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Showing posts with label Commandments not suggestions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commandments not suggestions. Show all posts

Monday, October 16, 2023

Contending For Our Faith in Jesus Christ

 

The Servant's Commandments

Book of Mark Chapter 12

We should not forget that the Lord Jesus is in His last week before He faces His physical death at Mount Calvary.

Spiritually, Jesus is in every Saint of God at all times and will be forever!

Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Another thing we must understand is, that the Word of God is a Book of Commandments and not a book of suggestions.

Many today are doing their very best to discredit the Word of God and the translation to English that we have today, the KJV.

In reality, just as our lesson states, we must contend for our faith.

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

To contend, is to struggle in opposition to those who discredit the Word of God!

To contend, is to use earnest efforts to obtain, to defend, and to preserve the Word of God.

The Lord promises us that His Word will always be with us so, we must do our part to contend for our faith in the things He has said to us!

Mat_24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

We are judged according to the Word of God!

The Word of God will judge this world!

Joh_12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

Joh_12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Those that reject the Word of God will be judged by the same words they reject in the day of their judgment!

At the beginning of the last week before the murder of our Lord Jesus, the Sanhedrin had plotted how they might find things against the Lord Jesus.

The head of the Sanhedrin was always the High Priest of that day and he was a wicked man who held that position because he sided with Rome.

He was not in that position by the Laws of Moses, nether was the King of Israel at that time.

There were a few of the Sanhedrin who were not enemies of Jesus Christ but it was very few.

We know of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea and there may have been others, but they all were afraid to speak up in favor of Jesus Christ.

*****Mar 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

The Pharisees were strict religionists.

The Pharisees were a group that started out for the good of Judaism to save the Jewish religion by practicing the Jewish law in the strictest sense.

They felt that by carrying out every detail of the Jewish Law and by teaching others to do the same they could save Jewish religion.

They were the orthodox of their day!

They were strict literalists.

This caused the Jewish Law to be expanded into thousands of little rules and regulations by the Scribes.

These things became known as the Oral Law and these things grew to take more than fifty volumes of books to hold all those regulations.

They became zealous religionists.

They were self-righteous, heartless, and hypocritical!

These men were the main opponents of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Herodians were not religious at all. They were the political party of King Herod.

They supported Rome and compromised on everything they could to preserve their power and influence.

They had even allowed pagan temples in Judah.

They were made up of Sadducees and therefore they opposed all Messianic claims.

They insisted that taxes must be paid to Rome before tithes were paid to Jehovah God.

These are the people who thought they could catch the Lord Jesus Christ in His words.

Until the Lord Jesus Christ came as a Babe in Bethlehem, the average person did not know these things about any of these religious groups.

What a joke they were!

*****Mar 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

The Pharisees believed all loyalty should be shown to God, which is right, but it must be done in God's way which they refused to do.

They were strongly against paying taxes to a foreign king!

They said paying taxes to a secular government was an infringement upon God's right.

The Herodians, which most were Sadducees was that the state is supreme.

They believe that taxes should be paid to Caesar rather than to God.

These two groups were enemies to each other but joined together to get rid of the Lord Jesus Christ.

They actually thought that they could trip up Jesus using His own words.

This is a character of Satan and we have seen how Satan used a twisted-up version of the Word of God to try to trip up Our Lord Jesus.

Both of these groups hated Jesus.

This was no innocent question they had asked the Lord!

If Jesus chose the side of the Sadducees, He would be called a traitor and the people would have abandoned Him.

If Jesus chose the side of the Pharisees, He would have been labeled an insurrectionist, arrested, and killed.

This is the charge that was eventually used to murder the Lord Jesus.

They at first tried to use flattery to cause Jesus to think they were sincere, but Jesus knew what they were attempting to do because He knew it was hypocritical flattery.

They would never honor the Lord Jesus as the Messiah even if they knew for certain that He was.

We have already seen that selfish ambition can lead to all sorts of sin and we see it here.

We see that it was the religionist who were the greatest enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as it is in America today and most of this world that reject the truth of the Word of God.

Religionists will cause you to go to Hell!

But we see the goal of religionist is to paint Christians as the enemy of government and cause the government to try to silence the Christian saying Christians are the true enemy of the state and we see this play out right before our eyes today right here in the America we love.

As Christians, we have no choice but to defend the Word of God at all costs, because we are commanded to do so or we sin against the One True God.

We can stand on the Word of God because we know that this battle is the Lord's, and He will solve this issue also according to the Word of God.

