Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Joy in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joy in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Show all posts

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Jesus the Messiah the Foundation of the Early Church

Laying the Foundation for Joy

1 Peter Chapter 1:1-12


The Apostle Peter (the Rock) was the son of a man named Jonas who was also a fisherman and Peter took up the occupation of "fisherman" on the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). Peter and his brother Andrew were partners of John and James. Notice how God had placed these men in this place to be used of the Lord.

Although Peter may not have been as rich as James and John, he did have hired servants and his position did bring him in contact with men of education which Peter probably lacked so Peter was not as worldly as some.

Act 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

We should keep in mind Peter and John and the Apostles were called ignorant not because they had no education but only because they had not attended a rabbinical school.

Peter had first made his home in Bethsaida but then he moved to Capernaum to a home somewhat larger than the average homes of that day.

This home may have belonged to Peter's mother in law.

Peter left all these things behind to follow the Lord Jesus Christ!

Peter would have spoken in a form of Aramaic probably aligned with the Syriac.

If you have a Syriac Bible translated into English, besides the “thous” and the “thees” it is almost identical to the King James Bible.

The Hebrew language was used mainly by those who had been trained in the rabbinical schools.

We will notice that the Lord Jesus Christ had no problems at teaching and understanding any of the language differences.

We can better understand that phrase "cloven tongues" as the Apostles new only one language the slang version of the Syriac, yet when they spoke everyone understood in their own language.

Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

So let's see Peter after he had received the Holy Spirit:

*****1Pe 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Who was Peter writing to?

Peter was writing to the Christian Jews and other Christians who were scattered because of persecution!

Act 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Some of these Christians did find a way to stay in Jerusalem and some of the Apostles elected to stay in Jerusalem for them and they too met with death.

Peter had three names used by the Lord.

Peter was called Simon or Simeon which means he had been circumsized according to the Laws of Moses.

He was called Cephas (a stone) given to him by Jesus Christ, our Lord.

He was called Peter, which is the Greek equivalent of the Syriac name Cephas of which he was also called.

I believe Jesus will give us a new name according to how He thinks of us, just as He did to Peter.

As Christians we are all strangers in this world, because Heaven is our true home!

*****1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Who are the elect? These are all the Body of Christ, called the Saints of God. Not as the Roman Catholic do, but all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior after being called of God and Baptized into the family of the Church.

Father God calls each of these His Jewels!

Mal_3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day "when I make up my jewels"; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

How do we know we are the elect?

We have been and are continuously being "sanctified" by the Holy Spirit!

We have been washed in the blood of Jesus!

Election is the source of salvation!

Again election is being called of God,

Saying yes to the truth of Jesus, washed in His blood,

Being filled with the Holy Spirit!

Having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Being the elect means we are being obedient to the Word of God and connected to God by His GRACE!

God's Riches At Christ's Expense

You see if God loves believers this much, to actually choose us out of this world and elect us to be His very own chosen people, then God will look after us and take extreme care for us!

No matter what else is going on in this world God will provide for His elect children!

God has foreknowledge which means no matter how far we can see into our future God has already seen it!

God knows exactly what all men will do and when they will do it, but God knows the past, the present and the future, all at the same time!

God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sins!

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 knew the response of the people to the Messiah then and He knows the response of the people to the second coming of the Messiah and most of all God knows those who love Him!

This is the very reason that we can read the Word of God and know it is true!

The foreknowledge of God is a wonderful truth of God that we can depend upon as believers!

The Book of Revelation is all about reveling our future and the future of the Jewish people!

Why did God allow all the things to happen in the past if God knew all these things?

God wants a people, "of their own free will", to choose to live with Him throughout eternity!

You see, God is willing to go through the pains of rejection in order that some, a small remnant will choose to live with Him forever!

God knows that love, His love, is His greatest trait and most of the world would never understand His love!

Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Though all we see now is hate in our world, this does not negate the fact that love is the greatest force that exist upon this earth, of course besides our prayers.

Nothing teaches us love better than the words given by the Holy Spirit to the Apostle John.

1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God is determined to see these things through till completion!

We may not understand everything in the plan of God, but we do not know the things God knows.

God just ask us to trust Him and this trust is called "Faith"!

We must understand that all things do work according to the purpose of God!

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.

We must also know that God has great plans for those who have chosen to spend eternity with His Son!

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.
Again we see that word "love".

Remember what is God's purpose?

