Bible Lessons

Why we need a Savior and How to become a Child of God 

1) What is the Problem?  (Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23) 

The book of Romans shows us that the state of every human is sinful and God is Holy. 

Romans 3:10 

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

Romans 3:23 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

We see here that no one is righteous and that we have all sinned. We were born into a fallen world. The fall of Adam and Eve brought sin into this world. You do not have to teach a young child to lie. We were born into a world where sin abounds. The Human Problem is sin. We now see that “all have sinned,” 

Let's look at Romans 6:23 it explains the depth of this problem and its consequences. 

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death; 

Lets look at this real close. I want to break down this very short yet powerful beginning of Romans 6:23. 

Wages is what we earn. Wages is what we deserve for what we do.  Lets look at this and use a job as an example. When we go to work we are earning a wage. We are expecting to get what we have earned during the job which is our wages. The wages we receive on a paycheck is what we deserve for what we have done. So How does this apply to sin?  According to the verse if wages is something we earn and deserve for what we have done then we will earn death as a result of sin. This is a verse that so often a young Christian or someone who is not a Christian doesn't quite understand. A question often asked and something that is often perceived is, I have told a lie, will I die? Or I have stolen something from some one now I'm going to die. That is not what this verse is actually referring to in this instance. Lets look at the word death here. Death here can be explained and thought of as separation. Of course we all know upon death there is a separation. That separation does not mean at this point someone no longer exist. Once we die we still are in existence. We will live forever. The question is were. When we die our body, the life in our body is gone, however our soul and spirit lives on. 

2 Corinthians 5:8 says 

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 

If we have lived in sin we will earn our wage of death which is to be separated from God for eternity in a place called hell. However, the second half of the verse tells sinners they can have salvation and eternal life through Jesus.   

Romans 6:23 ….but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Just like we seen the wages of sin is death which is eternal separation from God. We see here that if we accept Jesus as our personal Savior we then will receive Eternal life in Heaven. My prayer is that we all come to know Christ where Heaven is our destination instead of hell because of separation. 

2) Jesus Bore the Penalty we Deserved. (Romans 5:8) 

Romans 5:8, further explains the assurance we have in the love of God expressed through Christ. 

Romans 5:8 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Notice what this verse said. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. What an absolute amazing act that was done for you and me.  What I want us to take away from this verse is that so many people have the someday syndrome approach. People so often think there to bad for God to forgive. People think they have to be perfect before God will accept them. No No No No that is not the case. Jesus was beaten, spit on, had the crown of thorns placed upon His head, was mocked, crucified on a Cross, and died for us. While we were still sinners. You don't have to change to accept Jesus, You truly accept Jesus and He will bring that change. Here is The How

3) What is A Sinner to Do (Romans 10:9-10 and Romans 10:13) 

Once we understand our need for a savior and recognize that Jesus Christ is that savior, we can respond by making the most important decision of our life, and that is to call out to Jesus. 

Romans 10:9-10 

9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

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

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

This tells us that God has the ability to save everyone that believes in Him, calls upon Him, repents of their sin (turns away from sin) and surrenders their life to Christ ( by faith turns toward God) shall be saved. Everyone no matter what you have done in the past, God says whosoever shall be saved. 

John 3:16-17 

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

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

4) The Promise of Salvation (Romans 5:1) (Romans 6:23) 

There is three promises salvation gives us. They are Justification, Peace, and Eternal Life. 

Romans 5:1 speaks on two of them

Romans 5:1 

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

1) Justification - is God's righteous act of removing the guilt and penalty of sin while, at the same time, declaring the ungodly to be righteous, through faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice. 

2) Peace - Peace with God means that our great sin debt has been paid and God sees us as righteous. It is To be complete, to be whole, and of sound mind.   

Romans 6:23 speaks on the third one. 

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

3) Eternal Life - is an infinite, timelessness, and endless life after death with our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer Jesus Christ 

We can never have true Peace until we have been Justified by God through Eternal Salvation.

Forgiveness 

1) God Forgives Us 

Ephesians 1:7  

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

Colossians 1:14  

14) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 

From a spiritual perspective, we were all born with a sin problem, eternally separated from God. We’d be lost forever without His shed blood on the cross and offering us forgiveness. 

2) We Should and can Forgive others as God has Forgave Us.

 Jesus is our ultimate example, He practiced forgiveness personally. 

Luke 23:33-34  

33) And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 

34) Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 

We should Forgive even if the one who has wronged us does not ask for forgiveness. Even if they don't deserve forgiveness. We should have unlimited and unconditional Forgiveness. God gives us the ability to Forgive others of their wrongs. 

3) We should have Unlimited Forgiveness 

Matthew 18:21-22  

21) Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 

22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 

This is very hard for us to do. To forgive someone multiple times today is almost unheard of, and sadly many do not even forgive once. Many do not want to forgive others but expect Jesus to forgive us for any and everything. 

The Bible tells us to forgive others as Christ has forgave us. (Ephesians 4:32) 

If we can  acknowledge that Jesus has forgiven us for thousands of sins, then forgiving others should be no problem. 

4) We should have Unconditional Forgiveness 

Acts 7:59-60  

59) And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 

60) And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 

This is one of the greatest examples of unconditional forgiveness. As Stephen drew his last breath, he extended forgiveness to those who were taking his life. We often refuse to forgive over little petty and foolish things. When we compare the things we want let go, hold grudges over, and exercise hate towards to what Stephen went through there is no comparison at all. 

5) God gave us the ability to Forgive 

Ephesians 4:31-32  

31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 

32) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

When we refuse to Forgive we in a sense tie the hands of God. We must understand that forgiveness is for the purpose of our relationship with God. 

The bible clearly tells us in 

Romans 12:19,21 

19) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 

21) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Mark 11:25  

25) And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 

When we refuse to extend Forgiveness as we have been Forgiven, we then will harvest anger and hurt that will eventually turn to bitterness. We must not be imprisoned and held captive by our bitterness that unforgiveness has produced.  

6) We do not Give Forgiveness As God has Forgave Us 

The consequences we have when we don't receive Forgiveness from God or extend Forgiveness to others. 

Matthew 6:15  

15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

Hating someone and holding a grudge causes many negative effects. If We allow such attitudes then our life becomes a mess. Everything suffers, our health, relationships, and emotions. When we don't forgive others, it brings about a bondage to our souls that could be compared to a substance addiction. Often this unforgiveness causes a bitterness that controls us in every way. It brings in hurt and anger in our lives. It keeps us from having joy, love, and fellowship with others. This bitterness is a result of our pride. We would rather keep score and get revenge. If we chose not to let go of our bitter feelings, they will eventually control us. Our hurt and feelings will hold us captive, and greatly hinder our relationship with God. 

IF YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN YOU MUST BE FORGIVING

Be Separate

In todays world many christians do not understand what it means to be a christian. The bible is very clear on this with many verses. A lot of christians want to pick and choose what is sin and what is not. The foundation of those thoughts are ones personal feelings and desires. 

James 1:14 

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire 

When one understands that any desires they have that are not aligned with the word of God is no foundation at all. When we do anything apart from God it may seem ok for a moment but it will always fail in time. 

Matthew 7:24-27 

24) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 

25) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 

26) And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 

27) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 

Jesus is our foundation and our rock. Any thing on any other foundation will fail. When we come to Christ in total surrender and accept Him as our Savior we must be different. 

We are to be different 

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and  perfect. 

We are not to be like the world. When we become a child of God everything about us is new. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

We are completely different and completely new including our minds. When our mind becomes renewed then our thoughts will be new because we are new. When our mind is renewed then are actions are new also. The evidence of being a new creation is by the fruits we exhibit. What this means is we must be separate. 

2 Corinthians 6:17 

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 

Proverbs 1:15

My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 

So many today try to justify and excuse their sin away. Rather it is alcohol, drugs, conversations, the way they dress, etc. Actions always replace words. See, people today use a worldly standard to make sure their desired standard is ok. For example, one will say the way I dress is not that bad look at so and so. The drug I'm dabbling in is not that bad look at so and so. I drink beer they drink liquor. They cuss more than me. There are so many more examples I can use. The point is that when we compare ourselves to others in a worldly perspective then we look pretty good. However, if we always consider our behavior to be ok based on someone else’s behavior in a worldly sense then we are never going to meet Gods standard. We are to never let the worlds standard identify us. The only standard w e should look to is God’s standard. We must look at this world and our actions with a Biblical world view and nothing else. Things we do may not look that bad compared to others. 

The question is how does it look to God.

Identity in Christ 

In our lives today we find ourselves searching for many things. We all feel that certain things identify who we are. We look for fun, happiness, acceptance, possessions, peace, and many others things. Yes, all these things help shape who we are to a certain degree, but the most important thing that identifies us if our relationship with Jesus Christ. When we realize this is what truly identities us all the others things will follow. Lets take a look at a few things on how to find our identity. 

(1) Your identity must be anchored in Christ 

Romans 6:11 

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Sin is rampant in our world today and in our lives. To truly be anchored in Christ we have to die to sin. To die to sin means live for God. We must do our best to separate ourselves from sin and not partake in things of the world.  “A true child of God will not withstand temptation, a true child of God will not allow themselves to be tempted. No matter how godly one is, if they allow themselves to be tempted repeadlty they will fail.” 

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

Here we have an amazing truth from the Word of God. A great indicator of ones identity in Christ is are they now different. What is one identifying with and are identified by, the world or God. 

(2) Jesus Knows Us and Loves Us. 

Ephesians 1:4-5 

4) even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love  

5) he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, God chose us before the beginning of the world. 

Wow!! He predestined us for adoption. God from the beginning has chosen all and predetermined that those who would surrender their life to Him, be purposeful for Him, and live according to His will would be identified with Him, by Him, and through Him. Those who do not surrender their life to Him will be identified apart from God and be identified with the world. 

(3) If we ever need love, validation, confidence, help, and peace look to Christ. 

Isaiah 9:6 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Today this world has standards and that is exactly what they are, worldly standards. So many of us look for our identity in things of this world. What we have, what we are going to get, what we need, etc. This is the things that so many search for to have validation. All of us (and a lot of our younger kids and teenagers) look for their confidence, validation, peace, acceptance, and status in things of this world. We have to understand that none of this means a whole lot in the big scheme of things. Ones true validation is in Christ. When we identify with Christ all the other things will automatically come.  

(4) We can also have People who can and will Help Us and Guide Us. 

Philemon 1:7 

For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. 

As a new young christian one may still be searching for their identity, yes they are a new creation in Christ and are exactly that, new. No one will ever replace Christ, that will never happen, but young christians can always benefit from having a Godly person they can learn from. That person can be of great help to someone who has recently accepted Jesus. 

(5) Ultimately God/Jesus gives Us what we Need 

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

Yes, nice things can be a blessing and we are blessed when we have nice things. However, none of that will be any more than possessions. When we identify with Christ we will seek first the kingdom of God. We will strive for righteousness. We will have all that we need. Again, none of that is even remotely comparable to what a true identity in Christ gives us and that is eternal life. If you can’t identify with Christ then you have not surrounded your life to Christ. 

The bible says in:  

Romans 10:9 

That If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Romans 10:13  

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Living for Christ 

In the Gospel of Mark we see something that is just amazing. In Mark 8:27-33 we see where Jesus was with the disciples and went to the village of Caesarea, Philippi. I imagine they had been having conversation and then Jesus asked them “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples then answer and tell Jesus all the names that people have said. John the Baptist, Elijah, and some said one of the Prophets. Jesus then asked them “Who do you say that I am?” They answered “You are the Christ.” After this He began to tell them of the things to come where He (Jesus) would suffer and how he would be rejected by the elders, priest, and scribes. How he would be killed. Then on the third day rise again. Jesus was stating this simply and plainly. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him. Peter understood His words, he simply could not reconcile the view of Jesus the Messiah with suffering, and death that Jesus spoke of. So Peter began to rebuke Him (Jesus) for having such a grim outlook. Jesus knew the other disciples were there so he rebuked Peter and said “Get the behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on Gods interests but man’s.” Peter was speaking for Satan. Like Jesus enemy, Peter was not thinking on the things of God. Gods ways, Gods plans, or Gods purposes. Instead, his mind was set on the things of man, and the things of the world. 

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

Jesus was saying that His death on the cross was the will of God. it would bring Forgiveness and redemption for all mankind. Peter was being unintentional used by Satan. Peter was thinking he was protecting Jesus. Peter had just said that  Jesus. “You are the Christ” in the previous verses. This is why Jesus rebuked Peter. After this Jesus teaches a powerful lesson. 

Lets look at  

Mark 8:34-38 

34) And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

35) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 

36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 

37) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

38) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 

Lets break this down 

Mark 8:34 

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

Jesus command to “take up your cross and follow Me” is a call to humiliation to ones self and offering ones self. To die to ones self is a complete and absolute surrender in humbleness and realize that  one must be willing to die in order to follow Jesus. Dying to self is an absolute surrender to God. We must realize that apart from God we can do nothing. We will not have the ability to glorify God in anything we do. 

