christians accept the Gap Theory or some version of a gap theory and many of the theories of evolution and try to put them in the Creation Story given to us in the Book of Genesis.

To accept this is to say sin was in the world when God created us and that the death of the Lord Jesus was unnecessary and just a fable.

To accept this is to call God the Holy Spirit a liar!

 The truth is, if God created man, then man is a morally responsible being. Responsible for his own actions.

This is not some new thing!

Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Pro 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 

Much of this is coming from the younger generation, and God warns them about these things.

Ecc 11:9  Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. 

Ecc 11:10  Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

Those without God say they are not morally responsible for themselves or to any god and are free to do as they please.

See if you believe you descended from some animal, you are taught that animals do not have a moral understanding, but even this is a lie.

 This is the very reason the world was destroyed in the day of Noah and will be destroyed when the Lord returns.

When the Lord Jesus says, “as in the days of Noah,” this is part of what He was referring to.

 In either case, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, but there is far more corruption in Marxism than in Capitalism, and the people have no real say-so in the government with leaders who put forth their own version of Marxism.

The same ones who teach Marxism made their own millions under Capitalism, so they are hypocrites to begin with.

What many of them seek is the destruction of America and a full-on atheist society.

 Every Marxist politician has their own version of Marxism, and none of them are the same.

 It is a fact that it was Marxism that began the Liberalism we see in the false church today!

It is Marxism that began liberalism in our government.

 It is Marxism that is pushing the Liberal church into social change, which goes against the Word of God.

 It is Marxism that pushes liberals to conceive that change is not achieved through individual salvation and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but through the church itself confronting society concerning injustices.

The Church is not to be an object of worship, and it is becoming nothing more than an idol.

The Book of Revelation says the Church has left its first love, who is Christ Jesus.

The only true Church is based upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co_3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 Marxism in itself is humanism, more indebted to liberal theology than it is to Scripture, and Scripture that does not go along with their Marxist liberal thinking is removed from Scripture.

This is why there are so many versions of the Word of God today.

 As Christians, we place our hope in the Theocratic government of the Almighty God!

 We will answer to God for everything we have done, even for every word that we have spoken.

 God says: Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

 Marxism and liberal theology are all about works, and there is no hope in works!

 Where is our hope and the hope of the true church?

 *****2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 

 We must not get discouraged every time our body will not let us do what we want to do.

 We will fall into a state of exhaustion and weariness from time to time, and we will suffer for the cause of Christ.

 With all our troubles and difficulties, it does not change what we are waiting for. What are we waiting for?

 We are waiting on the day we will be with the Lord where we will receive a new body with none of these difficulties.

 Through all our uncertainties, we can be certain about this thing that Jesus promised.

 For we know it is true!

 We will not receive some temporary body when we get to Heaven; we live in our temporary body now as we live upon this earth, but we will receive a glorified body when Jesus Christ returns to take us home.

 1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Much of the world looks upon this as some imaginary fable, but there is more physical proof that the Word of God is true than it is false!

 So, what does happen to us when we die?

 When we die, we go immediately to Heaven to be with the Lord! Here we will stay until Christ returns to claim this earth as His own on the Day of the Rapture.

 Rev_6:11  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

 You cannot place a robe on a spirit; there has to be a body to wear a robe.

 1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

 One thing is sure, even if we existed for a time without a body, we would still be more alive than we are today!

 Just as our present bodies will be part of our eternal bodies, temporary bodies could be part of our eternal bodies.

 That glorified body gets in there somewhere!

 Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 

 1) We will receive immortality!

2) We will receive a home, an eternal mansion in God's New Heaven.

 As we get older, we all feel the truth of verse 2.

 *****2Co 5:2  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 

2Co 5:3  If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 

2Co 5:4  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 

 God never said it would be fun growing old.

 One thing I have noticed as I aged is that time seems to fly by.

 The years are going so fast that it’s Christmas before you know it and another birthday has taken place and you get to see doctors more than you see some family members.

 As Christians the Scriptures give us a picture of our bodies as a tent which houses our spirit.

 In fact, our spirit is our conscience, and our heart is our soul, and this is our real self and this sack of flesh that covers them is the thing that is perishing with age.

 God is a spirit; the human soul is a spirit.

 God made man after His own image and endowed him with attributes which belong to His own nature as a spirit.