God is seeking all those who freely choose the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and choose to live with Him throughout eternity!

Once we have chosen to do this thing, God begins the sanctification process by sending the Holy Spirit to live within us therefore sealing us as His children.

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

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

God would not have repeated Himself these 3 times if this was not His intention and His truth!

The most important thing we can do is to respond to the Holy Spirit when He begins His work within us!

It is by the Holy Spirit that we are set apart for salvation!
It is by the Holy Spirit we are trained to live a life in Heaven that is totally different than this life we have on earth.

In the end when we are completely sanctified, we will be "glorified", ready to be obedient to the Lord throughout all eternity!

You see God wants the very best for us!

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.

You see this is the way "grace" is multiplied toward God children!

It is those chosen of God who are washed with the blood of Jesus, filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit and sanctified who are the very ones who bless God!

*****1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

There is no way to improve on what the Holy Spirit is teaching us in this passage and Peter knew it when He penned it!

We must only believe!

God does not just give us hope, but He gives us a living hope, which means it is not a dead, lifeless hope, that is in this world and those who trust the world.
,
The hope that we had when we were in the world!

Our hope is in the promise of God which says we will live with Him forever once He calls us home!

The source of that hope is in God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

We should say Lord because He is our Lord!

Jesus Christ is our Lord!
He is Jesus the Carpenter of Nazareth!
He is Christ the Messiah of God was the promised Deliverer!

When we follow the Lord Jesus Christ, God becomes our Father as He is the Father of Jesus. Two parts of the Holy Triunity, adding to the Holy Spirit which makes the three parts, the three persons!

How are we blessed of God?

We are the blessed of God's entire creation!
We are blessed in His Son Jesus!
We are blessed by the Angels!
We are blessed by God's called ministers!
We are blessed by the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ!
We are blessed by the Word of God!
We are blessed in His promises!
We are blessed in His salvation.
We are in blessed in being adopted into His family!
We are blessed in being at peace while we remain in this world!

All these things are the most wonderful things we can know while we are alive!

Eternal life exists nowhere else certainly not on this world!

Eternal life can only come by and through the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ is perfect, and it is by Jesus Christ we can have the perfect victory!

We have been begotten which means God has made us to be "new creatures".

All we see in this world is destruction and death.

We are born as babes in an evil and wicked land, we live in a cruel world in a life that soon seems too short and then we die!

By the Lord Jesus Christ we are "born again" into a new life that will not be on this earth but in the Glory Land!

This great blessing of God came by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ!

This great blessing came by the "resurrection" of Christ Jesus showing that He is even Lord over death!

Just so we can get a glimpse of our blessings, verse 4, we are born again to an inheritance, a shared inheritance with the Lord Jesus Christ!

What is so good about our inheritance? It is incorruptible, it is undefiled, and it will be there when we get to Heaven.

It cannot perish! Things on earth come as new and fade with oldness but not our inheritance!

Who makes sure these things are ready when we get to Heaven?

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

We know that the Lord has to power to do all these things!

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:

We know that whatever comes against us and whatever lies the Devil tells our Father, Jesus is right there to intercede on our behalf!

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

God hides us from trouble that we do not even know about:

Psa 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

This is the kind of power that gives us the hope of the truth of our salvation!

It is in all these things that we can rejoice in the truth of God!

*****1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

We know that life is full of trials and temptations! Anyone but a child can look around and see that this true.

To go along with these things there are the sins of omission and sins of commission as we are all sinners.

Life can be harsh many times, and this is just as true for believers and unbelievers. The believer can add to these things the hatred for Jesus Christ that is many times taken out on His believers!

We must understand that this world we live in operates opposite of God! The world will hate those who choose to believe what God has to say!

Peter is writing to all believers.

These believers in the day of Peter had to flee from their homes because of their love for Jesus Christ.

Jesus said these trials and temptations would only last for a season.

Because all these things are true, then we can rejoice because this is just another way that we know the Word of God is true!

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The darkness of our world is a fact and we should not deny it!

The two things that hold us together should be our love for our Savior and "faith" in the things He has done to bring to us His gift of salvation.

*****1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

The fact is, God will allow certain trials to test our "faith"!

God knows what He is going to do all the time, but He will test us so that we can know if we are for real.

When we know we are real, we can do the work God has ask us to do, without regret.

We must come to ourselves knowing that we are for real and then dedicate ourselves to the Lord!

It is these trials and temptations that will draw us closer to the Lord!