John 15:5 

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

Mark 8:35 

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 

To lose ones life is dying to self. It is to die of the things of this world and to commit and totally live for God. It could mean giving up on ones desires, job, friends, relationships, sports, dreams, and even possessions one owns. 

Matthew 19:16-22 

16) And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 

17) And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 

18) He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 

19) Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

20) The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 

21) Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  

22) But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 

This young man had done all the things a follower of Christ would do, but when it came to dying to self concerning his possessions he could not do it. We see that so much today. There can’t be a partial Christian. We cant be luke warm one is or is not. 

Revelation 3:16 

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

Mark 8:36-37 

36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 

37) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

We see in todays society that ones life and worth is with what that have. How famous one is and how much money one may have does not represent true worth or validation. When one strives for these worldly goals and them alone, one is losing ones life. When we live for the world we have not died to self. When we live for God none of this matters. You can have everything imaginable but if you are not a child of God you have nothing at all. 

Matthew 19:24 

24) And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

Luke 16:19-25 

19) There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 

20) And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 

21) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 

23) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 

24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 

25) But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 

Yes it is hard to take up the cross and deny self, but nothing in this world will ever be worth not having eternal life in Heaven. 

Mark 8:38 

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

When we live for Jesus and die to self, what also comes with that is being willing to stand up for Jesus. To proclaim His name. To tell others about Him and His saving grace. So many just don't get the seriousness of this verse or the severity that can come if one is ashamed. We can not be ashamed of Jesus or the Gospel.  

Romans 1:16 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

1 Peter 4:16 

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 

Are you willing to lose closest friends, family, job, what people think about you, even your life to follow Jesus? Not all these things will be the case for everyone. Our lives are all different and we will face different things. But we still need to ask ourself this question. What will you live for?  Jesus Christ or this world.

5 Things that Identify a Child of God 

We will look at these things in the book of 1 John. 

1) One will desire to Obey the Lord 

2) One will Develop a New Relationship with Sin 

3) One will Love the Brethren 

4) There will be an Indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Ones Life 

5) When One becomes a Child of God things of the World are no longer Desirable. 

1) One will Obey the Lord 

When one is saved they will have a desire to obey and serve the Lord 

1 John 2:3 

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  

When one becomes a Christian there will be a great desire to follow the Word of God. If there is not the one should

2 Corinthians 13:5  

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 

If you have no desire to follow God and His Word then something is wrong. 

2) One will Develop a New Relationship with Sin 

Sin is no longer enjoyable. 

1 John 3:7-9 

7) Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.  

8) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.  

9) No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 

When we accept Jesus we are a New Creation 

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

One can not practice sin. This is one who continuously sins unrepentantly. If one is a child of God then this is not possible.  

3) One will Love other Fellow Believers One should have a heart for other Christians. 

1 John 3:14 

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.  

One should want to be around like minded Christians. To have fellowship with them. 

Hebrews 10:25 

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 

One should want to be around those who are like minded. This is helpful because being around those who are also children of God is encouraging and in a sense gives one a break from all the worldly distractions we face.

 4) There will be an Indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Ones Life 

The Holy Spirit in us is our guide, teacher, and comforter. Apart from the Holy Spirit will be like wandering in the woods with out a compass. We will be lost and going in the wrong direction. He guides, teaches, and comforts us daily.

1 John 4:13 

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 

When one has the Holy Spirit they will be able to spiritual discern truth from error. Things will be put to test. Does it align with the Word of God? It will just be something about it that doesn't sit right. 

5) When One becomes a Child of God things of the World are no longer Desirable. 

Our desires should be things of God not of this world 

1 John 5:4 

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 

When we become a child of God things of this world are no longer desirable. Things of God takes the place of them. If one spends more time with the world than they do with God or one spends no time at all with God one may need to as said before examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) If this is not evident in ones life and they realize they are not a child of God then call on Jesus today. 

Romans 10:13 

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

Romans 10:9 

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

2 Corinthians 6:2 

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Believe in Jesus Christ today, repent and turn from your sins that you may have eternal life. 

John 3:16 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life 

Acts 3:19 

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

BIBLE 

Topics 

1) The Bible is directly from God. 

2) The Bible is absolute truth. 

3) The Bible is our instructions/manuals for life. 

4) The Bible is our Armor in Life 

5) The Bible guides us to eternity. 

6) The Bible is the single most valuable thing on this earth and in our life. 

The word Bible simply means “book.” The English word Bible is ultimately derived from the Greek term biblia, meaning “books. 

1) The Bible is Directly From God Paul said in 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)

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

17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) 

16) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 

17) that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 

We can see this in Genesis where God breathed life into man. Just as God breathed life into man. God breaths the scriptures through His word into our lives daily. 

Genesis 2:7 

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 

Paul again shows us the Point In 

1 Thessalonians: 2:13

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Peter tells us also: That God is the absolute author of the Scriptures 

2 Peter 1:20-21 

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

21) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 

We know that the Bible was recorded through men of God by God through the inspiration and Guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

2) The Bible Is Truth 

The Bible is Infallible, Inerrant, and Inspired by God Infallible is  - Incapable of error Inerrant is - without error Inspired is - Directly from God 

David says: 

Psalm 19:7-9

7) The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 

8) The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 

9) The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 

Jesus Says: 

John 17:17

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth God Can Not Lie: 

Hebrews 6:17-19

17) Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 

18) That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

19) Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

 Proverbs 30:5-6

5) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 

6) Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. We see that Gods word can not be wrong.  Therefore it is absolute truth. 

3) The Bible is our instructions during Life 

Look at what Paul says again in 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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

17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works 

Inspiration -  a divine influence on a person who believes in God to qualify him or her to receive and communicate Gods word. 

Profitable - Receiving Gods Benefits through His Word Doctrine - Is the body of principles of Gods Word. As in What we should do. 

Reproof - Identifying the wrong we do or to be Rebuked 

Correction - Through Gods word we see how to conform or follow Gods standards 

Instruction - Gods word is our manual for our life. 

Righteousness - Is being in one Accord with Gods law. 

We also see in Hebrews that the Word of God “penetrates” deep within us and “judges” our hearts and motivations. It is “active,” not passive. 

Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

Jesus said that the Bible is Nutrition Spiritually as Food is Psychically:   

Matthew 4:4

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

4) The Bible is our Armor during times of Tribulation. 

Ephesians 6:13-17

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

14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

We see here that the Word of God is the sword of the spirit which is how we defeat all things that are against us. The Bible, God’s Word, is a weapon. It is a sword that gives us power and authority to overcome all things. 5) The Bible Guides and Leads us to Eternal Life. This can start when we are still Children. 

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

5) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 

6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 

7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up 

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. We also see Gods word is not void based on age it is for all. 

Romans 3:10

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 5:12

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

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Romans 10:9-10

9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

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

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved 

Romans 10:17

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The Bible does not get put on a shelf once we accept Jesus as our Savior. Through Study we can get a greater Understanding and we will grow closer to God. 

2 Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. It Guides our steps. 

Psalm 119:105

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

It renews our Minds 

Romans 12:1-2

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. 

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

It keeps us from sin 

Psalm 119:11

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 

5) God and the Word of God will go with Us Always 

Joshua 1:8-9

8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 

9) Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. 

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 

Deuteronomy 31:8

And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. 

Romans 8:38-39

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

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

6) The Bible is the most Valuable thing on Earth 

Facts about the Bible 

The Bible Contains  

2 Testaments 

66 books 

783,137 words 

3,116,480 letters 

39 books in the Old Testament 

27 books in the New Testament 

Chapters and Verses 

The Bible has 1,189 Chapters 

The Bible has 31,102 verses 

The Old Testament has 929 chapters 

The Old Testament has 23,145 verses 

The New Testament has 260 chapters 

The New Testament has 7,957 verses 

Chapters were added to the Bible in 1238 by Cardinal Hugo de S. Caro

Verse divisions were added in the year 1551 by Robertus Stephanus 

Longest book: Psalms (150 chapters) 

Longest chapter: Psalm 119 (176 verses) 

Longest verse: Esther 8:9 (78 words) 

Shortest book (by number of words): 3 John 

Shortest chapter (by number of words): Psalms 117 

Shortest verse: John 11:35 (2 words: “Jesus wept”) 

The Bible was written over a 1500 year span (from circa 1400 B.C to A.D. 100) over 40 generations over 40 authors from many walks of life in different places at different times on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe) in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic [Chaldee], and Greek) 

Books of the Bible

Old Testament 

Law (5)

1) Genesis 2) Exodus 3) Leviticus 4) Numbers 5) Deuteronomy 

Historical (12)

1) Joshua 2) Judges 3) Ruth 4) 1 Samuel 5) 2 Samuel 6) 1 Kings 7) 2 Kings 8) 1 Chronicles 9) 2 Chronicles 10) Ezra 11) Nehemiah 12)Esther 

Wisdom (5)

1) Job 2) Psalms 3) Proverbs 4) Ecclesiastes 5) Song of Solomon 

Major Prophets (5)

1) Isaiah 2) Jeremiah 3) Lamentations 4) Ezekiel 5) Daniel 

Minor Prophets (12) 

1) Hosea 2) Joel 3) Amos 4) Obadiah 5)Jonah 6) Micah 7) Nahum 8) Habakkuk 9) Zephaniah 10) Haggai 11) Zechariah

12) Malachi 

New Testament

Gospels (4) 

1) Matthew 2) Mark 3) Luke 4) John 

Historical (1)

1) Acts 

Epistles (21)

Pauls Epistles (14) including Hebrews

1) Romans 2) 1 Corinthians 3) 2 Corinthians 4) Galatians 5) Ephesians 6) Philippians 7) Colossians 8) 1 Thessalonians 

9) 2 Thessalonians 10) 1 Timothy 11)  2 Timothy 12) Titus 13) Philemon 14) Hebrews 

General Epistles (7)

1) James 2) 1 Peter 3) 2 Peter 

4) 1 John 5) 2 John 6) 3 John 7) Jude 

Prophetic (1)

Revelation 

The Bible is inspired by God Himself! It is His Word, containing His wisdom, His goodness, His intentions, His judgements, His heart. Have you been so interested in understanding God’s will that you spend time with His very own Word? If we want to gain life and nourishment for our spirit, it is essential that we spend time with God’s Word. God’s Word is a source of life! It contains infinite help and wisdom. And, when it is read and obeyed in a spirit of faith, it leads us to unimaginable spiritual growth. The Bible contains all the instruction that we need to come to a life of true purity and righteousness. It teaches us how we can follow Christ in truth. It contains words and examples from heroes of faith, prophets, apostles, Jesus Christ and God Himself! What better teaching, what better instruction is there for those who want to live a life that is well-pleasing to God our Creator? Can you make time to set aside to dive into the Word of God the Bible. It will forever change your life. The Bible is so the Lost Can Know and The Saved can Grow.

Easter 

Every year one day comes around and we all know it to be Easter. To almost all people, and lots of christians, Easter is a bunny rabbit and eggs. Families get together and fellowship and eat delicious food. Usually kids get an Easter basket full of candy and some other type of gifts. The younger kids wake up excited and as they are wiping their eyes they make their way down the hall. Almost immediately when they see the surprise they have received from the Easter bunny they are then wide awake. This is often the highlight of a kids Easter morning and the parents as well. The joy that kids have for their Easter baskets and any other  reason is always a highlight to parents. All excitement from the things given by parents and received by children will never compare to the ultimate gift given by God and what one receives if it is accepted. God can be our Heavenly father and we can be His children. We must never forget what Easter is all truely about. With all this being said lets look at the Easter story from the Bible.   

Luke 23:32-56 

32) Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.  

33) And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.  

34) And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”And they cast lots to divide his garments.  

35) And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”  

36) The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine  

37) and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”  

38) There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 

39) One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”  

40) But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  

41) And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”  

42) And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  

43) And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

44) It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,  

45) while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 

46) Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.  

47) Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”  

48) And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.  

49) And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. Jesus Is Buried 

50) Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,  

51) who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.  

52) This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 

53) Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.  

54) It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 

55) The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.  

56) Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 

Luke 24:1-12 

1) But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  

2) And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  

3) but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  

4) While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  

5) And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  

6) He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  

7) that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”  

8) And they remembered his words,  

9) and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  

10) Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,  

11) but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.  

12) But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

God gave us His Son Jesus to take our penalty and by accepting Jesus as Lord we can receive eternal life.  

John 3:16-17 

16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Romans 6:23  

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

1 John 2:2  

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 

Acts 4:12  

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 

2 Corinthians 5:21  

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

Ephesians 2:8-9  

8) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  

9) not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

As mentioned above for Easter most parents give gifts and children receive those gifts. I encourage all to remember those gifts will never compare to the gift of eternal life that we can receive because God gave His Son. All things of this world will forever be just that, things of this world. We will take nothing with us when we leave this temporary home. We must remember the true meaning of Easter and that is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Accept Him and have the most precious gift of all, and it will be the biggest highlight of ones life. 

Romans 10:9-10 

9) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

10) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Ten Commandments 

Some will say that the Ten Commandments are old and they no longer apply. This is not the case at all.  Lets look at the Ten Commandments and see how they are still relevant today. 

The Ten Commandments are in Exodus 20:1-17

Let's look at all Ten quickly and see also where they are mentioned in the New Testament. This will be quick and to the point, but always good to refresh our minds on the Word of God. 

1) Do not worship and other Gods

 1 Corinthians 8:6 

but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. 

1 Timothy 2:5 

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”  

2) Do not make idols 

1 John 5:21 

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 

3) Do not misuse the name of the Lord 

James 3:8

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 

4) Keep the Sabbath 

(Jesus is the Sabbath)  

Mark 2:27-28 

27) And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 

28) Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 

5) Honor your father and mother 

Ephesians 6:1-2 

1) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 

2) Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 

6) Do not murder 

Romans 13:9 

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

1 Peter 4:15 

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 

7) Do not commit adultery  

1 Corinthians 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, 

8) Do not steal 

Ephesians 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. 

9) Do not give false testimony 

Revelation 21:8 

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

10) Do not covet 

Colossians 3:5 

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 

We see from the verses that all Ten Commandments from the Old Testament are still relevant today.  The only one being different would be the 4th Commandment. Jesus is the sabbath and every day is the Sabbath. When we have a relationship with Jesus He is our rest daily not just once a week.  The Ten Commandments is the moral law. When we are a child of God the commandments are something we can all adhere to. They were very important back in the Old testament and important for today as well.

What is Ones Purpose 

In this life lets look at a question some ask and if not should ask. What is my purpose? What is your purpose? Many will say popularity, talents, sports, friendships, marriage, having children, good job, success, fame, and becoming rich. All those things can be a great thing if any or all can be accomplished. However, we must understand they are only temporary. 

James 4:14

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

I have asked the question before, “How does ________ benefit your life. The point here is anything done in our life on earth is just that on earth. the 

Bible tells us in. 

1 Timothy 6:7

For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it, either. We must all ask what on earth is preparing me for my eternity. 

Mark 8:36-37 

36) For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  

37) For what can a man give in return for his soul? 

I have always said and believe so strongly that even though there is so much in our life on this earth. The good and the bad. 

There is two things that is our true purpose. 

1) You purpose is to Live for God Glorifying and Worshiping Him 

1 Corinthians 10:31 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

Matthew 5:16 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

We should Glorify God in all that we do so others can see God in our lives. 

2) Share the Gospel 

Matthew 28:19 

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

Living for God and telling others about Him are the two most purposeful things we can and should do with our lives. 

One may ask “How can I do this? For one to Live for God and share their Gospel with others they must accept Jesus as Savior 

John 3:16 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Romans 10:9 

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Once you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and surrendered your life to Him. Then you can finally see the importance of Living for God and Sharing the Gospel with others. We are to prepare for Eternity in Heaven while Temporarily on Earth. Our true purpose is not things of this world. It is to be prepared for Eternity, Glorify and worship our Creator and tell others about Him

Romans 14:8 

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

Time Management 

Our time management is important because of the business of our lives. Our earthly life and journey is significantly shorter than we think. In 

Psalm 39:5 

You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath 

James 4:14

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 

Our life on earth is going by day by day and is very short compared to eternity. To live for God and how He would have us live, it is important we make the best possible use of our time. In 

Psalms 90:12 

Moses prays Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 

A good way to gain wisdom is to learn to live each day with an eternal perspective. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

Our Creator has set eternity in our hearts 

Knowing that we will have to give an account to the One who gives us time should motivate us to use it well. 

Ephesians 5:15-16 

15) Paul cautioned the saints, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 

16) making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 

Living wisely involves using our time carefully. 

Luke 10:2 

says the harvest is great and the workers are few 

Since time is rapidly going away it should help us make better use of our time to witness, both through our words and our actions 

1 John 3:18 

We should spend loving others in deed and truth 

There is no doubt that the responsibilities and pressures of this world distracts our attention. So many things pulling us in different directions makes it easy for our time to get taken up in less important matters. The important things that have eternal value almost always get pushed aside. So what do we do To avoid losing focus, we need to prioritize and set goals We need to delegate our time and set time aside 

Exodus 18:13–22 

Moses farther in law Jethro taught him to delegate his heavy work loads 

Proverbs 6:10-11 

Tells us We should not be slothful or lazy 

We remember that God rested on the 7th day of creation but it was after the work was done. We rest once we have worked not rest to prevent from working or doing daily task 

Other versus to this is 

Proverbs 12:24; 13:4; 18:9; 20:4; 21:25; 26:14 

Matthew 25:14–30 

The parable of the ten talents shows the tragedy when opportunity is wasted It also shows the importance of laboring faithfully until the Lord comes. We should work and be diligent in our earthly employment and activities That should not be limited to monetary gain or fun. 

Colossians 3:17 

we see our primary focus in all that we do should be to glorify God 

Colossians 3:23–24 

23) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 

24) since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving

Matthew 6:19-21 

Jesus spoke of storing up treasures in heaven 

John 6:27 

We are not to work ourselves to exhaustion in the pursuit of earthly wealth. 

This also can be used when looking at fame acceptance and popularity We are to give our best to everything to which God has called us. In all our endeavors, our relationships, our labors, our studies, serving others, the administrative details of our lives, caring for the health of our bodies, recreation, but our primary focus is always to be God. He is who gave us this time on earth, and He is the One who directs and should be the focus on how we spend it We need to schedule regular daily time with God. God is who equips us to carry out the tasks He has given us. It is He who directs our days. The worst thing we could do is manage our time as if it belongs to us. Time belongs to God. We ask God for His wisdom in how to best use our time. Then we follow with confidence, focusing on His course and accepting the corrections of our time and be open to Gods direction. We should seek Godly direction in our use of time We should give effort when considering our time management. Consider what things God has called you to specifically. Consider how much of your time you are currently investing in these things. Consider what else is taking your time. Make a list of priorities and responsibilities and ask God to direct you regarding any changes that need to be made. Reflecting on your priorities and use of time is a good practice to engage in regularly. We should always evaluate and examine our use of time. We need to place our focus on things that are eternal as opposed to the abundant pleasures of this passing world. This not always easy but we should strive to get closer in our time with God who gave us our time. Time spent with God and getting to know Him, through reading His Word and prayer, is never wasted. 

In Hebrews 10:24–25 

John 13:34–35

1 John 3:17–18 

we see Time spent building up the body of Christ and loving others with God’s love is time well spent. Time invested in sharing the gospel so that others will come to know salvation in Jesus bears eternal fruit 

Matthew 28:18–20 

says We should live as if each minute counts because it really does.

Have a plan for Spiritual Maturity

Today in the World we live in things are hard. Things do not make sense. We are faced with things that are challenging. We are tempted by things that seem to be ok from the world view but are sin from the biblical view. So many people only look at maturity in the physical and mental sense. Yes this is the case, however what is absolutely more important is our spiritual maturity. Growing older does not mean one will grow spiritually. So how can we become more spiritually mature. Lets take a quick second to look at things one can do to grow and spiritual maturity.  We need a plan, so What is the plan? 

(1) Imitate Christ 

To imitate Christ does not mean we should act like we are Christ. To imitate Christ is to follow and be lead by His examples.  

Ephesians 5:1-2 

1) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 

2) And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

1 Peter 2:21 

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 

Paul imitated Jesus and encouraged others to do the same. 

1 Corinthians 11:1  

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 

(2) Put away old habits, and practices. 

We will not just grow out of them. In order to become spiritually mature we must follow the examples given to us by Jesus. Once we do, we can then start to grow in Christ. We have to make decisions and chose wisely what we do. If they do not glorify God then they must not be practiced.

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

Romans 12:1-2 

1) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

2) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and  acceptable and perfect. 

Ephesians 4:22-24 

22) to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,  

23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,  

24) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 

When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are a new creation. We then will follow Christ and our minds will be transformed and we will leave the things we once did behind.  

3) We must fight temptation 

1 Corinthians 10:13 

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 

We will never be faced with anything that we can not turn away. Yes apart from God things will seem impossible, but when you are a child of God you can fight the temptation. If we fail it is because our worldly desires are more of a priority than Godliness. 

4) Fight temptation with scripture   

Psalm 119:11 

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Jesus used scriptures to resist the devil. If Jesus did this how much more should we? 

Matthew 4:1-11 

1) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  

2)  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 

3) And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  

4) But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

5) Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple  

6) and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up,     lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 

7) Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  

8) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  

9) And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  

10) Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God     and him only shall you serve.’” 

11) Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. 

This is just scratching the surface, but I believe is a great starting point to growing in Christ.  When we give our life to Jesus we are a new creation.  We then strive to imitate Christ and follow His examples.  We put the person we used to be and the things we did at the feet of Jesus and turn from those.  We will be tempted many times as we are trying to live for Christ.  We have had a renewing of our mind and with Christ we can withstand those temptations.  We will read the word of God and meditate on it and be ready to stand firm with Jesus against the devil.

BE STILL 

Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD 

This is a very powerful verse. Let’s take a minute and break it down and hopefully see how powerful it is. 

1) BE STILL 

(A) Be Silent 

Habakkuk 2:20 

But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” 

(B) Shut out all Distractions 

Colossians 3:2 

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

In todays time we are so distracted. It can be all sorts of activities. Sports, social media, school, friends, and relationships. That is just a few and I’m sure you can think of lots more. We must realize the importance of God in our lives. When God is our first priority and we have truly surrendered to Him than we are to look at and for the things to come. That being an eternity spent with our Lord and Savior. 

Matthew 6:19-21

19) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 

20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Matthew 6:33

But seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

James 4:14 

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 

We can not let the things of this world take the place of God. We have far more greater things to come. 

(C) Pray 

Matthew 6:6 

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

It is not always possible to get completely alone and have no distractions for our prayer time. Yes we can pray anywhere at any time. 

Romans 12:12 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be in constant prayer. 

1 Chronicles 16:11 

Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually! 

We can get distracted with our prayer life also. When possible it is a good idea to get alone with God and spend time praying. 

2) KNOW 

(A) We Must Erase All Doubt 

Romans 1:20 

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 

There is no excuse for not knowing God. Almost all have heard the gospel in some way. Some have not but according to this verse the knowledge of our Creator is seen all around us. 

1 John 5:13

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 

We have the completed Word of God for us to spend time reading and growing closer to God and know we will have eternal life with Him. Many people only look to God and the Bible when they are having trouble and something is not going right. An instruction manual which most never look at until they are seriously needing help with an issue when trying to put something together. We must treat the Word of God as our spiritual food. We must have food daily for our physical well being. We must have spiritual food daily for our spiritual well being. Eventually one will pick up the instruction manual to properly put something together. They could have accomplished that from the beginning. It would be far more important to pick up the Bible daily when trying to put our lives together. 

Matthew 4:4 

But he answered, “It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every works that comes from the mouth of God.” 

(B) Have Faith By Faith 

Hebrews 11:1 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

We must have Faith. If we could see everything, know everything, we wouldn’t need faith. In life we don’t know all these things. That is why we always can and should turn to God and trust and place our faith in Him. 

3) I AM GOD 

(A) I Am Who I Am 

Exodus 3:14 

God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: “I Am has sent me to you.” 

(B) He is all powerful 

Luke 1:37 

For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

Nothing is impossible with out God. He can make anything happen at anytime. We must remember though it should always be according to the will of God. 

1 John 5:14 

And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that is we ask anything according to His will He hears us. 

(C) He is all knowing 

1 John 3:20

for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 

(D) He is our Help in times of trouble 

Psalm 46:1-3 

1) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

2) Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,  though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 

3) though its waters roar and foam,though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 

We must always remember and never forget that God is God. We must regularly BE STILL then we can KNOW He is GOD. 

Victory with God 

For us to have victory with God we must align ourselves with God and His Word. Obedience to Gods commands equals blessings. Our disobedience equals consequences. Lets look at one of the many accounts of Moses in the book of Exodus. 

Exodus 14:13-31 

Moses was Commanded by God 

Exodus 14:16

As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.  

If Moses obeyed the promise would be received. We see here that Moses was commanded by God with what he must do. Moses had to obey God for the promise to happen. What are some commands that we are told to do today?  What are the Promises of God if we Obey and follow those commands? Moses Obeyed the command of God 

Exodus 14:21-22

21) Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.  

22) The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.  

Gods Promise was fulfilled  Moses was obedient to God. When Moses trusted God and followed His command Gods promise was fulfilled, and the Israelites crossed over on dry land completely unharmed.  We have Commands from God with those Commands we have Promises from God. We must Obey Gods commands to have those Promises fulfilled. 

Have we today been Obedient to the commands of God? 

Moses was again Commanded by God 

Exodus 14:26-28

26) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.”  

27) So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.  

28) The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. 

God is Faithful Here we see when Moses was commanded by God and obeyed. God was faithful and eliminated Pharaoh and the Egyptians. If we are Faithful to God we can and will see many promises of God fulfilled. 

What promises have been fulfilled from your obedience? 

Moses and the Israelites were protected 

Exodus 14:30-31

30) Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.  

31) When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses. 

Moses and the Israelites had Victory We see here that once Moses was obedient to Gods command, the Israelites were protected and had victory. When we follow Gods command and God is faithful to us and promises are fulfilled we then will know that God is God and we will for sure believe in Him Have you seen first hand the protection of God in your life? Did that build your Faith? We see the Promise of God and those promises fulfilled when we are commanded by God and obey. We see the great and amazing things that can happen when we place our faith in Christ. However if we choose not to obey God we can have a severe consequence  We see in 

Numbers 20:1-12 

Were the Israelites who had been traveling in the wilderness had no water.  

Numbers 20:2

2) There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.  Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before God and the Lord spoke to them. 

Numbers 20:8

8) “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.” 

Moses then went to the people and said they would have water from the rock, however Moses did not obey and follow the command of God 

Numbers 20:11-12

11) Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.  Moses had a negative consequence. 

12) But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 

Moses would never get to enter the Promise Land that they had been traveling for forty years too get too Are you being disobedient and if so what consequence might you face? We see here that like Moses when we follow Gods commands and we are obedient then we will receive a blessing. If we do not then consequences will happen. Today for us who are a child of God lets make sure that we surrender completely to God and follow Him

In the Midst of the Storm

In our life sadly there are things that we experience that we would never want to experience. We have trials and tribulations that bring upon us heartache and emotional pain. There are many things in our day to day life that can be the corporate of pain but, I will list just a few. It can be things such as an argument, lose of job, financial struggles, or loss of a loved one. Yes, there is a wide variety of situations that can bring pain to us. Their all tough to deal with, and also a wide variety of severity as well. Yes loosing a job is a tribulation but doesn't compare to loosing a loved one. Many times one will ask how do I get through this? How???? Almost always things that happen will not make sense to us. We will not be able to comprehend or understand it. It leaves us in a whirlwind of  emotional pain. Death, sickness, hardship, and all other things that come our way is a result of a fallen sinful world. In the book of Job we see Job going through some of the hardest things anyone could go through. We also can learn from Job how to approach troubled times in our life. We can find this in 

Job 1:13-22

13) Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,  

14) and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,  

15) and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”  

16) While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”  

17) While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”  

18) While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,  

19) and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 

20) Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.  

21) And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” 

22) In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. 

Let's look at 3 things we can learn from Jobs experience When Job got the absolute worst news he could get we see 

1) Job Worshiped God 

Job 1:20

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 

Any time something of great magnitude happens there is a fork in the road. There are two directions one can go, toward God or away from God. So many times when something difficult comes ones way they will get mad at God, they will blame God. As hard as things we go through are we should always turn to God not run from God. We see that Job in Ch 1:20 when tragedy came upon him he worshiped God.  Then we see his wife took the other direction. 

Job 2:9 

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 

As hard as it is in times of hurt and emotional pain we should worship God, draw close to God, turn to God, and know that all things are purposed by God. 

Here is scripture to show those 4 things.  

1) Worship God 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

16) Rejoice always,  

17) pray without ceasing,  

18) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

2) Draw Close to God 

Hebrews 4:16 

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

3) Turn to God 

Proverbs 3:5 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

4) Purposed by God 

Romans 8:28 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 

2) Job acknowledge that God is the Creator and the Finisher 

Job 1:21 

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” 

God can give and take away anything 

Isaiah 45:7

I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. 

1 Samuel 2:7 

The Lord makes poor and makes rich;   he brings low and he exalts. 

With Life 

Deuteronomy 32:39 

“‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. 

We have to come to a point as hard as it is to know that God is the Creator of All and the Finisher of all. He is in total control always. 

We should never Blame God 

Job 1:22

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. 

What is blame Blame = to find fault with, To blame God is to find fault with Him 

We are not the judge of the one who judges Yes God is in control of all things. It is expected one would ask why when experiencing hard times. As said before as hard as things can be we should never blame God. All that Job went through we see he never blamed God. He did just the opposite.  

Job 13:15

Though he slay me, I will hope in him… 

Even though what Job was going through He never turned his back on God.  

In James we see the opposite of blame. 

James 1:2–3 

2) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  

3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

As said before our lives are full of uncertainty. It is easy to love when being loved (Matthew 5:46). The same can be said with our worship. It is easy to worship God when all things are going great, the true test is to turn to God and worship Him in times of pain. God is the author of the book of our lives. We are not one to question when He decides to finish the story. 

Ephesians 5:20

giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Nothing I have said can make all pain go away. In any hard time in our lives we can and will struggle. Just remember God is in total control. He is to be worshiped in the midst of our pain. Rather we understand or comprehend we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and He will see us through.  

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Jesus Wept 

John 11:35

Jesus wept. 

In John Ch.11 we see the shortest verse in the Bible. “Jesus Wept.” This is such a short verse but has an amazing message within it. We will look at that shortly but lets take a look at some important things leading up to that verse. In Ch.11 of John, Jesus, gets word that Lazarus is sick. When hearing this Jesus waited two more days before he went to where Lazarus was. At that time Lazarus had died. Why did He wait? The Bible says he did this so He would get the glory and the disciples and others would believe. 

John 11:4 

But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 

John 11:14-15 

14) Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,  

15)  and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

When Jesus arrived in Bethany Martha went to greet Him and said  

John 11:21

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 

Jesus told her he would rise. 

John 11:23 

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha believed she understood this but actually did not. She thought Jesus was referring to the resurrection of the last day.  

John 11:24 

Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 

Then Jesus replies with an amazing and absolute response. 

John 11:25-27 

25) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 

26)  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”  

27) She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” 

Jesus told her he was the resurrection and life. Yes he spoke this to Martha but what an amazing promise that is for us too. When Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life, He was telling Martha that He is both. Without Christ there is no resurrection. With out Christ there is no eternal life. Death has no power over Jesus because Jesus Himself is life. Those who accept Jesus will have victory over death. 

1 John 5:11-12 

11) And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  

12) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior death cannot defeat us because we have the life that Jesus gives. 

1 Corinthians 15:53-57 

53) For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  

54) When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 

55) “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 

56) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

So far we see a couple of things: 

1) More would believe on the the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Jesus waited two days after hearing Lazarus was sick to go the where he was. Jesus had the power to heal him and call him out of the tomb from far away, but he didn’t. He knew that if He went to him and raised Him from the dead then the disciples, Mary, Martha, and all the others gathered around would see the miraculous feat. 

2) We see that Jesus raising Lazarus would Glorify Him the Son of God. 

John 11:4  

But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 

On earth everything Jesus did glorified God 

John 17:4 

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 

3) We see that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

 John 14:6 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior then we live because Jesus lives and we have eternal life because Jesus is life. I highlighted some important truths from the verses that are earlier in the chapter. Now lets look at  

John 11:33-35 

33) When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.  

34) And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 

35) Jesus wept. 

This is so powerful in so many ways. Jesus was fully God and fully man.  Fully God He could raise Lazarus, which he did do, and fully man because he shared in the sorrow and the pain of those He loved. Jesus saw the pain and the sorrow of all there, Jesus the Son of God weeped with them. This is just amazing to me that the Son of God cried. 

Jesus is 

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Jesus is the Son of God, He didn't have to weep. He can do all things. He could have chose not to weep but He chose to weep. Jesus cares about us and loves us. Jesus cares about the big things in our lives, and the little things in our lives. Jesus knows when we hurt. Jesus sees when we cry. Jesus feels our pain. Jesus feels our grief. Jesus cares for us all. Jesus is right in the struggles of our lives with us. Whatever we may feel or experience. Whenever we fill anxious, depressed, stressed, bothered, sad, mad, or mourning. We can know that Jesus mourns and weeps with us. He feels the pain of anxiety we feel. No matter what battle or pain we are going through Jesus is right there with us. When I referenced Isaiah 9:6 just a second ago I was pointing out that Jesus is Mighty God and Everlasting Father, as to say He is almighty but yet he weeped. When you think about it, Jesus is right there with us in our times of struggles and needs. In those anxious moments and in those times of mourning Isaiah 9:6 really comes to life. Jesus truly is the Son of God, but in our difficult times He is our Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace.

Peace/Comfort

Philippians 4:7 

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

Right before this verse in Philippians 4:4-6 it gives some amazing truths.  

Philippians 4:4

4) says to rejoice in the Lord always.  

No matter what we may be dealing with good or bad we need to rejoice in the Lord. We have more blessings than we can count. Every morning when we wake up thank God for the new day. That is reason enough to rejoice. There is many more reasons we could say. Just remember rejoice God daily. 

Philippians 4:5

5) let all your moderation Be known unto men.  

This is to say we are to live a life that gives witness to others that we don’t partake in things that is not pleasing to God. We are to be known for gentleness, patience, and moderation. Christians are not to be seen as easily angered or foolish, but rather as reasonable, wise people who can handle difficulties and disagreements with maturity. This is not easy and we all fail at this but we should strive for it.  

Philippians 4:6

6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. 

We have all heard this one it is pretty self explanatory we are to not worry. Why? Cause we can bring all or request to Him through prayer. Prayer is how we talk to our Savior. Nothing is to big for God always go to Him in prayer.  

Philippians 4:7 

is telling us that Jesus will guard our hearts and minds as we live for Him. 

This will be done with peace that in no other way can ever be attained to the fullest and have a long everlasting presence. The peace which will guard our hearts and mind is we have peace knowing in the blessing of a life with Jesus. We will always rejoice the Lord which will bring peace. We will bear witness to all others by living a life that represents God in our actions and dealing with others. We will have peace because we can bring all things to God in prayer. Through rejoicing in what is to come. Living a Godly life. Being in continuous prayer. Will bring an abundance of peace and protection to our hearts and lives. It will produce a life pleasing to God and that witnesses to others. 

Heaven

Many if not all are Longing for Heaven.

 Few if any are Longing for Jesus.

 What will be in Heaven?  

1) Mansions 

John 14:2-3

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. 

3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

2) Praise 

Revelation 7:15 

15)  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

3) Tree of Life

Revelation 22:2 

2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  

4) Light of God 

Revelation 22:5 

5) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.  

5) Lambs book of Life 

Revelation 21:27

27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. 

6) Our Loved Ones (who were also a child of God) 

2 Samuel 12:23 

23) But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 

What will be no more in Heaven? 

1) No more tears, death, sorrow, crying, or pain 

Revelation 21:4  

4) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  

2) No more temples, God and Jesus are the temple 

Revelation 21:22 

22) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.  

3) Sun and moon is no longer needed cause God’s light will be radiating in abundance 

Revelation 21:23 

23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

4) Sun and moon is no longer needed cause God’s light will be radiating in abundance 

Revelation 22:5 

25) And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 

What will we do in Heaven? 

1) All Nations and People Will Worship Jesus 

Revelation 7:9-10 

9) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 

10) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Where do we not want to go? 

1) Hell 

Revelation 21:8

8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.  

With all the above being said it is understandable why one would want to live forever in Heaven and not hell. However what is so forgotten in the world we live in today is how one gets to Heaven. Lets look at that. 

Long for Jesus = Home in Heaven 

John 3:16 

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

John 14:6 

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

Romans 3:10 

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

Romans 3:23 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death;   

Romans 6:23 

….but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Romans 5:8 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 10:9-10 

9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

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

Romans 10:13 

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. God says whosoever shall be saved 

So what does Longing for Jesus mean? For us to Long for Jesus we have to realize and acknowledge we are living in sin. We must humble ourselves and submit our hearts to Jesus to be saved. Many if not all long for Heaven. We have to see that we can not bypass Jesus in order to get to Heaven. We cant earn Heaven. We cant buy Heaven. We must long for Jesus first and turn from our sin and turn toward Jesus as Savior then a Longing desire for Heaven can be a promise and received in Heaven.

Judges Ch. 10

In Judges Ch.10 we see Tola who was a Judge had judge Israel for 20 years. After his time then Jair rose and judged Israel 22 years. After his time Israel once again began to do bad and evil things. They choose to serve many other gods and refused to serve the one and only true God. This made the Lord angry towards Israel. He gave them up to the Philistines and to the sons of Ammon. Since they had refused to serve the Lord and now in the hands of the Philistines for 18 years they suffered greatly. Eventually Israel cries out to the Lord saying they had forsaken Him. God then reminded them that He had delivered them many times before. Now they had been worshipping other gods and turned their back on the one and only God. God then tells them that he will no longer deliver them. The Lord tells the sons of Israel to cry out to the other gods and let those so called gods deliver them. Israel again acknowledges that they had sinned and done wrong. The passage follows. 

Judges 10:10

Then the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals." 

Judges 10:11 

The Lord said to the sons of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines? 

Judges 10:12 

Also when the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands. 

Judges 10:13 

Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you. 

Judges 10:14 

Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress." 

Judges 10:15 

The sons of Israel said to the Lord, "We have sinned, do to us whatever seems good to You; only please deliver us this day." 

Judges 10:16 

So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer 

There is 2 things we can look at and learn in this passage. 

1) People call on God only in a time of need. 

Today we as a people often or more than not do the same thing. We will serve God and live for God one minute and then the next fall away from God. So many times it can be seen in times of trouble or some situation in ones life we then will cry out to God. We then want to turn to Him. Being a child of God and leaning on Him can not be conditional, situational, or circumstantial. Following God must be unconditional, as in no matter if the situation is good or bad or no matter if the circumstance is good or bad we must always serve the Lord, Turn to the Lord,Trust the Lord, and Worship the Lord. 

2) Everyone in some way has idols or false gods in there life. 

The passage also mentions that Israel was serving false Gods. We may think well that was then. It was but we today can have gods or idols in our lives. These things take the place of God. An idol, or something worshiped like only God should be worshiped, can be a number of things. It can be sports, social media, boys, girls, dance, band, cheerleading, friends, Xbox, PlayStation, and music. The list can go on and on. It is not absolute evil for these things, however anything that takes the place of God and we give more time than God, can be a idol. 

The lesson to be learned here is don’t pick and choose when we will serve God. If we are a child of God then He is our Heavenly Father. We must have a relationship with Him through His Word and our Prayer. Nothing that we do should be done minus God. We should never have a relationship with God were we just call on Him when he is needed. We should never give things of this world more time than things of God or God Himself. So many today live for the world and then fit in God if there is time left. The correct way is we should live for God and fit in other things if we have time. Let’s have a relationship with God that is so personal that when we serve, Him or turn to Him, it is not chosen depending on what we are going through or needing. It is a relationship with God rather good or bad. Every second in the minute, minute in the hour, hour in the day, yes every day. Let’s have a continuous connection with God where we serve Him regardless of what is going on. It is not a we need God today but not tomorrow relationship. It is a continuous relationship with our Creator and Savior. Stay connected to God always and make nothing more important than Him. We should never replace God with anything we do in our lives. We should always serve God and nothing else and never have anything in our lives that is more important to us than God. Make sure you know Jesus as your Savior. If you don’t you can never have the greatest relationship one can have with the greatest person in all the world God our Father in Heaven.

When God Speaks

1) When God Calls We Must Listen.

We must not ignore God when he is speaking to us.

Jonah Flees From the Lord

Jonah 1:1-2

1) The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 

2) “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

John 10:27-28

27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 

28) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

2) When God Calls We Must Obey.

We must listen to God, align with God and obey God

Jonah 1:3

3) But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Luke 11:28

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

3) When God Calls We Must Make Sure and Discern it is God.

We must make sure we are following God and His call not our own desire or idea.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

John 10:27-28

27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 

28) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

4) When We don't obey We will Face Consequences

Jonah 1:4-17

4) Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 

5) All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 

6) The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

7) Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 

8) So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

9) He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

10) This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

11) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

12) “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

13) Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 

14) Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 

15) Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 

16) At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

17) Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

1 John 5:3 

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Like Jonah what we are instructed to do by God should not be burdensome. We should be willing to obey God instead of following our own desires

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

The ultimate consequence to not obeying God and sinning is a separation from Him.

If it is something we have been instructed to do and don’t we will for a moment have a separation from God because we will feel so far away.

In the bigger overall picture if one lives In sin and never surrenders to Christ and repents and turns away from sin and toward God one will not get eternal life but eternal punishment.

When we hear form god we must listen and then obey. Several places in the Bible talks about refusing to Listen to God and then facing the consequences and experiencing the justice and wrath of God.

Lets look at the story of Jonah. We all have probably at some time read or been read to the story Jonah. Jonah was called by God and was told to go to Nineviah and preach to the Ninivites.

Jonah was called by God and didn't listen. 

Jonah was called by God and didn't obey.

Jonah allowed his own desires to override the Instruction of God.

Jonah faced the wrath and justice of God and had consequences to his refusal to listen, obey and follow his own will not Gods.

We can learn from this and always know when God speaks to you Pray about it and discern it is God. Listen and do what God says and follow Him not ones own desires which is to obey. 

Obadiah (KJV)

Obadiah - The author was Obadiah, he is one of the 12 minor prophets. The term minor prophet does not mean it is not important or valid. It is simply referred that from the shortness in length as a book. The other 11 are. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The date that Obadiah was written is some what disputed between two major historical contexts within which the Edomites could have committed such an act. These are during 853 – 840 BC when Jerusalem was invaded by Philistines and Arabs during the reign of Jehoram of Judah (recorded in 2 Kings 8:20–22 and 2 Chronicles 21:8–20. and 607 – 586 BC when Jerusalem was attacked by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, which led to the Babylonian exile of Israel (recorded in Psalm 137). The date of the book being wrote is almost impossible to determine and is disputed due to the lack of personal information about Obadiah, his family, and his historical background. Most scholars lean more to the 840’s B.C. period.

Obadiah - means Worshipper of Yahweh which is Worshipper of the Lord or the I AM.

Obadiah - is the shortest book of the old testament.

Obadiah - by surveys is the least read book of the Bible.

How did this come about

In the Book Obadiah tells of a vision he had of God’s judgment not upon Israel but upon their close kin: the Edomites. A struggle that began in the womb between twin brothers, Esau and Jacob,  continues in a struggle between their descendants, the Edomites and the Israelites. 

We know that Jacob’s descendants were called the Israelites because God renamed him Israel. We see this in:

Genesis 32:28 (KJV)

28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Also, Esau’s descendants were called the Edomites because Esau was also known as Edom, which means “red,” we see this in:

Genesis 25:30 (KJV)

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

Genesis 36:1 (KJV)

36 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

Obadiah describes their crimes, tries their case, and warns what will happen if they seek to oppress God’s people any longer. We see this in Verse 10.

Obadiah 1:10 (KJV)

10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

God foretells Edom’s hatred of Israel 

When speaking to their mother, Rebekah, in Genesis 25:23

Genesis 25:23 (KJV)

23 And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

The idea of the younger rising above the older sibling went against ancient tradition customarily, the oldest sibling was in prominence and received the family blessing we see this in Genesis 27:

Genesis 27:1-7 (KJV)

1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.

However, the brothers animosity began even before birth in Genesis 27:22-23 tells us this.

Genesis 25:22 (KJV)

22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord.

During birth Jacob and Esau struggled together within Rebekah.

Genesis 25:25-26 (KJV)

25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

Jacob is given a blessing instead of Esau

We see this in Genesis 

Chapter 27-28

In Genesis Chapter 25 we see where Esau sold his brith right to his brother Jacob.

Genesis 25:27-34 (KJV)

27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink and rose up and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

With Esau’s birthright came the family blessing this goes back to Abraham’s blessing. We see this in:

Genesis 22:16-18 (KJV)

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

We see that Esau made a very quick decision. Despite Jacob’s manipulative maneuver, Esau has only himself to blame for the outcome of their bargain. Esau took a short-term view of the situation. He sought instant gratification rather than considering the long-term effects of his immediate decision. Esau’s grave mistake will be mentioned other times in the Bible, specifically as an example of shortsightedness. Seeking instant material gratification, bending to the whim of self-indulgence while ignoring long-term spiritual rewards, will lead to disaster.

We see in Genesis 27 that Jacob receives the blessings of Issac.

Genesis 27:11-23 (KJV)

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

When twins Jacob and Esau were born, Esau came first, technically making him the firstborn. As the firstborn son, Esau automatically held the “birthright.” A birthright was an honor given to the firstborn, bestowing “head of household” status and the right to inherit his father’s estate. The son with the birthright would receive a double portion of whatever was passed down. We see this in:

Deuteronomy 21:17 (KJV)

17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

But we must remember even before the twins were born, the Lord predicted that Esau would serve Jacob in: 

Genesis 25:23 

23 And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

This explains Esau’s apparent anger when he found out what he had been cheated from. We see this in Genesis 27:41:

Genesis 27:41 (KJV)

41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

Because Jacob received Isaac’s blessing, now his descendants would carry on the family line of the coming Messiah. We see this in: 

Genesis 28:13-15 (KJV)

13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

Later we find out that Esau eventually made things right with Jacob in Genesis Chapter 33 but we will look at verses 1-4

Genesis 33:1-4 (KJV)

1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.

2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

Although they made a mends Esau’s descendants never forgot, much less forgave. This grudge turned into a 1,200 year feud, simply over a stolen blessing.

Accounts like these in the Old Testament can be termed “redemptive history”: how God works through the ages to bring redemption to His people. God’s plans always look out for the good of His people and ultimately to His glory. Through His wisdom and foresight, God used Jacob to bring the ultimate Blessing to everyone, even to Esau’s descendants. We can see this in Galatians:

Galatians 3:28 (KJV)

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 4:4-5 (KJV)

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

This tells us that in Gods timing He sent His Son Jesus by the virgin birth of a woman named Mary. Jesus also obeyed Gods law which He obeyed perfectly which made Him the sinless sacrifice. Which once we believe in Him and accept Him His perfect righteousness is imputed or given to us who believe. It was for guilty sinners who were under the law and needed to be redeemed and in need of a Savior. Through this we are adopted into the family of God which now means we are His children. Every Christian has been redeemed by Jesus Christ with His precious blood and been adopted into the family of God. We are the adopted sons of the Father, if we accept Jesus as our Savior

Now we have went through the history of Jacob and Esau which is why Obadiah is written. It serves as a warning to the Edomites. 

In todays world We have the fulfilled plan, contained in the precious Word of God. What can we take away from this redemptive history? What can we learn from the book of Obadiah and God’s message to the Edomites.

1) We must see that God is Sovereign.

In the book of Obadiah the theme we see is that of God’s sovereignty, which He establishes numerous times by reminding them who is speaking. We see this in Obadiah verse 1, 4, and 18:

 Obadiah 1:1 (KJV)

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

Obadiah 1:4 (KJV)

4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord

Obadiah 1:18 (KJV)

18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

The word sovereign or sovereignty means to possess absolute rule and power. 

We see the word reign is contained in the word sovereignty.

No one has or has the right to have this absolute authority but God alone. We see this in: 

Psalm 95:3-7 (KJV)

3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

Psalm 100:3 (KJV)

3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

We see in verse 3 of Obadiah that the Edomites were full of pride. Just like in todays time when we are full of pride we don't believe in the sovereignty of God therefore we can not Submit to God. We think to much of ourselves and we are to proud. We want to handle all things apart from God in our lives.

Obadiah 1:3 (KJV)

3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? 

This brings us to the next point

2) We must have Submission to God.

The central message to the people is essentially to humble themselves before God Almighty Lets look at:

Obadiah 1:2-4 (KJV)

2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.

The Edomites lived in Mt. Seir at the south end of the Dead Sea. A narrow mountainous strip about 100 miles long and 20 miles wide, they considered this stronghold in the mountain clefts invulnerable.

Edom constantly showed indignation against Israel, even refusing simple passage through their land when Israel first came from Egyptian captivity. We see this in:

Numbers 20:14-21 (KJV)

14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:

16 And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:

17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.

18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.

19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet.

20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.

21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

The Edomites were deceived by their own pride because they felt self-sufficient and without need of God. The word “submission” means to yield one’s will to another in authority. We see in todays society this goes against human nature. We are much more willing to be prideful like the Edomites, which is the primary reason why we do not willingly submit to God. We must not be deceived. Look at:

1 John 2:16 (KJV)

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

The “pride of life” is from the devil and he will sneak it into our lives however he can.

But the way we get passed and through temptation to receive victory is found in the book of James:

James 4:7-8 (KJV)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Resist the devil → submit to God → the devil flees. 

When we do this we see the result in James 4:10

James 4:10 (KJV)

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up

(3) When we refuse to submit to our sovereign God we will have Separation.

Now we see the worst punishment we could ever receive from the Lord: to be “cut off” from God

Obadiah 1:10 (KJV)

10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

What does it mean for us to be cut off from God? Lets look in 2 Thessalonians:

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 (KJV)

6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

In 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 we see two groups of people: 

The troublers and the troubled. 

This reminds us of the Edomites and the Israelites.

When time comes for God to ultimately judge the world, two things will happen. First, the troublers will be troubled. These people are those who do not know God, who are also those who do not obey the gospel. In 2 Thessalonians 1:8 we see this:

2 Thessalonians 1:8 (KJV)

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

 What will happen to these? 

They will be literally cut off from God, punished with everlasting destruction away from the presence of the Lord. Lets looks at 2 Thessalonians 1:9:

2 Thessalonians 1:9 (KJV)

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Hell is the only place where an omnipresent God is not. 

Next, the troubled will be given rest. Lets look at: 2 Thessalonians 1:7 

2 Thessalonians 1:7 (KJV)

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.

These people are persecuted because of their faith and patience, but to them Jesus promises the opposite of the punishment. His presence and eternal relief when He comes again we see this in:

2 Thessalonians 1:3-7 (KJV)

3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

2 Thessalonians 1:10 (KJV)

10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

 How do we apply this today?

Obadiah’s prophecy focuses on the prides destructive power We see the consequences of living in a selfish way, and carrying out our own feelings and desires without considering their effect on others around us. Do you struggle to set aside your wants and desires for the desires of God and others? This kind of pride has been part of ones life since the tragedy of the fall in the Garden of Eden. We see in Obadiah a reminder to be under God’s authority, to place our desires to purposes of His. To find hope in being His people when the renewal of all things take place.

What we can learn from Obadiah and can still be applied today is that unless we recognize the Lord’s sovereignty and submit to Him, we will be forever separated from God just like the Edomites.

FEAR

In the Bible there is 2 types of Fears:

1) The First is beneficial and helpful and should always be Encouraged. 

Fear referring to God is- profound reverence of Gods power and glory. To be in complete awe toward God as in admiration, amazement, and astonishment.

This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something. However, it is also proper respect for Gods wrath and anger. In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His promises.

Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. Lets look at some of those.

A) It is the beginning of wisdom and leads to good understanding. 

Psalm 111:10 (KJV)

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

B) Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 1:7 (KJV)

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

C) The fear of the God leads to life, rest, peace, and contentment.

Proverbs 19:23 (KJV)

23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

D) The fear of God is the fountain of life.

Proverbs 14:27 (KJV)

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

E) The fear of God provides a security and a place of safety for us. 

Proverbs 14:26 (KJV)

26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

So we can see how the fear God should be encouraged and can be encouraging. 

Fear of the Lord can be very beneficial to our lives. We must also remember that God has Wrath and Anger to those who do not fear Him and does not follow His Word. Of course that would result in eternal separation in Hell. 

The second type of fear mentioned in the Bible is not beneficial at all. 

2) The second can be detrimental and we must strive to overcome it.

Fear that is not ok - is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. This can be anxiety, worry, and being in a panic state.

This is the “spirit of fear” mentioned in 

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

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

F) A spirit of fear and being timid does not come from God.

Sometimes we are afraid, sometimes this “spirit of fear” overcomes us, and to overcome it we need to trust in and love God completely. “There is no fear in love. And perfect love drives out fear. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” 

1 John 4:18 (KJV)

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

No one is perfect, and God knows this. That is why He spoke on encouragement against fear throughout the Bible. This starts in Genesis and continues to Revelation. So lets look at some:

Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)

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.

We so often find ourselves fearing the future and what will happen or become of us. But remember the simple verse that is so important where God tells us that He cares for the birds of the air, so how much more will He provide for His children?

Matthew 10:31 (KJV)

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

We see in these verses that it covers many aspects of the spirit of fear mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7.

We should not fear being alone, or being weak, not being heard, or lack of necessities.

There is power in trusting God. Regardless of what happens we must always trust God. We must know and understand the Power of God. This is the key and how to overcome fear. We must have complete and total trust in God. Trusting God is a refusal to give in to fear. Giving in to Fear is a refusal to Trust God. It is turning to God even in the darkest times and trusting Him to make things right. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is good.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV)

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you

Once we have learned to put our trust in God, we will no longer be afraid of the things that come against us.

Psalm 5:11 (KJV)

11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

So lets look and see what the Bible says about diseases and sicknesses

Through the years many have wondered or asked when things happen why? This can apply to anything such as martial problems, financial issues, distance between family, and sickness or health. But we are going look specifically at sickness.

In the Old Testament we can see numerous occasions when God brought plagues and diseases on His people and on His enemies.

Exodus 9:14 (KJV)

14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

Exodus 9:16 (KJV)

16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

G) This shows Gods Power

He used plagues on Egypt to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites from bondage, while sparing His people from being affected by them.

Exodus 12:13 (KJV)

13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Exodus 15:26 (KJV)

26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

H) This shows us that God is sovereign and in control over diseases and other afflictions.

God warned His people of the consequences of disobedience, which includes plagues

Leviticus 26:21 (KJV)

21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.

Leviticus 26:25 (KJV)

25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

The word pestilence refers to plagues or disaster. 

I) God also destroyed 14,700 people and 24,000 people for various acts of disobedience 

Numbers 16:49 (KJV)

49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

Numbers 25:9 (KJV)

9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

J) Upon giving the mosaic law God commanded the people to obey it or suffer many evils.

Deuteronomy 28:22 (KJV)

22 The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

These are just a few examples of many plagues and diseases orchestrated by God. This shows a loving God also requires Justice and can give Wrath.

It’s sometimes hard to imagine our loving and merciful God displaying such wrath and anger toward His people. 

K) But God’s punishments always have the goal of repentance and restoration. 

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (KJV)

13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Here we see God using disaster to draw His people to Himself, to bring about repentance and the desire to come to Him as children to their heavenly Father.

Now lets look in the New Testament where Jesus healed every disease and sickness, as well as plagues. 

Matthew 9:35 (KJV)

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Mark 3:10 (KJV)

10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

Just as God chose to use plagues and disease on the Egyptians to show His power to the Israelites who were protected. Jesus healed in the New Testament to show the same power to verify that He was truly the Son of God.

L) He gave the same healing power to the disciples to verify His ministry.

Luke 9:1 (KJV)

9 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

His disciples were giving the ability to also show the power of the Son of God. Like power that was revealed to the Israelites, Gods people. Jesus shows this same power so those would believe and become His Children.

So we see that God still allows sickness for His own purposes. 

However, sometimes disease, or worldwide pandemics, are simply the result of living in a fallen world. 

M) Rather what we are experiencing now, and have in the past, and will in the future is directly from God, to show wrath and power for a spiritual reason, or simply could be a result from living in a fallen world. We must remember and  know that God is sovereign and in control over everything. We see this in:

Romans 11:36 (KJV)

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

N) That all things works to the good. We see this in:

Romans 8:28 (KJV)

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

O) The spread of sicknesses such as coronavirus is a forward look of pandemics that will be part of the end times. 

Jesus referred to future plagues associated with the last days in:

Luke 21:11 (KJV)

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

P) The two witnesses in Revelation will have power to give plagues. We see this in:              

Revelation 11:6 (KJV)

6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

We can not say with out a shadow of doubt that a new outbreak of a disease means the end times is here. However those of us who are Christians do not have to fear death. Yes we should be informed and we should take precautions, but we must also live in the freedom we have from what Jesus did for us on the Cross. We don't know that this outbreak of the virus or ones to come in the future are directly related to a specific judgement of God because of sin. It could be a result of living in a fallen world. What we should take away from the lesson is whatever the exact reason behind this outbreak may be, we must be informed and prepared to hopefully prevent it. The most important thing is regardless of how and when we draw our last breath we must be informed and prepared also for our eternal destination. We are quick to read face book and post and visit sites like the CDC to get information to be prepared and prevent something bad that may be coming. So, how much more should we be willing to read the Bible to be informed and prepared for eternity? We know that Christ will return to get us or we will eventually at the end of life go to Him.  We don't know the day or hour of Jesus return. We see this in:

Matthew 24:36 (KJV)

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Rather it be Jesus return, accident, old age, or sickness we must be ready. I assure you eternity in hell will be far worse than a pandemic. No matter what we go through Jesus is the Healer or the Comforter. We can rest in His promises no matter what the world may through at us. The Christian has the assurance of salvation and the hope of eternity because of the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross for us. We see this in:

Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

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

Hebrews 9:28 (KJV)

28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

We see that in Christ we have promises that far out weigh fears. We know we can and will have heavenly assurance regardless of earthly troubles. We see this in:

1 John 5:13 (KJV)

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I want to end with Psalms 91. 

We simply need to rest in God.

Psalm 91 (KJV)

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

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

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Lets remember this verse:

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

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

The Bible says many times do not fear. So today let's not be held captive in fear. Let's have the Spirit of power, the spirit of love, and a sound mind.

Is God Your Light

Is God your light?

I was driving down Hwy. 202. Right before you get to Bynum you go over a big hill. As I topped the hill there was a beautiful view of the sun shining through the clouds. You could just see the sun beaming through the clouds and it was a beautiful site. I began thinking at that point about our daily life. We all have seen a beautiful day were there is not a cloud in the sky and the sun is just radiating and is able to be seen clearly. But what about those days were the sky is cloudy and sometimes we see the sun during the day and sometimes it disappears. And some days there is nothing but clouds in the sky and no sign of the sun. Some days we see the sun shining perfectly with nothing blocking or separating our view. Some days we see the sun for a time and then our view is obstructed from the clouds. Then some days it is not even visible at all no matter what we do we cant see the sun. The amazing thing about this is whether we can see the sun or not it is always shinning. It is as bright on a day where the sky is completely full of dark clouds as it is when there is not a cloud to be seen in the sky. The issue is we just cant see it. 

I say all that to say this.

Let’s look at it and think about it in a biblical sense. We all have times in our life that everything is going good and all is fine and we can just feel the presence of God and we know He hears our prayers and we are receiving His blessings and everything is just great.

Then there are times that we are doing ok and all is well and then something comes up and it is just not so good. We are connected with God and everything is great and then all of a sudden we feel like we cant catch a break and just cant seem to quit being knocked down.

And then the worse is when we feel completely separated from God nothing seems to be going right.

But just like those clouds that block the sun sometimes in our life we have things that are distracting, hindering, or keeping us from seeing the awesome light that only JESUS can provide.

Maybe it is marriage problems, or health problems, or problems at school. It can be a number of things.

Many times we think like this

Things are great = Life is awesome = God is with you

Things start to happen = Some good days some bad = See God in the Good but not in the bad

Things have gotten to a place they have never been before = You feel there is no hope it is all bad from here = God is not there

Im not saying we should or there are not those that no matter what they are dealing with are still on fire for God, but sadly so many of us can be beat down and just feel distraught and wonder where is God

Hear this right here

Just like the SUN is shinning bright rather we can see it or not. We must remember that the SON of GOD which is JESUS is always shinning with a great radiance. HIS light will never be Overcome with any darkness we are experiencing. He is on the throne during bad and during good and all times sitting at the right hand of the Father.  

John 1:5 (ESV)

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

1) God is Light

What I hope we see from this is that am saying God is not a light or a kind of light. I am saying that God IS LIGHT itself.

1 John 1:5

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

John 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. 

God is our light that we must always see rather we are in a dark time or not. That time of darkness could be something we cant control. But we must keep our eyes on the Light of God

Something I want to point out here is that yes Light is good and darkness is evil. Yes, darkness is sin and evil which separates us from God. But if we are not focusing on the light of God because bad things are obstructing our view then that is sin.

What if the distractions that are hindering us from the blessings of God by not seeing the light of God is through sin or darkness because we have contributed to the things that are blocking are view of God. 

How do we get past this. 

2) Are You Following Gods Light

Psalms 119:105 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was 

the light of all mankind

See the Word was with God and the Word is God. 

We read in Psalms 119  The Word is our lamp under our feet and the light unto our path. We must once accepting Jesus as our Savior let God and the Word of God be what directs us and leads us in all decisions of our life. To do right or wrong. To go here or go there. Who we associate with. The things that we partake in. When we do this we can stay on the narrow path as

Matthew 7:13-14 says:

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Ephesians 5:8

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Ephesians 5:14-15

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise

We must let God and His Word lead, direct, and Guide us on the path of righteousness. So we stay on the narrow road and not stray to the broad road. When we do this we can prevent obstructing our view of God because we are following Him.

So we see that God is light and we should always see through the dark times in our life.

We see that we must follow the light and Word of God so we don't create dark times in our life.

3) Do you Need to Accept the Light of God today?

Psalms 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

This verse tells us that we have safety with God.

Numbers 6:24-26

24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

This verse tells us we can have Peace with God

John 12:36-37

36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

This verse tells us if we Believe we can be Children of God

I Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This verse tell’s us we are chosen to have Salvation with God if we accept Him.

Ephesians 1:13 

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

This verse tells we are Sealed with God

John 3:16 

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

This  verse tells us that we can have Everlasting Life or Eternal Life with God.

We Have talked about the rough times in life we can’t control.

 And We have seen that God is Light in any dark time of our life

We have talked about things we can control. 

And We have seen that God is Light and that Light can guide us on the right path.