Eph_6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph_6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

It is these same things that cause confusion in the general public which the government relies on along with the lies of religionists.

Deception is the main character that the Antichrist will use when he presents himself and he may be on the scene today and probably is.

First, everything they said about the Lord Jesus was very true.

Jesus is certainly the Master teacher being Master and Lord of this entire universe.

Jesus is certainly the most truthful person to have ever lived.

Jesus did certainly teach the way of God.

Jesus certainly did not care what men said about Him, they were already condemned.

Jesus certainly does not regard any man's person; He never shows favoritism or partiality to anyone.

These men did not mean a word that they were saying.

The one thing they missed is, that Jesus cannot be fooled by anyone because He is God!

Psa 5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

Pro 29:5 A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.

Was it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?

*****Mar 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.

Mar 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.

We must understand that our life in this world and our necessities, depend upon God.

This is seen in the fact that Jesus did not even have a penny.

If Rome was taking care of its people, then why did Jesus not have a penny.

We could ask this same thing today about America.

The fact that there are people starving in America shows that our government does not have its own people on their mind.

It is only shameful to our government that there are people starving in America!

Jesus was living in the state of Israel and Israel was under the rule of Rome.

It seemed that Jesus was a citizen of two governments, yet He still did not have a penny so what was the benefit of this?

We know that the life of Jesus rested in the hands of God just like it is for the Church here today.

Our government is not necessary for life, but God is!

Our government could help us, but it is not necessary because we do not live by bread alone.

We will not have an abundant life without the Lord Jesus Christ!

With the Lord we will have purpose!

Without the Lord we have no purpose!

What is God promise?

Deu 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,

Deu 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Deu 11:15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.

A penny was shown to the Lord Jesus.

Keep in mind that a penny in that day and time was the wages paid for a day's labor.

*****Mar 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.

Mar 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

We know that governments are ordained of God.

Those governments are to provide law and order, community services, and protection for its citizens.

No man is an island within the state so, we are to pay a share to the state to provide these things.

Citizenship also has its own responsibilities.

In other words, we should pay our taxes simply because it is a command of God!

The Lord Jesus proves to us that when we are questioned by our government, we need to understand why they are asking a question before we respond to it.

Most of the time we just answer too quickly without thinking about the reason for the question.

With the image on this coin being of Caesar it was obvious that it belonged to the government of Rome.

We may owe taxes and other things to the government for services rendered, but we owe our worship to the Lord Jesus Christ the God of the Bible.

Our obligations are to God first and the things of God second.

In reality, the entire earth belongs to God, therefore all we possess belongs to the Lord, but the only portion that is valuable to God is our souls.

After this our bodies and our time have importance.

When we withhold these things from God, we are committing sin.

As we join the Church, which is also a command of God, then we owe the performance of our duties to the other members of the Church.

These are also things we owe to our families.

There are things a husband owes to his wife and vice versa.

As Christians we also have a dual citizenship.

We are citizens of Heaven.

We are citizens of this world.

If we use the benefits of the government, then we have an obligation to that government.

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

As citizens of Heaven, we owe our Born-Again life 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.

These things are not that hard to understand.

The government is limited in its power but God is not limited in anything!

God is due the things that are His!

The Herodians in most ways worshipped the Roman government, but Jesus pointed out to them the fact of a spiritual world.

God is real and God's rule is supreme and everlasting!

Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

We are never to forget the Lord God who saved us.

Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Having closed the mouths of the Pharisees, then came the Sadducees.

*****Mar 12:18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,

Mar 12:19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

Mar 12:20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.

Mar 12:21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.

Mar 12:22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.

Mar 12:23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

Why is this world working so hard to discredit the Lord Jesus Christ?

Why is this world working so hard to discredit the Word of God?

If what the Lord Jesus says is true then:

All the teachings of evolution are lies.

All the teachings of climate change are lies.

All the insistence of transgender movement are lies.

All the man-made laws of the Pharisees are lies.

All the teachings of the Sadducees are lies.

All the teachings of a true interpretation of the Scriptures are the truth!

Then the Koran is wrong.

Then the books a of Hindu are wrong.

And it goes on and on with all false religions.

Every book on religion without Jesus Christ is wrong!

Guess what, the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are true and He is God!

The Sadducees were the religious and political liberals in the day of Jesus Christ.

They were wealthy.

They were the aristocrats.

They were the governing class of leaders in Israel.

These things sound so familiar today here in America.

Today we call them Democrats and people like Soros and others who finance socialism and immorality.

The Chief Priest himself was usually a Sadducee in the times of Roman domination.

It was the Chief Priest who was the leader of the Sanhedrin and the Sanhedrin ruled the people on behalf of the Roman government and not the laws of God.

The Roman government made sure the Sadducees were placed in all positions of leadership in Israel.

What had Moses written?

Deu 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.

Deu 25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.

This law assured that the line of that family would continue and that the property holdings would stay in the hands of that family as according to the Laws of Moses.

The Sadducees used this law to try to catch Jesus off guard.

Remember the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body.

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

If the Lord Jesus would not be resurrected, then He could not return to take us home to Heaven.

They were just mocking the Lord Jesus and He knew it, because they did not understand the truth of the Scriptures.

You cannot fool God!

You will not mock God for very long!

*****Mar 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

What is the major problem with those who are lost?

They do not understand the Scriptures and they cannot understand them without the Holy Spirit!

The resurrection is based on the Scriptures and the power of God!

The Lord Jesus tells those who deny the power of God that they are in error.

The Scriptures leave no doubt that there is a spiritual world and that a resurrection into that spiritual world will take place!

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.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

People, even God's people, do not study the Scriptures as they should.

So many, in this world just do not believe what the Word of God says.

So many, just do not take the Word of God literally for what it says.

Most all of this world believes the lies of evolution and deny the power of God.

They are ignorant of God.

Some do not believe God nor His power.

Some believe but they believe He is a weak God because they see so much evil in this world.

It is a fact that the Spiritual world is perplexing to the natural man and even to some so-called Christians.

Because of a belief in evolution, the world does not understand the makeup of mankind.

We are a body, a soul, and a spirit!

Not some descendant of an ape or any other animal.

It is the Word of God that reveals to us the reality of the spirit world and the fact that of the resurrection of our bodies will take place after our death, to join our soul that is already in Heaven or in Hell.

God offers us a chance to avoid Hell!

If we study the Scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will trust the Word of God and the Power of God!

This resurrection will take place!

*****Mar 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

The Sadducees did not know anything about the Scriptures!

Our future in the glory world will exceed all earthly relationships including marriage.

This future life will be like that of the angels and the Lord.

The Sadducees did not believe in angels.

There is nothing in Heaven that will resemble our present mortal existence!

1Co 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

Our love will be perfected and that love will be directed toward the Lord first, and then to each other on a much higher plain than marriage.

Angels are already above that plain and angels do not marry and angels are not and have not been involved with humans in an immoral way no matter what some teach.

That would only show a weakness that God does not have.

Selfishness and sin will not exist.

Jealousy will not exist.

Immorality will not exist.

All the things that cause relationship problems will be non-existent!

All our relationships in Heaven will be eternal!

God will change our brief time we have together now, into an eternal time for us to be together.

Will we recognize each other?

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Yes, we will be known as we are known now but on a higher plane than resemblance and knowledge of each other.

It is that giving love that will prevail in Heaven!

1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

We are mistaken and in error when we try to materialize Heaven!

We are mistaken and in error when we try to humanize eternal life!

Heaven is much more than just a glorified world!

With our glorified body we will be on a higher plane than even the angels.

If you can see it here in this lifetime, you will not see that thing in Heaven!

As touching the dead:

*****Mar 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Mar 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

We should understand that our resurrection is a living relationship that cannot be broken!

God's relationships are with all His children that have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior!

There is no other way to have a relationship with God other than through the Lord Jesus Christ!

There are no other Gods!

God is eternal and God maintains active eternal relationships!

When we arrive in Heaven, God will say I have been expecting you at any moment because time is a human necessity.

Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac are not dead but more alive than they have ever been and so are all those who have gone on before us as believers in Christ Jesus.

God is the God of the living not the God of the dead!

God is not the God of decaying corpse.

There will be a resurrection!

Questions, questions, questions.

*****Mar 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

The Bible is a book of commandments and not a book of suggestions.

These scribes are sometimes called lawyers.

Maybe he was beginning to understand the truth of the Scriptures that he had made so many copies of.

Through the years the Jews had six hundred and thirteen commandments.

So to ask such a question would be reasonable.

So many people get stuck on commandments and miss the truth of the Scriptures.

One could say which commands are more important than the others.

What is that answer? James writes:

Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Now Jesus will explain that royal law.

*****Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

It is that law of love, the love we will live by in Heaven that should be leading us now, if you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

These are the laws that will guide us in Heaven but on a much greater plain of love!