While we are "Born Again" we share our new man with our old life, and we can have rejoicing in the new man and heaviness of temptation in our old man!

Isa 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Another thing we must understand is, as long as God is chastening us, it shows His great love for us!

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.

Heaven and the things of Heaven are eternal!

*****1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Today my heart and my faith are my eyes. If is cannot lord the Lord without seeing Him, how can I say I have "faith"?

It is because I can see my Lord in my heart, that I can defeat my trials and temptations!

I also know that if I go against my God in any way, I am committing treason!

If we die without God, we will be exiled and cut off from God forever.

Go back and read about God's creations, because none of these things will be in Hell, except the unbeliever!

God created Hell for the unholy trio and the fallen angels, only the unbelievers will join them there of their own choice!

Each of them will have gotten an opportunity to come to the Lord but rejected His offer!

We all have the strength to conquer our trials and temptations, but many Christians walk around defeated. A defeated Christian is of no value to the work of God!

It is the "Love of Jesus Christ" that gives us strength to claim victory over all obstacles upon this earth!

When we fail because of disobedience we are rebelling against our Lord!

If we love Christ enough, we will take a stand with Him!
If our faith is real, we will stand with Him!
If we have that unspeakable joy of our salvation, we will stand with the Lord!

Joh 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
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.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Resting at the end of our faith is our salvation!

*****1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

Even today, the practicing Jews and the true Muslim are looking for a Messiah, but both are looking for some man to claim to be the Messiah.

Jesus Christ was and is, God in the flesh and He is coming again in strength and power.

They do not understand a personal relationship with God.

To the Jews, they will see the truth at that time!

To the Muslim, they will be disappointed because they serve a false god who has no power to do anything!

Salvation is having a close personal relationship with Jehovah God, peace restored like the first days of Adam, when God walked with him before sin entered into this world.

Lucifer had already sinned in Heaven, and he by temptation, caused Eve to sin who was the cause of Adam's sin!

The prophets of God could not see that personal relationship that God wants with us all.

The plan of God is so marvelous, that it hides in plain sight for all those who reject it's truth!

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
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;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The prophets searched each other's writings to see what they could find about "Grace" and "Salvation".

*****1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

We already know that the Spirit God would guide these prophets in any manner He chose to reveal the truth of God.

The prophets revealed that the Messiah would come into the world to die.

The Messiah would take the guilt of the sin of man and bear the judgment of all men's sin!

Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The Jews had missed this Prophecy.

Then the Messiah would be raised from the dead and be exalted to the throne of God.

Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Isa 25:9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

These are not the only Scriptures, there are others, but we can see that Peter now knew the truth, and all the Jews should have known this truth, but the Priests, the Levites, rejected these truths.

*****1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

God has caused "Salvation" to be destined to all future believers in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the truth of the Scriptures!

Upon a profession of faith in the work of the Lord Jesus, The Messiah, the Holy Spirit would immediately take up residence in each believer and this one thing the angels cannot understand.

Angels as powerful as they are will never know Holy Ghost conviction and neither will they ever have the "fruit of the Spirit"!

As Christians we are no longer in bondage to this world

Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Salvation has come to each and every believer, no matter who they are or where they come from!

It costs us so little, but the rewards are so great, that it takes a fool to reject the truth of God.

It takes a fool to reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Joy in the Precious Word of Life

Joy in Holding Forth the Word of Life

Book of Philippians 2:14-30


We finished up in our last lesson understanding that to be saved, is to have God come to live within us!

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.

We are to understand that as believers we must work out our own salvation with the Lord. We must get up close and personal with our Savior.

What the lost world does not understand is that God takes great pleasure in this relationship!

Last week we ended with this Scripture:

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

We all have something we can do for the Lord and if we listen to Him, He will point this thing out to us.

We are always to do our best to follow the Word of God in everything we do and this same Word already gives us plenty of things to do to keep is busy.

The very first thing that we need to concentrate on after the Lord saves us, is obedience!

When the Body of Christ refuse to obey even the basics of the Scriptures, then they will break fellowship with the Holy Spirit!

Eph_4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

If we grieve the Holy Spirit enough we will certainly "quench" the work He will do within us!

1Th_5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

When we ignore and reject any part of the Word of God, we will live a life full of problems. Too much God to be satisfied in the world and too little God to be of use in the Church!

So, let's continue:

*****Php 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Obeying the Word of God must be willful and cheerful! To murmur is questioning the truth of God and doubting God's conclusions!

