Godly Living

 The Ministry of Godly Living

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 6

 

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

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

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

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

 There are two options:

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

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

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

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

 Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God cannot be other than love!

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

 We can entrust our lives to the Almighty Living God.

 We should rejoice in the wonder of our salvation.

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

 God still holds people responsible for their sin!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Our body must truly be the Temple of the Lord.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 This represents doing a work together for the Lord.

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

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

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

 A true believer is radically different from an unbeliever.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 The word "fellowship" means sharing and participation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 To be a child of God is to be righteous.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 The unbeliever hates Jesus Christ!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is no room for idols of any kind.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yes, we have to work in this world.

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

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

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

God warns us about allowing the world into the Church!

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

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

This means relationships that we enter into ourselves.

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

This means the relationships that ruin our testimonies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We must not even look like we are being sinful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amen

Spiritual Power

 The Ministry of Spiritual Power

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 4

 

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

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

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

Is it just to fellowship with other people?

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

 1) There must first be worship!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Many say the church that meets on Sunday violates Scripture.

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

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

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

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

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

 The Lord's supper:

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

 The offerings were made:

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

 Hymns were then incorporated into worship:

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

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

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

 2) There must be preaching.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 There must be spiritual nourishment.

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

 Teaching godliness:

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

 Teaching submission:

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

 Teaching a proper focus on life:

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

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

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

 Passing this work to others called to preach:

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

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

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

 And Christian Doctrine:

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

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

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

 Teaching in the church and in homes:

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

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

 4) The church must encourage fellowship.

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

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

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

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

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

 1Th_5:17  Pray without ceasing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 We will experience fatigue and weariness.

We will suffer strain and pressure.

We will have troubles and doubts.

We will face criticism and opposition.

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

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

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

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

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

 Their temptation came through that Old Serpent, the Devil.

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

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

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

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

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

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

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

 What is His first work?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 We may be beaten, but we cannot be defeated.

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

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

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

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

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

 The Lord will never forsake us!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

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

 In His physical body, the Lord Jesus was always dying to self!

 He was expending enormous energy to share the truth of God, His Father.

 He would go without food and water for days at a time.

He would work long, exhausting days.

He would have many sleepless nights.

 Someone was always wanting something from Him, and He gave of Himself.

 He did these things for the sake of others and not for Himself.

 As we serve the Lord to stay mentally sharp, we need to die to self and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 This is the truth of our Pastor and every man of God and each one of us.

 Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 

 As human beings, we do not present such a formidable challenge to this world, but when we die to self and live the life of Jesus Christ, then others see the power of the Lord Jesus Christ within us.

 To some, this will lead them to turn to the Lord to be able to conquer their own life.

 Most people realize that some things they do are not right and that they have wronged many people.

 Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

 *****2Co 4:13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 

 There is only One Spirit of Faith!

 Psa 116:9  I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. 

Psa 116:10  I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: 

 It is only our faith in the truth of the Lord Jesus that can sustain us!

 We must resist all temptation to give up!

 It is the power of our faith that will keep us from being discouraged.

 Faith means we believe with all our hearts.

 Faith means we stand against every opposition to the Word of God.

 Faith means we can see the evidence of God in His creation!

 I still believe the greatest Scripture in the Word of God is His first words.

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

Our world and everything in it was created and sustained by the Holy Trinity.

We are saved by that same Holy Trinity.

We will live in Heaven with that same Holy Trinity.

 If we cannot believe this, then we cannot be Christians!

 We must believe what we say of the Scriptures!

 1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

 *****2Co 4:14  Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 

The one thing we can say is that God always has the last word. No one can overrule Him!

God did raise the Lord Jesus from the dead because it was important for Jesus to die.

He died to take our sins to Hell where they belonged.

We must not forget that this death was a separation from His Heavenly Father.

We must do all we can to maintain a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father!

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The Lord Jesus Christ had to pay with His life for the testimony He gave.

By His death Jesus saved us from the wrath of His Father and from His Judgment at the White Throne.

There will be no winners at the White Throne Judgment!

We know that Jesus died, but He could not stay dead. With this part of His mission complete, He arose from that death.

When we think on these things, we can be encouraged.

The same God that raised the Lord Jesus from His death will raise each of us from our own death.

The Holy Spirit made sure for us to know this is true!

1Co 6:14  And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Col 2:12  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 

Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 

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

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

No matter what purpose God has given to us, serving the Lord has its problems, but knowing that no matter what happens to this body, it will not keep us out of God's New Heaven.

God can do as He says He will do!

God does not speak just to be speaking; He is all-powerful!

One of the great lessons we learn when serving the Lord is that He is willing and He is also able to do what He says.

Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 

Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. 

God will be happy to see us when Jesus lets us through the Door to Heaven.

If we trust the Lord Jesus for our salvation, then we must trust Him in everything He says.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 

The Bible reveals to us the Will of God through His Son.

The Lord says everything He did was for our sakes.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

God repeats this here in verse fifteen.