The Lord our God is one Lord!

This is the foundation of the first commandment and truly all commandments are based upon this first commandment.

The Lord our God, the God of all men is one God. He, through three persons, forms the unity of the One True God!

1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

1Jn 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1Jn 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

We owe all our love to Him!

Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

The Lord Jesus quotes the first commandment as containing the principle of all commandments.

God simply says not to love pleasure but to love Him!

If we do not take time to seek the Lord, we will spend too much time feeding our body and satisfying our appetite for sin.

Without our love for God, we are no more than animals as evolution teaches.

With the love of God, we are more like the angels who serve God without questioning Him.

Those confined to man-made religion do not understand that we are to love God with all our heart.

The Lord must be the focus and concentration of our life!

The Lord must be the only subject of our devotion!

The Lord is the One God who come and will live within each believer!

Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The Lord God is our Creator!

Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Our Lord God is to be loved!

A loving relationship involves commitment and loyalty!

True love does not allow lustful behavior.

It is lustful behavior that drives sin in our world today.

Abortion, HIV, and many other things and many other diseases are driven by lustful behavior and this behavior has consequences that foolish people think of as rights.

True love of God leads to a desire to be united and joined to God.

True love of God leads to obeying the Will of God.

True love of God leads to joy and delight in the duties of worship and of service.

This love is only possible through the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is Christ who reveals to us the Almighty, Incomprehensible, Creator!

It is the love of God that teaches us how to love one another!

This love should extend throughout all God's creation.

This love extends to our families, our friends, our neighbors (all mankind), our countrymen, and our planet.

This love also extends to our enemies.

How can we lead a lost soul to the Lord if we cannot show love to them, our enemies?

A loving relationship involves trust and respect for all those God says to love.

Remember, this is a command of the Lord Jesus Christ and our love begins with Him.

The Lord Jesus demands that we love our neighbors as ourselves!

Love is an action word.

The Lord tells us to love the Lord God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and all our strength and we prove this to Him when we love our neighbors as ourselves.

God Himself demonstrated this command for us!

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

We can love ourselves once we realize that we are the object of God's love!

In all these things showing the Love of God to others is showing God's Mercy to us all!

How did this scribe react?

*****Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

Mar 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Mar 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

The religion of this scribe had been tied up into offerings and sacrifice and he had dedicated his life to these things and he had never given thought to the command of love even though he knew Scripture.

When we are settled on the fact of God's love, then how can we not live for Him.

Jesus told this scribe that by understanding the love of God it gets us real close to salvation.

The thing lacking to him "accepting the work of the Lord Jesus" as the means of our salvation, and this love the Lord Jesus described to us, is our means of salvation and our only means of salvation.

If all those who are so tied up in religion would understand the love of God, they would not be far from salvation, lacking only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pro_3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Remember, God looks into the heart and what He is looking for is to see if there is love in that heart.

Most of us have a filthy heart and the Lord Jesus is the only one who can solve this problem.

Psa_26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

Rom_10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

We have to be open and honest in our relationship with God, to be part of His family and that family has the Lord Jesus Christ as the first-born Son.

Amen

Saturday, September 23, 2023

How To Stand Before A Holy God

The Persistent Servant

Book of Mark Chapter 7

We could say our lesson today is about true holiness. It seems that not much is said about holiness today. 

I know my Pastor mentions holiness often but it is not mentioned much anywhere else.

What does God say about holiness?

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The basic meaning of holiness is "to be set apart" or "separation".

Holiness is the greatest attribute of God because it is consistent with everything that He does!

Many people say that God is a God of love, which He is.

They say a God of love would never allow anyone to go to Hell and we would certainly not see His wrath.

God is a God of love, but above that He is Holy and we are to be holy.

It is God's holiness that dictates His actions toward the unholy not His love!

This being true, then how could we ever think that we should not also be looked upon as holy.

We cannot even worship the Lord properly without being able to raise holy hands!

1Ti_2:8  I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

It is holiness that keeps God distinct from all His creation.

It is holiness that says God is exalted above all His creation in infinite majesty!

Our Holy God is separate from all moral evil and sin!

Holiness points to the Lord's majestical purity!

It is because Jehovah is morally pure, that He cannot condone evil or have any relationship with it!

God's holiness has nothing to do with His love for us!

I love all my family but I cannot make them accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and without this they will never see Heaven.

Psa 11:4  The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 

Psa 11:5  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 

Psa 11:6  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 

The Lord's deity is that He is holy, entirely set apart and separated from sin and sinners.