When we ask the Lord Jesus to come into our hearts and save us, we are saying, "I trust the Word of God to be true and my salvation to be real"

The next step is "repentance". Which means we turn away from the things of this world and turn toward the truth of God!

To turn around and reject that truth is then to question your salvation! The Lord is very patient and He will go with us in every step but we must freely choose to go with Him!

Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

These are some of the most important words in all the Scriptures!

It is the Word of God that will light our pathway until the Lord returns to take us home!

So many today are turning away from the Word of God, or rewriting it to suit their own lifestyles, that disputings have entered into the Body of Christ and denominations are even dividing amongst themselves, debating who is right and they have forgotten that God is always right!

Disputings is outright arguments over the truth of the Scriptures!

We must be clear, God said what He meant and God meant what He said! God does not change from one season to the next, He is always the same!

To allow the world to freely take over the Church and dispute the Word of God, has made the Church powerless in our day and time!

When we accept that all Scripture is the Holy Ghost inspired Word of God, then who are we to question what God has said?

As the Body of Christ, God says to not allow these things to go on when we gather together!
These that do such things must be quiet or leave and there will be no disputing the Word of God!

God is not the author of confusion, so murmurings and disputes are not of God!

1Co_14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

No one has the right to further interpret what God says!

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

When we obey God in this thing, God will hold us blameless and harmless when the Lord returns to take us home.

If you remain a slave to sin, it will cause you to murmur but a true son or daughter of God will not question the Heavenly Father in anything!

All those who are working for the Father, are actually working for themselves and not for this crooked world!

Murmur and disputing usually comes when pride makes one feel more superior than another and this is another thing that has blanketed our world today.

The vile disease of these things spring from an evil and jealous mind and it usually instigated by things outside the Church.

God said we are farmers to plant the seed of God and only some will make it to the good soil but every farmer will weed where he plants his crop.

We must weed out corruption in our Churches!

A body of believers who are not peculiar to this world, will certainly not shine in this world because to act like the world is to be seen just like the world!

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:

We must hold forth the Word of Life!

*****Php 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

There is nothing burdensome in the Word of God! There are only Heaven's rewards for being obedient to God!

Do not get caught up in the foolishness of who the God of the Bible is. The God of the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

We need to understand that so-called Christians who are inconsistent in the Scriptures have caused more damage to Christianity than anything else in the world and all those who do such things will suffer the "judgment" of God!

Most of those sitting in the pews today, think that only the pastor or a few elders of the Church have a ministry but the truth is we all have a ministry!

We are all to "hold forth the word of life"!

We are to offer it in hope of acceptance by all that hear the Word of Life.

How can we be content Christians if we are not willing to tell others about the wonderful words of life provided by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Father and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The lost of this world have nowhere else to go to find the truth! When we refuse to witness for Jesus how will they ever know God called them? Not all or maybe not even many will respond but that is between them and God but some will!

Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Joh 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Joh 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

The Apostle Paul knew that the Lord would recognize him for what he had accomplished but we are no different. God will recognize all His children for what they have accomplished (after) they came to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.

That recognition will come when the Lord comes to take us home. This day is known as the "Judgment Seat of Christ". Only Christians will be there this day and it is a judgment for rewards and not for salvation!

Rom 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

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

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?

So how can we hold onto the Word of Life and not tell others?

God simply wants us to know that our labor for Him will not be in vain. If we look back on our past and do not see rewards ahead, as long as we are living and breathing God will provide opportunities for those rewards.

God wants to give us His rewards!

I believe this is God's favorite pastime, putting up rewards for us in Heaven.

Mat_6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat_6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

The Lord Jesus would not say this if it were not true!

When Paul says "run" here, he is referring to "effort". We must put forth the effort to get into the army of God, while still remembering we are also to be "fishers of men"!

If we reach just one, that will be more than none and that one could go forth to tell others but our goal should be to reach out to more than one!

No labor for the Lord will go unnoticed in Heaven!

The "Gospel" message is the Word of Life!

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:

There are great differences in life and death and there are great differences in eternal life and eternal death!

*****Php 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
Php 2:18 For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

Paul continues to show the differences in true life and true death.

To the Apostle Paul, this gathering of believers in Philippi were his offering acceptable to God. It had been Paul who had planted this Church.

In the days of the Levitical Priesthood once a sacrifice was placed on the alter, then "grape juice"(wine), a drink offering was poured around the alter.