*****2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 

We live in a lost world that is on its way to Hell.

God will take care of the world and will rebuild it as it was in the first week of creation.

Our job is the same job Jesus had when He walked upon this earth: to reach out to those who are lost and without Yahweh, the true God.

The God of the Bible is full of "mercy," and He is willing to show His "Grace" to all who will believe.

Only if we stay in the fight, refuse to be defeated, and glorify God with our lives can we show God's blessings to this lost world.

1) We are to meet the needs of the people by showing them the love of God.

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

Rom 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 

Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 

2) We must lead those who are lost to the only Savior.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 

1Pe 2:10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 

*****2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

If we are true to the Lord and full of faith, we will never quit on God.

The things we have just read about in the other verses will give us the strength we need.

At the end of every day, we may want to quit, but if we meditate on the truth of the Lord Jesus and get a refilling of the Holy Spirit and do not forget all the benefits of being a child of God, we will be renewed to face another day.

This old body will take a beating, but the death of this old body is the pathway to eternal life, just asverse fourteen reminded us.

The Holy Spirit said in verse 1: Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

We put on the New Man: Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

If you have many years already on this body of flesh, you know for certain that it is wearing out.

People say our bodies, the day we are born, begin the process of growing, but in reality, our bodies begin the processes of aging, wearing out, and wasting away every day.

Once the Holy Spirit moves into our soul, He allows us to draw near to God for strength and growth.

It is this strength that delivers us from the trials, the pressure, and the troubles of this world.

When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us, and it is this power that renews us!

Psa 34:19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 

*****2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

The troubles we have in this world cannot compare to the glory we shall receive in Heaven!

We should not focus on the temporary things of this world but focus on the eternal things in the glory world.

Our goal is to spend eternity with the Lord in New Heaven and the New Earth and fulfill every purpose He has for now and for every purpose then and forever.

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 

2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 

We will have a purpose in Heaven!

Things that are seen are only temporary things!

The things that are not seen are eternal, everlasting, endless, forever, permanent, immortal, and glorious.

Let's think on these things and make them our goal!

Amen

God's New Covenant

 The Ministry of the New Covenant

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 3 

 

A covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties.

 In the ancient days, covenants, would be sealed by each party by swallowing a drop of each other's blood.

 This soon became distasteful, and they began the sacrifice of animals.

 Jehovah settled His covenants with an oath.

Many settled agreements with a handshake.

 Pro 6:1  My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 

Pro 6:2  Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

 Pro 17:18  A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend. 

 God does not like for His children to become a surety; God says Do not sign your name to another person's debt. 

Pro 22:26  Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. 

Pro 22:27  If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? 

 In our Bible we read of covenants made between men.

 A marriage is a covenant between two people.

 We can make a covenant with ourselves, and we should: Job 31:1  I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? 

 We can even make a covenant with animals and with the land we live on: Job 5:23  For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

 The most important covenants we can make are those we make with God, and those God makes with us.

 Before we were found by Jesus Christ and adopted into the family of God, we were not a part of the covenants of God.

 Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 

 It is only by the Lord Jesus Christ that we are part of the New Covenant!

 The Old Covenant was a covenant of "works": Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

 The New Covenant is the covenant of "Grace": 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:

 Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 

Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 

Rom 5:15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 

Rom 5:16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 

Rom 5:17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 *****2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

 We must clearly understand the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

 A covenant is an agreement made between two parties, a contract drawn between two people.

 God first made a covenant of works with Adam, promising eternal life for obedience and death for disobedience.

 Adam failed, and death entered the human race!

 Then God made a covenant with Abraham, also a covenant of works.

 Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Then there was a covenant called the Palestinian Covenant, also a covenant of works.

Remember this area was named Palestine by the Romans just to slander the Jews.

 Deu 30:1  And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 

Deu 30:2  And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 

 Then there was what is called the Davidic Covenant, the promise of the true Messiah.

 2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

 The main Old Covenant was between God and His earthly people Israel.

 Both parties took upon themselves certain obligations.

 Israel vowed to be obedient to the law, and God in His turn should bless them if they were obedient.

 This, too, was a covenant of works, which they failed to keep.

 God first dealt with His special people, Israel.

God then promised them a land.

God then promised a posterity, the Messiah.

God promised He would be their true King.

God is still working on Israel to bring them to a true blessing.

 No human can live by a covenant of works, because we are born sinners; it is in our bloodline that we inherited from Adam.

 There would have to be a New Covenant.

 Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

 God had given Israel a conditional covenant we call the Mosaic Covenant, which we can call God's standard for righteous living.

 This covenant in the Book of Jeremiah has not happened yet, because they rejected the Messiah God gave to them.

 God gives the world His Covenant of Grace!

 God turned His attention to the Gentile world!

 The Covenant of Grace is the covenant made by God, which He offers salvation to those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as the true Messiah.

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

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

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. 

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. 

 To Israel: Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 

 God said He would give us His own Son in payment for all the sin of the world and a guarantee for our salvation.

 God said by His Grace, His gift of Jesus Christ, He would give the Holy Spirit to live within us.

 This is a Trinitarian Covenant:

 Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

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

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

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 

Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 

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

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

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

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

 1) This is an eternal and unbreakable covenant.

2) This covenant only extends to those, the elect of God. The elect are all those who have accepted this gift of God's "Grace".

These are the same ones who have answered the call of the Holy Spirit in faith.

3) This is the "Good News" from Heaven and the one Gospel by which souls can be saved.

 Gal 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 

Gal 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

 The Apostle Paul was very careful to bring this good news to the Gentile world, knowing that there is a limited time for the Gentiles to come to Christ, and God again begins dealing with Israel with this same New Covenant.

 The New Covenant not only introduces us to God's Messiah, but we can have a personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit who has sealed us until our Redeemer comes to take us home.

 God has called us and equipped us to be ministers of this New Covenant to the world!

 *****2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

2Co 3:8  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 

How can the law be said to be glorious when, if you broke the law, your punishment was death?

There is no glory in eternal death.

The only thing the Laws of Moses did for the children of Israel was to bring them close enough to God where they could get a glimpse of His glory.

The Laws of Moses were glorious only because it was Jehovah, the Almighty, glorious God who gave those laws to Moses face to face.

This is the place we all want to meet God, face to face.

The laws of Moses, including the Ten Commandments, give us a picture of the of the righteousness of our God.

He is Holy, and He is Righteous above His creation.

Those laws have accomplished one thing if we try to live by them. They show us we have need of a Savior!

Those laws prove to us that we are sinners and come far short of the Glory of the Living God.

This is why the world hates the Ten Commandments; they remind them they are sinners.

Moses experienced God's glory, and it could be seen on his face.

The face of Moses shined with the glory of God.

In fact, the glory of God was so bright that the people could not continuously look upon his face, and he had to cover it with a veil to speak to the people of Israel.

Exo 34:30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 

What does Paul say? But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

God has taken His glory away from that Old Covenant! Why? Because no one could keep all those laws, and we know Israel had 613 laws and not just the 10 commandments we are so familiar with.

They had a law for every aspect of their life.

Before you get to asking why God would do this, you must first know that the Muslims have a law for every aspect of their lives, as do the Hindus, and almost every nation, including our own, has laws for every aspect of our lives.

If we could keep all the laws of our nation, there would be no place for courts or lawyers or any so-called legal documents.

God knew these things, but God had also made some promises that He could not keep if there was no one to give those blessings to.

The New Covenant of God came about because of this, and this Covenant of Grace shows that God demands nothing anymore from His people, as He will fulfill all the conditions of this covenant Himself.

Grace means that the Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfill all the obligations that God had first given to His people.

Only the Lord Jesus could keep all those old laws, and therefore He took all the sin of the world upon Himself and died in our place.

God the Father did this on His own terms, and He explains that to us:

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 

Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. 

Just notice the "I wills" in this passage of Scripture. There is no contribution expected from these people. 

This is Grace brought about by the Mercy of God and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

The Lord Jesus Christ has done all the work to get us into Heaven as His bride and then wife.

We as the Church are to be servants of this New Covenant just as Apostle Paul was.

The New Covenant is related to the work of the Holy Spirit in our Hearts.

The Old Covenant consisted of letters and stones.

How can the ministry of the Holy Spirit not be glorious when the Holy Spirit is God, and salvation can only come by the Tri-unity of God?

God the Father made the covenant.

The Lord Jesus Christ paid the price with His blood.

The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to make it all work toward our salvation.

*****2Co 3:9  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 

2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

That Old Covenant brought condemnation. Anyone who broke the law was condemned and had a broken and severed relationship with the Triune God.

With the New Covenant, and the Holy Spirit, comes righteousness, and the nature of God to us.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

The glory of the New Covenant is permanent because the Holy Spirit will never leave us!

*****2Co 3:11  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 

The Old Covenant is fading away with Israel the last holdout after the Church Age.

The Lost must believe that the Lord Jesus completed the work God required for the Holy Spirit to move into our hearts and begin His work.

It is really not that hard to understand except for one thing, and it is the Devil.

The Lord Jesus said these “end days” will be full of deception. We are already finding this to be true.

2Co_11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

There is no other way to live with God, and these are His rules and not mine!

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. 

The knowledge of these things should settle every Christian and bring hope to those who have yet to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

*****2Co 3:12  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 

2Co 3:13  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 

Our hope is not just in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, but our hope is in this New Covenant of God, and God does not lie, and God does not break covenants.

The ministry of God's people is built upon the truth of God and not some fairy tale or some false doctrine.

The language God uses is plain, and it is simple.

Remember the same Holy Spirit who comes to live in the believer is the same Holy Spirit who gives us the Word of God.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

We know that in the time of Moses, Israel withdrew from the veiled glory of God.