The most common name for God's Spirit is the "Holy Spirit" because He is certainly Holy!

This indicates to us that "holiness" is the primary attribute to the Holy Trinity, the Triune God!

How could we ever think we could stand before such a Holy God? There is only one way!

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 

As we grow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must cleanse ourselves of all the filthiness of this world and we cannot do that without the Holy Spirit.

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.

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Our lesson today shows how important it was for the Lord Jesus to teach the disciples about holiness and how important it is for us to practice holiness today.

*****Mar 7:14  And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 

The Lord Jesus had just finished teaching the Pharisees the wrong in their traditions.

Mar 7:13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 

Traditions make the Word of God have no effect!

Many people are satisfied that they are right before God, when they put ceremonies and confessions in the place of the righteousness of the heart and a life walking with Jesus Christ.

Ritualism is disastrous to holiness!

People have to reject the Word of God to keep their religious traditions, and God will never be pleased with those who teach these things and those who do these things. 

So, the Lord Jesus says listen and understand what He is about to teach.

We must understand that all impurities within us come from the heart and unless the heart is cleansed from the inside, there is no amount of cleansing from the outside that can cleanse our soul and make it holy enough to be in the family of God!

We are not defiled by what enters into our bodies!

We are defiled by what comes out of our hearts!

What is in our hearts will make it into our minds and we will react to it!

*****Mar 7:15  There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 

Mar 7:16  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 

Notice how the Lord Jesus emphasizes how important it is for us to realize this.

We must hear what our Lord has to say and then we must understand it!

Just like many are today the disciples were spiritually dull.

They were slow to learn what these things meant in their service to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Things that enter by the mouth, which should be food and nourishment, do not defile us.

To defile is to make unclean.

To defile is to make impure.

To defile is to pollute.

To defile is to corrupt.

What we eat or drink does not defile us!

Therefore eating with unwashed hands cannot defile us, at least not spiritually.

There is no connection to what we eat and our spirituality!

This does not mean that eating certain foods or drinking certain drinks are sometimes wrong.

Surely, we are to be conscious of the things we eat or drink as they relate to our good health.

It is a sin to eat till we are obese!

But there is no morality or virtue in the food we eat!

The Lord says, it is what we do with things, what our heart does, that makes us either good or bad, spiritual, or carnal!

1Co 8:8  But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. 

We must understand that the traditions of men make the Word of God of no effect!

Ceremonialism substitutes washing with water for the purity of the heart!

It substitutes the traditions of the elders for the commands of God!

So many today look at the Word of God as suggestions to live by when what God says are God's commands.

We need a clean heart to serve God and this cannot be done without the intervention of the Holy Spirit who brings with Him the mind of God!

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

Unless we understand what, the Lord Jesus is saying, we may never understand the whole plan of Gospel salvation.

This is the reason, upon our confession of "faith" and our "repentance" led by the Holy Spirit comes to each child of God, at the first, rather than at the last so, we can understand the Gospel Message and grab onto our salvation.

Since the Holy Spirit will never leave us nor forsake us, then we can never lose our salvation!

The Holy Spirit will never live inside a wicked soul!

No tradition and no ceremonial offering can make these same promises!

It took a while for the disciples who followed the Lord daily to realize what the Lord was saying, and it takes a while for disciples today, and many remain babes in Christ because it is almost too simple to believe.

*****Mar 7:17  And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 

Mar 7:18  And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 

Mar 7:19  Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 

Sometimes we need a little more explanation on the things of God and it is the Lord Jesus Christ we need to go to for those answers.

We will come to realize that there are no unimportant questions that we can ask the Lord!

We must understand that the Lord Jesus is talking about our moral state and not necessarily our physical state.

Some of the Pharisees were offended by what the Lord Jesus was saying and this bothered some of the disciples.

We need to understand that the truths of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot be compared to the religion of traditionalist!

Christianity cannot be compared to religion at all! They are two different things!

It was Peter who asked the question and then the Lord's response.

Mat 15:15  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 

Mat 15:16  And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 

Mat 15:17  Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 

Mat 15:18  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 

Mat 15:19  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 

Mat 15:20  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. 

Mark was Peter's disciple and very close to him, and would never try to make Peter look bad.

Mark usually went straight to the point without adding much of his own thoughts.

We should understand that the Sermon on the Mount had already taken place at this time, and the Lord Jesus had not left anything out about purity and impurity.