Wine and blood were made for heathen gods and Jehovah would never had done the same!

Psa 16:4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

Paul was expressing the fact that he looked forward to being a martyr for the Lord. He knew he would suffer and die for the cause of Christ but we are saved by the blood of Jesus and not by the blood of Paul.

As these of the Church at Philippi were a sacrifice of "faith" to the Lord, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, Paul could be as that drink-offering that was pour out around the alter.

Rom 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Rom 15:17 I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.

It is the things that pertain to God that must hold the most importance in our lives!

Paul's death would not be a shedding of blood but a sacrifice for the cause of Christ and a furtherance of the Gospel.

It's not so important to remember where we came from, though to look back on occasion is not always a bad thing, but is real important to know where we are going.

When you know, that you know, that you know, you can have personal joy and rejoice with all the Church. Paul knew this was true for him and he also knew this was true for this body of believers. They had proved their faith!

When we know that Heaven is our eternal home, we can rejoice with all those who know the same.

When we give ourselves into the service of the Lord, then it could mean that we may even have to give our life of this body of flesh but this flesh is going to die at some time.

Heb_9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

But as the "Born Again" children of God the death of this flesh can have only one meaning.

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_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Remember how we began:

Php_2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

When we have worked out our salvation and have that personal relationship with the Lord, we will have that desire to be with Him and this desire will increase as we get older but the Lord has a real need for us to remain here until He takes us home!

Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

As long as our Lord is so full of compassion for the lost, we must share with Him in His compassion, making it our own compassion for the lost.

We must hold forth the joy of our Christian life and our "faith" in Jesus Christ is the key to Christian fellowship.

*****Php 2:19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

This Timotheus is the same Timothy we are familiar with. Still a young preacher boy at this time but approaching the time when he will take a church.

We know that Timothy was later ordained to become a Pastor and Church planter.

1Ti 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
1Ti 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

We also know that Timothy also spent some time in the Roman jail, just for preaching the Word of God.

Heb 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.

It is believed that Timothy finished in Ephesus and became a martyr in the cause of Jesus Christ.

Why did Paul send Timothy to Philippi?

1) To carry the "good news" from the Apostle Paul.
2) That he could preach and be a "Spiritual" blessing to them.
3) Then bring the "good news" of their "faith" back to the Apostle Paul.

Timothy may have suffered along with the Apostle Paul and he could tell so many things and so many stories of how God had shown His "Grace" and "Mercy" to the missionaries that he was certainly a blessing to hear!

We must forget, nothing could stop the Apostle Paul from his calling except the Lord but sometimes it is truly a comfort to know who is standing with you!

We also know that we are to work out our own salvation but it certainly can help to have some young fired up man of God such as Timothy to help us with these things.

This is what we have here at Gethsemane.

As we work out our own personal relationship with the Lord we have a fired-up Pastor who preaches the truth and it makes things so much better, even easier to know what is expected from our Christian life!

3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
3Jn 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

What was the greatest truth of Timothy? He was for real!

*****Php 2:20 For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
Php 2:21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.
Php 2:22 But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

When you cannot see things with your own eyes, then it is best to send someone who thinks in the same ways as you do.

Many say that Timothy was so much like Paul that except for appearance, you could not tell them apart.

We also notice that Timothy willingly served in second place to Paul!

Paul was a church planter but He had the heart of a Pastor. Timothy also had the heart of a Pastor.

The greatest difference of the Pastor and the Evangelist and the missionary is, that the Pastor knows God has given him a certain flock to take care of until He returns.

Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Jer 3:15 And I will give you pastors "according to mine heart", which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

We are all to be missionaries in our own place and then there are those God has called to leave their homes and be missionaries to the world.

Evangelist carry the same "Gospel" to the Church but have not been given the responsibilities of the Pastor.

Sometimes these things can change according to the leading of Holy Spirit.

As Paul's thoughts were caught up in a bit of sorrow, he had a great desire to know about the churches he had planted and how they were growing in the "Gospel".

Paul had always traveled with many godly men and had much help with him at all times but most of those did now have the heart of a Pastor.

This young Pastor Timothy not only had the heart of a Pastor, he had the heart of Paul. He had become Paul's most trusted friend and this was certainly not to say those others with Paul were not good men as they were.

Think about if you had a task that you thought only you could do but you were in bondage, how hard would it be to look out amongst those of your Christian friends and choose the one who do the same as you in every situation. It could get very hard to choose the right person.

Timothy was that person for Paul.

We should remember that when the Lord was in His passion, He also craved to have such a friend but He had been abandoned by all His friends.

We must all understand that in our calling from the Lord we are all not suited for every mission. Timothy was the one that met what Paul thought to have the qualifications for this special mission.

What is it to care? Timothy was not without carefulness. He was vigilant in guarding against evil and providing for the safety of the church. Things he had learned from Paul. It also seems that this young man had a fear of the Lord much greater that the fear of men!

The thing Paul was most assured of is that Timothy would do the task Paul had given to him and he would then return with what Paul was seeking, whatever it was. If this church was lacking in anything of the Lord. Timothy would provide that also!

1Co 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

Timothy was willing to lay down his own life for the Church of Jesus Christ!

*****Php 2:23 Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.
Php 2:24 But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.

It is probable that Paul had defended himself before the high court of Rome at this time and was waiting on the outcome of the Roman legal process. We already know that Paul was an innocent man have only been locked up for false charges of Judaizers.

It was easy for Paul to prove his Roman citizenship so this was not an issue.

Paul was a mighty man of God but he could not foresee his own future.

Paul's thoughts were not on these things because his thoughts were always on the "Church" the "Body of Christ".

Since it is evident that Paul did not travel with Timothy we can be certain of only two things.
1) Paul found that he would not be released at this time.
2) Or, Paul found that he was scheduled for execution.

Paul's faith did not allow him to linger on these things.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Paul and Timothy were bound together in all these things as Paul was in bondage to Rome but also to his circumstances that only God had total control over!

Paul also knew that there is never a good time to quit on God!

1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

We see that Paul was certainly not alone at this time.

*****Php 2:25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
Php 2:26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
Php 2:27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

Epaphroditus was an elder of the Church in Philippi who had traveled to Rome to assist the Apostle Paul in any way that he could. In fact, he had work so hard at this, that it had affected his health and this thing had been heard back in his home church.

Notice again the powers of an Apostle were never to be used for private matters but only for public matters in connection with the "Gospel".

It is a fact that those who preach the Cross of our Lord must also bear the cross of our Lord.

Luk_9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The words of the Lord do not ever change!

Once Epaphroditus knew his brothers and sisters in Christ had heard of his sickness, he knew they would also be more worried about him then they needed to be.

Once we place our life in the hands of God we are certainly at the "Mercy" of God. We should keep this thought in mind, "God does not begin a work and then suddenly quit until His will has been accomplished.

We should understand the thoughts of Paul.

Epaphroditus was of a great value to Paul. He had been a complete man of God and Paul did not want to harm his Christian testimony in any way.

Paul did not want this brother to be seen as a quitter. He was a fellow soldier. We have many problems in Christianity and one of those is we will leave our fellow soldiers on the battlefield without our help.

Paul, even not knowing his own outcome, was still concerned for the Body of Christ!

The Church in Philippi would not be the same until they could see the face of their brother Epaphroditus!

He would never forsake Paul.
He would never forsake his own church.
He would never forsake the Lord Jesus Christ

*****Php 2:28 I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.
Php 2:29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:
Php 2:30 Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

Many of us serve in the cause of Christ but not everyone is a true "fellow laborer" or "fellow soldier"!

What is the truth of a soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ? We know who the true enemy is and we concentrate on his demise!

Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We must endure some things to continue in this battle.

2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldiers.

These are the thoughts of Paul and Epaphroditus was such a soldier and these Philippians should treat him as such.

We must honor those who survive the battles with evil and go on to serve another day! We honor them when we accept them for who they are in the work of the Lord.

We are all in the battle but the battle is the Lord's!

1Th 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

There is great joy in holding forth the Word of Life but we stay in the battle till the Lord comes!

When Paul was on the road these Philippians had supplied the needs of Paul so that he could be in places like Corinth where Paul refused any help.

Epaphroditus had not only ministered to Paul in spiritual needs but he had worked and anything else that he could do to supply Paul's physical needs.

We already know of human necessities but the supplies of writing material and other things probably came by this brother soldier.

Paul expressed that he had been completely satisfied with what this brother had been able to do.

We should never tear down our brothers and sister in Christ but rather build them up!

We should always remember these words of Jesus as we deal with one another in Christ:

Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Sometimes we are more concerned for our own welfare rather than the welfare of the Church!

Amen