 Therefore, man is different from all other of God's creations.

 Only man is capable of communion with our Maker.

 If we were not like God in some of our characteristics, we could not know Him; we would be like the animals that God created.

 The human spirit was rational, moral, and a free agent before the Devil caused Adam to sin, but we still have those attributes, so we can be saved.

 This sack of flesh we wear as a covering will spend some time in the grave unless you are alive at the time of the Rapture, but this flesh must certainly die one way or the other.

 2Pe_1:13  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

2Pe_1:14  Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

 Job 19:25  For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 

Job 19:26  And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 

Job 19:27  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

 The body we have now is our means of glorifying God since after salvation the Holy Spirit moves into our heart.

 1Co 6:19  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? 

1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 

 Our bodies are not to be our masters; our bodies are to be submitted to God in order that Jesus Christ can be glorified in that body.

 Rom 12:1  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. 

 Php 1:20  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. 

 Once Adam and Eve had sin in their hearts, the first thing they realized was that they were naked.

 Noah cursed his grandson because he looked upon Noah while he was drunk and naked.

To the Jew, nakedness was a terrible sin because Adam and Eve knew their nakedness after sin, and they were ashamed.

 This is the way Jesus Christ presents to us the modern church.

 Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

 Nakedness describes a soul that is uncovered before the Lord.

Our nakedness must be wrapped in the Lord's righteousness!

 A sinner who remains lost has nothing to cover himself against the wrath of God.

 Those who know the Lord are now clothed with the robe of righteousness.

This is the robe that we will wear when we first get to Heaven!

 Isa_61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

 *****2Co 5:4  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 

 Once we understand we will be clothed, which means our bodies will be transformed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

 Any underclothing we had on will be swallowed up by our upper clothing until nothing is left of those garments.

 The old is completely replaced by the new!

 1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

 Don't you just love the Word of God that never leaves anything out?

 We do not have to guess about our salvation; it is real!

 Our salvation is also eternal!

 *****2Co 5:5  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 

2Co 5:6  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 

2Co 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 

2Co 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

 The Holy Spirit is not some influence sent to us from Heaven; the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Triune God.

Believe me when I say there is no order in those three persons of the Triune God except for the order that Jesus gave us.

God is the same no matter what person you are dealing with; He is One God, not three Gods!

 The Holy Spirit has characteristics, and He has personality.

 He has intellect, knowledge, a mind, and emotions and a genuine personality.

 He teaches, He testifies, He guides, He convicts, He regenerates, He intercedes, and He commands.

 When He moves into our hearts, we will know it and our transformation will begin.

 There is a saying that our youth used to use: "If you are what you were, then you ain't".

 It's simple: if you are the same old person you were before your salvation and you just say the Holy Spirit moved in, then you have been deceived, and you are not saved.

 2Co 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 

 That word "earnest" can be interpreted as "a down payment" on our redemption which will come when the Lord Jesus returns.

 We have this confidence when we no longer look at our circumstances, but we only look upward and forward to a future so wonderful that it is hard to imagine the wonderful things God has planned for us.

 1Co_2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 When we walk in the faith of the truth of God, then surely, we can put up with this wicked world for a few short years.

The greatest relief we can obtain in this world is to be busy serving the LORD.

 No matter what we face, the Holy Spirit will stir up our courage to face it all, if we listen to Him.

 We need a refilling of the Holy Spirit daily and sometimes on the same day, and God will provide that refilling if we ask Him, in the name of Jesus.

 The Holy Spirit will stir up the faith that is in us, so if you have no faith, the Holy Spirit has nothing to work with.

 Now this does not make us blind to the things going on around us; He just gives us the courage to go through them.

 This shows up in our power to be a witness for the truth of the Gospel!

 *****2Co 5:9  Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 

We must make it our ambition to speak and act in a way that our life pleases the LORD.

If we live only for the LORD, it does not matter if we are still in the body that the Lord gave us or we are absent from that body which is to be at home with the LORD in Heaven.

Wherever we are, our goal is to make the Lord rejoice by living for Him and in His will for us.

If we are not in the will the LORD has for us, we will be miserable even though we may be saved.

The "Judgment Seat of Christ" is the judgment of believers, not unbelievers.

There will be no unbeliever there.

Paul is speaking to the Church, all the ones who have a new nature in Jesus Christ.