As far as nourishment for the body, it is that part that goes out in the draught that purifies what remains.

The body had separated the needed part from the unneeded part, so the part that nourishes the bodily system is already moving through the bodily system doing what God designed the body to do to sustain life.

It is by this process that our life preserving blood is formed!

What the blood does not need passes away by the draught.

Jesus teaches us that no food, of whatever kind, when received with thanksgiving, can make us spiritually unclean making any meat that is consumed clean.

The Jews would not eat pork and many other things but even pork received in thanksgiving would not make them spiritually unclean but they have never understood these things.

This was a new thought to the disciples, but also easily understood even though maybe not well received.

These things eaten entered into the belly and passed out of the bodily system.

In truth: Act 10:15  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 

It is the things that enter into the heart not the stomach that makes us unclean!

*****Mar 7:20  And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 

Mar 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 

Mar 7:22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 

Mar 7:23  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

As we read the Scriptures, we will see that references to the heart can mean the major organ of our body and also to the most important part of each person, man's most innermost being.

Our heart can be said to be the center of our life!

The heart is our inward life and contains the inner man or some would say the real man.

1Pe 3:4  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 

We see that once Peter understood all these things, he was no longer the old fisherman, but He became the leader of men who would turn this world upside down.

Of course this includes women and most of us realize that the inner most life of women seems to be more tender than that of a man.

It is the heart that determines what we do whether good or bad!

The heart is the source of our reasoning.

Mar 2:6  But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

The heart is the source of our understanding.

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

The heart is the source of our thinking.

Mat 9:4  And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 

The heart is the source of our desires.

Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

The heart can also be the source of our spiritual being!

Our conscience: Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 

Our will: Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 

Our faith: Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 

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

But also of evil: Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

What is the progress of sin within us?

1) Sin begins with our human nature, within, but out of the heart.

2) Sin develops in our minds in evil thoughts. We all have evil thoughts that we do not know where they came from, but from our sin nature.

3) Sin is expressed in the things we do that go against the Word of God!

Evil thoughts are things that should not guide us because they are wrong, they are wicked, and they are immoral.

These are things we see in the world around us and our mind just cannot shake them all off because they are carnal.

They must be replaced with thoughts that are uplifting and edifying and we get these from the study of the Bible, preaching of the truth, and open prayer with the Lord as our guide along with the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Our thoughts can be sin against the commandments of God!

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  

**Adultery is unfaithfulness. We think of a man and his wife when we hear of adultery.

Adultery includes lusting after someone else other than our spouse, even if the act of adultery never takes place.

Adultery includes lusting after someone even in a picture this is why porn leads to sin.

We commit spiritual adultery when we forsake the Lord Jesus Christ and lust for the ways of this world!

**Fornication includes all forms of immoral and sexual acts!

It is the will of God that we abstain from fornication!

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 

Going against the will of God is sin!

**Murder is taking the life of another person.

Murder is sin!

The Bible says that whosoever hates his brother is the sin of murder. So hatred then is sin and the same as murder.(1 John 3:15)

God says, "thou shall not kill".

**Thefts. 

To cheat someone is stealing from them.

To cheat someone is stealing whether we do it according to the law or against the law.

**Covetousness.

We have seen this word a lot in the last couple of weeks.

Covetousness is the lust for more.

It is like a starving appetite for something that we do not have or we cannot have.

It includes not only possessions, but also power, pleasure, and fame.

Covetousness is a lust and craving so deep that a person finds his happiness in things, rather than in the God of the Bible.

This is what makes covetousness idolatry and such a terrible sin!

 Again, we see that these are things that come from the heart so, it is these things from the heart that defile us and not the things we eat or drink.

A polluted heart is our greatest enemy!

 We are not unclean because of the things we have; we are unclean because of what we do with those things.

Our hearts will lead us to sin against God unless the Holy Spirit can regenerate our heart.

Tit_3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Regeneration is making something anew!

The source of evil within us before we met the Lord Jesus Christ was our heart!

Evil comes from our heart and it is the heart that dictates what is on our mind and then how we use our bodies!

If we multiply this evil by a number of about eight billion, which is close to the number of people in this world, we can see that we live in an evil world.

Only a small portion of these 8.1 billion people have a new heart regenerated by the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!

Today, our judges can only judge the acts of the body not the sinfulness of the heart.

In today's world, a person who has never broken the law is seen as a perfect person but this is not how God sees us.

Society fails to see that somehow a man's heart needs to be reborn.

Only God can see these things!

This is the problem that is solved by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen