Search This Blog

Showing posts with label The joy of the Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The joy of the Lord. Show all posts

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Jesus the Messiah the Foundation of the Early Church

Laying the Foundation for Joy

1 Peter Chapter 1:1-12


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who was Peter writing to?

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

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

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

Peter had three names used by the Lord.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Father God calls each of these His Jewels!

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

How do we know we are the elect?

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

We have been washed in the blood of Jesus!

Election is the source of salvation!

Again election is being called of God,

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

Being filled with the Holy Spirit!

Having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

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

God's Riches At Christ's Expense

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

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

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

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

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

Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God is determined to see these things through till completion!

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

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

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

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

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

1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Again we see that word "love".

Remember what is God's purpose?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You see God wants the very best for us!

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

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

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

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

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

We must only believe!

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

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

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

We should say Lord because He is our Lord!

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

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

How are we blessed of God?

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

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

Eternal life exists nowhere else certainly not on this world!

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

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

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

All we see in this world is destruction and death.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2Co 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
2Co 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter is writing to all believers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Heaven and the things of Heaven are eternal!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joh 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Resting at the end of our faith is our salvation!

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

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

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

They do not understand a personal relationship with God.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Jews had missed this Prophecy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As Christians we are no longer in bondage to this world

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

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

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

It takes a fool to reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

Sunday, September 17, 2017

The Mind of Christ

Joy in Having the Mind of Christ


Book of Philippians 2:1-13




We must understand that before we met the Lord Jesus Christ our minds were depraved.


Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;


Our minds were blinded by the lies of Satan.


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


Our minds were dark and actually worthless and ignorant.


Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:


Finding the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ has changed these things for each and every believer!


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.


It is this change that allows us to know the truth of God and show Him the love that He deserves from us!


It is this change that allows us to love ourselves and show that love to others!


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.


There is truly a great love within the renewed mind of the Christian!


*****Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.


Unity is the state of being one!


The modern-day Church is stumbling along like a feeble old man because the Church has forgotten why the Lord Jesus Christ established the Church!


The Lord Jesus Christ has removed the penalty of sin from all believers and many act like they can now do as they please making them no different from this world who live by doing what they please!


What is wrong with our world today, especially that young generation who are misled by fools?


Pro_30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.


We live in that generation today!


God is not pleased with this generation at all!


Isa_5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!


These are hard things to say but the truth can be harsh to those who can see no further than their own nose and who listen to those who are trying to make them irrelevant to society and pretty much have done this now!


Whenever young minds are corrupted, there will be a corresponding outward show of corruption and this is a fact!


We cannot judge the evilness of those who are lost but when it reflects in the Church we can certainly see the outcome!


A nation divided will cause the church to be divided, when it is the job of the Church to cause unity!


If we truly love Christ, if are comforted by His love, if we have fellowship in the Holy Spirit, and love abounds, then why do we allow this world to divide our congregations? There is too much of the world getting inside the Church!


The strength of the Church is in unity! We are not to condone those who are unruly!
We are to warn them and then cast them out if they cannot change their ways! We are never to accept their doctrine!


1Th_5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, "warn them that are unruly", comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.


1Co_5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.


The dividing of the Church must cease!


The church does not exist to impress the world!
The church exists to lead lost souls to Christ Jesus and be a force of good to hold back the evil of this world!


We fulfill the will of the Lord God Jehovah, when we are likeminded toward the truth of God and not the false lies of this world.


This Philippian church was a strong church. A strong church has a vision to carry forth the Gospel.


There should never be a vision of adapting to this world!


The Lord Jesus Christ never condemned anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ truly pointed out the only way to get to Heaven!


Everyone can live as they wish but they must understand there are consequences for doing so!


It is the fool who expects God to bend His own rules to accommodate those who go their own way ignoring the truth of God!


God has never allowed sin to remain in His house. God has never changed the rules to be there!


Jesus Christ wants no murmuring, no grumbling, no disturbance and no disunity in the church that bears His name.


All other places of so-called worship, are just gatherings of people who do as they wish and give the title "church" a bad name!