We have seen that We can become Children of Light, Have safety, peace, fear no one, because we have been chosen and given the opportunity to accept God be Sealed and have Eternal Life.

It is my prayer today that no matter what is standing in our way between us and God that we will always know that His light will always shine bright in and on our lives. 

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31 (KJV)

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

1) The Rich Man

The rich man loved his money. He was selfish and only cared for Himself. He lived a life of luxury. He focused on materialistic things. We see this in:

Luke 16:19

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

Purple in the Bible meant -  wealth, royalty, and authority

With wealth we see this in:

Proverbs 31:22 (KJV)

22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

With royalty we see this in:

Esther 8:15 (KJV)

15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

With authority we see this in:

Judges 8:26 (KJV)

26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

Kings wore the color purple

2) Lazarus

Lazarus was a beggar a poor man. He was sick with sores that dogs licked. He had nothing at all as far a materialistic things. He laid at the gate of the rich man and He simply wanted the crumbs that fell from the rich mans table. We see this in:

Luke 16:20-21 (KJV)

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

This is so true today. We see this everywhere we look. We see people who only focus on things of the world and not things of God. We see people who think wealth and status equates blessings of God. People today think those who have nothing have not been blessed but cursed by God. This is so far from the truth when it comes to our eternal destination. We have to know that the most important thing that we could ever have attained in this earthly life is the forgiveness of God. With Gods forgiveness the Greatest Blessing we could ever have is eternal life in Heaven with Him. 

3) Death is certain. 

One certainty in our life is one day our life will come to an end as did theirs. We see this in:

Luke 16:22 (KJV)

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

4) There is only two destinations once life ends.

There is Heaven or hell.

Heaven - is a real place and for those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior.

Hell -  is a real place and is for those who have never accepted Jesus as their personal Savior.

Heaven is a place of Eternal rest.

Hell is a place of  eternal torment

5) The Beggar Lazarus was a Child of God 

Lazarus was carried by Angels to Abrahams Bosom. Lets look again at:

Luke 16:22 (KJV)

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

What is Abraham’s Bosom?

 “Abraham’s bosom” is found only once in the New Testament here in this passage in which Jesus was teaching about the reality of heaven and hell. “Abraham’s bosom” is also translated “Abraham’s side,” “next to Abraham,” “with Abraham,” and “ in the arms of Abraham.” These various translations speak to the nature of the Greek word kolpos. These examples show that Lazarus went to a place of rest, contentment, and peace.

6) The rich man was not a Child of God

The rich man found himself in torment for eternity in hell. We see this in:

Luke 16:23 (KJV)

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

The rich man had only been focused on things of the world that were temporary and completely neglected the one thing for permanent eternity. The Bible does teach that both heaven and hell are real places. Each person who lives will spend eternity in one of these two places. While the rich man had lived for the day and only focused on life here on earth, Lazarus endured many hardships while trusting in God..”

7) Upon death the Roles Reversed or changed positions.

After both men had died things then changed. We see this in:

Luke 16:24-25 (KJV)

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

We see now that since their eternal destination has came things are different. If we remember in the beginning of the passage Lazarus simply desired to have the crumbs from the rich mans table. Now we see the rich man begging for a single drop of water from Lazarus. He is being tormented and in agony and in pain. He is scorching in the heat of the flame. He now sees that his focus on the worldly things meant absolutely nothing. He once lived a great life by the worldly standards, but now eternally he is and will forever suffer. Those things had came and gone. Now for eternity He would face those consequences. 

In Lazarus life on earth He experienced pain and agony, but since he trusted God he was now in complete comfort.

8) The Judgement is Final

We must understand that once we leave this earth there is no second chances. We see this in:

Luke 16:26 (ESV)

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

There are no more chances. The transition to our eternal home takes place the moment we die. When believers die, they are immediately in the conscious fellowship and joys of heaven. When unbelievers die, they are just as immediately in the conscious pain, suffering, and torment of hell. Notice the rich man didn’t ask for his brothers to pray for his release from some purgatorial middle ground, thereby expediting his journey to heaven. This is what other religions do for example the catholics. He knew he was in hell, and he knew why. That’s why his requests were merely to be comforted. He knew there was no escape. He was eternally separated from God, and Abraham made it clear to him that there was no hope of ever mitigating his pain, suffering, or sorrow. Those in hell will perfectly recollect missed opportunities and their rejection of the gospel.

9) We must not allow God’s Promises to be missed or refuse to tell our loved ones of Gods promise.

When the rich man knew he was eternally separated from God and would suffer he then reflected on his loved ones. We see this in:

Luke 16:27-31 (KJV)

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead

The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers to repent so that they would never join him in hell. His request was denied. Abraham told the rich man that if his brothers did not believe in Scripture, neither would they believe a messenger, even if he came straight from heaven. We must not be as the rich man was who only focused on the things of the world and not on God. We must accept Jesus as our personal Savior to have internal life. We must also always be willing to tell others especially our loved ones of Gods plan of Salvation and the rewards that accepting Jesus bestows upon us. 

Two take home points from the passage are:

10) We must not love Money

1 Timothy 6:6-12 (KJV)

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

We can not love money or status like the rich man did. That decision cost him an eternity of torment.

11) We must Seek God

Matthew 6:31-34 (KJV)

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Lazarus was a child of God and his accepting of Him rewarded him an eternity of comfort.

James 4:14 tells us that

James 4:14 (KJV) says

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Our earthly journey is exceedingly brief. The greatest lesson to learn from this passage of Scripture, is that when death comes knocking on our door there is only one thing that matters: our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:26 (KJV) says

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

Eternal life is only found in Christ. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 

1 John 5:11-12 (KJV) says

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

The truth is, if we wish to live apart from God during our time on earth, He will grant us our wish for eternity as well.

OBEDIENCE

Obedience - compliance with an order, request, Law or Submission to another's or GOD’S Authority.

We need to understand the importance of OBEDIENCE as it relates to our relationship with GOD.

It is important for us to WANT to OBEY not to simply look as if we are OBEYING.

We need to be Willing and have a Loving Submission to GOD.

As a Christian we OBEY GOD’S Law because GOD in HIS WORD has instructed us to SUBMIT to HIS AUTHORITY.

Us Wanting to OBEY is the right way rather than Looking like we are OBEYING.

For example:  Do we Obey the speed limit out of willful submission, or do we slam on the breaks when we see the cop car in the distance? This question is Do we Obey the law cause it is right, or do we attempt to look like we are obeying to stay out of trouble.

The importance of Obedience is understanding the WHY behind Obedience.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15, ESV)

Four points

1) Obedience shows that you Believe

When we believe in something we do it. If we don't believe in something we will not do it. 

1 Samuel 15:16-22 (KJV)

16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?

20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.

22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22  - to obey is better than sacrifice

Samuel is telling Saul that it is better to OBEY the Lord in the first place the to do wrong or DISOBEY and then have to ask for forgiveness. OBEDIENCE is Trusting in GOD which is Believing in God and when we Trust and Believe We submit and follow.

The same is true for Us. Obedience is one way that we show God that we believe that He will do what He said He Will do. Obedience is an outwardly way to show an inward change and submission to God.

God will forgive us when we fail.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We should strive to be Obedient and Not fail. That is how we demonstrate true Believe.

Disobedience is the opposite when we disobey God it is saying we don’t trust him or believe he will come through for us.

Example: If you tell someone to wait for you to come back to get them. If they believe and trust you they will then Obey what was said and wait for your return. If they don't believe and trust you they will not obey and look for another way to leave where they were told to stay.

2) Obedience shows Love

Our choice to obey God demonstrates our love for Him. 

John 14:15 says If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jesus told His disciples that if they loved Him, they would obey His commands. 

It doesn’t get much clearer than that! A person who really loves Jesus will be constantly striving toward obedience. Not constantly trying to figure out how close he/she can get to the line without going over. (Or calculating how we will be forgiven when we decide to stop sinning)

It’s our choice to obey that we demonstrate love for God and what a privilege we have! God has given so much for us that if we truly love Him, we won’t strive to Disobey. We will strive to Obey and our desire is to do anything we can do to show love toward Him.

Example: Obedience is following the ways of life that God has given us in his Word if we look at this in a way we live everyday life. When we love someone we will conduct that relationship in a God loving God fearing way. If I love my spouse or the person I am in a relationship with I will make sure my Obedience to them is carried out in the way it should be. If we Love God then we will conduct that relationship according to His Word.

3) Obedience is a Witness to others

When we obey God, our life shines a light that is so attractive to others that they can’t help but see God. 

Acts 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

Disobedience to God, is a huge blow on our testimony and negative impact to other people.

Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

The question we should ask our self is, What kind of witness are we being to others right now? It’s important that we understand that every single choice we make is influential in the life of those around us.

When we disobey God, we are either influencing a Christian in a negative way or showing one who is not a Christian that we don’t take God very seriously. Both of these are not what we should aim for as a Child go God.

We have heard it said “Christ is either Lord of all, or is not Lord at all.”  Others see our lives this way, too. People don’t and should not have to weigh out the good things with the bad things and try and decide if we qualify as a Christian. It’s either all or nothing. 

Example: Is our actions showing a witness to others in a positive way as in we tell them of the great things God has done for us. Or in a negative way by the words actions that are not pleasing to God.

4) Obedience brings Blessings

When we obey God, there is blessing to come for us and others. The Bible says that God blesses those who obey for thousands of generations.

Deuteronomy 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;

Look at the Blessing that we have received fro the Obedience to the Disciples. Look at the Blessings we have received in our life once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. The Mercy, Grace, AND Forgiveness that we have received through God sending His Son to die and take our place for our sins.

Look at Noahs blessing from his obedience. Building the Ark

Look at Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. Refusing to bow down to an idol and was delivered from persecution and thier death.

Example: I have received a Blessing through my parents obedience. That is how I learned about God and turned to Him for salvation.

The Blessings we all have received through obeying God are not able to justifiably be counted. There are to many to list. 

The Point to all this is:

When we Believe God, Love God, and present a good Witness of God, we will then receive the amazing Blessings of God.

How Do We Get Back to God

2 Chronicles 7:14

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Heal their land can also be restore their land.

I know that us and others outside of the walls of the church can turn from our ways and seek the Lord so we can be restored. 

When we look at this verse it says my people. This is referring to Gods chosen people in. the old testament. Today if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior then this can apply to us as well. Yes the wicked sins need to be addressed but if we get down to it things that we may not think about can fall into this. Our prayer, Bible reading, and church attendance. Witnessing to the lost. This starts with the church.

But How?

1) We Must obey God not man

Acts 5

So here Peter and the Apostles where dealing with Ananias and Sapphira. They had sold their possession or land. That did not carry this out correctly they held the money back and basically lied to God. They both gave up the ghost or died.  After this the people started seeing that there was something to these guys and they started bring the sick and blind and all types of people with illnesses and problems. The high priest got mad and put them in prison. That night an Angel came to the and told them to go to the temple and speak too the people the words of life. So they did exactly that. The next morning the men went in to get them and they were not there. They then went and got them and we see in verse 28.

Acts 5:28

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

Acts 5:29

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

When the high priest heard this it cut him to the heart and he wanted to slay them. Then Gamaliel who was a respected man suggested that they should let them be.

2) We must not fear persecution but count it joy if we are glorifying the Lord.

Acts 5:40-42

40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

We see that they felt worthy and continued right on.

3) We must be motivated and dedicated to turn the world upside down.

Acts 17:6-7

6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

This is Paul and Silas coming into Thessalonica, 

4) We must be people of Valor.

Back ground on 1 Chronicles Ch. 12

1 Chronicles 12:1-2

1 Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.

2 They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.

Verse 1 

This was a time when David lived in the territory of the Philistines to escape the murderous pursuit of King Saul. These were the Benjaminites, the tribal relatives of Saul,  who come to David.

Verse 2

During David’s time in Ziklag, certain mighty warriors came and expressed their allegiance to David and his cause. This was remarkable because they were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren. They had much to gain from Saul’s continued reign. They chose David over Saul because they knew that God was with David.

1 Chronicles 12-21

21 And they helped David against the band of the rovers: for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host.

Verse 21

Mighty men of valor: They were men of courage. They had great courage in the face of danger 

Whatever the sons of Benjamin knew about David, they knew that God helped David. This made them want to follow him.

Don’t we want to live a life that represents God is with us and that creates a desire for others to want we have.

We just talked about the Apostles and David and some other Godly people. Lets look at what happened when they continued to preach Jesus. 

Matthew 

Killed by a sword 

John 

Was boiled but survived. He was then sent to Patmos where he wrote the book of revelation and is the only one of the apostle’s to die of old age.

James, the brother of Jesus (not officially an apostle)

He was thrown from over a hundred feet down in the temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a club.

Bartholomew

Flayed to death by a whip.

Andrew 

Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece. After seven soldiers whipped Andrew severely, they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: “I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.” He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he died. 

Thomas

Was stabbed to death by a spear during one of his missionary trips to establish the church there. 

Matthias

Who replaced Judas was stoned and then beheaded. 

Peter

Was crucified, upside down at his request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

Paul

Was beheaded

Philip

Philip arrested and had a cruel death.

Simon

Was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.

In no way I'm I describing the way their lives ended to detour us from spreading the Gospel. We have to see when they Obeyed God and not man, when they didn't fear persecution or rejection but counted it joy. When they were men of valor and had courage in a dangerous situation. What happened? They turned the world upside down with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Sadly what is happening now is the world is turning the Gospel of Jesus Christ upside down. If we can get on fire for God and

1) Obey God and not man

2) Not fear persecution or rejection 

3)  Be Men and Women of Valor

We can then again

4) Turn the world upside down with the Gospel message

That equal what?

2 Chronicles 7:14

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Talk about the elections coming up sooner than we think. It is not republican or democrat it is Spiritual and moral. 

The platforms are Anti God and Anti Bible. 

There are ruining the first instituted thing of God which is marriage between a man and a woman.

They are for the murder of babies which is abortion.

They are not for Israel.

They are making it ok for sexual predators to be able to commit these crimes and get away with it. 

Saying there can be a 10 year age gap as long as it is sensual.

They are trying to forgive the convictions of these predators because it is discriminating on their right.

They are for defunding the police.

I can go on and on the point here is our vote counts. None of these things are a political party. These platforms are worldly and evil. We as Christians should vote according to the Bible. Spiritually not politically. 

We, especially the younger generation are de-sensitized to stuff that is not Biblical. Because things today that are not biblical are not ok but normal. We have to take a stand Obey God, Not fear the consequences of standing for God. Have courage with valor. Let our voices be heard. Just like the Apostles did. Then we will turn this around because we as a people will turn back to God and seek his face and he will heal our land.

Prayer - God - Faith

Luke 7:1-10 (Read)

Luke 7:1-5

Centurion = is a Roman soldier that is over 100 men.

We see here that being a Centurion means you have authority and control over people and situations. These types of people we often look at as great and can handle anything that comes their way. We see here he is faced with something that he can not fix, he has no control over the situation and can do nothing but turn to Jesus. 

This happens to us often. We deal with things that happen and that we have no control over and have no way to fix it. 

What do you turn to when something happens to get through it?

What are some things that people turn to during tough times?

Alcohol, drugs, video games etc.

What should we turn to?

We should turn to PRAYER

Another thing we see here is that Jewish people typically dislike Romans

Jesus is a Jew the Centurion was a Roman

We see that regardless of who runs to Jesus, He will her the cry of those who come humbled and with faith.

The centurion back then or us now are not worthy of Gods grace. 

Grace - is undeserved merit or favor.

Whenever we deal with anything we faithfully and humbly should come to Christ. Nothing else will ever compare to the peace, comfort, and strength that only Christ can provide.

Luke 7:6-8

Jesus was coming to the centurions house by request of the Jewish priest. When the centurion heard this he sent friends to Jesus to say that he was not worthy. He knew it was not usual for a Jew to come into the house of a Gentile. He knew the power of Jesus and because he didn’t want to trouble him and have him come he asked him to just simply speak the word for his servant to be healed. 

He as a high ranking centurion could say whatever to the men he was over and it would be done. How much more can the almighty Jesus simply speak the words and the man be healed.

Just some info it was Romans who crucified Jesus and here a Roman is asking of a blessing from Jesus.

So in this time of trouble who did the centurion turn to? Jesus

Who do you turn to when something happens?

We should turn to JESUS

Often we do the opposite and we to turn to friends, relationships, ungodly cousnel, or even ourselves.

We see here that again we are not worthy for Jesus to come into our hearts, homes, or to be bothering Him. But again we can, because Jesus loves those who turn to him and trust him, and will always get you through whatever you are dealing with.

Luke 7:9-10

Notice her it say that Jesus marveled or was amazed at the centurions faith he had in Him.

There is only 2 time in the whole Bible that says Jesus was marveled/amazed

Here in Luke 7:9 and Mark 6:7

Is there anyone in your life that has amazed you?

Those who have amazed you would fall well below the centurion amazing Jesus with his faith.

We are talking about the Son of God being amazed by a normal human.

We see also that the faith of the centurion led to the blessing and healing of his servant.

Jesus Christ loves us and any person who comes to Him in complete surrender, with whole faith, and complete trust. 

In times of trouble and things out of our control we must turn to Christ, not ourselves, things, or people. When we turn to 

Christ then we will receive the blessings just like the centurions servant. 

Are you struggling with anything today?

What could you do different to help you get through the tough time?

Alaways turn to JESUS, PRAYER, and FAITH no matter what you are facing

Thought for the day

I hope myself and y’all all desire to have a faith that amazes Jesus.

Verse to memorize

Romans 12:12

God is Just

Psalm 10:1-18 (Read)

Sovereignty - Gods Complete and absolute rule control, and power over all things.

Psalms 10:1-4

Wicked and evil people or sinners are

Arrogant - Arrogance is an attitude where people think they are better than others, look down on others, treats and make people feel less than they are.

Boastful - Is an expression where one justifies how mistreating others is an acceptable thing to do. When one does this it shows their true brokenness in their heart.

Greedy - Arrogant and boastful people only care about themselves and what they want and will do whatever they need to do to get what they want.

James 3:13-18 (Read)

Question

Do the wicked believe in God?

If one truly believes in God then they can’t be wicked.

If one truly is wicked they can’t be saved.

Two things can’t come from the same place.

James 3:11-12

Psalm 10:12-15

See here that David then turns from asking why to God to asking God will God intervene. David now shows that Gods knows all things.

God is referred to three times in these verses

Lets look at these names

Yahweh = I Am - The name God used when he reveled Himself to Moses at the burning bush. Represents God’s care for His people and His faithfulness to fulfill His promises.

El = Refers to God as all powerful and sovereign over His creation.

Elohim = One God as Father, Son, and Spirit that created

We see in these names that God is all knowing.

We don’t always understand all things or know all things but we can know that God will always bring Justice

Psalm 10:16-18

As Christians we will face troubles. We can work out are Faith through by putting his trust God will hear the prayers of those in trouble.

The reign of the wicked is always temporary. The truth, light, and Judgement of them will soon be.

We see here David went from brokenness and questioning God to Believing and Trusting God.

We can see in this that 

God is King forever

God hears the desires of the humble

God will strengthen their hearts

God will bring justice

We always need to lean on God and trust in God and recieve the promises that God will give. Peace, comfort, and strength.

True Faith

Luke 8:41-42 (Read)

Luke 8:41-42

Jairus - Ruler or head of the synagogue of Capernaum. Like a modern day Church.

We see here Jairus a ruler of the synagogue of Capernaum comes to Jesus in a time of trouble. His only daughter who is 12 years old is sick and dying. 

Jesus was already performing miracles. Jairus had a situation and even though he was one that had authority over the place of worship/synagogue. He still knew he needed Jesus. 

Notice he didn’t just come up to Jesus and have a casual conversation. The bible says that he fell down at Jesus feet.

This was in complete surrender that apart from Jesus he was nothing. 

In complete acknowledgment nothing apart from Jesus was possible.

He new that his daughters sickness was out of his control and he needed Jesus to raise his daughter for there was no other 

way.

Jairus had true Fatih

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith - complete trust and/or confidence in someone or something

Question

What in your life has happened that you realized that you had to have full faith in Jesus to get through your situation? 

Jairus daughter was dying with a sickness what was yours?

Luke 8:43-48

Many other people were gathering around Jesus at this time. They were amazed at the miracles and healings that where taking place.

While the crowds were pressing upon all of them there was a woman who had an issue of blood and desperately wanted to be healed. She reached out and just touched them fine of Jesus garment and immediately was healed. 

Like Jairus this woman had complete faith in Jesus. 

She had tried every other way and nothing had worked. It was only her faith in Jesus that ultimately healed her.

Notice in verse 48 Jesus refers to the woman as daughter.

It is interesting that Jairus daughter was sick and 12 years old

The woman was called daughter and had been sick for 12 years

Also notice something else that is a very important lesson

In the eyes of Jesus, Jairus and the woman were equal. 

Jesus was on his way to heal the daughter of Jairus (who was a very well to do guy with popularity and authority) While on the way there Jesus heals the woman who was not so well to do or so popular. This shows that regardless if one is in good social standing or bad social standing. If one is rich or poor. If one is a man or a woman. None of that made one more important than the other. They are both created by God and loved by God.

Question

What did Jairus and the woman with the illness have in common? 

Luke 8:49-53

As Jesus was finishing talking to the woman someone from Jairus house came and told Jairus that his daughter was now dead and to not both Jesus anymore. 

Question

Have you ever been going through something and you feel like there is no help left? 

Like whatever the situation is that situation has in a sense won.

Like what you hoped wouldn’t happen has happened and there is no more hope.

But notice what Jesus said in verse 50

But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.

He said only believe that is to have faith.

It is the assurance of things hoped for.

We have to always remember that no matter what we are going though we must always keep our faith in Jesus Christ.

Two more things to see here.

Always remember Jesus is never late and always on time.

Jesus miracles was just that miracles. In verse 52 when Jesus arrive there are many people crying and mourning over the death of the 12 year old girl. It was like a funeral which shows this child had actually passed. 

Others were laughing because they thought it was crazy for someone to try to do anything to help one that has died.

Luke 8:54-56

We see here the miracle happen. Jesus took the child's hand and said get up and she immediately stood up.

We see here two miracles happen with two different type of people with two different type of situations and circumstances.

Both put there faith and trust in Jesus 

No matter what we are facing. How many times we have prayed to God. We have to understand that God is always on time and will see us through. We just have to keep our eyes on Him and know He is in control.

Question

Has there ever been a situation that seemed like noting could help or time had ran out but then it got better?

How To Pray

Read Luke 11:1-13

How to Pray

Luke 11:1-4

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Lets break this down

Our Father which art in heaven - is telling us whom to address our prayers to—the Father.

Hallowed be thy name - is telling us to worship, honor, and have reverence for God. To praise Him for who He is.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. - is a reminder to us that we are to pray for God’s plan in our lives and for the lives of those in the world, not our own plan. We are to pray for God’s will to be done, not for our desires.

Give us day by day our daily bread - this is to ask God for the things we need

Forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us - reminds us to confess our sins to God and to turn from them, and also to forgive others as God has forgiven us. 

Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil - is asking God for help in achieving victory over sin and a request for protection from the attacks of the devil.

This is a model or an example of how one can pray.

Luke 11:5-8

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 

6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 

7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 

8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 

Lets look at these verses

Impudence - boldness or disregard of others in a sense being rude, continuous, repetitive, and constant knocking.

We see here that the man’s friend was unwilling to help, but through his continuous and repetitive knocking the friend finally got up and gave him what he wanted.

Have you ever been persistent with something and through that what was originally said or to be done changed?

Luke 11:9-10

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened           

If one is willing to be persistent and consistent with someone who is unwilling to help, and through that persistence the help was finally given. Then how much more should we be persistent reaching out and praying to a willing God. God tells us to pray and wants us to pray and if we ask according to His will it will be given. 

Luke 11:11-12

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 

12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 

We see here that a parent would not give their child a snake after he asked for a fish. Nor would we see a parent give a child scorpions instead of eggs. Parents will always give things that are good not bad. 

.Luke 11:13   

13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

God will take care of His children and they will have many blessings. After one is saved and a child of God they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift from God after salvation.

Let’s look at what the gift of the Holy Spirit entails. 

He is the believers’ Helper (John 14:26). (Guide)

The Spirit comforts believers with fellowship and joy as they go through a hostile world (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14). (Comforter)

He indwells believers and seals them until the day of redemption

He guards and guarantees the salvation of the ones He indwells (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). (He is our guarantee)

The works of the flesh become less evident, and the fruit of the Spirit becomes more evident (Galatians 5:19–26). (To obey)

At the moment of salvation, the Spirit baptizes the believer into the Body of Christ (Romans 6:3).

The Holy Spirit assists believers in prayer (Jude 1:20) (praying in the power of the Spirit, by the leading of the Spirit, and according to His will)

He intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26–27).(Helps us when we don know wha to say)

The Holy Spirit regenerates and renews the believer (Titus 3:5). (He changes us)

Believers receive the new birth by the power of the Spirit (John 3:5–8).(Born naturally and born through salvation)

The Spirit, in His mighty power, fills believers with “all joy and peace” as they trust the Lord, causing believers to “overflow with hope” (Romans 15:13).(He brings joy)

Sanctification is another work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. The Spirit sets Himself against the desires of the flesh and leads the believer into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18).(He helps us grow)

Believers are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), which means they are to yield themselves to the Spirit’s full control.(Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit)