Teaching From the Master

 Jesus Teaches on Important Issues

 Book of Luke Chapter 12

 

Our lesson today spends some time on "fear".

 In the Scriptures, there is but one creature of God that is said to be void of fear.

 Job 41:33  Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

Job 41:34  He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride. 

 This is the Leviathan, king of the sinners, and He only fears the God of Heaven and Earth.

 God is very blunt here when He says that if no man will approach the Leviathan, which is a creation of God, how is it that any man can say they have no fear of God?

 Psa 76:7  Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? 

 There is Natural Fear, there is Sinful Fear, and there is Holy Fear.

 Every person upon this earth has to deal with natural fear and sinful fear.

 Only the “Born Again” child of God deals with Holy Fear!

 Natural fear entered our world with the fall of Adam when Adam tried to hide himself from the presence of the Lord.

 Gen 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

 Once Adam felt the fear of sin and the death of sin, he began to understand that perfect love casts out that fear!

 1Jn_4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

 Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 

 Our greatest blessing comes when the Love of God rids us of the fears of this world.

 Luk 1:70  As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 

Luk 1:71  That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 

Luk 1:72  To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 

Luk 1:73  The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 

Luk 1:74  That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 

Luk 1:75  In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

 *****Luk 12:8  Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 

Luk 12:9  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

 We should not forget that God is "omniscient".

 God knows every little detail of everything that is happening in our lives.

 God is also "omnipotent".

 God can control any event that is happening to each believer, no matter how large or how small.

 This is why there are normally good things that come out of every bad thing that happens to every believer.

 Every characteristic of God is so wonderful that we have doubts about the reality of them until we come to know God in a personal way.

 It is the love of God that brings us to reality.

 Nothing can separate us from the love of God: Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 

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. 

 When we are not loyal to our loving God as He is to us, the Lord Jesus reminds us of the consequences.

 1) We will be judged before angels. The angels who are totally loyal to their Creator will witness our acceptance or our rejection by God.

2) This judgment will come from the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, so the door of Heaven is opened for us. In all His time upon this earth, the Lord Jesus never sinned. He is the only One who can judge our actions of disloyalty or our steadfastness as a Christian.

 Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 

Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 

Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

 God has given His Son, Jesus, the right to judge us because He died in our place.

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

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

 The basis of our judgment is our attitude toward our Savior!

 Have we confessed our love and our loyalty to Jesus Christ before the world?

 This does not mean every time we stumble, we can be forgiven, but it does mean do we love the Lord enough to be loyal to Him.

 Jesus will confess us before Heaven's Angels and tell all angels that we belong to Him and are true witnesses of Him.

 If we deny Jesus Christ, we shall be denied before our Holy God and the Angels of God.

 Angels do exactly what God says for them to do.

 *****Luk 12:10  And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. 

 Because the Lord Jesus is so full of "GRACE," He will forgive anyone who has spoken against Him. He knows we are born with a rebellious spirit. If we repent, Jesus will forgive us.

 Look at the Apostle Paul as an example.

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

 BUT if we blaspheme the Holy Spirit will not receive forgiveness!

 We cannot attribute the work of Jesus Christ to Satan.

 When we deny the Lord Jesus over and over again till the day we die, we are showing hatred for the work the Lord Jesus Christ did for our salvation. Remembering that Our Lord Jesus worked with the power of the Holy Spirit.

 Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 

 It is the Holy Spirit from which we draw our strength as Christians.

 Our prayer life depends on the Holy Spirit.

Our relationship with God depends on the Holy Spirit.

Our strength to be a usable servant to the Lord depends on the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the One who called us.

The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us.

The Holy Spirit is the One who guides us through life.

The Holy Spirit will teach us what to say when we do not know what to say.

 The Lord Jesus is not saying all these things to cause us to fear. He is telling us all these things to give us encouragement.

 We will suffer persecution as Christians, and we need to be encouraged.

 *****Luk 12:11  And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 

Luk 12:12  For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. 

 When we are called out for our faith in Jesus Christ, we should not be concerned.

 In fact, we should be proud that someone can see Jesus in us.

 The Lord Jesus would not include this in the Scriptures if it was not going to happen.

 This includes all persecution, mild or just ridicule, or just physical abuse, but it also includes becoming a martyr.

 The greatest power on this earth, the Holy Spirit, will decide then how we should answer our accusers.

 He will give us the strength to bear and the words to speak, and even then, He will not allow us to deny the Lord.

 We need to just trust God because we know that He is in charge, and He knows what is best for us at all times.

 The fear of any man is a terrible thing.

 Fear can cost a person their eternal destiny even if they claim the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

 Jesus was preaching to His disciples, friends, and those who followed Him.

 Fear is the opposite of peace with God.

Fear means we are not as committed as we say we are.

Fear can take us out of the Will of God.

 2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

2Ti 1:8  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,

 We must understand that some people just do not want to be reached with the salvation of God!

 This is sad but also very true!

 These are the same ones who will be our persecutors.

 They still need to be told or at least warned of the truth of God.

 Persecution is not such a high cost for being a servant of God.

 Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

 Our fear of God should be enough to convince us not to fear what mankind can do to us.

 God's terror is forever!

 1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 

1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 

 If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, then we should realize the effort God is making to bring us to our final goal.

 In the midst of all our trials, He continues His work in us.

 He guards against our falling away and from sliding back into the world.

 He purifies our faith, so that we can continue to respond to Who He is.

 God will not make judicial decisions in our lives; He has given us the tools to make those decisions ourselves when He said to live righteously before Him.

 There is a great danger in seeking God to help us with materialism!

 *****Luk 12:13  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 

Luk 12:14  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 

 We should understand that this sermon that the Lord Jesus Christ had just preached was a serious lesson about the teaching of the Pharisees, the committing of the unforgivable sin, and the persecution of His followers.

 It was a foolish thought that the Lord Jesus would interfere in a family dispute.

 He expects us to act like Christians in any dispute.

 No telling how many people have prayed for God to help them win the lottery when He will never do this.

 Salvation is not about material things!

 These things may have been stolen from the man.

These things may have rightfully been his to begin with.

This could even be seen as an act of justice by those who followed Christ.

 The Lord Jesus treats this man as if he were not a believer.

 The Lord Jesus preached trusting God for our necessities, not our riches, except for the riches of Heaven.

 This man, like many others, was not paying attention to what the Lord had said.

 Just listening to the Word of God preached does not mean we hear what God says.

 Just hearing what God says does not mean we will apply it to our lives.

 Spiritual maturity is not about a worldly life!

 The Lord Jesus did not die on Calvary's Cross to give us property.

The Lord Jesus died on Calvary's Cross to give us life, and that life eternal!

 *****Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 

 The world hates the Ten Commandments of God when they are things that are good to live by.

 Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet

 Covetousness is a crime.

 Covetousness ranks right next to murder, adultery, theft, and slander.

 Every time we see this word in the Old Testament, it is connected with a prohibition or a curse.

 In the New Testament, we usually see covetousness classed together with adultery.

 We should get a feeling for what God thinks about covetousness.

 Eph 5:5  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 

Eph 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

 Covetousness is a craving or a desire for more.

 It is greediness, a dissatisfaction with what is enough.

It is a craving as much for material things as fleshy indulgence.

 Then the Lord Jesus gives us an example.

 *****Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 

Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 

Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 

Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 

Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 

 There is great danger in worldliness.

There is great danger in greediness.

 Jas 4:1  From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 

Jas 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 

 Covetousness has been the start of many wars.

No matter what we think about this war with Iran, Iran was coveting the destruction of God’s people. To Iran, America is the Great Satan, and this is not far from the truth because of the wickedness we see in our own nation. 

When our happiness is more about our possessions rather than God, we are in serious trouble.

 In reality, our possessions cannot bring us true power. Only God can do this.

 Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

 This rich man was greatly blessed, but he did not thank God for such a blessing.

 Those were his fruits and his goods, and he was not about to share them.

 Notice he also said his soul, when all souls belong to God, to do as He so chooses.

 His pride in his possessions made him think of bigger and better things.

 Our greatest mistakes stem from selfishness, self-indulgence, and extravagant living.

 We are always trying to keep up with the Joneses.

 What is our duty?

 Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 

Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. 

 As Christians, we may live with peace in our hearts, but we may never live at ease in this world.

 This rich man thought only of himself and never gave a thought to helping those who did not have.

 He forgot that he was living in a wicked world that was slowly dying.

 Instead of helping others, he decided to build new storage for his abundance.

 He worked hard to get the things he wanted and was not about to share them.

 We will see that this man only got to think about his greed, his new barns, and his great excess because he did not live long enough to do these things.

 Deu 8:11  Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 

Deu 8:12  Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 

Deu 8:13  And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 

Deu 8:14  Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God,

 An intense appetite for gain and more gain is just a passion for pleasure that we may never see.

 When we focus so much on this life, we begin not to focus on eternal life.

 We forget about the rewards of Heaven. In fact, we forget to work for those rewards.

 Pro 23:4  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 

Pro 23:5  Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. 

 In our world today, the richer we are, the greater the chance that there will be people who will take away those riches.

 For example, California will vote soon on a measure to just reach in and grab five percent away from those who are rich.

 Our government cannot face the fact that they continuously spend more than they take in and robs the people who support it.

 This is government greed!

 All such people are no more than fools.

 They build and build up riches only to give those riches to someone who may not even appreciate the hard work they did.

 Ecc 2:18  Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 

Ecc 2:19  And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

 Why would we even want to live a vain life, a life that meant nothing?

 While this man could only think of his riches, he received a message from God that his time was over on this earth.

 God knows exactly when our time is over, and He is the only one who knows this.

 Eze 18:23  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 

Eze 18:24  But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 

 *****Luk 12:21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

Wealth is not a permanent possession!

There is always someone else who will get your wealth after your death.

In fact, the greedy government you support will reach in to try to get a share of your wealth.

When we die, the only portion of our life that lives is our spirit, and spirits cannot have any material possessions.

That spirit will live somewhere forever.

Wealth cannot buy off death.

It is a fool who lives simply and only for the sake of accumulation.

Rom_8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

God requires our souls to return to Him when our life is over, but it is the way we lived that life that determines what God will do with that soul.

Amen

The Healer Must Be Our Teacher

 Jesus Continued to Heal and to Teach

 Book of Luke Chapter 9 Verses 37-42, 57-62

 

 There is a lot of great material between verse 22 and verse 37, but let's keep to our lesson plan.

 Our lesson begins the next day after the Transfiguration of the Lord.

 We could say that on the Day of Transfiguration, the glory of the Lord Jesus broke out in the presence of His disciples.

 The transfiguration of the Lord Jesus is hard to describe accurately, so it is best to read the Scriptures in the Gospels.

 What is recorded as a record was an absolute historical reality, and not a mere vision.

 Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 

 Peter never forgot this day: 2Pe 1:16  For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

2Pe 1:17  For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

2Pe 1:18  And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 

 Many today worship the Devil, who is Satan, but I wonder if they realize how the devil treats all our children.

 *****Luk 9:37  And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. 

Luk 9:38  And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 

Luk 9:39  And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 

Luk 9:40  And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.

This is an epileptic seizure.

This does not mean that everyone who has seizures are caused by the Satan but if they do not know the Lord Jesus they need to have faith in Him.

He is still the Healer!

 On the mountain top, there was the glory of the Lord, showing God’s power, but in the valley, Satan was showing the people his power.

 This is the difference between Heaven and Earth.

 We can see a father who has seen his only son, who was tormented by an evil spirit.

 He was begging the Lord Jesus to have pity on him.

 We should ask ourselves why more parents do not see this today and beg for the help of our Savior for their own children.

 We all should know that the Lord Jesus has great compassion for all people.

 This man had lost all control over his son because he was a victim of Satan's power.

 1Pe_5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

 This father had no choice but to stand by helplessly and watch the Devil destroy his son.

 We can see this in our lost children today, and we need to go to the Lord Jesus for His help.

 This man had already approached the nine disciples of Christ for their help, and they could not help him for some reason.

 The Lord had given them the power over demons, and they had used it, but for some reason, their faith was not as it should have been.

We saw this in an earlier lesson, and we saw it again in this lesson.

 The Lord Jesus later told them that they had not been praying and fasting as they should have.

 The Lord Jesus gives us many gifts today, but if we will not fellowship with Him daily, that gift will have no power.

 We must never forget who the Lord is! He is the Almighty God!

 Many times, as Christians, we are a disappointment to the people around us who could use our help.

 Only the Lord Jesus knows how many times we have been a disappointment to Him.

 We may not have the powers of Jesus Christ, but we can be attentive and sympathetic to their needs.

 We can certainly begin with prayer at that very moment if we have compassion on them.

 Fortunately for us all, the Lord Jesus is always on time.

 *****Luk 9:41  And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

 After all the disciples of Christ had seen of the miracles of Jesus, we could ask ourselves how they could have a lack of faith?

 We can also see that the Lord Jesus spoke to the whole generation of Jews and not just to His chosen disciples.

 Where was this father's faith?

Where was the faith of all those who were present?

 The chosen disciples of Christ did not have the power, even though the Lord Jesus had given them that power when He sent them out earlier as evangelists.

 Notice all those present just stood around when the disciples of Christ tried to heal this son, having no concern for the life of this boy, when they too could have been praying.

 What do we do when the Lord is not physically present as He is today?

 Surely, we can all pray!

 Surely, we can all show faith!

 This father could have shown faith after all these were God's people. They could go to the priests. They could make sacrifices.

 This child continued to suffer because no one had enough compassion to seek God for him.

 Jesus said they all were faithless and perverse. Perverse here means morally corrupt.

 The Holy Spirit says: Tit 1:15  Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 

Tit 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. 

 When God's people act this way, there will be no power in the Church.

 Guess what, we see very little power in the Church today!

 It is not our duty to judge other places of worship; it is our job to make sure our own place of worship is following the Word of God by being obedient in our worship and in our lives.

 *****Luk 9:42  And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 

 The Devil tried to show his power over the boy, but the Lord just spoke the word, and the Devil had to leave.

 If the chosen disciples of Christ had been following Christ as closely as they should, they would have been able rid this boy of this demon.

 Jesus broke the power of this demon the same way He broke Satan's power; He just spoke with the Sword of His Mouth.

 Rev_2:16  Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

 Rev_19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

 Rev_19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

 The people who were observing what the Lord did were amazed at the mighty power of God!

 Once more, all those who were observing could only think about the great power of God.

 They marveled at the Majesty of God's Messiah, but we should also understand there is a cost for every disciple of Jesus Christ.

 *****Luk 9:57  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 

Luk 9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 

 When someone tells the Lord Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go", it sounds good, but it has to be made very clear why anyone makes such a claim.

 No one can follow the Lord who has not been called!

 A self-commitment is nothing like a Jesus Christ-centered commitment.

 If there is a real calling of "Grace," then that person must let go of all things that might hinder their walk with Christ.

 Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, "separated" unto the gospel of God, 

 Rom 1:7  To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, "called to be saints": Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 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". 

 It is only the call of God that enables us to believe.

 God's purposes in Himself sum up all things in Jesus Christ!

 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: 

 The Lord Jesus Christ must become our Lord of life!

 The Lord Jesus Christ gave up all of Heaven and all of Himself to meet the needs of this dying world we live in.

 A profession of faith is not enough.

Saying, "I am willing to follow" is not enough.Mrk_14:38  Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

We must deny ourselves completely!

We must accept the Lord Jesus as the Servant of mankind and become such a servant ourselves.

 There is nothing in our old life that will help us achieve the call of Christ!

 The Lord Jesus led a perfect life, and it must be our goal to do the same, even if we cannot be perfect while we remain in these sinful bodies of flesh.

 We must accept the pattern of life that the Lord Jesus had as our own.

 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. 

 1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 

 The Lord Jesus Christ had no home on this earth because His home is in Heaven. As His disciples, we must share His homelessness in this world because our home is now in Heaven, and we have no attachment to this world to bind us.

 Jesus Christ is the perfect picture of what God wants to see in each of us.

 *****Luk 9:59  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 

Luk 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 

 In many cases, it is the son who will take care of his father in their old age.

 The Lord Jesus had invited this man to become one of His disciples, to even become a preacher to preach the Kingdom of God.

 When we decide to follow the Lord Jesus, it means we have decided that this is the most important decision we will ever make, and nothing on this earth is more important.

 We must give up everything in this world for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

 It was not a bad thing for this man to bury his father, but the message of salvation is far more important.

This father died lost, rejecting the Lord Jesus as the Messiah.

 Those who are spiritually dead because they have rejected the Lord Jesus are not as important as those who have never had that opportunity, at least to our Savior.

 This is the truth of being loyal to Jesus Christ.

 We must consider that when the Jews rejected the Lord Jesus, it was more important for the Apostle Paul to go to the Gentiles.

 Even those who have rejected the Lord one time are not as important as those who have never heard of the Kingdom of God.

 God has already decided to meet the needs of these in the work of the Sower when one plants, another waters, and another reaps the harvest of the soul for Christ to save.

 Every person is of extreme value to the Lord, and we should know that the Holy Spirit was working hard to bring this man to conviction.

 Those whom God has called to preach need to respond as quickly as possible.

 Mat_9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Mat_9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

 The Lord Jesus knew that this man was hesitating to answer Him, and he just used the burying of his father as an excuse.

 What was the message of Christ? Luke 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 

Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

It is a hard message, but it is a necessary truth to serve the Lord.

We cannot allow Satan's children to drag us down, even if they are family members.

 The word hate means "to love less". We must love the Lord with all our heart, all our body, and all our soul!

 *****Luk 9:61  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 

Luk 9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 

Following the Lord Jesus Christ is a lifelong commitment!

Here is a man who offered "on his own" to become a follower of Jesus Christ. He was not called.

Looking ahead to the Rapture of the Church is the most important event that we are looking forward to.

To the Jew, the return of Jesus Christ is the most important event they have to look forward to.

These are two separate events!

If we look at those two words "but and first", we see that this man saw something more important that he should do before committing to the Lord, which he said he had already made such a commitment.

Maybe he needed the advice of his family before he made a final commitment.

Maybe he needed someone else's approval before a full commitment to the Lord.

As we saw in the Book of Luke, Chapter fourteen, maybe he was putting his love for his family ahead of his love for Jesus Christ.

Either way, the Lord Jesus knew what was going on in this man's life; he was unwilling to cut the ties of this life and give all of himself to the Lord.

Jesus Christ is the "first" and the "last," and He must be everything to us!

Looking back can be fatal.

Just ask Lot's wife.

Gen 19:17  And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

Gen 19:26  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 

The word commitment fits in right here.

It is true that in order to plough a straight furrow, the farmer must concentrate on a certain point in front of him.

He must keep his eyes fixed upon the goal.

As we serve the Lord, we must know that our work is not done until the Rapture of the Church on a day of the Lord's choosing.

It may be close, but it is not here yet!

It is not the time to quit on God!

We are just too close to going home.

Amen

We Need to Celebrate God's Gift of Love

 Wisdom Celebrates God's Gift of Love

 Song of Solomon 1 through 8

 

The Song of Solomon is written about the love of a husband and a wife for each other.

 Most scholars believe this book was written by King Solomon.

 We know that Solomon wrote many songs, but this song is the only one approved by the Holy Spirit to be included in the canon of the Bible.

 1Ki 4:32  And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. 

 This book is probably written to the Jews, but we know that every book of the Bible was also written to the Church.

 There are several ways that could be used to interpret the words of this book, but it is always best to use a literal view of the Scriptures.

 2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 

2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Wisdom Celebrates God's Gift of Love.

 We should interpret this book and its text naturally and plainly.

 It is a song about human, married love as God intended it to be.

 The marriage between one male and one female is the only approved marriage in the Scriptures.

 Everything else is an abomination to God and living in sin.

 We should be able to see an actual, historical relationship of King Solomon and his most loved first wife, a Shulamite woman.

 We can also see in typology that this marriage could be used as a type of the relationship of our Lord Jesus Christ to His Church.

It should also represent our own love for our Savior.

 The one thing we must do as we study the Bible is not to make this story fit some cultural mold.

 Almost every king in the day of King Solomon had a harem, and it was expected of them largely for the purpose of expanding their seed.

 Many of the king's marriages were for political purposes to build alliances with kings of other nations to provide security, but also prosperity for his nation.