We can grow close together only when we let the comfort of Jesus Christ dwell within us! The comforter is the Holy Spirit, not some imaginary world view!


Rom_8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.


How did the church begin? The church separated itself from the world!


Act 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Act 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.


Today the church has allowed the world to enter into the church and so goes the power of the church! Weak, and feeble, and for the most part irrelevant in today's world!


The Church can only be strong when we are all in unity but that unity must be in the unchangeable Word of God.


Unity can only begin when we are in harmony with God! (this unity comes only by Jesus Christ)


Anything else will cause strife in the church!


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


Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. It is only by Jesus Christ we can be at harmony with God!
Those that say differently have rejected the Word of God or rewritten the Word of God to suit themselves!
When the words of Jesus have been rejected then that group is no longer a church!


If we see that anything is causing strife in the church, then we must get rid of it at all cost! The church must remain in unity!


We of the church must do nothing that will cause contention! When we see contention, we must stop it or remove it, even if it means removing that person or persons!


If we see those who seek their own vain glory then we need to remove that person.
Jesus Christ is the God of the Church and there is no glory beyond the "Glory of God", all else is certainly vain!


We attend church first to praise God and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth!
The Lord does not share His glory in the worship service, He only allows us to witness it!


We all know our own evil so it only makes sense to esteem all others better than we are!


Lowliness of mind is the freedom from "pride"!


Those so full of pride are not seeking God at all, they are seeking acceptance of their own evil!


Psa_10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.


Psa_59:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.


Today we have the gay community seeking vainglory for themselves in the church and they have no intention of being obedient to the Word of God. There plan to deny being "Born Again" making the new birth irrelevant!


Vain glory is the exact opposite of the "Love of God"!


Many so-called churches have forgotten these things. They have rejected Jesus Christ. They have rejected the Word of God. They have rejected the only way to Heaven and they are leading their congregation to the doorway of Hell and they will shove them through that door, laughing all the way. (Which is Satan's intent)


2Co 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.


The Lord has saved us as servants not His servants but servants to each other!


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


We that know the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way, are only a cog in the wheel of the "Gospel" and in the ministry of Jesus Christ.


Those lost souls are too valuable to God for anyone to concentrate on their own selves.


Every believer is needed, which means that the main requirement is to be a "believer" in all the Word of God!


To be a believer means we must give the credit of our salvation to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!


If we cannot submit ourselves to the Lord and walk in humility and lowliness, we will be of no use to the Lord!


The Lord does not teach us to seek anything from this world. We are to seek rest for our souls!


Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.


That yoke of the Lord, is the Word of God and the work that Christ has given us to do!


It is a fact that self-centeredness weakens relationships and also achievements. Humility requires courage to overcome our self-centeredness!


We must forget ourselves and look toward Jesus!


Heb_12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.


The church is faltering because our minds are on satisfying the world and not satisfying the Lord!


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


Why do we falter and fail every day? We do not allow the example that Christ set upon this earth to be our example in the building up of the Church!


We simply cannot separate the mysteries of the Lord's Person and His work from the greatness of His example for us to follow!


Jesus Christ was the very picture of humility.


The world may still try to reject it, but God humbled Himself and became a man just so He could be the substitute for our death!


Jesus Christ died for each and every sinner.


2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.


1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:


This is not the action God requires of each of us but it is the "mind". In a sense, the mind is the "spiritual part of man's nature".


The mind that cannot see the works of Christ for salvation, will never be at rest.


Isa_26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.


Rom_8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.


You see it was in the mind of God who designed His salvation plan. He placed this plan in the mind if Jesus, who has placed this plan in the mind of each believer!


God did not place this plan "among us", He placed this plan "within us" when He seals each believer with 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,


Those that reject any part of the plan of God, or His Son cannot have the mind of Christ!


Rom 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.


The "mind" of Christ is centered on the "will" of God and the fulfillment of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation!


All the Scriptures were written for and about the Lord Jesus Christ!


Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Psa 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psa 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.


We must accept what God is saying here to have any part of the Church and why not, the truth will always be the truth!


*****Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.


We should settle this one thing in our mind! Jesus Christ was not a Theophany such described as in the Old Testament!


A Theophany is a visible manifestation of God or the visible manifestation of Second person of the Holy Trinity who appears in human form.


1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.


God only truly revealed Himself in Christ Jesus!


Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.


When it came to the New Covenant, God exercised His divine attributes of the Father, The Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)!


1) God has revealed Himself through the Scriptures:


Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.


2) God has revealed Himself through and by, the Lord Jesus Christ!


The Son of God is truly the visible form of God!


He is as glorious as His Father.
He is equal to His Father in every way.
He is the Creator.
He is the upholder of the universe.


Being equal with God did not hinder Christ setting aside His power, His majesty, His praise, His accomplishments but not His divine nature, not His divine person, not His purity, nor His holiness.


In turn, the Lord Jesus Christ has introduced all the world to our Heavenly Father, our Abba Father


Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.


This Scripture is not about the "Glory" of God!
This Scripture is about the humbleness of our God!
It brought no shame to our God to set some things aside and come to us to be our substitute in the payment of our own sin debt.


This is the thought behind these Scriptures!


Jesus Christ is the very nature of God!


He was not like God, He is God!
He did not just achieve righteousness, He is the embodiment of righteousness!
He did not just walk more perfect than any man, He is the picture of perfection!
He did not just become God when He was on this earth, He has been God throughout all eternity and He will continue to always be God!


As these Scriptures teach us humility, God set aside His sovereign state and His praise to live amongst His enemies!


We have no means to measure just what God gave up to live as a human but when we read the things that happened to Him in His "passion", where He was beat on, whipped, spat on, the crown of thorns, the plucking of the beard, the nails, the cross, it puts things in perspective.


God cannot cease to be who He is, so to be so humble to these things shows more power that we can ever know or realize!


God the Son became a man, without ceasing to be God!


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.


What was the great mystery of the Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament?


1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.


There are no more mysteries of Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father and the salvation plan of God!


There are no more mysteries in all the Scriptures! We have the complete package and the complete truth!


God's humility did not stop at being a man, God humbled Himself all the way to the cross!


Heb_12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.


To say the God humbled Himself to endure the cross is a giant statement.
To say that God despised the shame of the cross is even a greater statement showing His great love for us all!


We can only ask ourselves, why are we so special to our Father in Heaven!


The Lord Jesus Christ, the manifestation of God in the flesh, willing gave His life so that we can live eternally with Him in the New Heaven.


Jesus Christ humbled Himself to be a servant to mankind and suffered the ultimate degree of humiliation!


It was not just a man that was hung of that cross, "it was ugly nasty sin"!
With outstretched arms Jesus Christ gathered all the sin of the world, from the past and from the future, my sin and your sin and took it to Hell where it belongs and left it there to rot!


So we can only be a Christian when we allow the humility of Jesus flow in and through us!


This is the "Mind of Christ" (the humbleness of Christ), that we must possess as we serve our brothers and sisters and reach out to the lost of this world.


***All those that reject the Lord Jesus and this truth will see the wrath of God because they have rejected the humility of God!


Why is Christ so exalted in this world and yet so hated by those who reject Him?


*****Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Because the Lord Jesus Christ volunteered for this humiliation and because He was in total obedience to His Father in Heaven, He has been exalted above any human upon this earth now, has ever been and will ever be!


God emptied Himself of His glory to gain even more glory so He could come with comfort to a world full of suffering!


God emptied Himself of divine dignity and this points to our duty to overcome our pride and give in to humility.


Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.


BUT, as the Father cannot be without the Son, the Son cannot be without the Father. (Son of God and Son of Man)


The name Jesus means "Savior"!


We need to be saved from sin's penalty.(the wages of sin are death, eternal separation from our Creator)
We need to be saved from sin's guilt. (in the conscience, the threat of punishment can be worse than the punishment)
We need to be saved from sin' power. (Cleansed from the past and protected from the future!)


Jesus Christ came to save!


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


To we as Christians, Christ Jesus is loved and reverenced.
To much of this world, Christ Jesus is admired and wondered at.
To most of this world, Christ Jesus is despised and hated.


In the end, every knee will bow just at the name of Jesus, which will still be "Savior"!


1) All the things in Heaven! Everything in Heaven know that Jesus is the Messiah, God in the flesh.
2) All the things in Earth! When the Lord returns everyone on earth will know that Jesus is the Messiah, God in the flesh.
3) All the things under the earth! Everyone in Hell now know the Jesus is the Messiah, God in the flesh.


I do not believe anyone is left out here.


When the name "Savior" is mentioned the entire world knows who this refers to!


When the phrase "The Book" is mentioned around this world everyone knows what this refers to!


Here the Unitarian Church are in error.
Here the Catholic Church are in error with the Virgin Mary who was the chosen vessel of God but still not Divine as the Son.


The greatness of the name of Jesus is that He stands alone in the salvation plan of God!


There is not a human being, including Mary the mother of Christ, that is not in need of our Saviors work!


There is still coming the day when all the world, all denominations, and all false religion, will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Jesus Christ is God in His fleshy state! Jesus Christ is the meaning of Light, Life, and Love above all humans and above all angels!


For all the doubters of that day, Jesus Christ rose from the dead to prove He was God!
For all believers witnessed the fact that the Lord ascended back to Heaven where the Savior has become the Intercessor for those who love Him.
For all those who trust in the promises of God are now filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ sent from above.


It is Jesus Himself that teaches us not to be troubled about any of these things because they are all true, Jesus Christ is God!


Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.


We are not to be ashamed of the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ!
We are not to fear what this world can do to us; this world cannot take away our salvation!


And Paul adds even more assurance.


*****Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.


To work out our own salvation means to work until the finish, to work until completion, to work until perfection.


There is no half-way plan of salvation, we must be personally active, remembering this activity is centered on our own salvation!


We cannot take bits and pieces from the Word of God we must accept the whole counsel of God!


We must do the work of God when we are with other Christians but we must also do the same when we are out on our own!


We are never to quit being a Christian in any given situation!


Salvation is the free, "yes I said the FREE" gift of God but a gift must be accepted to be gift!


We have a Savior who is self-existing and it is impossible for Him to come under the control of anything foreign to His existence!


When accept the "free gift of salvation" from our Living God it becomes our own salvation plan! No one else can work out our plan for us but us!


Once God has saved us, we must first get busy obeying God! (This does not mean works after salvation to keep salvation)(This simply means we must get busy obeying the Word of God!)


This is not works. Works are never involved in the salvation plan of God, we cannot do enough work to be saved and there is no work required after salvation.


Obedience will come because of love and a desire to be like our Savior!


We will remain in this sinful flesh but we are to have new goals and a new purpose and always be in pursuit of the "will of God"!


God does not interfere with the freedom He has given to us! We will always have that freedom of choice!
God does give us example after example of people who have made the wrong choice and suffered the consequences of those choices.


God gives us the standard of Jesus Christ as our mark of excellence to reach for!


We must still understand that even the Christian life will not be a bed of roses but Christian life can still be beautiful and fulfilling and only in the Christian life can we be at peace with God!


We should understand that our flesh is weak but our strength will remain in the Lord.


Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.


It is God alone who goes with us through this Christian life.
It is God alone who works out things for His own good pleasure!


God will never supersede our thoughts but God will always encourage our own efforts.


It is our duty to work out our own salvation. It is God's duty to see that we get all the help we need!


We certainly need to maintain a certain fear and reverence of the Lord but it will be the trials and temptations of this life that we be our greatest fears!


When we reject the help of the Lord, we will make things hard on our own selves and then hard on those who are around us.


Without the Holy Spirit, these things could cripple our testimony and cause us to be an unreliable witness for the Lord!


Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.


Understanding these things will bring God's peace to us!


Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Joh 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Joh 14:29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.


When we feel the Holy Spirit, we need to go with Him at all times!


When we do not feel the presence of the Holy Spirit we need to pray for forgiveness!


Amen