The veil would not allow people to see the glory on Moses' face fading away.

Moses was saying that he was just the messenger and the true glory of the Lord would come later.

Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 

Rom 10:5  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 

Rom 10:6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 

Rom 10:7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 

Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 

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.

The world hates the Ten Commandments because they feel bound by them in order to please God, when the Ten Commandments just give us an idea of the righteousness of God.

Honoring those commandments and all the laws of this world does please God!

What truly pleases God is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid that sin debt and we are to see Him as our Savior.

Now this does not mean we are not to live as close to those commands as we possibly can; it means that if we fail, it is not the thing that brings death and a separation from our Heavenly Father.

We are not to continue in sin at any time!

The lost do not see the real meaning of those laws which were given to reveal the nature of God's glory and perfection.

The lost do not see that those laws show us that no one can keep all those laws.

The lost do not see that those laws show us the need of a Savior.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

Even today the children of Israel remain blinded to the truth of the New Covenant of God.

*****2Co 3:15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 

2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Today Moses is already in Heaven, but the veil he put upon his face is now upon the hearts of God's people.

Acts 15:21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

That veil over their heart prevents them from seeing the disappearance of the Old Covenant.

That old veil will never be removed unless the children of Israel turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Only then will they be able to see as a nation that the Old Testament was written in view of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah.

This is what the Apostles discovered and every true Christian since that day, and we know that the children of Israel will soon see this truth at or just before the Rapture of the Church and the end of the Church Age.

Luk 24:44  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 

All types and all prophecies of the law will be fully accomplished in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen

The Comforter

 The Ministry of Comforting

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 1

 

 To have a proper understanding of the Book of 2 Corinthians, we first need to study the Book of 1 Corinthians.

 We know that suffering has always been a problem for us humans.

 It is in every Church service that we recognize a prayer list of people in need of comfort because of their suffering.

There are always others not on the prayer list who suffer but keep it private and unspoken needs.

 People injured, people in the hospital, people spending their last days in hospice care, people recovering from surgery or cancer, or heart disease, and those who have been to the cemetery because a loved one has passed.

 In reality, it can be said that the Book of 2 Corinthians was written for those who suffer.

 Suffering can be said to feel or bear things that are painful, disagreeable, or distressing, and these things are constant in our lives.

 We endure these things, but we are never very happy about them.

 Pain and grief of mind are not pleasant things for anyone!

I read of a new religion last week who call themselves the extinctionists because they have determined that the only answer for suffering and the protection of this world is the extinction of all humans.

We know the only answer is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Once we begin to know about the truth of Jesus Christ, we begin to see we are sinners and we begin to suffer with our conscience, and we find that we have offended God and are condemned to suffer the wrath of God.

 There is only one comfort, and there is only one Comforter!

Give your life to Christ Jesus, and you will meet Him.

 *****2Co 1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 

2Co 1:4  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 

 When we choose to be a servant of God, we will have to deal with all sorts of difficulties and trials.

 As we study the Bible, we find that the Apostle Paul is a great example of Christian suffering while he spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 God will indeed use these trials and tribulations to make us better Christians and better servants.

 That word "mercies" means compassion, pity, and mercy.

 It means that as we witness for the Lord, we see a people in need and have compassion and mercy upon them.

These are characteristics of the Lord Jesus.

 We see that God is the Father of mercies.

 As the Devil is the father of murder and lies, God is the Father of mercies.

 God sees His Children as a Father and not so much as a God, even though He is God.

 As long as we are living, our Heavenly Father will shower us with His mercy!

 Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

 As a Father, He floods us with His mercies, and as God, He comforts us in all our tribulations, because He is the God of all comfort.

 We should understand that suffering is part of our human lives! We do live in a cursed world!

 God does not take away our afflictions to comfort us; God carries us through our afflictions.

 Isa 63:8  For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. 

Isa 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 

 God will snuggle up closer to us in our afflictions, put His arms around us, and speak gracious, comforting words to us.

 This is a great example of what He wants us to do to others, as we tell the world about our Savior.

 *****2Co 1:5  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 

 One of the lessons we are to learn as Christians is that God allows sufferings in our lives so we can experience His mercies and His comfort.

 Notice that God allows, but He is not the cause of those sufferings.

As we know, we live in a sin-sick world!

 We need this experience to be able to comfort others.

 Sometimes this suffering can make us feel like we will perish, but the comfort of the Lord Jesus Christ surpasses all suffering, because He is the God of all comfort.

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

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

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

 To understand our own suffering, we must understand the suffering of our Lord and Savior.

 The sufferings of Christ were not exhausted by Him, but overflow to us who have to suffer as He suffered.

 We must bear the weight of His dying so we can share His life. 

He is not suffering in us, but we can have fellowship in His sufferings.

 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. 

 *****2Co 1:6  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

2Co 1:7  And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. 

 The Apostle Paul is saying that his own suffering was not only designed for his own spiritual training but was a source of direct blessing to all who were saved under his preaching.

 Paul's suffering enabled him not only by example but also by the lessons of experience to be a strength to others who were suffering, while serving Jesus Christ.

 Php 1:14  And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

 It is important that the experience of our own suffering can be a comfort to another person going through tough times.

 We can sometimes become so absorbed in our own grief that we start believing that no one suffers as we do, but we are not alone in our grief, and we can draw comfort from others.

 1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

 Very few Christians will ever suffer like the Apostle Paul did to get the gospel to us, but just because we are associated with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will suffer in this world.

 When we know we are not alone in our grief, that one thing will make us stronger.

 2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

 We should never want special attention in our suffering, knowing that we all suffer.

 We must never become like those who are saved today and lost tomorrow.

We cannot trust God today and not trust Him tomorrow and still believe that He is All-Powerful

 We must continue with our Savior through the good times and the bad times.

We must continue with our Savior through suffering as well as good health.

We must continue with our Savior through rejection as well as acceptance.

We must continue with our Savior through persecution as well as honor.

 We learn endurance through suffering!

We learn to share the God of all comfort through our own suffering!

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

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

 Every time we suffer from a different kind of suffering, we will experience a new kind of comfort.

 *****2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 

 Once we learn that as Christians, we are stronger as a group than as individuals, then we can realize that we can be a comfort to those who are carrying the Gospel to the world.

 There should be no doubt that the Devil works far more to damage a good pastor or the evangelist, or the missionary, than he does to the individual Christian, even though he will attack us all and it is never pleasant.

The Devil can only be in one place at a time, so he will dispatch his demons to do most of his dirty work while he concentrates on certain individuals who may not even be Christians.

 We must become prayer warriors for those who carry the Gospel to the world and also for each other.

 Our prayers are our greatest weapon in this world.

Closet prayer may be the greatest weapon we have against the Devil, his demons, and his followers.

 God wants to know how we suffer and what we suffer from, and He will help us.

 The fact that Doctor Luke traveled with Paul so often should also tell us that Paul needed medical attention often.

 We can learn a lot of it from the Book of Acts, but we should know that the Devil would do anything he could to stop the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles and every missionary called of Jesus.

That man in the pulpit of God, that preaches the truth of the Word of God is one of the Devils greatest enemies!

The devil is still trying to do this today, and it looks like he is winning.

This was what Paul was trying to tell us. 

It may look like the devil is winning, but God is just eliminating all those who do not want to join Him in Heaven.

We are still on the winning side!

 *****2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 

 We wonder sometimes, "What will be the end of it all"?

If we do not put our faith into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, these thoughts will hinder us as we try to serve God.

Death is coming to this world just as death comes to each of us but only in the Lord's set time.

Paul was in some situations where it just seemed that it was beyond all human possibility of deliverance.

There are Christians in this same situation today, who live in lands ruled by wicked and evil men who hate the Lord Jesus Christ, and they have to hide just to be able to worship.

God has a special blessing reserved for them if they just hang on to their faith.

God has a special blessing for all who cling to their faith till the end.

We cannot trust our deliverance to ourselves any more than the Apostle Paul could!

All our faith must be in our Savior and in His Word.

Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 

Jer 17:6  For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 

Jer 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 

If God allows this world to take our life, He has a reason for it, and it is always a good reason where something good will come out of it.

We may not see it, but He sees it.

The important thing is that our death leads to our victory!

Our true Christian friends will want to know what happened when the Lord does save us from this destruction and we make it through that suffering, and that sentence of death.

There is nothing too hard for God, but when we give our lives to the Lord, we are doing just that; we are giving our lives to Him for His use.

What did Jesus say? 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 cross was an instrument of death.

We must never forget that we are in the hands of God and no one can take us out of His hands.

Paul was threatened by large crowds.

Paul was threatened by the unions of that day.

Paul was threatened by the governments of that day.

Paul was threatened by ungodly Jews.

Paul's friends had to risk their lives for Paul.

Paul's friends were locked up in jail.

Paul's enemies were like beasts who would hunt you down to destroy you.

These are the same enemies the Church faces every day.

1Co_15:32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

Paul sometimes felt crushed by his burden for the Church.

Paul was locked away in prison on seven different occasions.

Paul was in more than one shipwreck.

My question is, what do we have to complain about if the Lord calls us into His service?

Our Savior is also our Deliverer and our Comforter!

When we cannot go with these men and women who are called into God's service, then our calling is to pray for them and support them.

*****2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 

2Co 1:11  Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

Paul was not complaining; Paul was saying, "Look at all the opportunities the Lord has given me to serve, and He delivered me every time".

This is the exact way we should look at it!

Who are we to witness to?

Sinners are wicked, evil people, and we know this because we were once part of them.

Most everyone in the world today hates the Lord Jesus Christ. That should tell us something!

Just the mention of His name will turn some crowds into our enemies.

These are similar things that happened to Paul.

One of our own greatest lessons is that we cannot save ourselves from our sin, and we cannot save ourselves from this world.

We will suffer at times just so the Lord knows He can trust us to remain faithful.

God is not going to call us into His service and then let us suffer death on our first mission unless it is truly important and many souls are saved because of it.

God never said it would be easy to be a Christian, but He did say the benefits would be Heavenly.

Of all the reasons we may have suffering, maybe the greatest reason is the fact that we will spend more time in prayer and thanksgiving with our Heavenly Father.

Every prayer for us from another believer may cause God to move on our behalf.

It is called intercessory prayer.

Intercessory prayer works, and history from men such as Paul has proven it works.

Intercessory prayer in the Church has proven results because we have heard many testimonies from those who were delivered from cancer and heart problems, and treatments, and other sicknesses.

I was delivered from cancer myself on two occasions because of the prayers of righteous men and women of God and the LORD, who said: “I’m not through with you yet”.

We are all called to be intercessors if God has not called us to do something else, and even if He has, He still expects us to pray for one another.

The Lord Jesus prayed for us! 

Jhn_17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Jhn_17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Jhn_17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

How can we not pray for one another if the Lord Jesus Christ prayed for us?

Amen    

The Reward for Repentance

 Forgiveness Is the Reward for Repentance

 Book of Hosea, Chapters 10 through 14

 

We see the word repentance throughout the Bible, but most people do not understand what this word means.

 In Christianity, true repentance begins with the consciousness of our sin.

 The evidence of repentance is faith, humility, prayer, and obedience.

 Repentance is a gift of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Act 5:31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Just as with any other gift, we must reach for it to receive it.

 How do we accomplish repentance?

 Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 First, we acknowledge the lives of those who are living by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We realize that those who are no longer with us encouraged us to live in faith of the Lord Jesus and the life they lived is also an encouragement.

We must accept the salvation that is provided by the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must lay aside every burden from this world because they have no importance in Heaven.

We must walk away from the sin in our lives that has now been forgiven.

We must plant our feet into the plan of God for our lives.

Unless we get busy serving the Lord, we have not truly repented. This is the race that comes with being reconciled to God.

 Isa 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 

 Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

 It is the goodness of God that will lead us to look to Him for repentance.

 Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

 Pro 28:13  He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

 We can see that forgiveness is truly the reward for repentance, but we also see that repentance is necessary for forgiveness.

 God’s forgiveness here is clearly linked to a true return to God to find with Him compassion instead of judgment.

 We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ has already paid for all the sins that have taken place in this world by anybody.

 1Jn_2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

 Our job is to tell others this truth and show them the goodness of God so they can believe and be reconciled to God.

 2Co_5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2Co_5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

 This is our race to enter or be left out of God's blessings

 *****Hos 10:12  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 

 As long as we are alive, we can make a new start with God; once this flesh dies, our opportunity to do so vanishes.

 Once more, God calls for Israel to repent and escape the judgment of God.

 The horrendous sin that happened at Gibeah almost brought to an end one of the tribes of Israel, which was Benjamin.

 The city of Gibeah had become a place like Sodom, and the tribe of Benjamin had allowed it to take place and would fight anyone who tried to change them.

 What used to take place in the heathen Sodom now takes place in Israel, among the people of God, by people who bear God’s Name, and it is allowed.

 What did God say of His people?

 Jer 23:14  I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. 

 We know that this Levite went to his own home, cut this woman up into pieces, and sent them to all the tribes of Israel. Israel decided to take vengeance on Benjamin, and all but six hundred men were slaughtered.

 Of Israel and Benjamin, sixty-five thousand men died in three battles because of sin.

 The people of Israel eventually brought four hundred virgins to those six hundred men, and this sin disappeared from the tribe of Benjamin. It grew rapidly, but sin remained, and the people continued to fall into the trap of false worship and idolatry, but the sin of sodomy disappeared

 Their hearts remained hardened against the truth of God.

 God likes to use farming principles to get His point across because most of these people were farmers.

 On a new piece of land, to grow crops, the land must be cultivated. They had to break up the fallow ground, or we would say till the soil.

 For a hardened heart to be usable, that heart needs to be plowed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the truth of the Word of God, to cleanse that heart of sin.

 1) To sow righteousness and reap God's love, they had to turn toward God and away from their wicked ways.

 2) They had to begin a new life guided by God's Holy Word.

 3) They had to turn away from the world and look to God, and they would stand justified before God.

 Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

 I do not know how many times the Scriptures tell us to avoid an immoral lifestyle, and it is rejected by much of the Church today.

 We know God does not change, so how can the Church be so foolish?

 God also warns us against wickedness, perversion, and degenerate acts.

 In no uncertain terms, God condemns all acts of homosexuality just as He does fornication.

 He also condemns rape, abuse, assault, murder, and all depravity.

 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.

 Another farming principle that we need to keep up with is located in Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

 *****Hos 10:13  Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

 Instead of sowing righteousness the people had sown wickedness.

 When you sow wickedness, you will reap evil and eat the fruit of deception.

 In the end times, the Lord Jesus says we must watch out for deception.

 Luk_21:8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

 Our land today is full of hatred. Hatred brings injustice, which relies on wickedness instead of love, which brings justice.

 Anytime we go our own way instead of God's way, which is righteousness, doing things right according to the Word of God, we will fail as people, and we will fail as a nation.

 All the time, we hear that the USA is not in the Bible, but the people of God are in the Bible, and it takes people to make a nation.

 If we want to be around in the end times, then we must be the people of God and not so full of wickedness as we are today.

 We must break the cycle we are in today: 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. 

 We cannot rely on ourselves to get us there.

We cannot rely on our government to get us there.

We cannot rely on our military to get us there.

We can only rely on the Lord Jesus Christ to get us there.

 *****Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 

 We immediately see that it is because of God's love that He delivers His people.

 Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 It is the call of God that enables us to be saved.

 We could say this is the unconditional election of God in which He acts.

 God chose to call us while we were yet sinners and had no value to Him.

 God calls us because He has a purpose for us.

 In compassionate terms, the LORD speaks about Israel.

 He speaks about how He loved the people as a child and son, liberated them, taught them to walk, cherished them in His arms, cared for them, nurtured them, and raised them.

 When we say no to God, we are saying no not only to His purpose for us, but we are saying no to His great love for us.

 1Jn_2:5  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

 When God says nothing can separate us from His love, He truly means it!

 Rom_8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 It was God's love that delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt.

 God's love will always deliver His people!

 Throughout the Old Testament, we see that the LORD's relationship with Israel was like that of a father and son, and this has not changed.

 This is the way our LORD thinks of all His children, especially the Church today.

 God has not abandoned Israel because we know that His great love He has remains.

 What did God say to Pharaoh? Exo 4:22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 

Exo 4:23  And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. 

 When God first called Abraham, God promised to establish a very special relationship with his descendants.

 The one thing they needed to do was obey.

 All true believers, we are the adopted sons and daughters of God.

 Now, we should not leave this verse until we see that it also relates to Jesus Christ.

 Mat 2:13  And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 

Mat 2:14  When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 

Mat 2:15  And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

 We should understand that we should remain where the Lord has placed us until He gives us the command to leave.

 We should only act when God says to act.

 When the Lord Jesus was just a few days old, He had to flee, and the angels who announced His birth did not form an escort around Him.

 One thing is very clear: the Lord Jesus started His history on earth where the people of Israel started theirs.

 Jesus Christ was a Jew, and He would look like a Jew of that day.

 Where Israel failed God, the Lord Jesus Christ would succeed!

 Though Israel is still failing in its calling, Jesus Christ is perfect in His calling.

 The Lord Jesus is the firstborn of the Church.

The Lord Jesus is the true Israel.

The Lord Jesus is the true Adam.

 1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 

1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 

 Where we puny humans fail, the Lord Jesus Christ always succeeds!

 *****Hos 11:2  As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. 

Hos 11:3  I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them. 

Hos 11:4  I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.

 Once Israel was freed from Egypt and started their journey to the Promised Land, they forgot about God's love.

 The whole world, including the Atheists, sacrifice to Baalim. Baalim represents all false gods and the imaginations of their minds.

Israel, as God's son, has been delivered more times than we can count, and God is going to deliver them again, and this time they will serve Him.

 In many places in the Bible, during the divided kingdom, Ephraim can mean Israel.

 Israel is just like the world today, which refuses to repent.

 We know that in the not-too-distant future, Israel will repent, but the world will remain stubborn and refuse to repent.

 We live in a self-righteous world that still listens to the serpent of the Book of Genesis.

 Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 

Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

 The world still believes in the theory of evolution, and the ultimate fulfillment of evolution is that humans will one day evolve into gods.

 What a joke. Evolution is the biggest lie told to the world, and the world clings to it like it is gold, just because the alternative would be that they would have to acknowledge a Supernatural God.

 When Israel was a young nation, the LORD took her people by the arm and helped them along the way step by step.

 Substitute America for Israel, and the same thing could be said. God has helped the USA along the way, step by step.

 When Israel stumbled, they were not abandoned; the LORD was there to lift them. He has not changed!

 The key to the Bible and God's promises is to walk faithfully throughout our lives.

 We should never ignore the LORD's love and care for us.

 God has given us His love letter to us, the Bible, just for this purpose.

 Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

 The “cords of a man” represent God’s loving, personal influence, not forceful control.

 God promises to guide us.

God promises to care for us by providing our needs.

God promises never to lead us into temptation.

God promises us eternal life in the most wonderful place that has ever been conceived.

 God asks us to have faith in His promises.

 Psa 73:24  Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

 1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

 *****Hos 13:4  Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me. 

 What is the truth of all man-made idols? Hos 13:2  And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. 

Hos 13:3  Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. 

 There is nothing that is carved by human hands, nothing made of the most valuable things on earth, nothing that is a figment of man's imagination, that could have led Israel out of Egypt.

 There is nothing in this world that can save us or redeem us but God, who is the LORD!

 He has a connection with us because He is also our Creator!

 Isa 45:20  Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 

Isa 45:21  Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. 

Isa 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 

 God loves us!

 If we are faithful and about to do something that will harm us, God will correct us.

 Why do we expect that correction not to have pain?

 God will do what He can to make sure we live and experience the fullness of this life if we are faithful to Him.

 God is not afraid to use His Heavenly hickory, as any good father would, to get us back on the right road of reconciliation if we veer to the left or to the right.

 If those few stripes could not get us back on track, then God will use a harsher method.

 *****Hos 13:7  Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them: 

Hos 13:8  I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

 God will move from being the Good Shepherd to being like a wild animal.

 The lion, the bear, the lioness, and the wild beast may not abide in Israel today, but they did in the days of the prophets.

 These animals are known for the horrible way they kill their prey.

 Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

 That word "scourge" can mean severe bodily punishment.

 Scourging, in most cases, was just the lead-in to capital punishment.

 Will God take your life to keep you out of Hell? He could for those who are His children!

 *****Hos 13:9  O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.

 After we become one of God's children, the first thing we learn is that we need His help.

 If we know we need His help and then reject Him, it will lead to our destruction!

 The only hope and help for a sinful people is the "GRACE" of God.

 Without God's "grace," we would certainly perish in that place called Hell, which is a real place, and Heaven is also a real place.

 God will never reject or destroy His people forever because He cannot void the promises He has already made.

 God is Holy, completely set apart from all other things, perfectly righteous and pure in all things, including His Word.

 God will never change from what He says He will do!

 God is love; God can never be other than love.

God is Holy; He can never be other than Holy.

God is perfect; He can never be other than perfect.

God is faithful; He can never be other than faithful.

 1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 *****Hos 14:1  O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

 We know that Israel has been in that place of judgment since the time of the Assyrians.

 The Assyrian, Sargon the Tartan, the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian Army, laid siege to Samaria and put an end to the Kingdom of Israel.

 2Ki 17:5  Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 

 2Ki 17:6  In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

 Why did God allow this to happen?

 2Ki 17:7  For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 

2Ki 17:8  And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 

2Ki 17:9  And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 

2Ki 17:10  And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: 

2Ki 17:11  And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: 

2Ki 17:12  For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

 This is what the judgment of God looks like.

 *****Hos 14:2  Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 

Hos 14:3  Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 

Hos 14:4  I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

 Up until the siege of the King of Assyria, all Israel had to do was repent and turn back to Jehovah God, yet they would not.

 What is it going to take for God's people to return to God and follow the Word He has given to us?

 Repentance is the first step!

 Next comes confession with words that must come from the 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.

 Rom_4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

 These things must be done in faith.

 Remember, Abraham had faith that if he killed Isaac, God would raise him from that death, and the plan of God would succeed.

 Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 

 The plan of God will certainly succeed!

 The truth is that if we confess in faith, faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, God will accept our confession as a sacrifice with the respect that goes along with it, if it comes from the heart.

 The truth is that the utterances of our lips, consisting of prayers and praise, or both, are to take the place of animal sacrifices.

 Animal sacrifices would only be good for one year.

 Only the sacrifice of the lord Jesus Christ is great enough to be able to forgive all sins, up to the greatest sin.

 Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 

Heb 13:16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 

 Mic 6:7  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

 After we confess our sin and are forgiven there must be a radical break with the past.

 We must do away with our former life!

 We must understand that God will not forgive sins if we intend to continue with them!

 Pro 28:13  He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. 

 The modern church has forgotten this.

 The Catholic church has forgotten this.

 All those churches that allowed the laws of the world to overcome the Law of God have forgotten this.

 We cannot just conceal our sin; we must forsake all our sin to be reconciled to God.

 There is very little time to get these things behind us, or the rapture of the Church will not be such a great event for those who are just playing church or those who believe the preacher but do not believe the Word of God.

 The Word of God is the only map that will lead us to Heaven!

 Who are the wise ones?

 *****Hos 14:9  Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. 

 That word "prudent" means discernment, understanding, consideration, and being prudent.

 These are things that the Northern Kingdom lacked while it practiced pagan worship.

 The prophet Hosea was calling out to anyone who had not given in to those things.

Who are the wisest upon this earth? Those who showed wisdom in understanding that the ways of the Lord are the path that we should walk.

God promised that Israel would return to that land.

On May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation again, in one day, and they returned to the land that they had been carried away from.

God promised that they would prosper, and they have and will prosper even more during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.

It is during the Tribulation years that they will, for the first time, be totally sold out to Jehovah, the LORD God of Israel.

Israel's judgment was just as God had said on that day.

Why would we think that God will be any different from the Church that has left the pathway built by the Lord Jesus Christ?

Why can we not accept that all the Word of God is the truth?

Amen