Only believers have a new nature in Jesus Christ.

1) The judgment of believers is a surety; it will happen, and nothing can stop it from happening.

2) The judge who will judge us will be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Joh 5:22  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 

Joh 5:23  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

3) Each believer will be judged for the things we have done in the body we lived in after salvation until that body died.

a.) We will not be judged for sin because the Lord Jesus died for all our sin and our sin is under the blood.

God will never again charge us with any sin. Though we must still ask for forgiveness because it is like a slap in the face to our Lord Jesus Christ.

 b) Each believer will be conformed perfectly to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We will receive that perfect, eternal body, a body just like the one that Christ went back to Heaven in.

1Jn 3:2  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. 

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

 c) When God saved us, He had a purpose for each of us, and He will judge us on how well we have accomplished what He gives us to do.

This judgment will decide on any gifts we may or may not receive.

1Co 3:13  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 

1Co 3:14  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 

1Co 3:15  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

4) This judgment will determine our rewards and the degree of those rewards, whether good(gain) or bad(loss)

All those who survive the fire of the "Bema Seat Judgment" will be greatly rewarded. So great that it would blow our minds if we knew them today.

Glory, honor, immortality, part of the inheritance of the Lord Jesus, a mansion, just a few that are mentioned in the Scriptures.

We will behold the face of God and have a glorified body. We will be treated as kings and priests. The joy of life and pleasures that never end are just a few more of the rewards we could receive.

This is just a taste of the rewards we can receive at the "judgment Seat of Christ," which will take place at the Rapture of the Church when we meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds.

Only the Church will be at this judgment at that time. Not one lost soul will be there!

*****2Co 5:11  Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. 

I know that God will use everyone He saves, but we have to wonder sometimes what keeps that good Pastor from quitting on God.

They are attacked and criticized for the stance they take on the Word of God.

They have to deal with problems on the inside and on the outside of the church.

They have to deal with church members, many who are still babes in Christ and others who think they know it all.

This verse gives us some idea of what keeps good men of God preaching and ministering, and we should take notice of what God says here.

The word "terror" here means fear, reverence, being in awe of the Lord.

It does not mean the kind of fear that trembles and shrinks back from God, though he must be aware of it.

The Lord must be held in the Highest regard and respect; He is God!

These things compel that good Pastor or Evangelist or Missionary to spread the "Good News" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2Co 5:21  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.

He will preach the judgment of God:

Rom 2:16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

He will preach the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

He will preach the desperate need for all of us to reconcile our relationship with the One True God:

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2Co 5:21  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.

God knows what kind of person we are, and He will use that to assign us all a ministry.

1Co 4:1  Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 

1Co 4:2  Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 

That good man of God will preach faithfulness!

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 

1Ti 1:13  Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 

1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 

Amen

Spiritual Power

 The Ministry of Spiritual Power

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 4

 

What makes a local church? When is it actually a church according to Scripture?

 Is it when people gather to listen to tapes of some so-called Christian leader?

 Is it when a group gathers together to hear different Bible conference speakers?

Is it just to fellowship with other people?

 A church that is the Bride of Christ is much more than these things!

 1) There must first be worship!

 The most important reason we gather is to worship according to the Word of God.

 Jhn_4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Jhn_4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 1Co 14:25  And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. 

 Worship involves presenting ourselves, our entire being, to the Lord.

 Rom 12:1  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. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 Many say the church that meets on Sunday violates Scripture.

 They also say this was because of some Roman ruler, who said for the church to worship on Sunday.

 These same people reject the Word of God, as it reads that we worship on Sunday because the early church decided to commemorate the resurrection of our Savior, who is the foundation of the Church.

 Joh 20:1  The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

 Joh 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 

 Joh 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

 The Lord's supper:

 Act 20:7  And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 

 The offerings were made:

 1Co 16:2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

 Hymns were then incorporated into worship:

 Eph 5:19  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 

Eph 5:20  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

Eph 5:21  Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 

 2) There must be preaching.

 2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

 This preaching is for instruction so we can avoid false doctrines!

 1Ti 1:3  As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 

 This preaching should produce spiritual love among believers, along with increased faith.

 1Ti 1:5  Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 

 There must be spiritual nourishment.

 1Ti 4:6  If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 

 Teaching godliness:

 1Ti 4:8  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 

 Teaching submission:

 1Ti 5:17  Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 

 Teaching a proper focus on life:

 1Ti 6:17  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 

1Ti 6:18  That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 

1Ti 6:19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 

 Passing this work to others called to preach:

 2Ti 2:2  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 

 3) The church must be devoted to the teaching of the original Apostles who were taught by the Lord Jesus:

 Act 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

 And Christian Doctrine:

 Act 5:28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 

Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 

 Act 18:11  And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 

 Teaching in the church and in homes:

 Act 20:20  And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, 

Act 20:21  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

 4) The church must encourage fellowship.

 Act 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 

 Act 4:31  And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 

 5) Prayer is to be important because it is powerful.

 Act 4:31  And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 

 Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 

 1Th_5:17  Pray without ceasing.

 6) Each of these things have their own importance, but they must all be included in a functioning church.

 Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 

Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

 7) The Church depends on the church members to support these things!

Now this does not mean sending all offerings to Rome. No, it means we must support missionaries, evangelism, witnessing, child evangelism, and discipleship.

Now the world may say that Rome is the home of the Church, but we do not want any part of Rome. The true Church is those who have the Holy Spirit living within them.

 Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  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.

 When these things and more are not found in the local church, then that place is not a church at all nor is it part of the Bride of Christ!

 The Bride of Christ has a ministry and so does every member!

 2Co 4:1  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 

2Co 4:2  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 

 All these things being true, and they are, if you are a child of God, then you have met the Devil!

 *****2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

 If you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ as He directed, then you will face trial after trial.

 The word trial is used in Scripture in the sense that we will be tested as we serve the LORD.

 We will experience fatigue and weariness.

We will suffer strain and pressure.

We will have troubles and doubts.

We will face criticism and opposition.

We will suffer conflict and persecution, and anything else the Devil can throw at us.

 If the Devil cannot reach us personally, he will use our families or our friends to get at us.

 If you began your reading of the Bible in the Book of Genesis, you would see where the first family that existed was tested, and we live in their failures every day of our lives.

 God's purpose was to give Adam and Eve a knowledge of sin through obedience, not from eating some fruit.

 They sought the knowledge of "good and evil," and they attained that knowledge in the wrong way.

 Their temptation came through that Old Serpent, the Devil.

 Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

Gen 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. 

 Rev_12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

 Rev_20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

 We cannot serve the Lord in His purpose for us under our own power!

 It is the power of God that will sustain us in every trial and in every temptation if we let God's power work within us.

 We have the Holy Spirit living within us, and we must allow Him to do His work.

 What is His first work?

 Jhn_14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

 Jhn_14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 Jhn_15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Notice more and more we see the Triune God involved in our lives!

 Jhn_16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

 We may be persecuted, but we will never be forsaken!

 The supreme characteristic of the true Christian is not that we do not fall, but every time we fall, we get back up again.

 Psa 37:24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. 

 We may be beaten, but we cannot be defeated.

 We may lose a battle from time to time, but in the end, Jesus Christ has already won the war.

 If we remain with the Lord, He will remain with us, so we are on the "Winning Side"!

 *****2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 

2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 

2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 

 The Lord will never forsake us!

 Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

Heb 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 

 Yes, the Lord Jesus died, but He gave His life; no one took His life from Him!

 We do not serve the Lord in the power of His death!

 We are to serve the Lord in the power of His resurrection!

 Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

 2Ti 2:11  It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 

 Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

Rom 8:18  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. 

 How many times does the Lord have to say He will never leave us until we understand He means it?

 In His physical body, the Lord Jesus was always dying to self!

 He was expending enormous energy to share the truth of God, His Father.

 He would go without food and water for days at a time.

He would work long, exhausting days.

He would have many sleepless nights.

 Someone was always wanting something from Him, and He gave of Himself.

 He did these things for the sake of others and not for Himself.

 As we serve the Lord to stay mentally sharp, we need to die to self and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 This is the truth of our Pastor and every man of God and each one of us.

 Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 

 As human beings, we do not present such a formidable challenge to this world, but when we die to self and live the life of Jesus Christ, then others see the power of the Lord Jesus Christ within us.

 To some, this will lead them to turn to the Lord to be able to conquer their own life.

 Most people realize that some things they do are not right and that they have wronged many people.

 Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

 *****2Co 4:13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 

 There is only One Spirit of Faith!

 Psa 116:9  I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. 

Psa 116:10  I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: 

 It is only our faith in the truth of the Lord Jesus that can sustain us!

 We must resist all temptation to give up!

 It is the power of our faith that will keep us from being discouraged.

 Faith means we believe with all our hearts.

 Faith means we stand against every opposition to the Word of God.

 Faith means we can see the evidence of God in His creation!

 I still believe the greatest Scripture in the Word of God is His first words.

 Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

Our world and everything in it was created and sustained by the Holy Trinity.

We are saved by that same Holy Trinity.

We will live in Heaven with that same Holy Trinity.

 If we cannot believe this, then we cannot be Christians!

 We must believe what we say of the Scriptures!

 1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

 *****2Co 4:14  Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 

The one thing we can say is that God always has the last word. No one can overrule Him!

God did raise the Lord Jesus from the dead because it was important for Jesus to die.

He died to take our sins to Hell where they belonged.

We must not forget that this death was a separation from His Heavenly Father.

We must do all we can to maintain a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father!

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The Lord Jesus Christ had to pay with His life for the testimony He gave.

By His death Jesus saved us from the wrath of His Father and from His Judgment at the White Throne.

There will be no winners at the White Throne Judgment!

We know that Jesus died, but He could not stay dead. With this part of His mission complete, He arose from that death.

When we think on these things, we can be encouraged.

The same God that raised the Lord Jesus from His death will raise each of us from our own death.

The Holy Spirit made sure for us to know this is true!

1Co 6:14  And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Col 2:12  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 

Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 

No matter what purpose God has given to us, serving the Lord has its problems, but knowing that no matter what happens to this body, it will not keep us out of God's New Heaven.

God can do as He says He will do!

God does not speak just to be speaking; He is all-powerful!

One of the great lessons we learn when serving the Lord is that He is willing and He is also able to do what He says.

Jud 1:24  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, 

Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. 

God will be happy to see us when Jesus lets us through the Door to Heaven.

If we trust the Lord Jesus for our salvation, then we must trust Him in everything He says.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 

The Bible reveals to us the Will of God through His Son.

The Lord says everything He did was for our sakes.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

God repeats this here in verse fifteen.

*****2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 

We live in a lost world that is on its way to Hell.

God will take care of the world and will rebuild it as it was in the first week of creation.

Our job is the same job Jesus had when He walked upon this earth: to reach out to those who are lost and without Yahweh, the true God.

The God of the Bible is full of "mercy," and He is willing to show His "Grace" to all who will believe.

Only if we stay in the fight, refuse to be defeated, and glorify God with our lives can we show God's blessings to this lost world.

1) We are to meet the needs of the people by showing them the love of God.

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

Rom 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 

Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 

2) We must lead those who are lost to the only Savior.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 

1Pe 2:10  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. 

*****2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

If we are true to the Lord and full of faith, we will never quit on God.

The things we have just read about in the other verses will give us the strength we need.

At the end of every day, we may want to quit, but if we meditate on the truth of the Lord Jesus and get a refilling of the Holy Spirit and do not forget all the benefits of being a child of God, we will be renewed to face another day.

This old body will take a beating, but the death of this old body is the pathway to eternal life, just asverse fourteen reminded us.

The Holy Spirit said in verse 1: Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

We put on the New Man: Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

If you have many years already on this body of flesh, you know for certain that it is wearing out.

People say our bodies, the day we are born, begin the process of growing, but in reality, our bodies begin the processes of aging, wearing out, and wasting away every day.

Once the Holy Spirit moves into our soul, He allows us to draw near to God for strength and growth.

It is this strength that delivers us from the trials, the pressure, and the troubles of this world.

When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us, and it is this power that renews us!

Psa 34:19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 

*****2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

2Co 4:18  While we look 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. 

The troubles we have in this world cannot compare to the glory we shall receive in Heaven!

We should not focus on the temporary things of this world but focus on the eternal things in the glory world.

Our goal is to spend eternity with the Lord in New Heaven and the New Earth and fulfill every purpose He has for now and for every purpose then and forever.

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 

2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 

We will have a purpose in Heaven!

Things that are seen are only temporary things!

The things that are not seen are eternal, everlasting, endless, forever, permanent, immortal, and glorious.

Let's think on these things and make them our goal!

Amen