 The Bible in no way defends the practice of polygamy!

 Deu 17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 

 God uses the leaders that he puts in place in every nation.

 King Solomon was living in sin!

 Neh 13:26  Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless, even him did outlandish women cause to sin.

 We can also understand that none of Solomon's marriages to this harem were romantic or loving.

 Many of these wives were considered possessions.

 Most of these wives lived with this and accepted it.

 These things remained this way until the coming of Jesus Christ, as he brought changes even to the Jews.

 Jesus Christ elevated the status of women at that time and still does today.

 A relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the best relationship that any of us can achieve, male or female.

 It is the epistles of the New Testament that reveal God's intention in every marriage of a male and a female.

 There are no other God approved marriages other than a male born a male and a female born a female to each other.

 The marriage of King Solomon to this Shulamite woman was not political.

 We can see the beauty of marital love and God's approval of the sexual relationship within a godly marriage.

 We can also see a type of Spiritual relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church (The Bride of Christ).

 *****Son 1:1  The song of songs, which is Solomon's. 

Son 1:2  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. 

Son 1:3  Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. 

Son 1:4  Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. 

 If we love the Lord Jesus Christ, then we should love the Word of God.

 We know from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation that the Word of God is all about the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 We also know that every word, every phrase, every passage in the Word of God is inspired by God Himself, and it is profitable for teaching, for reproving, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that we can be equipped for the good work of the Gospel.

 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 Song of Solomon is no different; it is the inspired Word of God!

 This is not a song about Solomon; it is a song about love!

 It is a song about human love, romantic love between a man and a woman.

 These are the words of the bride as she states her passionate love for her bridegroom.

 She does not name him. It was needless because all who know her know who her Bridegroom is and is the only One in her thoughts.

 If we put in the name of Jesus Christ, then those kisses of Jesus are meant to imply everything in Christ, and with Christ, Jesus in his person, and Jesus in his fulness, suitableness, and all-sufficiency, so on our part the kiss of grace implies everything that can denote love, adoration, faith, dependance, homage, subjection, and praise.

 If we apply this action to ourselves, it should mean that we cast ourselves on the Lord Jesus as a poor, dying sinner in need of salvation, saved by His blood.

 We can see that His kisses had an intoxicating effect on this wife, His bride.

 In most cases, this ointment is the oil of the olive, which many times is often perfumed.

 Oil in the Bible many times refers to the Holy Spirit.

 1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

 This wife could only imagine the scent of her husband, whose ointment was just right for her senses.

 In the same way, His fragrance filled the air around Him; his good name, His character, and His reputation had saturated the community of those who had made themselves pure through the blood of Christ.

 Remember, a good name is better than precious ointment.

 She loved the way He smelled, but most of all she loved who He was.

 No wonder those who were pure loved Him.

 He was the most sought-after man in the Kingdom.

 She was now the envy of all the other maidens just as the Church is the envy of flase religion today.

*****Son 2:1  I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. 

Son 2:2  As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. 

Son 2:3  As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 

Son 2:4  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 

Son 2:5  Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. 

Son 2:6  His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. 

Son 2:7  I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

 The term "the Rose of Sharon" is often associated with our Lord Jesus Christ, symbolizing His beauty, His perfection, and the love He offers to all who believe in Him.

 Many see "the Rose of Sharon" as the Church or as the Believers who are cherished as the people of God.

 Many see "the Rose of Sharon" as it describes the intimate relationship between our Lord Jesus and all those who love Him, and the love God has for His creations.

 Nowhere in the New Testament is our Lord Jesus actually referred to as the Rose of Sharon.

 He is referred to by many as the Rose of Sharon because many see the Rose as the most beautiful of all flowers.

 Sharon is a place, and it is one of the largest valley plains in all of Israel.

 In the time of King Solomon, it was considered a wild and fertile plain and had many beautiful flowers that grew wildly.

 Sharon was known for its beauty and majesty.

 Almost all Bible scholars say this Shulamite woman was the person who is described as the Rose of Sharon, as King Solomon's bride.

 Many say she is described as a black woman, and she could have been, and there would have been no problems if she were.

 What she was saying was that she was not like all those other women who were spoiled with riches, but that she worked out in the elements of the seasons, including the sun, and the sun had darkened her skin compared to the fair maidens of Israel. 

 This young shulamite was saying that she was not one of those dainty spoiled children of royalty.

She was not afraid of hard work. 

 To us who love Him, this passage refers to Jesus as being the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride.

If the Church is not a hard working church it is not the Bride of Christ.

 The Holy Spirit is using the "lover" analogy to describe the personal relationship that He wants us to have with God's Son.

 Our Scripture says that she is the Rose of Sharon, a type of country flower, and is indeed a type of the Church.

 In type, the Church is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily among the thorns.

The Church is the Lily among the thorns of worldly people.

 It is Solomon who speaks up to his bride, saying she is as a lily compared to the thorns of other women, as the Church is in this world.

 As far as Solomon was concerned, there was not another woman in the world like his Shulamite bride.

 She may have seen herself as pretty, but she did not see herself as something special, she confessed she was just an average, everyday wildflower.

 She was not seeking compliments, nor a false sense of modesty; she was just being sincere.

 She said that Solomon was like an apple tree in a forest of other trees.

 Apple trees did not grow in the forest of Israel at that time, and if one was found, it was because someone had dropped a seed from an apple they had brought from somewhere else or a passing bird.

 Solomon had snatched her away from hard labor, and she was comfortable in his shade. Solomon had actually rescued her from her previous life.

 His fruit was sweeter than anything she had ever known.

 We can see that this apple tree is in type as the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Church now lies in His shadow His safety.

 In verse four, we see this bride give her testimony to her friends of how her life had changed, as if they were all in the banquet house where she is the honored guest.

 In type, we see that the Born-Again child of God, as they have entered into that Heavenly House of the Lord, and sitting at the table of the Lord Jesus Christ, no longer the Bride but now the wife.

 Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

 This young bride had to admit she was lovesick and overwhelmed by the love shown to her by her husband, the King.

 In type, this is the Church sitting at the feet of Jesus, amazed at the love He has shown to us.

 She does not talk so much of her love as she does of His love for her.

 Isa 54:5  For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

 As he embraces her, she feels that moment of rest and security that she has never had in life.

 She wishes to remain in His arms forever.

 The left arm is the arm that comes as it was from His heart; the right arm is the arm of His power.

 The fact that his left hand is under her head also means that he lifts her head to look at him.

 The fact that his right arm embraces her means that he keeps it protective around her.

 Deu 33:27  The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

 Love cannot be forced upon anyone, or they will lose their security.

 Those female gazelles and female deer are shy animals and will flee at the first sign of danger.

 This Shulamite had a great desire to consummate the marriage, but she knew she must remain chaste until that time came, and she warned all those around her.

 She made her friends promise her that they would also wait for the right person.

 In type, we see that we must make a strong commitment to the Lord and stick with our convictions.

 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. 

 *****Son 3:6  Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? 

Son 3:7  Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. 

Son 3:8  They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. 

Son 3:9  King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. 

Son 3:10  He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. 

Son 3:11  Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. 

 The wedding custom of that day in Israel was that weddings did not take place at the Temple nor at any Synagogue, but rather in the couple's homes.

 There would be a procession to the bride's home led by the Groom, who would then escort her back to their own new residence.

 Next, a wedding feast was given, which could last up to a week or longer.

 Though the wedding feast was prolonged, that couple would consummate their marriage on the first night.

 Verse 6 tells us that King Solomon and the Shulamite began their procession back to Jerusalem.

 This verse tells us what the onlookers saw.

 King Solomon, the richest man in the world, would have provided for an extravagant ceremony.

 That pillar of smoke reminds us of the time that the Lord Jesus led the Jews out of Egypt.

 The bride is perfumed, which tells us of her excellent virtues and service, which are acceptable to God and the Grace of Jesus Christ, which are a sweet savor to our Heavenly Father.

 He makes His Bride enriched and beautiful with the perfume and powders. The spices of Arabia were famous at that time.

 Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 

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

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 

 That wilderness was a place of bondage and misery, sin and humiliation, but Jerusalem was the mountain of the Lord.

 Psa 68:8  The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 

 Today the Church is passing through the wilderness, and the Church must follow the Lord Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of lords to New Jerusalem.

 We must leave the wilderness of sin and unbelief to have an everlasting union with our Savior.

 As the Church has been recognized, then the Bridegroom must be recognized.

 Those sixty valiant men were twice the number of men who usually traveled with the King, but He wants the bride to feel safe.

 We can see that the bed is a type of the Church, which is beautiful through the beauty of Jesus Christ.

 Which is also safe by the protection of Jesus Christ.

 In which Jesus Christ is glorified, and all believers enjoy sweet fellowship with Him throughout eternity.

 We should understand that God will use whatever it takes to protect His Church from the wiles of the Devil.

 Every valiant man was prepared to fight to prevent danger to the Church.

 That darkness is the world of Satan, the Devil.

 1Th 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 

1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 

1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 

1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 

1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 

 No matter how bright the Church shines, it cannot shine like our Savior.

 That chariot is where the Bride and the Bridegroom ride together is in typeology the Gospel, where our Savior was triumphant, and the Church rides into Glory.

 1Pe 1:25  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 

 Heaven is going to be the most beautiful place we have ever laid eyes on, and we do not have the words to describe how Heaven will be.

 We are still to be busy with the work the Lord has given us to do, even while we know the Trumpet could sound at any moment.

 John the Baptist said John 3:29  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 

 Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

 Weddings just do not seem to be important in today's world.

Many couples just move in together to see if they are compatible and most of them separate because they forgot relationships take commitment.

 *****Son 4:12  A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 

Son 4:13  Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, 

Son 4:14  Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: 

Son 4:15  A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. 

 In that day, many gardens were enclosed to keep animals and strangers from having access to them.

 Solomon was saying that his bride was like an enclosed garden that only he had access to.

 The Lord Jesus feels this way about the Church as He strives to keep the Church pure, if the Church looks to Him only as the Head of the Church.

 The true Church is defended by the providence of Almighty God and reserved for His use.

 Whosoever loves the Lord Jesus Christ and shares their love with Him alone will shut themselves off from other objects of love.

 Mrk_12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

 Solomon was praising this Shulamite for her purity until the marriage ceremony was completed.

 The Shulamite was bringing to her husband a precious gift, a gift that could only be given once.

 This speaks to all the fair maidens in the Church.

 It is a gift for that one special person on the wedding day. The same one who has that endless love for them.

 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.

 Solomon continues to describe how lovely his bride is to him.

 She was the greatest orchard.

She was the most pleasant of all fruits.

She was the most fragrant flower.

She was the most aromatic herb.

She was like the best of all perfumes.

She was the sweetest of all sugar canes.

She was the most fragrant of all the oils.

She was the most divine of all females.

She was the most anointed of all oils.

She was a living fountain of water.

 She was now ready and available to refresh the life of her husband.

 Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 

Psa 46:5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 

 *****Son 5:1  I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. 

 Solomon knew it was this Shulamite who made him complete.

 Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

 Nine times in this one Scripture, Solomon uses the word “my”.

 His bride had given all she had to him.

 This is exactly what the Lord Jesus expects from His Church.

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

 1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 

1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. 

 No doubt that our young people should take a good look at the Song of Solomon once they know what it means.

 *****Son 5:2  I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. 

Son 5:3  I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 

Son 5:4  My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. 

Son 5:5  I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. 

Son 5:6  I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. 

There comes a time when the honeymoon is over and reality sets in.

 Before we get to this passage, let's just keep in mind how much of the Church has left the Lord Jesus, and He is outside the door of the Church wanting to get back in.

 Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 

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

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

 This is the Church Age we are in today.

 In Chapter 5, Verse 2, we begin to see that the newness of marriage has passed, and life has set in. Life can be harsh even for those who have such great love.

 This Shulamite was no longer "my bride", but she was "my darling".

His darling wife locked the door on him and did not let him in.

It is possible this new bride of Solomon was dreaming and had two dreams, but maybe one was a dream and the other was reality.

Either way, she was alone in the bedroom, and we do not know why.

As a believer, there may be times when we think that we are so armored up that we have lost our focus on the Lord.

If we ever lose our focus on the Lord, we are treading in dangerous waters.

This change in love is noted in the Scriptures.

Rev 2:1  Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 

Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 

Rev 2:3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 

Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 

Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 

Solomon knew she was unhappy with him, and we may not know the real reason, but He is King, and He has a large harem, and as king, he had many obligations.

He explains that he has been working as his head was filled with dew and his hair with the drops of his sweat.

She refused his advances. She was already washed, disrobed, and was in bed. Why should she dirty her feet she said to herself.

She refused to unlock the door. It is possible that she was just too tired.

We do not have to think that Solomon was trying to force the door open, probably because he could certainly have had the door opened if he chose to do so.

Husbands must realize that their wives could get tired with all the homework they have to do and many work outside the home.

It seems she was angry with Solomon for some reason.

We have to wonder how a husband with over one thousand women could ever have a true husband-to-wife relationship.

This Shulamite began to realize that she was not the queen in her household.

Solomon did not really understand God.

Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 

Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 

Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 

Solomon's bride was hurt, angry, and resentful, but her heart began to soften, and she repented of her anger, and her desire for him returned.

She notices his hands as he reaches for her.

The Lord Jesus said: Luk 24:39  Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 

Psa 45:8  All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

When she reached the door to let her husband in, she could smell the myrrh that he had left behind upon the lock.

The Shulamite paid a high price for not letting her husband into the bedchamber.

We will pay a high price when we reject the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jhn_3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Solomon had not rejected her.

Solomon had remembered the place where they had first met and had not forgotten the love he had for her.

*****Son 8:6  Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. 

Son 8:7  Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. 

A seal was a piece of metal, usually round or oval, which meant it was a sign of belonging to the king.

Seals are sometimes worn on the finger as a ring or upon a string or chain around the neck.

It would be applied to softened wax to seal some document or other government papers.

Every Christian wears the seal of the Lord: 2Ti_2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

That seal is the Holy Spirit: 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,

We are sealed until the day the Lord Jesus returns to take us home: Eph_4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The Shulamite bride of King Solomon wanted such a seal on Solomon's heart so he could not give his heart to another.

She said to Solomon, "Place me as the seal as a signet ring upon thy heart".

Love is as strong as death.

She wishes to be united in the closest way with her lover and valued as his most precious possession.

She knows that jealousy is like the fires of hell, unquenchable.

She knows that no amount of water could put out such fervent love as she has for Solomon.

It is a fact that love is life itself.

We need the Lord Jesus Christ because we need His love and lest we forget, He is the Light of Life.

Jhn_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

Eph_3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Eph_3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

Amen

Agape Love

 Agape Love

 Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13

 

The word "Agape" is the Greek word for "love".

 Our lesson states that "if a church is having problems, love is always the fix".

 Our love for the Lord Jesus Christ will resolve any doctrinal issue within the Church.

 When we love the Lord Jesus, we will love each other, and Church problems will go away.

 There is no question, "what the world needs now is love, sweet love"!

This love must be according to the truth of God!

 What the Church needs is love, the love that Jesus Christ has shown to each of us and His expectation that we will follow in His ways.

 Throughout this passage, the word we see for love is "charity".

 In the Bible, the word "charity" is not used as we use it today for supporting a Christian cause; it is always used for "love".

There are a whole lot of charities out there today that do not support good causes, but they are allowed to exist.

 Let's compare the various types of love:

 1) There is "passionate love or eros love". This is the physical love between a man and a woman.

It can also describe the love we have for our nation or the ambition of those who are seeking power, wealth, or fame.

This type of love is never used in the New Testament.

 2) There is "affectionate love or storge love". This is the kind of love that exists between a parent and child and between a loyal citizen and a trustworthy ruler.

This type of love is also not used in the New Testament.

 3) There is "endearing love or philia love". This is the love that cherishes. This is the love of a husband and wife for each other, or a brother for a brother, or a sister for a sister, or a friend for their dearest friends.

It is a love that cherishes, that holds someone or something ever so dear to their heart.

 4) Then there is "selfless and sacrificial love or agape love.” Agape love is the love of the mind and loves a person even when they don't deserve it, even those who are unworthy to be loved, the love our Savior has for each of us. The love our Creator has for His creations.

 It is the love of God for the ungodly.

It is the love of God for the unworthy.

It is the love of God for His enemies.

It is the love of God for sinners.

 Selfless love, Agape love, is the greatest love in all of life and in all of Heaven!

 Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

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

 There is an absolute necessity for love in the Church!

 There is an absolute necessity for love in every child of God!

 The superior quality of life is love; it is not in any gift we possess.

The most excellent way to live and serve the Lord is to possess and share His love; it is not in gifts.

 Note: Paul did not say he spoke with all the languages of man, nor did he say he spoke the language of angels; he just said even if he did and did not have the love of God in him, he would be nothing more than a trumpet or a cymbal.

 Being able to have a conversation with anyone we meet and we do not show the love of God is meaningless.

 We all know that if a person with no musical talent, such as myself, were to use cymbals or any musical instrument, I would be making nothing but noise!

 There are Christians today who can speak in almost all languages of the world, but if they do not know how to show the love of God, then they are not good witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.

 When we do these things, without love, we become useless to the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Though someone becomes the best preacher in the world, if he does not have love, he is just someone who is making noise that the church can do without.

 *****1Co 13:2  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 

 Even if a preacher has the gift of speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they can predict and proclaim the truth of God's Word, but have no love, they are useless in the work that Jesus Christ has given to us to accomplish.

 He may possess the stature, the eloquence, and the descriptive language in the world, but if he does not have love, he is nothing, and his gift of preaching means nothing because if those he is preaching to cannot feel the love of God, then his preaching is nothing and he is nothing.

 There is a great danger of those who know so much about the Word of God that they make themselves superior to God's people, and God's people will be turned off by this speaker.

 It is possible to long for souls and preach the glories of Heaven and the tragedy of Hell with an attitude and a tone that no one sitting in the pews will ever want because there is no love in his words.

 There is such a gift of understanding "all mysteries and all knowledge" of all the things God has revealed and all that man has ever learned and discovered, yet without love, this knowledge is meaningless because there is always the danger of looking down on others.

 There is such a gift as the gift of faith, and it is a very special gift given by the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus said this faith could move mountains and do great things for God, but without love, he could do nothing to win those lost souls for Jesus Christ.

 Some of these men of God have an overblown sense of importance about themselves; they are not good witnesses for the Lord Jesus.

If we are trying to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ, then nothing can help us more than having love in our hearts for all people as He does and as He showed when He was upon this earth.

 *****1Co 13:3  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 

 When we give out of duty, God does not acknowledge that gift.

When we feel forced to give, it is meaningless.

When we give because we have it and the needy do not have it, it is meaningless.

When we give with a rebuke because those who receive are irresponsible, it means nothing.

When we give unsacrificially, it is meaningless.

 If we cannot express the love of God to those around us, then we are useless in the work the Lord has commanded us to do!

 1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 

 1Pe 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 

1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 Without love, I am of no benefit to my Heavenly Father, and He cannot use me!

 *****1Co 13:4  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 

1Co 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 

1Co 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 

1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

If we do not know it, then we must know it is love that builds the Church!

Any church that does not show love to anyone, and this means anyone, who enters the sanctuary of God will not gain any new members.

What is given to us in these Scriptures is not to be taken as a definition of charity.

What is given in these Scriptures is the behavior of each Christian as we live before others in the Church and before the world outside the Church.

Our love for the lost of this world must endure in these last days.

Our love for the lost of this world must endure the evils in it, as this world gets even worse than it is now.

There is nothing in this world that we should envy. Envy includes malice, grudge, jealousy, and an evil eye.

Love is patient with all people, but not patient with the circumstances of their sin!

Love does not seek revenge.

Love controls itself to win another person to Christ and to help them to live and serve.

Love is kind even when we do not want to be kind.

Love is not boastful.

Love is not full of pride, nor brag, nor seeking recognition.

Love does not think evil of anyone.

Love is not rude.

Love is not disgraceful.

Love is not selfish.

Love seeks to serve, does not seek to be served.

Love is not resentful.

Love suffers any evil that comes to it and then forgets that it happened.

Love will never rejoice in unrighteousness!

