Hearing What God Has To Say

Hear The Word Of The Lord.

Psalms 19:1-14

We first learned that we must "trust" in the Lord.

Without "faith" it is impossible to please the Lord!

Last week we learned that we must "cry out" to the Lord.

Without "prayer" we cannot obtain deliverance by the Lord!

This week our theme is we must"hear" what God has to say to us.

We can never understand the foundations of our "faith" if we do not do these things.

What are the two sources of the truth of Jehovah the Living God.

1) God's creation, the physical world we live in.

2) God's, Holy Ghost Inspired Word, the Scriptures which also contain the way of eternal life in our new home.

God says:

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20  "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made", even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

There will be no excuses acceptable when we come face to face with the true and Living God!

*****Psa 19:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Hear again we see another Psalm of David.

This is the Psalm of the two books given to us from God.

There is the Book of Nature, God's created world, and there is the Book of Scriptures, the written Word of Truth.

The Book of Nature is not silent and speaks in every language known to man.

David spent many a day in the outdoors under the day time sky and under the night time sky.

Before David lived the life of a soldier, he was first a shepherd.

David realized the the heavens certainly do declare the glory of God.

And just as our Sun is never seen without it's brightness, Our Father in Heaven is never seen without His Son!

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The world we live in may cling to the theory of evolution but it is a fact that the heavens declare the glory of God.

God spoke the heavens into existence.

Gen 1:14  And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Gen 1:15  And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

There were signs established in the night time skies.

Job 38:31  Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
Job 38:32  Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
Job 38:33  Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

There are also the phases of the Moon, the ever circling Comets, the glorious movement of Space itself.

Nature tells us that there is a God!

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Nature tells us that this God is a glorious God.

Nature tells us that this God is full of knowledge and power.

But Nature also tells us of the mercy of God, God's Grace!

Notice David wrote "the heavens". David was not just teaching us about the celestial bodies but also the air, the clouds, the rain, the wind, everything above the ground which all display the infinite power and wisdom of our Creator.

The word firmament is all the expanse of God's creation that is above us.

God tells us that all these things we see in Nature should be speaking to us all the things that we cannot see, that there is a God!

Isa 40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

*****Psa 19:2  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
Psa 19:3  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Day after day the Sun rises just as the Lord has directed. Night after night we can see the wonders in the expanse of the night sky just as the Lord has directed.

There are no words that can explain the Lord's creation, it speaks for itself.

What we see with our eyes is the great design of our Creator!

The existence of a creation implies the existence of a Creator!

The nature of our creation implies that our Creator was wise enough to plan it, powerful enough to make it happen and sincere enough to maintain it according to His own plans.

Many worry today with all the talk of "global warming" and the many other things that the evolutionists come up with but we have these assurances from God.

What did God tell Noah would happen after the flood?

Gen 8:22  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night "shall not cease".

We know that this promise will hold to be true until the "day of the Lord", which will be the day the Lord will return to judge this world.

2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

It is our same Creator that makes this promise and the Lord will never break His promises.

Deu 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Deu 7:10  And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

This day of the Lord's judgment will not seem as an accident to anyone, they will know it comes from the Lord because they will see Him face to face.

Just as our Creator promises to maintain His creation until the day of judgment, He also promises to repay those that have ignored what His creation teaches and what His written Word teaches.

The Lord will not be slack in His promises!

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

There is no place on Earth where God's silent voice of creation cannot be heard with our eyes and our hearts!

The truth of God is plainly seen in His creation!

The theory of evolution is just that "a theory" punched full of lies!

Much of the world does not know the name of this wonderful Creator and that is the job God has given us to do once He saves us!

*****Psa 19:4  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

That "line" refers to God's entire physical creation, everything in space and time.

Time is a measurement of change that takes place in what we call space.

While we have the ability to control our experience of the first three dimensions (height, width and depth), we do not seem to have the ability to navigate, manipulate or control our experience of time.

It is God that controls all these things!

These are the words that God's creation should be speaking to us!

It is our Lord that is in control of His own creation!

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The glory of God's creation is the standard by which all mankind is measured!

The Heavens declare the glory of God and by this measurement we all come up short!

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

In the midst of the night time sky, the Sun hides until it will marches out at daybreak.

*****Psa 19:5  Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

To us it is the Sun that is the most glorious heavenly body because without the Sun there would be no life on Earth.

The glory of the Sun is seen in it's rays of light.

The strength of the Sun is is felt in it's warmth and reliability 365 days each year and every year for a little more than 6000 years.

The Sun is our source of light, which is the the source of life, and the source of fruitfulness and the prominent witness of life in God's creation.

In this sense the Sun is a type of Christ who is the true light!

Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

The Lord Jesus is that "Bridegroom" who will be coming forth one day soon to claim His bride.

Because The Lord is truly the Son of Righteousness!

Heb 1:8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

*****Psa 19:6  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

To understand Christ as the "Sun of righteousness", we must consider the three main qualities of the sun.

Which
 are light, warmth and gravitation.

From these things we get the Laws of Thermodynamics which states that energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

The total amount of energy and matter in the universe remains constant, merely changing from one form to another.

It has been established scientifically that the sun's gravitation holds the planets in their paths.

This is the force that holds the universe together. If gravitation could be turned off, the universe would come apart.

The righteousness of Christ is the gravitation that draws the spiritual universe together.

Many who reject the truth of the Bible use this verse as one of their proofs. They say the Sun cannot rotate around the Earth which is true.

BUT, Since all motion is relative motion, no one knows where the center of our universe is located nor can they.

We do know that our planetary system does truly revolve around our Sun and our own solar system is constantly in motion around the Milky Way which itself is in motion with respect to other galaxies.

The most scientific way to deal with motion is to assume a spot that is motionless!

We live on the only place, Earth, that can be treated as a reference point.

All surveyors, all navigators, and most astronomers use Earth as a reference point and this is what David did as he was influenced by the Holy Spirit!

All of us know the beauty of the Sunset but truly the most impressive is the Sunrise.

The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West and it has been like this since God first place the Sun in orbit.

Just as the Sun is the light of our world and brings light and heat.

Just as the Sun is the source of gravity that keeps our solar system in place.

So is the Lord Jesus Christ!

What the Sun is to our Earth, The Son of God is as the light of our world.

The Bible states that there is an actual circuit in the heavens for the entire Solar System.

Job 22:14  Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and "he walketh in the circuit of heaven".

And it is the Sun that provides the energy for the things on this Earth.

The first law of thermodynamics teaches us that since the time of Creation the energy that was first created, remains constant, it just changes from one form to another.

The second law of thermodynamics teaches us if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state.

When energy changes from one form to another the energy at the source will depreciate.

In other words when you run out of gas your car will not move until you get more gas but that energy from that gas just changed to another form as it powered your engine.

David also wrote that there is nothing that can be hidden from the heat of the Sun because the Sun is the source for all energy on our planet!

And therefore there is nothing that can be hidden from God who is the source of all things!

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

Since we know that God's creation is an open book for the world to read let's now see the written Word of God.

*****Psa 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psa 19:8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psa 19:9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
The physical world gives a mighty testimony to the existence of God and His power in creation but only His written Word can give testimony to the power of God in salvation!

God's Word is perfect! God's Word can convert the soul because it contains the saving truth!

At least 3800 times the Bible says "God said" or "thus saith the Lord".

If the Word of God was not inspired it would have disappeared long ago.

If it's God's Word then it must be perfect because God is perfect!

The Scriptures are God's witness to us of who He is, what He has said, what He has already done and what He will do!

It is God's Word that will make us wise unto salvation and our salvation can only come through Jesus Christ.

Paul told a young Timothy:

2Ti 3:15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, "which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus".

It is also the Word of God that teaches us the principles of successful living!

Pro 8:33  Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

Once we have felt the power of the Lord's truth, we should demand the truth in our own lives!

The Word of God is the right medicine for the lost soul!

The Word of God is the right counselor for the best advice!

Once our soul has been converted God can then make us wise and this wisdom will cause us to rejoice.

**There are no errors in the Word of God!

Once our eyes are open to the truth we will see how truly foolish is the wisdom of this world.

**The fear of the Lord is clean.

We will never decay or deteriorate if we walk in the fear of the Lord. We have an eternal salvation!

We are made white by the "Blood of the Lamb"!

And no one need to explain the judgment of God, He explains that fully Himself.

God is just as righteous in His judgment as He is in His salvation!

Once we are saved God has sealed us with His Spirit and if we walk in His Spirit, we will live and learn the truth.

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.

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.
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

When we have seen God in His creation, we should desire God's plan in His Written Word.

*****Psa 19:10  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

The way we treat the Bible also reflects the way we treat the Lord!

Wealth can be described as prosperity and external happiness but only by obeying the Word of God can true wealth be obtained!

There is a feeling of wealth when you have more than that person beside you but there will always be some one  who has more than you do so your own feeling will fade.

Gold is the richest and most valuable of most all metals but Bible truth is truly the most valuable commodity on this Earth!

Many people base their wealth on the amount of Gold that they own but true wealth is found in the Word of God.

The entire Word of God is Holy Ghost inspired so Spiritual treasure is much more noble than any mere material wealth.

Men may speak of solid gold but nothing is more solid than the truth of God's Word!

How can we obtain true wealth?

Deu 8:18  But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: "for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth", that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

It is God who gives humans the power and the ability to obtain wealth.

But where great pleasure is great instruction has been and that can only come from God's Word.

Honey directly from the honeycomb has a sweetness that cannot be found in refined honey.

The Word of God is the purest of all words and and the sweetest of all words because they come directly from the Lord.

Gold must be refined, Honey must be processed but the Word of God does not need need man for either of these things!

To have an appetite for the Word of God is the sign of a healthy Christian.

But God's Word has many more benefits than these.

*****Psa 19:11  Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Do we accept the warnings that are in the Word of God?

We should remember our study of the Book of James.

Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, "to him it is sin".

It is sin not to accept the warnings that God gives us!

The Bible warns us of our duties.

The Bible warns us of our danger.

Then Bible warns us to accept God's remedy for all these things.

If we walk in the Spirit, we will live and learn from God's truth and there will be rewards not only in Heaven but also while we remain here on this Earth.

Notice that there is no debt that can come from obeying the Word of God, there are only rewards.

Pro 13:13  Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Those that despise the Word of God will bring ruin upon themselves!

We should never forget these words:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

**To deny the Word of God is to deny God!

**To obey the Word of God brings a guaranteed reward!

Pro 11:18  The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a "sure" reward.

That word "sure" means a reward is certain, that reward is guaranteed!

It is the Word of God that points out the sin in our lives.

*****Psa 19:12  Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

How can we be so foolish to not realize our sins and confess them?

No one can be so blind to themselves without sooner or later having to pay a serious penalty for such blindness!

It is a fact that society has become so tolerant of sin that all those in the world just look the other way!

It is also a fact that those that sit in the judges seat are so full of sin themselves that they cannot properly judge and sentence those that come before them!

Sin creates a false standard by which we judge ourselves!

Why is the Word of God so rejected?

Because the more we know of God the more we will realize the wickedness of sin.

But even still there is only one sin that cannot be forgiven and that is the sin of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ!

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;

For us to understand our errors we must first know the Lord who only can forgive us our sin!

Only the One we sin against has the power to forgive us our sin!

And we must not be fooled there are no sins that can be hidden from the eyes of God.

And every sin will be judged by the standards of Jesus Christ and according to His "Gospel".

Rom 2:16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

*****Psa 19:13  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Presumptuous means we know we live in the time of God's "Grace" and we believe that we can go ahead with our sin believing that we can go to God afterwards for forgiveness.

This means we are arrogant enough to test God and this is a most terrible sin!

Paul wrote:

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

God forbids presumptuous sin!

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Rebellion was and is Israel's greatest sin for they know the commandments of God and still reject the prophecies that lead to Jesus Christ!

God provided a means of atonement for every sin under the Jewish law but one:

Num 15:29  Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
Num 15:30  But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; "and that soul shall be cut off from among his people".
Num 15:31  Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

Israel will learn this lesson during the 7 years of tribulation.

It is only then that those who repent will be innocent from that great transgression.

Those that presume such things in the time of "Grace" need to question their salvation and repent today.

Repenting is not just feeling sorrow and regret. True repenting is a complete change of mind and a change of ways!

Mat 21:28  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
Mat 21:29  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

Notice it was the one son who completely changed his mind and his direction that was said he repented.

Understanding the Word of God will lead us to our Redeemer.

*****Psa 19:14  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

The words of our mouth are mockery unless we have Holy Ghost conviction in our hearts!

But even then our prayer must be accepted!

That prayer can only be accepted when we are certain that the One we are praying to has the strength and power to answer than prayer and is truly our Redeemer!

To be redeemed is to be bought with a price!

We have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Every redeemed child of God is very special to Him!

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

We need to hear what God's creation says but more important we need to hear what God wrote down for us!

If you are not peculiar by the worlds standards then you need to go back to the altar of God and repent!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Cry Out To The Lord

Cry To The Lord

Psalms 18

We should never forget that even the Psalms are the inspired Word of God.

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.

So not only is this the praise of David but this Psalm should also be the praise of each of us that know the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior.

We know from our past studies that David was a sinner but he had a very personal relationship with the Lord just as we are to have.

We will never improve our walk with the Lord unless we get as close to Him as we possibly can!

God wants us to get close to Him!

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.

How do we get closer to God?

First and foremost when God calls us by the Holy Ghost we must return God's call!

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

Then we must do these other things:

**Then we must present ourselves in His house.
Those that say they do not have to go to church are not in agreement with the Word of God.

**Then we must walk in His ways.
Those that have one foot in the world and one foot in the church are wasting God's time.

**Then we must obey His commands.
Those that think the Bible is a book of suggestions are in the wrong.

**Then we must humble ourselves in prayer.
Those that do not stay in daily contact with Our Father, through Jesus Christ, will have no power at all.

**Then we must exercise our faith toward Him!
Without faith we cannot please God.

BUT, we should never have the feeling that we must draw nigh to God before He will draw nigh to us because it is God that made the first move.

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and "hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us";

If we say when did God do this thing?

Mar 15:37  And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
Mar 15:38  And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

God sent His only begotten Son to pay our sin debt with His own death and this one thing opened the doorway to the throne room of God in Heaven.

David had found an even closer personal relationship with the Lord in his later days.

We need to begin our own personal relationship with God as soon as He calls!

Let's begin:

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul:

*****18:1 And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

And David said: "I love thee, O Lord".

We must realize that human love is preceded and generated by the love of God!

God did not wait for us to make some feeble attempt to clean ourselves up before He decided to love us!

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  "Even when we were dead in sins", hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

God's love is shown fully by His mercy and His amazing grace!

We should begin each day by saying "I love you Lord" because we would have no strength to begin our day without Him!

How should we express our love for God?

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

This is a commandment and not a suggestion!

How does the Lord defend us in all our troubles in order to fulfill the purpose He has for each of us?

*****Psa 18:2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

In last weeks lesson we learn what the title LORD means.

These things are written about Jehovah, the self-existing, Eternal Living God!

**The Lord is our rock. It is the Lord who is my hiding place. The Lord is my cleft in the rock.

What did God tell Moses?

Exo 33:21  And the LORD said, Behold, "there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock":

And who is this Rock?

Dan 2:34  Thou sawest till "that a stone was cut out without hands", which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

This the same rock on which the Bride of Christ is founded.

Psa 118:22  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, "Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone";

Jesus Christ is our hiding place, our cleft in the rock.

**The Lord is our fortress. The Lord is our place of safety.

Pro 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

**The Lord is our deliverer. The Lord will deliver us our of all affliction, from all temptations, out of the hands of all our enemies, but more important the Lord will deliver us from a body of sin, eternal death, and His wrath that is soon coming.

It is the Lord who rescues our soul!

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.

**The Lord is our strength.

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

**The Lord is our God. The Lord is all good things in One God!

God says that every Atheist is a fool.

Psa 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The Atheist is a fool by his nature and having denied God he also becomes a fool in practice.

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

**The Lord is my buckler. A buckler is a portable shield.

Psa 91:4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

**The Lord is the horn of our salvation.

Luk 1:69  And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

This "horn of salvation" is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

**The Lord is our high tower. It is the Lord who can place us so far out of reach that no evil can touch us. He will do this on the day of the Rapture of the Church.

Rev 21:10  And "he carried me away in the spirit" to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

But the Lord can be none of these things unless we do the first thing ourselves.

*****Psa 18:3  I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

To call is to cry for help. To call is to pray and to pray is to be in conversation with God. To be in conversation with the Lord is to believe that He has the answers we need and that first prayer should be about salvation.

Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Why, because it is the Lord who is worthy of our praise.

Rev 5:12  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

How did our Lord suffer just to become worthy?

*****Psa 18:5  The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
Psa 18:6  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

We know that David suffered greatly at the hands of Saul but these things are about Our Lord.

What were these sorrows that encompassed our Savior?

Eph 4:9  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

The Bible says that Our Savior tasted death for every believer.

Heb 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; "that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man".

We know that the Lord Jesus suffered the death of His flesh.

But the Lord Jesus also suffered the (spiritual) death of His soul because for a very brief moment He was forsaken by the Father because he bore all our sin.

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

Mat 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth

Just as Our Savior had victory over sin in the flesh.

He also had victory over death because after 3 days he arose.

Act 2:27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

This was the reason our Messiah had to die. It was our sin that Our Savior bore on the cross that day!

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, "nailing it to his cross";
Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

This was the reason God came down from Heaven, to take the sting of death away!

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. "For this purpose" the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

It was our Savior who saw the sorrows of Hell for us. We will never see this place called Hell.

It was our Savior who escaped the snares of death that we could never have escaped from.

It is our Savior who teaches us by example that if we call upon the name of Lord we can be saved.

Peter said it like this:

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.

At the time these things were written these were all prophesy but they were all fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ.

As David described them, the fear of death is like an overwhelming flood.

Verses 7-15 gives us a vivid picture of the turmoil on this earth that is called the flood of Noah's day.

*****Psa 18:7  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Psa 18:8  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Psa 18:9  He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
Psa 18:10  And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
Psa 18:11  He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Psa 18:12  At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:14  Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Psa 18:15  Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

These verses give us a word picture of the convulsion of nature at the time of the flood.

But they also tell us many of these same things that happened when Our Lord arose from the death of the grave.

Just as Noah was delivered.

Just as David was delivered.

And because Lord Jesus Christ was delivered.

Then every believer will also be delivered!

*****Psa 18:16  He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

Those same waters that brought death to the world of that day, raised up the Ark of Salvation.

Because the Lord ascended back to His throne in Heaven, He can now rescue everyone that calls on His name.

This is why we can "Cry Out To The Lord".

Noah and his family were drawn out of deaths chilly waters.

Moses and Israel were drawn out of deaths chilly waters brought on by Pharaoh.

David said he was drawn out of deaths chilly waters brought on by Saul's death grip.

Our Savior was also baptized in the chilly waters of agony and ascended back to His throne in Heaven.

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

By His own blood He has redeemed all who believe because the Lord had victory over death, hell, and the grave!

*****Psa 18:17  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

David knew the joy of being delivered.

Just as David was delivered from Goliath, and from Saul, we have also been delivered from Satan's power.

It would do us good to occasionally look back from where we came and remember that joy on the day that we were delivered from our sin.

Satan is our strong enemy and he is much too powerful for us to challenge alone but Satan's hold on us was broken through the cross!

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

*****Psa 18:18  They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

Calamity is distress. The enemies of Jesus Christ are our enemies and the enemies of the church.

What did they do to the Lord Jesus?

They met Him, they laid hold on Him they insulted Him, they condemned Him, and they crucified Him.

But they could not "prevent Him" from fulfilling the will of God!

When David was greatly distressed, he encouraged himself in the Lord, his God!

Why should we do any different than David did?

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

*****Psa 18:19  He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Just as God brought Joseph from the prison cell to be governor of Egypt and David from the caves of Adullam to throne of Israel, God will also bring us into a large place!

God does not just liberate us from the pangs of sin and stop at that point. Sin is Satan's prison but the Lamb of God brings true freedom.

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, "ye shall be free indeed".

Why? Because He delights in saving all those that love Him.

When we cry out to the Lord, He wants to do everything we ask of Him but we hold that power within our own selves.

We must be obedient to the things He says!

Our rewards come from doing things the right way!

*****Psa 18:20  The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Psa 18:21  For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Psa 18:22  For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
Psa 18:23  I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
Psa 18:24  Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

The Bible says it will be our righteousness if we observe to do all God's commandments.

We must keep our hands clean.

We must walk by God's standards.

We must study the Word of God.

We must abstain from even the appearance of doing evil.

We must realize that the Lord always has His eyes on us, not for punishment but always ready to give a reward for doing things right.

What is God's rule of thumb for rewards?

*****Psa 18:25  With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
Psa 18:26  With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
Psa 18:27  For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

God will render to everyone according to their own works!

*****Psa 18:28  For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Darkness is a place where evil goes to hide but evil can never hide from God.

Darkness is also seen as a curse, so death then is also in the land of darkness.

In the time of David many people would burn a lamp all through the night time because they dreaded a dark house.

But the Bible says it is the spirit of man that is God's candle.

Pro 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

The question is then are we a lighted candle burning for the Lord or are we in darkness?

We must have that light within ourselves.

It is the Lord Jesus who must light up our souls so that we can give light to others.

Do you have enough light in your candle to light the light of some one else's candle?

We should ask ourselves this question and work on our walk with the Lord until we can be a shining light.

Those that reject the Word of God and look to this world for answers will forever be in outer darkness.

Isa 8:22  And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

Jesus Christ is our only light in this dark world!

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Jesus Christ is the only light than can light our candle!

*****Psa 18:29  For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

The reality of our world is that Satan has a large army of his followers. We should never under value the strength of the enemies of God.

There are many that look upon the death of Jesus Christ as some weakness on the part of God but we know that Christ Jesus rose through that occasion to be our place of strength.

Jesus did not die for Himself, He died for us. His sufferings were made short and He marched right through His enemies and our enemies.

Eph 4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, "he led captivity captive", and gave gifts unto men.

Satan shuts the sinner up into a deep ditch of sin and a high wall of immorality.

When Christ comes into our heart, He leaps over these walls and carries each one to safety.

Satan cannot overcome the plan of God because God's plan is perfect.

*****Psa 18:30  As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Psa 18:31  For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
Psa 18:32  It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
Psa 18:33  He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

To the sinner God's ways may not seem to be perfect.

And when we are suffering we sometimes forget the promises of God.

The roads in the wilderness of sin are always crooked!

Disappointment most always causes doubt!

The "Gospel" is sometimes a stumbling block to many that want more from this life but do not know how to achieve it.

But pain comes from this world when we refuse to accept the "perfect" Word of God.

The Bible has stood the test of time!

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

There is no other God besides Jehovah the Tri-Une God no matter what the world tries to say!

The girdle in the time of David was a necessary part of clothing. It strengthened the loins, it kept the other garments close to the body, and it gave a place to tuck in the long robe when it was time to move quickly.

The strength of God is to our soul, what the girdle is to the body.

Isa 45:5  I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

That girdle for the soul is the Lord Jesus Christ.

A hind is a female deer or a doe.

It is the Lord that gives us swiftness to avoid trouble but also strength, protection, and a firm footing in this world.

All our strength will come from the Lord if we accept His plan of salvation!

*****Psa 18:34  He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Psa 18:35  Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
Psa 18:36  Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Psa 18:37  I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
Psa 18:38  I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
Psa 18:39  For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
Psa 18:40  Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

God's way is the perfect way and when our walk in this life is in step with the Lord Jesus Christ then He will make our walk perfect also.

We will be swift and sure footed when our path is slippery.

We will be strong in all our battles.

He will give us the shield of His Salvation.

But we must put on the whole armor of God because there should be no doubt that as Christians we  are living in the war zone.

God will not always strive with the enemies of Jesus Christ!

*****Psa 18:41  They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.

Our prayers are such a great weapon in this world that even the wicked will try call out for help in desperation but to no avail.

The Bible says:

Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

It is a fact that bad men have called out to God to go against His own children but God will never answer that prayer!

Remember the story of Balaam?

When a sinner refuses to hear the Holy Spirit then God will refuse to hear when they cry out to Him.

Zec 7:13  Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:

In fact God will laugh and mock at these request.

Pro 1:24  Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Pro 1:25  But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Pro 1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

*****Psa 18:42  Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
Psa 18:43  Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
Psa 18:44  As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
Psa 18:45  The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

King David had defeated the enemies of Israel in such a way that they were powerless. God had subdued all his enemies under his feet.

This gives us the example of the Lord during the Millennial Kingdom. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who will sit on David's Throne.

Psa 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psa 22:28  For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.
Psa 22:29  All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

Even Israel will worship King Jesus at this time.

But even during the 1000 years of the Millennial Kingdom will everyone willingly serve the Lord. There will also be some, such as strangers who are too afraid not to!

All nations must now serve Him because He will reign with a "rod of iron".

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.

*****Psa 18:46  The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Psa 18:47  It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
Psa 18:48  He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
Psa 18:49  Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
Psa 18:50  Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

We do not serve an inanimate, imaginary, or an old dying god. We serve the Living God!

Heb 10:31  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of "the living God".

The topics of our conversation should be about our own calling by God the Father.

The topics of our conversation must include the redemption by the Son of God.

The topics of our conversation must include the washing and regeneration by the Holy Spirit of God.

It is only the individual Christian that can know these things!

This must be the beginning of our testimony to others!

What is the Psalm we will all sing in Heaven?

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"

Vengeance is to never in our hands, vengeance belongs to the Lord!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ that has delivered us from all our enemies, especially Satan, the Devil.

Though this world we live in tries to stop our mouths from praising the Lord, we must sing out to our God whether they like it or not!

David wrote this Psalm, by the Holy Spirit, because he had been delivered.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as you Savior, then you have been delivered!

We should show our happiness in our singing of praises to the Lord!

We should have no problem crying out to the Lord!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

We Must Trust In The Lord

Trust In The Lord

Psalms 11:1-7

Today we will begin a 6 month study in the Book of Psalms.

Psalms are "praise hymns".

In fact the Psalms were lyrical songs that were to be sung to a musical instruments.

The Book of Psalms serves as the songbook to Israel in their worship of God.

The Psalms are God's Inspired Hymnbook!

In these "Inspired Songs" we will find the works of God.

We will find the wisdom of God along with the thoughts of God.

We will find the prophecies of God along with the prophecies of the Son of God, as a babe and of His return.

We will read the personal thoughts and the confessions of many of the writers such as King David.

We will even read where many requested to see God's wrath upon His enemies and our enemies.

We have in the Book of the Psalms, songs from Moses and from many other writers such as David, Haggai, Ezra, Zechariah and there were others.

The Bible is a collection of many books written by 40 different writers across at least 3 continents over a period of more that 4000 years.

The one Book of Psalms is a collection of Spiritual Songs that span more than 1000 years.

All the books of the Bible have one thing in common, they will all lead you to Jesus Christ but also of importance they are all in harmony from the beginning of Genesis to the last written Word of God, in the Book of Revelation.

It is believed that it was Ezra who gathered all these songs into one book, which we call the Book of Psalms.

King David is known as the sweet psalmist of Israel because he wrote at least 73 of the Psalms in this book and by some estimates, many of the others.

The Book of Psalms is the largest book in the Bible and contains 2453 verses.

Psalms 119 is the longest book of the Bible with 176 verses.

Psalms 117 is the shortest book of the Bible with only 2 verses but is not short in importance:

Psa 117:1  O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
Psa 117:2  For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalms 118:8 is the middle chapter in the Bible and the very middle of the Bible verse 8 clearly states the central them of the entire Bible.

Psa 118:8  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

It is far better to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ than to place your confidence in anything in this world!

There is no greater truth in the Bible than these words!

There is no created being that is greater than our self-existing Lord.

The New Testament is full of quotes from the Old Testament with 283 direct quotes but 116 of those quotes are from the Book of Psalms.

Jesus said we could not know everything about Him unless we included a study of the Book of Psalms.

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

This Book of Psalms has been a great comfort to God's people and this great book of the Bible still brings great comfort to those who read it today.

To many people this is their most favorite book of the Bible.

Even after we have spent 2 lesson quarters in the Psalms we will still have only touched parts of this book so we need to learn that word so often seen which is the word "Selah" which is seen 71 times in the Book of Psalms and means "stop and think on that".

As we study the Psalms, "we need to stop and think on them and their message"!

We should also make note that the Psalms were sung accompanied by musical instruments.

1Ch 13:8  And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

Musical instruments and singing have been a big part in the worship of the Lord for several thousand years. Worship is not to be dull and boring but full of spirit and praise, for we serve a Mighty God.

The style of music may vary from church to church but all music within the church should be to praise the Lord, touch the hearts of the believer, and uplift the worship service!

Gospel music by it's title means to proclaim the "Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ"!

The church is never to be a place of entertainment, but only a place to worship God but still according to the scriptures.

Church music and church songs must be scriptural!

Our first lesson is titled "Trust In The Lord".

What do we mean by the word "trust"?  It can mean confidence. It can mean to care. It can mean to believe. It can mean depend on or to rely on.

The Bible teaches us to place our trust in the Lord because we simply cannot trust ourselves nor any other human being in our walk with the Lord Jesus.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

There are only two ways to go through this life.

1) We go through life with God believing on things we cannot see.

2) Or, we go through life without God believing on the things of this world.

Most of those in this world will fail because they cannot see past the end of their own life span!

So lets begin:

*****Psa 11:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

Throughout the Bible we are told that the chapters and verses were separated by ancient Bible scholars but that is not the case of the Psalms.

The verses themselves maybe have been labeled but the chapters are basically the individual songs of those that wrote them.

That phrase "to the chief musician" refers to the choir director or the music conductor.

We see that this was a Psalm of David and David wrote more than half of the Psalms, therefore we get this scripture.

2Sa 23:1  Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and "the sweet psalmist of Israel", said,
2Sa 23:2  The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

David was remembered for many things but God made sure for us to know that this mighty man of war who had shed much blood was also the "sweet psalmist of Israel".

We next see the title LORD in all capitol letters.

There should be no doubt in our minds that it is the Lord who is our refuge at all times but especially in times of trouble!

When we see the title LORD in all capitol letters, the Bible is speaking of Jehovah, the Almighty God.

The Jews would write this title as YHWH or JHVH or with vowels added Yah-weh or Jehovah.

When we see the title Lord with just the first letter capitalized in the Bible it usually refers to Adonai or the Supreme Master.

When we this title written lord with all small letters it means someone with absolute control or a ruler over others such as slaves.

The Bible records that the Philistines had five such lordships.

The Palestinians along with many others still allow men to be lords over them in our day.

But many of the Jews even in our day hold the name Jehovah in such high regard they will not pronounce it aloud for fear of using God's name in vain.

And just to throw this in, Allah is not Jehovah.

Allah is the god of the Muslim.

"Allah" comes from the Arabic word "elah", which is any god or some thing that is worshiped.

This word (elah) can be made plural (gods), as in "aleha" and it can be male or female just as the word "god" in English can be "goddess."

"Allah" comes from "elaha" but it needs more clarification and understanding.

Allah = Has no gender (not male and not female"He" is used only out of respect and dignity - not for gender)  

**********(Jehovah is always male in gender, It is Our Father who is in Heaven)

Allah = Is always singular - Never plural  *"We" is used only as the "Royal WE" just as in English for royalty.

*********(Jehovah is always plural and consist of Our Father who is God, The Holy Spirit who is God, The Son, The Lord Jesus Christ who is God, The Tri-Une God not three Gods but One God in three persons, Elohim)

Allah = Means "The Only One to be Worshipped"

*****(Jehovah is the True God who only deserves our worship)

There is a move by so called religious groups to convince the world that The Muslim, The Jew, And Christianity all worship the same God.

This is a lie of Satan.

There are many who will try to convince you that Allah and Jehovah are the same but that cannot be true because to the Christian, Jesus the Christ is LORD and the Living God.

The Muslim do not accept that there is a Son of God and they refuse the Godship of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus Christ is not Allah and Allah is not Jesus Christ!

The Jews are still blind(according to the Bible) to the fact of The Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

All others including the Muslim are blinded by 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.

The Bible is very specific on this issue!

1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, "and with his Son Jesus Christ".

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but "he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ"? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23  Whosoever denieth the Son, "the same hath not the Father": (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

The Jew are still looking for the Messiah to come.

The Muslim are still looking for some messiah to come.

The Christian know the truth that the Messiah has come and He was Jesus the Christ!

We simply should not be deceived as there are many today trying to link Christianity, Jewish, and Muslim under one and the same God and this is simply a lie just as the Apostle John says it is.

We either trust all the Word of God or we trust none of it!

It is in the Lord Jesus Christ we must place our trust!

And it is this the only Lord who can and who will be with us in all our troubles just as He promises us!

Isa 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

And just as a fugitive runs for the hills, or a soldier seeks safety from the enemy, every child of God should seek the Lord as the place for protection!

The Lord is our only refuge!

When we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior there is no need to flee like a bird to some mountain to hide, we must flee to the LORD.

Psa 91:9  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
Psa 91:10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

But evil will always be the enemy of God's people.

*****Psa 11:2  For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

The wicked of this world are always ready for action against the Children of God!

If you haven't figured it out already, the world looks upon a righteous man or woman as someone to take advantage of!

They slander them with their bows in their hand.

Bows were a weapon of war in the time of David but this bow is referring to deceptive and destructive words.

Psa 57:4  My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, "whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword".

That word "for" means because we trust in the Lord and not in the ways of evil men.

That word "privily" means "in darkness". Our enemies will be treacherous in all their actions but they always try to hide behind the ways of the world.

That word "shoot" means they have no fear of God and are morally wrong. They are wicked to the core and they know what they are doing, they just refuse to see the truth of God.

The blindness of all those who remain lost will end in their own destruction.

Pro 4:19  The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

*****Psa 11:3  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

There are four obvious foundations that every human being can build onto which will guarantee the best possible life we can have.

1) There is the foundation of "faith".

"Trust" in the Old Testament relates to "Faith" in the New Testament.

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

When we allow the foundation of "faith" to be destroyed, those that do right will loose hope.

We cannot please God without faith.

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.
 
2) There is the foundation of "honesty".

Honesty is conforming to justice. Remember the just shall live by "faith".

Honesty is fairness, in all transactions, upright in all decisions and conforms to justice.

Rom 12:17  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

3) There is the foundation of "Moral Integrity".

It is the laws of God that must be the basis for our morals.

We simply cannot allow the world to dictate the morals for society!

Integrity is wholeness!

Integrity is pureness!

Integrity is genuine!

Integrity is a sound mind, moral soundness, and incorruptible by God's standards!

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

4) There is the foundation of "truth".

Truth is conforming to the facts.

Truth is conforming to reality.

Truth is in accordance with that which is, that which has been, and that which shall be!

Jesus said:

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Jesus also said:

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

And Jesus said all these things are of God:

Joh 17:7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

If your life is not what you want it to be, then you have weak foundations.

All four of the foundations we have discussed are things that each of us can do!

In fact these are things that we must do!

We can build a strong working faith in God by examining the evidence for His existence.

This wicked world continues to attack these foundations with worldly wisdom that is not from God.

The evidence of God begins with His Creation and God created all things by Jesus Christ!

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

We already know that without "faith" we cannot please God.

The truth of Creation is recorded for us in the Book of Genesis. This is the foundation for the rest of the Word of God, and the faith and the practices of each Christian.

While the world keeps up the attack on God's people, the ungodly world is trying to systematically destroy the truth of Creation by the "Design Of God".

Evolution has dug it's way deep into society and even as this false theory is defeated over and over again with the truth, the Evolutionists have gotten control of the education systems of this world and are teaching a false science that goes against the Word of God.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

If we allow these foundations to be destroyed within ourselves then it is certain there will be no place for the righteous!

But it is the Lord who sits on the throne in Heaven and will not allow this to happen.

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

Unless you are having that rare perfect day in your life, all you see around you are problems.

I don't know if at any other time in history that the world seemed to have as many problems as we see today.

The one thing we cannot see in our world is the answer to these problems.

So where do we look? We Look Up!

When we have trusted the Lord, the place to look for answers is up because Our Lord sits in His Holy Temple.

The Bible teaches us with these words.

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

From His position in Heaven, Our Mediator can see everything!

And this holy temple is the same place where the Lord went to prepare us a place.

Jesus said:

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.
This holy temple is none other than the Father's House!

It is in the Father's house where we find the throne of God.

Psa 103:19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

**It is Jehovah God who is the final authority of our world!

It is the Lord who is able to control all the events that are happening on this world!

When things happen on this world it is because the Lord has allowed them to happen.

The Lord Jesus is "omnipotent"! God is all powerful and can do anything that is consistent with His own nature. God will never go against His Own Word, but His Word will be fulfilled just as He states it!

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

**It is Jehovah God who has all knowledge. Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven in His glorified body so it is His eyes that can behold all things.

The Lord Jesus is "omnipresent"! God is everywhere present in All Power, in His totality at all times.

In His humanity Jesus is localized in Heaven but in His deity Jesus is present everywhere.

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.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

**It is Jehovah God who can feel the things that we feel. It is His eyelids that try the children of men.

The Lord Jesus is "omniscient"! God knows all things that can happen and all things that will happen, past, present, or future.

Jesus knows whats in the heart of every man and the Lord will test each man's faith.

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

Why would the Lord put trials on the ones He has saved?

The Lord tries each of us so He may do us good in the latter end.

God provides opportunities for us to show our faith!

Deu 8:16  Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, "to do thee good at thy latter end";

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:

God goes beyond to furnish us with everything we need to survive this cruel world and along the way He will send some trouble so we can be fine tuned for the tasks that lie before us.

God never wants us to fail and we cannot fail in His eyes, we can only fail ourselves in our own eyes!

The trials of our faith are only temporary and even the worst of them will only last a short period of time.

But this is not so for the wicked!

This not so for those that love violence!

The wicked are all those that are morally wrong.

Those that love violence are all those that love to be cruel. These are all those that would be bullies!

The world is more full of bullies who would have things their way, than it is full of racist.

Our government is more full of bullies than it is racist!

As the Holy Ghost led David to write these things we get  to see how God will deal with the wicked and violent people who reject the Word of God and have made themselves gods.

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

1) God will rain down fire and brimstone upon them.

Where do we find some examples?

Gen 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25  And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

Isa 30:33  For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

Rev 9:17  And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

2) There will be a terrible storm upon them.

Where do we find examples?

Psa 18:7  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

What is a Simoom?

This is a very hot, dry, suffocating and dust-laden wind that blasts across the African deserts, notably in Arabia, Syria, and neighboring countries generated by the extreme heat of the parched deserts or sandy plains. It can form into whirlwinds. It is one of the briefest winds and lasts only 20 minutes but can carry mounds of dust and sand that it has scooped from the desert floor. This is one of the winds that reshapes the desert and the sand dunes.

3) They will drink of the cup of God's wrath.

Where do we find examples?

Psa 75:8  For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

If we could a picture all these things happening at the same time we should know that the "day of the Lord" will not be a good day for all those that have rejected the Word of God.

But God has better plans for those who love Him.

*****Psa 11:7  For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

C. H. Spurgeon wrote "Upon the roses of grace grow the thorns of justice"

Justice is God's plum line!

If you walk on the wrong side of God's plum line you will see judgment.

If you walk on the right side of God's plum line you will have justice.

Isa 28:17  "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet": and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Our righteous Lord could not be righteous in "Justice" if He were not also righteous in "Judgment"!

The plum line that God uses is His Written Word He has given to us!

What does God have planned for those who choose the right side?

The righteous shall see the face of God!

For God to turn His face away is to reject us but to look upon us with delight is to receive His blessings!

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.

Because Our Lord Jesus is also the Creator it is only He that has the absolute right to decide "Justice".

Pro 29:26  Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.
Pro 29:27  An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

Jesus said we will all suffer persecution at some level.

Jesus said the world we live in will only grow worse not better.

We must see these threats for what they are and the only place to flee is the mountain of comfort which is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ must be our foundation in this life!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Faithfully Following The Lord

Following Faithfully

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18


We have reached the end of our study of the two books to the Thessalonians. These letters were written to the Church at Thessalonica but the Apostle Paul insisted that they be circulated throughout to every church as they are today.

God has now given us the complete canon of the Bible.

There are 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament that are considered to be the Inspired Word of God.

In 303 AD the Emperor Diocletian demanded that all sacred books to be burned. It was at this time that the books that were considered the Inspired Word of God, including the New Testament, some called the Apostles Doctrine, were collected into what we now call the Bible and are the preserved Word of  God.

What did God say?

Isa 40:8  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: "but the word of our God shall stand for ever".

What did Jesus say?

Luk 21:33  Heaven and earth shall pass away: "but my words shall not pass away".

What did Peter say to the Church?

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".

We have God's complete Word to us and this not a book of suggestions, This Is A Book Of Commandments!

Let's begin:

*****2Th 3:1  Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

Finally after everything we learned in 1 Thessalonians and everything we have learned so far in 2 Thessalonians, Paul said to use our greatest weapon and that is prayer.

I hope that everyone realizes the importance of prayer.

Heb 7:24  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost "that come unto God by him", seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

We would lose our salvation without Christ Jesus interceding between us and a Holy God!

Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

We would have no payment for our sin and therefore no Advocate in Heaven without Christ Jesus interceding for us and in our behalf!

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous".

We could have no contact with our Father in Heaven without Christ Jesus!

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: "that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you".

And we are all one "Body Of Christ".

1Co 12:20  But now are they many members, yet but one body.
1Co 12:21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

We must pray for each other and especially for those, like our own Pastor!

But, we see that Paul did not say to pray for his personal needs.

Paul asked for prayer that the Word of God have "free course".

We should pray this same prayer every day!

Paul desired that his preaching be accepted and applied to all those that heard God's Word wherever God sent him.

In last weeks lesson we learned that it the Holy Ghost filled Church that does not allow the "Man of Sin" to show himself in the Church Age.

The most important weapon we have are our prayers!

Paul asked for prayer that the Word of God be glorified where he preached the "Gospel".

Paul sought nothing for himself and no glory for himself for his work for the Lord.

2Co 12:6  For though I would desire to glory, "I shall not be a fool"; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

In everything we do we need to give God the glory!

Paul also knew that wherever he preached the "Gospel" he would meet with resistance.

The "gospel" still meets resistance everywhere it is preached and believed.

When the entire truth of God is preached and taught, there will be opposition from the religious, and even from many that call themselves Christians.

People do not want to hear the truth because the truth points out sin that should cause a change.

Most people love their sin to much to change and this is even more evident in the days we live right now!

Those that hate Jesus, those that do not care to hear the truth, and the carnal hearts of evil people all try to hinder the work of the "Gospel".

Paul also requested for deliverance from such people.

*****2Th 3:2  And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

These unreasonable men would be those who opposed the truth and had absurd principles.

These are those who are opposed to truth even when common sense, and sound judgment dictates the reality of that truth.

Today these are those who absolutely reject creation and honor evolution though there is absolutely no proof of evolution.

At least God describes His Own Creation through means that cannot be denied by true science.

These are those who reject the common sense of God's Word.

These are those who strive to have their own way, regardless of the truth and regardless of the consequences.

These are those that practice evil and evil principles which is everything contrary to the moral law of the Bible.

These are usually those that are dissatisfied with there own miserable lives and want everyone else to be miserable just like they are, such as Stephen Hawking!

Those that say they have faith in only themselves are liars because "true faith" is a gift that can only come from God!

Any faith they claim is only temporary and changes with the circumstances in their lives.

But not that of the Lord!

*****2Th 3:3  But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

Faith on the part of man answers to the faithfulness of God!

For this reason the Word of God will never change!

Those that try to change and modernize the Word of God show their lack of faith!

When we walk by faith and not by sight, God will help us through all the events in our life because God is faithful!

When we fail Him, God will forgive us immediately when we repent because God is faithful.

When temptations overwhelm us, God will provide a way out because God is faithful.

When we are discouraged, God will comfort and encourage us because God is faithful.

Since God is faithful then the Word of God shows His faithfulness to us.

Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

This is why we can be so confident in the Inspired Word of God.

*****2Th 3:4  And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.

Where is our confidence?

If we have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved!

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

It is a fact of the Gospel, when we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved!

The fact that the Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell in each believer is good reason for our confidence.

What commandments was Paul referring to?

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.

Our walk with God "after salvation" is our most important witnessing tool!

And this walk can only begin with our "faith"!

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.

And with that faith we will be looking for that "Blessed Hope", the return of Christ Jesus to take us home.

*****2Th 3:5  And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

Paul has given us the 5 things that we need in our walk with God.

1) Prayerfulness. Our greatest weapon.
2) Preservation. Deliverance from sin.
3) Protection. God is faithful to His promises.
4) Perseverance. If we trust the Lord, He will save us.
5) Patience.

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

In order to have patience we must "be set" in our hope of a better future.

This takes confidence, hope, and belief in our still future but perfect redemption!

But we must also be obedient to the Word of God and be humble in the things of God.

It is a privilege to be given such an opportunity to serve God!

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And notice that we are to be waiting on the appearance of Jesus Christ and not be waiting to see when the Antichrist will show his ugly face!

Since we know all these things we must protect our ability to witness to the world and be examples of Christ Jesus to others.

*****2Th 3:6  Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
2Th 3:7  For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
2Th 3:8  Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

What are the two greatest threats to the Church in our age? The same as it was in the days of Paul.

A disorderly walk with God and idleness!

Disorderly means confused. We cannot allow false teaching in the House of God because it will only bring confusion.

We must avoid those that cause confusion!

Disorderly means lawless. We must obey the Word of God. We must take God's Word literal. God does not offer suggestions, God gives commandments.

We must avoid those that do not walk the walk of Jesus Christ!

Disorderly means unruly. We are sheep who know the true Shepherd, not a bunch of cattle on a cattle drive.

We must avoid those that are unruly!

There must be discipline in the House of God!

Notice this is also a command and not a suggestion.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy had presented themselves as examples of how to walk the Christian walk.

Were they perfect? No.

But they did not preach confusion, they taught the entire Word of God.
They preached the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" and not some other gospel.
They live holily.
They lived justly.
They lived unblamably.
They behaved themselves and they were never disorderly among those of the Church.
And they did not live an idle and inactive life among them!

They were always busy about the things God gave them to do!

These things were very important to the Apostle Paul and these things should be just as important to each believer.

1Th 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Paul even gave up his right to expect financial help from this young Church so that he could be an example to these young believers.

In the synagogues of the Jews, the people were expected to support the preacher but these new Gentile Churches knew nothing of these things and they were very poor to begin with.

A truly dedicated leader will use his rights to build up the people and not try to build up himself!

The greatest influence we can offer is that personal sacrifice to the Lord.

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

*****2Th 3:9  Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

From the beginning, God has ordained that men should work for their own food.

Gen 2:15  And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

This became even more necessary when sin entered this picture.

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

We will even continue to work serving the Lord after we move into our mansion in Heaven.

Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and "his servants shall serve him":

It is inexcusable for Christians, when they are no longer children, to expect others to provide the things that sustain physical life, while they stand idle and have the ability to provide for themselves.

In fact it is inexcusable for anyone not to try to provide for their own selves in a legal and moral manner.

There is no spiritual excuse for this type of thinking.

But our government's policies influences this type of behavior.

All of us may need some help sometimes, I can attest to that myself.

But God says those that refuse to work, when they able, then neither should they eat.

Again liberals refuse this Word of God!

Why? Idleness causes problems in society but especially in the Church.

Why are there so many protesters when something happens?

Most of those people do not have a job to go to.

They are idle and refuse to work!

*****2Th 3:11  For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

What is a busybody? This is someone who does not look to their own business but they are overdoing in the business of others.

They are real busy about everyone's business but their own!

The word disorderly is used 4 times in the letters to these Thessalonians.

The disorderly are those who refuse to obey civil laws and in this case also the laws of God!

In America today, we see a government that will not obey it's own laws. This shows up in it's people!

More than one fourth of people who call themselves Americans are perfectly willing to live off the backs of the taxpayer, those willing to work!

These same busybodies are those that refuse the truth of the Word of God.

Not only this, but they refused to work but they were perfectly willing to eat at the hands of the Church.

In verse 6 the Church, each believer, is commanded to withdraw from all such people.

We as the Church are not to entertain such people!

We of the Church should not get discouraged by the conduct of those that do not obey the Word of God!

Sin in the life of any believer will always affect the work of the Church!

These are some that are a plague to the Church and also to their own nation.

1Ti 5:13  And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

*****2Th 3:12  Now "them" that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

These busybodies were now the "Them" of the Church.

Every Church has a "them".

Every nation has a "them" and a "they"!

As always, these people know who they are and what they are doing!

Remember they have rejected the truth and have made up in their own mind what the Word of God says.

God's Word is settled whether It is believed or not!

What does God say?

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

When God inspired the writers of the Bible, He did not expect them to completely understand what they were writing.

So even when we do not completely understand the reason for God's commands, we are still to obey God's commands!

It was "those" who did obey by faith the Word of God that were to give "them" who did not obey the Word of God, this message and to all busybodies.

In other words, "here is God's command to you (the them) and we will not have any part with you until you repent".

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;

It "is not" our job to feed those that refuse to work and are able!

I saw a picture of a shoe store in Ferguson, Missouri that had been looted and not one pair of work shoes had been stolen but most all other shoes were completely missing.

It "is" our job to help those that have a real need!

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.

We just cannot allow these things to wear us down in our labor for the work of the Lord.

*****2Th 3:13  But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

Not to the "them" but to the rest of "those that gather", not forsaking the assembling for the Lord, we need to be busy about the work of God.

In contrast to those "disorderly busybodies" who only God can fix, we are to give "our" very best to God.

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.

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

When we are able to help others, the first priority is to be given to those that are poor within the Church and then those in the world, as we are able.

But suppose these busybodies still reject the Word of God after they have received the warning from God's people, what then?

*****2Th 3:14  And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

These are those who have rejected the preaching of the "Gospel".

They have been observed in their wrong doing and have been warned by the Church.

They have even rejected that warning and also rejecting the written Word of God, which is full of God's truth.

Now the entire Church is to have no part with that person!

Each individual child of God will have to decide if they will obey the Word of God or remain in the company of this disorderly walking busybody!

We are to mark him in our mind as one to be avoided!

We are not to be busybodies ourselves!

Why?

That he may be ashamed. Sometimes when these people are shunned by godly brethren, they will come to their senses.

This person may have already been talked to by the Pastor or the Church Elders but the body of Christ must also be obedient to the Word of God and this verse exists just as all those that teach us about salvation.

But thank goodness we have a God of the second chance!

*****2Th 3:15  Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

We must still go to this person and explain why we can have no part with him or her!

Church discipline to the church member must be administered as a family would discipline a child!

Church discipline is not the pastor and some official board acting like God's policemen to trap a sinning saint of God and kicking him out of the Church.

When the Church disciplines a "Born Again" child of God who has made a serious mistake and living in sin, "we are not to be like a judge punishing a criminal" but only as a father may punish his own children.

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Only if that person refuses to settle the matter should any other saint of God be involved.

Php 4:3  And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

When we can help each other, especially in these latter days, the Church can remain strong until the Lord returns.

Only God knows whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life!

And only the Lord is the "Lord of Peace" within the Church.

*****2Th 3:16  Now the "Lord of peace" himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

This is the only place in the New Testament that Jesus is called the "Lord of peace".

He is called the "God of peace" in 5 other places, this next verse being just one of them.

Php 4:9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

It is the Lord Jesus who "creates" peace.

It is the Lord Jesus who "sustains" peace in each believer.

How?

He is not just the "Lord of Peace" and the God of Peace but He is also the "Prince of Peace"!

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

He is also the Author of Peace.

1Co 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

He is also the King of Peace.

Heb 7:2  To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Jesus Christ is our only means of true peace!

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

And one day in the not so distant future after the Rapture of the Church, Jesus will "speak peace" to all the heathen.

Zec 9:10  And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

And in the very end of time, as we know it, and our own new beginning, there will be complete peace!

Isa 9:7  "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end", upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

True peace can only come through God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****2Th 3:17  The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.
2Th 3:18  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Possibly because of bad eyesight, Paul normally would dictate his letters to be written by those that traveled with him such as Luke but also others and maybe Silas or Timothy in this case.

Many times Paul was behind bars and had to dictate his letters.

Paul would place his personal signature on these documents but he may not have always mentioned this.

To these Thessalonians, Paul wanted them to be sure to know that this letter was from him and they were to always look for his personal signature.

They had already been deceived by someone writing to them, claiming to be Paul.

And Paul always reminded the Church that if not for God's "Grace" there could be no Church!

Grace comes by the Lord Jesus Christ!

This will end our brief study of the Letters to the Thessalonians and next week we will begin in the Book of Psalms.

Questions?

Let's Pray!