We should understand by now, in these last days, that we will only be fed with tragedy from the reports of the world, and many times with open lies, and they are intentional.

Love rejoices in the truth, and there is no greater truth than the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ!

Love endures with patience and dignity unless the well-being of our brothers and sisters requires us to stand against such things, and then we will stand on their behalf.

*****1Co 13:8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 

Love never fails because the Word of God is the truth, and truth cannot fail.

The prophecies of Muhammad will fail.

The prophecies of Zoroaster will fail.

The prophecies of Krishna will fail.

The prophecies of Confucius will fail.

The prophecies of Joseph Smith will fail.

The prophecies of Ron Hubbard will fail.

The prophecies of Nostradamus will fail.

The prophecies of these men will fail and then fade away!

The prophecies of the Lord Jesus will reign supreme because He cannot fail!

Love is perfect and complete, but as humans, we do not know what perfect means unless we know the sinless Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The "Day of Perfection" will come with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ!

On that day, only those who will be made perfect will stand and endure throughout eternity.

What is the one word that will describe Heaven? That word is charity, "love", "agape love"!

Love is far superior to any gift that the Holy Spirit may give to us in the Church Age because love rules every Age.

Far too many believers glory in earthly gifts and abilities instead of serving the Lord and ministering in love!

It is love that will bring a Christian to maturity of behavior, the love of Jesus Christ!

While upon this earth, all that we are and all that we possess, including our abilities, our knowledge, and our being, are all as a child.

While we are on this earth, we are immature and imperfect, no matter what area of life we are in at that time.

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. 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 

Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

*****1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

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

We can only be perfect on the Day we are Redeemed!

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

Luk_21:28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Love is being face-to-face with our Holy and Perfect God!

Love is when a Church can come together and truly be identified as the Body of Christ.

Eph_4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

It is only love that will bring us into a face-to-face relationship with Jehovah and a perfect knowledge of the truth!

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 

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

What are the three characteristics every Christian must have?

Faith, Hope, and Love are the sum of perfection on Earth!

We believe only in the things we love!

We hope only for those whom we love!

Love alone is the sum of perfection in Heaven!

We see that faith and hope cannot work without love!

The Holy Spirit is love, and He produces love in every child of God.

If God does not possess love, He could not produce love in each believer!

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

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

When we get to Heaven, the one thing we will all witness will be the perfect love of our Savior.

We witness the love of Christ in the Scriptures, but we just cannot wrap our minds around what it really means, but we will on that day we are made perfect!

Amen

The Return of Christ

 Confidence in the Coming of Jesus

Book of 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4

The Apostle Paul continues with these things of the coming of the Lord from Chapter three verse thirteen.

As Christians we must be encouraged to know that all saints who have gone before us are resting in the presence of the Lord and we are confident that we will see them again at the coming of the Lord.

There may be differences in the many denominations of Christianity, but the return of Jesus Christ is not one of them.

The return of our Lord Jesus is mentioned more than three hundred times in the New Testament.

There are entire chapters given to the discussion of the return of Christ.

In the Book of Matthew Chapters 13, 24 and 25.

In the Book of Mark Chapter 13

In the Book of Luke Chapter 21

In this Book of Thessalonians we are studying now, along with Book Two, the majority of these Scriptures deal with the return of the Lord.

Much of the Book of Revelation deals with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ taught us that His return would be a literal, physical event.

Jesus said He would return just as His disciples seen Him depart.

Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

Jesus Christ is returning to take those who love Him back home to His Father's house, which is now our home.

Our mortal bodies will be changed to glorified bodies just as His body.

1Jn_3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The truth is, we must always be prepared for the coming of our Lord as it could happen at any moment now.

We are approaching the end of the Church Age which means the destruction of this world is very near.

There will be a New Heaven and a New earth because it is sin that has marred both places, both caused by that person known as Satan who is soon to be bound in Hell which is the place God has designed for him.

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, "according to his promise", look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

*****1Th 4:1  Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

1Th 4:2  For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 

This is what the Church calls today, "The Believer's Walk".

Once we are saved, we are to walk to please God!

We are to live as God tells us how to live by keeping God's commandments.

We are to walk in the will of God for our lives.

We are to walk to please God.

We cannot please God without faith in the truth of His Words.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If we cannot believe God is who He says He is as described in the Word of God, then we cannot please Him.

If we cannot please Him then He cannot accept us!

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

1Th 4:4  That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 

1Th 4:5  Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 

Paul first mentions sanctification of the body.

What is sanctification? It is God's will that we give ourselves to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christianity is a walk with the Lord Jesus Christ!

To be a Christian is not an ornament that we wear, it is a life always progressing in the will of God for our lives.

The love of God is the mightiest power in the life of each Christian.

We know that God is holy and we must strive to be holy to be more like Him.

Sanctification means we are to resist the passion of lust.

Sanctification means that we know how to control our body.

When we begin to lust, then we will soon become enslaved to lust.

The passion of lust is the way of our world today.

This is why there is such a battle for abortion!

People cannot contain their lust so they need to be able to stop the consequences of that lust.

This is why there is such battle for LGBT movement because people cannot contain their lust.

This is not the way of God!

It is the lifestyle of those who do not know God!

Fornication is any sexual act outside the bonds of a marriage between one man and one woman!

1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 

1Pe 4:3  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 

Concupiscence is intense desire always in a bad sense, the passion for sexual lust.

*****1Th 4:6  That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 

1Th 4:7  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 

1Th 4:8  He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 

There are many reasons we are to live pure lives:

1) Immorality defrauds and cheats a brother or sister in Christ.

It either takes a wife from her husband or it takes a husband from his wife.

We know that most of the time that the trust and affection that were once in that marriage cannot be completely recovered.

That marriage and bond of trust is gone forever!

This same thing effects those who are unmarried when fornication takes place.

2) God shall revenge immorality.

Immorality is accepted and even encouraged in our society today.

How can we say it is encouraged? Look at television and films. Look at advertisements and promotions. Look at the way the world dresses. Listen to suggestive words and actions that are acceptable today.

God is going to judge immoral behavior and we have the example of Sodom and Gomorrah.

3) God did not call us to immorality, God called us to holiness!

God would never call a person to do such things. Immorality may be the greatest destructive force in our world today!

Immorality has destroyed the family model that makes societies prosper.

4) Immorality is a sin against God!

When God despises something, it means He rejects it.

The world says the commandments of God are old fashioned and unacceptable in an intellectual and enlightened society.

It is obvious that our societies have crumbled till they do not exist accept in the minds of the wicked.

The world may not be able to do anything to us if we break the commandments of God, but it is a fact unless we repent, we will receive the full vengeance of a Holy God!

Each true Christian is the home of the Holy Spirit and we must not defile the Holy Spirit, we must keep our bodies holy.

It must be our ambition to please God!

*****1Th 4:9  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 

1Th 4:10  And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

As we arise every morning the first thought we should have is to please God in our actions each day.

The word used for brotherly love in the Greek is "Philadelphia".

We now that there is a city in America named Philadelphia which was at one time known as the city of "brotherly love".

But brotherly love is the love that is required in the Church just as it is in our families.

Brotherly love is that love of Christians to Christians all around this world.

We cannot allow this world to divide us and it cannot if we all have that same message that comes by the Word of God.

There is only "One Word of God" and it is not to be altered!

Brotherly love is that love that shows this wicked world the love we have within the Church of the Living God!

This is a love that cannot fail because it is a love that should be growing within each of us!

This love “Philadelphia” comes from God to each Christian but our preachers still need to remind us of this love because we need each other to make it through this life we have now before we go home to be with the Lord.

Heaven will be a place of brotherly love.

It is not always easy to show brotherly love in this corrupt world we live in where love is interpreted as "lust".

As Christians we need that strong bond of brotherly love in order to stand against the temptations and our walk through the sufferings of this life.

The greatest threat to the Church is the internal strife that comes as we allow the world to come into the Church and dictate a false narrative.

The Church is sinking today because of worldly philosophies that cause confusion.

Our world is not billions of years old.

Humans have not evolved from monkeys or any other species.

Our climate has been changing from day one.

Why will all these great scientist not tell you that if all pollution is removed from our atmosphere, it will be so hot that we will not be able to live outdoors?

There is always a need to grow increasingly in the Lord and grow more and more in His love for us that we can show to each other.

This great church of the Thessalonians were noted for the love they showed throughout all of Macedonia.

*****1Th 4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 

1Th 4:12  That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

What is it to study to be quiet?

We are to put forth the effort to live quiet and peaceable lives.

At the same time, we inflict a real loss to society if we do not speak for the truth, but allow those to say too much who need to say very little or say nothing at all.

This is why there is so much filth in our world today because the Church has been too quiet.

The wicked voices of immorality are speaking the loudest today and they have bent the ears of our liberal government.

We must certainly put forth the effort to live quiet and peaceable lives, but there are times we must take a stand.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, "that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day", and having done all, "to stand".

It is our duty to mind our own business, but it is also our duty to take care of our families.

We are not to be busybodies nor meddle in the affairs of others nor try to change the direction of this world.

Our job remains to be witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ and take a stand on the truth of God.

If we do this, the Holy Spirit will certainly do what He came upon this earth to do.

If we cannot keep our own affairs straight, then how could we ever change the affairs of others.

We must avoid looking like we are everybody's judge!

If we commit our lives to the truth of the Word of God, we will not have time to meddle in the affairs of others.

We need to work with our own hands to supply the needs of our families so we do not become a burden to the Church.

Very few people have any respect for those who are able to work, but refuse to do so, insisting that someone else should be providing for them.

God has no patience for those who will not work!

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

2Th_3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

As Christians, we must set the example for working to provide our own needs being able then, to help others who are unable to provide for themselves, but not for those who have the ability to provide for themselves and refuse to do so.

We have far too many things to consider in our lives than to worry about our fellow brothers and sisters and family who have gone on before us.

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

Paul continues with the subject of the return of Jesus Christ.

The same Bible that tells us how to be saved, also teaches us how live throughout eternity with our Savior.

This same Bible that teaches us how we are to live in this life and be good Christians.

This is also the same Bible that tells us of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus will return to this earth to claim all believers to Himself!

Most of the world rejects that there will be an afterlife upon our death, but the world is wrong again.

At the moment of our death, our soul returns to be with our Savior.

2Co_5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

How do we know this? 

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 Lord Jesus has resurrection power!

When that soul gets to Heaven there will also be given a temporary body.

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

You cannot put a robe upon a soul or a spirit.

We should understand that every Christian alive, and all those who have already gone to Heaven, will gather together with the Lord Jesus when we meet Him in the clouds.

We must not be ignorant of the power of the resurrection of Christ!

The fact of the Lord's return should arouse concern in us for our family members who are not saved, some friends that are not saved, and for the lost in general.

There is absolutely no hope for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, but for the believer, our hope is in the Lord.

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

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

No doubt that everyone who goes down by the graveyard a loved one will grieve for them because someone we love is no longer with us.

Our grief will be easier to take, when we know that we will see them again and we will live together throughout eternity in a place where even paradise is not a good enough word to describe it.

All our brothers and sisters in Christ will return with Him when He returns.

This passage is proof that all departed believers are already with Jesus in Heaven.

We do not have to wonder where they are!

To be asleep in Jesus, is not some semi-conscious state or some form of deep sleep as some believe.

Sleep is only a soft word used by believers to describe our departure from this world.

It could be said that while we are asleep in Jesus, then we are no longer suffering from the persecutions of this world.

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? 

If we have trusted the Lord in our life time, we can certainly trust in the Lord when we leave this world behind!

We can never die because our Lord Jesus has already died in our place!

This is one of the reasons that there had to be cross in the life of Our Savior.

The body of each believer will first be raised before those who are alive and remain are called to meet the Lord in the air.

1Co 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 

1Co 15:4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

How can we have doubt in the return of Jesus Christ, when He has said so many times that He will certainly return to take us all home to be with Him in the New Heaven.

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

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

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

When we deny the return of Jesus Christ we are calling Him a liar.

The Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory will descend from Heaven in that same glorified human body that He ascended back to Heaven.

Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

The Lord Jesus is not returning as a lowly shepherd, but in the Majesty and in Divine power that He alone possesses.

We need only remember that day when our Lord called Lazarus from his tomb.

Joh_11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

When the Lord shouts this time, He will just shout come forth "My" people.

Or if we remember the Hebrew weddings in that day and the parable of the ten virgins. "Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 

We can be sure that every child of God will hear this shout even those in the grave.

There will be no unbeliever who will be resurrected at this time for that resurrection occurs on the day of "judgment".

This is what we know of as the White Throne Judgment.

Even the remnants of that believer that has been in the grave for many years will be reunited with that part that has been in Heaven for many years.

1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Every believer will hear the shout of our Lord because He is the Captain of our salvation!

Those believers who are alive at the moment of His arrival will then be changed.

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

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

If we are to live with God in His realm, then we must have a body fashioned after His body as no flesh can live in the New Heaven.

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

That phrase "caught up together" gives us the meaning of the Rapture.

That word "caught" implies, "seized, snatched up by an irresistible force" to be with our Savior amid the clouds such as happened on the day of the transfiguration of our Lord.

Mat 17:5  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 

So shall we ever be with the Lord!

It is on this wonderful day that we will finally reach perfection!

We will meet all the saints of God who had gone on before us.

We will be reunited with our loved ones and friends who have gone before us.

We will see the Lord Jesus face to face.

We will meet the God of all creation who had this masterful plan of our salvation.

Joh 8:51  Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 

We will never see death because the Lord Jesus Himself died in our place.

Amen