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A Father’s Instructions

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Father’s Instructions

Book of Proverbs Chapter 4

We know that if we hear what the Lord has to say and listen to it just once, then this is enough, and we should abide by it.

In last week’s lesson, we saw that we must submit to all the Word of God, not just comply with it.

As we read the Book of Proverbs, we will see that the Holy Spirit teaches us by repetition.

Once is enough, but when we see a matter repeated over and over, then it must be important to the Lord that we have a clear understanding of that Scripture.

We must agree with the Word of God to have a clear understanding of it!

We are to read, to listen, and to pay attention to what is being taught.
We must understand the Word of God as God’s commands and not God’s suggestions.
We must know that the Word of God is wisdom.
We must recognize that there are numerous benefits to possessing the knowledge and wisdom of God.
We must know that there is great danger in rejecting the wisdom of God, our Heavenly Father.

There are some things that our Heavenly Father hates, and we must stay away from them!

Pro 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

These are things we must avoid as we follow in the path of Jesus, and we should treat this chapter as words from our Heavenly Father and not King Solomon.

*Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

I find that I am better prepared on Sunday if I read the Scriptures out loud so that I can hear them at the same time.

We must, as the children of our Heavenly Father, read these instructions as they came from Him because they did come from Him.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The word “hear” in this Scripture means far more than to hear the Word of God; it also means to observe and to obey what our Father is saying to us.

Solomon may have received these words from his father David, and David may have received these words from his father Jesse, but Heaven was the source of these words and was delivered by the Holy Spirit.

We know that all the Law of Moses also had their beginning in Heaven.

These words we have now are intended for all generations that exist and those in the future that remain.

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

The word “good” in verse two means “in the wisest sense”.

It is good doctrine because it came from Heaven.

Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

*Pro 4:3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

This verse speaks of the historical record of King Solomon and being the child of promise, but it also speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

Bathsheba knew her son was to be King of Israel.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew her child was in some sense the child of the Living God.

She had been told by the Angel Gabriel that her son would be the Savior of the world.

She may not have grasped the complete meaning of these things, but she pondered them in her heart.

Luk_2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Luk_2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

We know the remainder of the family of Jesus did not believe what they heard about Jesus, only His mother.

Mrk_6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

The more we know of the Lord Jesus Christ and live in faith, the more we will enjoy a long and happy life.

The key to our lives is our faith in the wisdom of our Heavenly Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the actual image of God’s wisdom.

*Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Pro 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
Pro 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

Without the wisdom of our Heavenly Father, we will never have the right understanding of life as we live in this wicked world.

Without obedience to the Word of God, we will perish.

That word get means to buy wisdom and understanding if we have to. Money is not nearly as important as the wisdom of God.

Pro 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

Getting wisdom is not a once-and-for-all decision; it is a lifelong process!

Getting wisdom requires an ongoing commitment.

Wisdom must be used, but it must also be sustained.

We may lose a lot of things we have had in our lives, but we must hold onto the wisdom of our Heavenly Father and apply it to our lives every day and not allow it to slip away.

We know what happened to King Solomon; he turned away from his father’s advice and turned away from our Heavenly Father’s commandments.

We cannot allow the wisdom we have strived to get from our Heavenly Father to just slip away!

God’s wisdom will protect and watch over us if we abide by it!

Wisdom is personified in the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what gender is referred to in this passage.

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Wisdom is also personified by the Church, which is the Bride of Christ, if we hold onto the wisdom of God

Wisdom is the principal thing because wisdom begins with the “fear of the Lord”.

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

How can this be explained? Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

The wisdom of God will bring favor to those who get it.

The wisdom of our Heavenly Father is an ornament of His “Grace”.

The wisdom of our Heavenly Father will bring a “crown of glory to the victor”.

These principles are intended to be taught to children by their Christian parents.

The home is the right place to teach the wisdom of God to our children, and then make sure they go with us to a Bible believing church.

They will not learn it in schools, which will only teach them the ways and wisdom of this world, which will come to nothing.

Spiritual training needs to begin in the early years of a child’s life.

The father has a special role in the Spiritual leadership within the family!

*Pro 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Pro 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Pro 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

For years, many a person has wasted time and money seeking the truth for a long life.

The Word of God explains the truth in a few simple words. Receive the truth of the Word of God and hold to it.

We simply must choose the right path of life and stay on the path.

Mat 7:13 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:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

We must travel the way of wisdom rather than the world’s path to destruction.

Will we live a life of submission to the Lord, or will we be slaves to the Devil and to sin?

We will all get an opportunity to choose one way or the other, and it helps a great deal to know the truth of our Heavenly Father.

We must understand that our flesh will lead us to join the foolishness of this world.

This is the path of destruction.

The wisdom of our Heavenly Father will lead us down that path which leads to life, “eternal life” in that Heavenly Home of our Heavenly Father.

*Pro 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

We should understand that the “wisdom” of our Heavenly Father does not just give us a good life.

The “wisdom” of our Heavenly Father is life!

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

It is not the quality of life, but life, eternal life.

Taking hold of the “wisdom” of our Heavenly Father is a matter of life and death!

If we do not choose the “wisdom” of our Heavenly Father, we are certain to face eternal death!

1) We must heed this warning from our Heavenly Father.
2) We must never let go once we know the wisdom of God.
3) We must keep and guard the Word of God,
4) We must never start down that path to destruction.
5) We must not veer to the left or the right nor follow the ways of evil men.
6) We must avoid that wicked path altogether.
7) We must not even go near that wicked path.
8) We must go in the opposite direction from all evil.
9) We must move past that wicked path and continue on the path of righteousness.

*Pro 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Pro 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

We sometimes just do not think much about the wickedness of this world.

If we believe the Word of God, then we need to believe what God says!

1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Only those who are committed to the truth of the Word of God are not wicked, though none of us are perfect.

Why do we fail so often? Because all the rest of the world is lying in wickedness!

We belong to our Heavenly Father, and the rest of the world belongs to the Devil.

2Ti_2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

We may try to see some goodness in those who are lost, but we must know that at any time the Devil will use them for one of his wickedly sick purposes and they will be unable to resist him.

Mrk_10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Those who are lost, their lives revolve around sin.

We know this because we were once just like them until we met our Savior.

Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

They eat a steady diet of sin!
They drink the wine of violence!

The color of their wine is the same color as blood.

We see these things increase in our world today.

There is no comparison between the life of a true Christian and that of the lost.

There is a perfect day in our future, but for the lost and wicked, there is only the life turmoil now and a future of eternal torment.

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

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

1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

The way of the lost is in darkness!

Even the Bible says there is pleasure in sin for a season, and many of the lost hunt for that pleasure all their lives and never find it again because they remain in the darkness of the Devil.

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

All of these take great pleasure in sin that, in truth, has made them captives of the Devil.

*Pro 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Pro 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Pro 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Here we see our Heavenly Father almost begging us to hear what He has to say.

This is the loving concern for us that He always shows us.

We must listen closely to what God has to say to us. He always has our best interests in mind.

Pro 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

We must pay attention to what God is saying to us.

Jesus Christ said: Jhn_14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We cannot just listen to what the Lord is saying, we must act upon it. We can do that only if we keep the Word of God in the midst of our hearts.

God’s wisdom is like life-giving blood; it flows through our bodies, giving us new life that we never knew before.

2Ti_1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

What is our heart like before we meet Jesus?

Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Mat 15:20 These are the things which defile a man:

A fact of life is that out of our hearts come the issues of life, our moral conduct.

The wisdom of God will purify our hearts, and if our hearts are pure, our lives will be pure.

Ezk_36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

This is why we are to guard our new heart above all else.

A wise person will recognize the importance of keeping wisdom in the heart!

These wise people are the Body of Christ!

When our hearts become the fountain of moral life, then our moral life will be the fountain of our conduct, which everyone sees.

When we hear corrupt talk around us, we need to get as far away from it as we can.

*Pro 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Pro 4:25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Pro 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Pro 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

A person with a dark heart will spew ungodly words and evil speaking, and we should not trouble our ears to hear such filth.

The Lord Jesus makes this very simple for us to understand.

Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

If there is no evil in our hearts, no filth will spew out of our mouths!

Eph 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.

We need to take the words in the Word of God about the New Heaven and try to visually see what it looks like, and then focus our path on the entrance gate, and as we complete our walk in this life, the vision of that place will become brighter as we walk in that direction, not veering to the left or the right.

If we keep our focus upon Jesus, we will find the entrance to heaven because He is that entrance.

If we spend our time looking around trying to see some evil, we will surely see it.

Remember David on the roof of his mansion, just looking out to see what he could see, and there it was right in front of him. A beautiful woman with no clothes on probably innocent to his stare.

There is no profit in our looking to see how evil our world is; we must know that it is because the Word of God says it is, and keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, who will lead us to His Father’s mansion.

We need to remove all the stumbling blocks out of our pathway and walk on the glory road that ends in New Heaven.

If we stay focused on these things, we will not see things on the left or the right that might deceive us!

These are the same things we must teach our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.

God has sent us an invitation to join Him around His glorious throne, and we would be foolish not to want to be there with Him!

This is the prize we seek.

It is the glory of God that will blind us from the path of evil if we just listen to Him and obey Him!

Amen

The Rewards of Wisdom

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Rewards of Wisdom

Book of Proverbs Chapter 3

We know that the Book of Proverbs is a collection and compilation of true, divinely inspired, wise sayings, and they are unquestionably Scripture.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

We should know that many of these Proverbs existed as a teaching tool long before King Solomon

Num 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:

1Sa 24:13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

We should understand that all genuine truth, regardless of its human origin or proclaimer, has God as its ultimate source.

Ecc 12:10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
Ecc 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

We should understand that if God can speak through a donkey, He can cause some truths to come from a pagan human being, if He chooses.

2Pe 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2Pe 2:16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

God still loves all His created beings but insists that they become believers. Who’s to say He did not put words of wisdom in their mouths?

It was the Holy Spirit who decided which proverbs would be included in the Scriptures, just as every other Word, Passage, and Book.

There are many other proverbs in this world, but the Holy Spirit decided these were important to the believer.

Most scholars have said it was Solomon who assembled this Book of Proverbs as directed by the Holy Spirit.

Solomon wrote: Pro 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Pro 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We have this verse of prophecy: Pro 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

God also says this to all unbelievers: Pro 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
Pro 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Pro 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Pro 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

If we seek true wisdom, then we will also find the Lord! Pro 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Pro 2:9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

Pro 2:22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

It is very hard to view these three chapters as one lesson, but this is the way of our lessons.

*Chapter 3 Verse 1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

We should clearly understand that God does not desire our compliance with all the Word of God, but God requires us to submit to all the Word of God.

Obedience without submission is compliance.

We must submit all the Word of God because we know it is the truth.

God is not some tyrant trying to force His ways upon us.

Just to be compliant because someone says so, shows we still have a rebellous spirit.

These are so-called believers who, though the outward action is present, rebellion is still in their hearts, and their prayer life will never amount to anything fruitful.

Chastisement may drive the child of God to compliance, but it takes love to drive the child of God to submission without rebellion.

The Lord Jesus Christ is treated as the Son of God as a member of the Holy Trinity. Not three Gods but the three persons in the One God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

As adopted into the family of God, He is our Heavenly Father. This is why He speaks to us as His dear children!

If the God of all creation sees us as His dear children, then why in the world would we rebel against Him?

We talk a lot about the Ten Commandments, and we know that the Jews were given 613 commandments in all, but the truth is that all the Word of God is commandments written to us in love.

Our Heavenly Father will never force us to recognize Him as our Father, but it is the wise thing to do.

The Laws of the Father are the same laws of the Son.

Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Joh 14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Joh 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

Our life span upon this earth is really not very long. As I grow older, I feel the call of my Heavenly home, but as I have reached the age to see my Great Grand Children and the things going on in this world, I know they need me as long as the Lord leaves me here. I think most of us feel the same way.

To be honest, we have not left such a great world for our grandchildren and certainly not our great-grandchildren.

I am already experiencing verse two and have been at peace for a while now. I’m certain I’ll end up in New Heaven and am prepared to go whenever the time comes.

This is why submitting to the Lord is far better than trying to keep up with a bunch of laws.

My God, my Heavenly Father has promised mercy because of His great love, and mercy means I will never see His wrath upon me.

Mercy means I will not receive the punishment for my sin that I deserve but will receive the “Grace” of God instead.

*Pro 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Pro 3:4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Listen as our Heavenly Father teaches us.

“Mercy without truth is like a great rain in a desert place that is not a blessing because there are no plants that need its nourishment”.

When we receive the mercy of God, it means we are not getting what we deserve, eternity in Hell, which is a real place.

For those who believe in Heaven but doubt a place called Hell means they have rejected the truth. Both places are mentioned in the Word of God.

Our Heavenly Father exhorts each of us to grab hold of His mercy and His truth and never let go.

That mercy and that truth came to us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Truth means things we can rely on, and we can rely on the truth of the Gospel!

God has proven He loves us as He has made a way for us to miss out on His wrath.

Our obedience to His Word proves we love Him!

The obedience of the Christian is the outward behavior of each Christian’s inner devotion to our Heavenly Father.

The terms binding and loosing to the Jew mean permitting or forbidding or declaring anything to be forbidden or permitted.

What are the benefits of being obedient to the Word of God?

We will find favor and understanding with our Heavenly Father.

The favor of God is God’s “Grace,” which means His good will, His acceptance, and the many benefits that come from these things.

When we devote ourselves to the Lord, we will remain true and faithful to Him.

Love and faithfulness are to be worn like precious jewels in a necklace.

To the Jew, the throat is the life of every person. Mercy and truth are tied to the throat, so mercy and truth are to become a part of our every breath.

We bind them to our neck and then we write them in our heart!

This means that we know that the Word of God is to become a major part of our lives.

Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Even as a child of twelve, our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated these rewards in His life.

Luk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

We can do none of these things until we have submitted ourselves to God!

God wants to see our love for Him with His own eyes!

God wants us to demonstrate our love for Him by being obedient to Him!

1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Without this faith in Him, we can never please our Heavenly Father.

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

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

Today, most people trust in their own understanding, even though most of that understanding comes from media sources that have forgotten the truth and have allowed politics to dictate their beliefs, much of which comes from hatred.

Just look at Microsoft News, and ninety percent of it is distorted news who do everything it can to go against our duly elected President.

People do not get to learn on their own understanding because all we get is a distorted worldview.

The truth of the Word of God is so easily seen as it teaches us how to live in a mind at peace with this world, because we are no longer a part of this world.

When we acknowledge our Heavenly Father, He knows it.
When we love our Heavenly Father, He knows it.
When we trust our Heavenly Father, He knows it.
When we accept the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, He starts a building program in the New Heaven.

This applies to every minute of our lives, at home, at work, at church, and in everything we do.

The enemies of Israel came against King Asa and Asa called upon the Lord: 2Ch 14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

Every day we go out to battle in this world, we need to say, “Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest upon thee and in thy name, we go out into this lost and dying world with the Gospel”.

We can do this if we are devoted to Him and His Word!

Our path is the same path that our Lord Jesus walked.

Our understanding will be darkened by our sinful nature if we depend upon our own understanding.

Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

We can walk in the darkness, or we can walk in the Light of Life.

Jhn_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.

*Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Self-confidence can be a good thing, but when we put our own confidence above the truth of the Word of God, then we will fail.

Any wisdom against the wisdom of God is wrong, and it is sin.

Isa 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

We should always seek the direction of God in everything we do!

We are also able to see that our moral condition and our physical self are closely linked together!

Godliness is profitable for all things.

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

When we have a reverent fear of the Lord, it builds our relationship with Him, and we can see His promise, we will live healthier lives here on earth and in eternal life when we reach His home in New Heaven.

Godliness means we hate evil and the evil ways of man.

To be self-sufficient is to be arrogant and self-righteous.

If we wish to conquer the challenges of this life, we have to cry out to the Lord God for His help and His wisdom.

Pro 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Every command that God gives us is for our well-being in every dimension of this life we live now.

Sin will rob us of time we can spend with our families and enjoy this life as we prepare for that eternal life.

That word naval actually means the neural chord we were attached to when we were in the womb of our mothers.

If we belong to the Lord God, our Creator, our naval chord is now attached to Jehovah God and He will moisten the marrow of our bones.

Psa 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

We can say all these things and do all these things, but there is a way we can prove to the Lord, we love Him.

We can bless Him as He has blessed us.

It’s called self-sacrificing.

*Pro 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Pro 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

This means more than just tithing, which we are all called to do.

Our first fruits are to be presented to the Lord in gratitude and thankfulness to Jehovah.
Our first fruits are to be the best we have.

Trusting the Lord with all our hearts includes our wealth and our substance.

Fearing the Lord extends to His commands about finances and material things.

These things honor God because they show our submission to Him.

When we give our best instead of our leftovers, it glorifies our Creator.

Many leftovers of our meals go out to feed animals, so we do not have to wonder how God feels when we try to give Him our leftovers.

Our first fruit must be a token of our gratitude to the Lord for the blessings that He has already given to us.

When we are willing to give God the best that we have, which includes our time, it is really just a trial of our faith.

Ask Abraham how he felt when God told him to give up his son?

God says to prove Him: Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

Can I say I have received a gift from God that was not special, and a thing I needed?

God will do for us what only He can do!

2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
2Co 9:9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

We could say that giving to the Lord is our supreme act of faith.

We must also know that we are only human, and humans are made from dirt, and we will fall under Satan’s temptation on occasion.

We cannot make excuses but own up to our failures and ask or sometimes beg for forgiveness.

*Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Pro 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

None of us likes any sort of punishment.

No child of God can love pain or loss.

None of us looks forward to the knife of the surgeon.

We must completely understand that God not only rewards His children and prefers to do so, but He is also a loving Father who will discipline us. It is called chastisement.

As long as we remain in this sack of flesh that we wear, we will make mistakes, and we will need discipline.

If we are or were parents, we understand this clearly.

If we are being disciplined by the Lord, we must understand it is because He loves us.

None of us enjoys discipline, but we are to submit obediently to God’s hand of discipline.

As we travel that narrow path to Heaven, we will need His guidance, and we already know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the door to the entrance into the glory world.

He is not the doorway but the door.

Jehovah God never gets angry with His children; He corrects us!

Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
Job 5:18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

As God is our Heavenly Father, we are part of His family, so it is discipline of a family and not like as school or prison.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

We can understand the word “bastard” as those born of the world and have Satan as their father.

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

We show our trust in the Lord by just believing what He says.

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

*Pro 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 3:14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Pro 3:15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Pro 3:16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Pro 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

We should know that just like precious metals and precious jewels, wisdom is to be found.

We must diligently seek God’s wisdom!

We can see that God’s wisdom will bring happiness.

Happiness is the result of being in God’s favor!

God’s wisdom has much more value than silver. Silver is used to make musical instruments in Heaven.

God’s wisdom is much more valuable than gold. Gold is nothing but paving material in Heaven.

God’s wisdom is much more valuable than jewels. Jewels are used as wall decorations in Heaven.

Out of everything we might ever desire, wisdom will make us richer than any money ever will!

Instead of seeking some magic potion for long life, the only potion that will work is the wisdom of God.

God’s wisdom can bring honor.
God’s wisdom can bring happiness and peace to our lives.
God’s wisdom is truly the tree of life here on earth and will lead us to our new home in the New Heaven.

Wisdom is truly the source of life!

Wisdom brings happiness to God’s people.

Amen

Showing Brotherly Love

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Collection and a Conclusion

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 16

As we finish our study of the Book of 1 Corinthians, we should keep in mind that someone had written a letter to the Apostle Paul about things going on in the Church at Corinth, and the Apostle Paul had written or dictated to a scribe the answers to their questions and had sent this epistle in the hands of Timothy a young preacher to get this church headed in the right direction.

All the epistles of the Apostle Paul are written to the Church established by the Lord Jesus Christ and are, in fact, the written Word of God established by the Holy Spirit.

It should have been clear to the Church in Corinth that it was from that first church in Jerusalem that the source from which all the blessings of the Gospel had flowed.

It was fitting for the early church to help the poor people of the first church in Jerusalem if they were able.

Gal 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Gal 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

As we saw in Chapter 13, the Book of Love, the lovers of God give freely to Him. If we have the love of the Holy Spirit, then we will give to the Church.

What had the Lord Jesus said? Act_20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Psalms 41: Psa 41:1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
Psa 41:2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
Psa 41:3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

Pro 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

The Lord Jesus is serious about this: Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Every child of God, even if they are poor, is also a saint of God!

At this time, it was the poor Christians in Jerusalem who struggled the most.

They were being persecuted by the members of Judaism and fellow Jews.

In Jerusalem was a sharp contrast between the rich and the poor, with the saints of God being the poorest of the poor.

Jas 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

It is said many times that God will provide our needs, and many times He expects the Church to help in this matter.

Remember this was to help the saints of God in the church at Jerusalem and not a handout to all the poor, even though at times we can help them, but the Church comes first. It is the Church that has the promises of God!

This was to be a special gift for the poor in the church at Jerusalem, which we would call today a love offering.

Paul had given these same instructions to other churches he had established.

It had been thirty years since the church at Jerusalem had begun to practice the common ownership of goods, but this thing had soon ceased.

Many believed this had failed and caused widespread poverty among the Jewish Christians.

Whatever the cause, the believers in Jerusalem were in desperate need of help.

God has a special place in His heart for those who give unselfishly!

Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

What is being a good steward? 1Pe 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

*1Co 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
1Co 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

This lesson is clear: the Church is to help meet the needs of the poor believers.

Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

We can also see from this Scripture that the churches gathered together on Sundays, the first day of the week.

The Jews met on Saturdays as commanded in the Laws of Moses, but the Church has no such command, and the Church meets on the Lord’s Day. The church can also gather again on any other day, for where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, we can have church.

Rev_1:10 I was in the Spirit on “the Lord’s day”, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

It was on Sunday when the Lord Jesus Christ walked out of that grave.

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

It was on Sunday that the Apostles gathered after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Paul preached on the first day of the week, which is Sunday.

Notice the believers were not to make occasional offerings; they were to give regularly, every Lord’s Day, on the first day of the week.

They all were to give, even the poor were to give as they were able.

2Co 9:12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;
2Co 9:13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
2Co 9:14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

It is giving that builds a strong fellowship among believers, as verse 14 states.

Any offering that was made was to be kept at God’s storehouse.

2Ch_31:10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.

During the week, these believers were to lay up what they could and deliver it to the storehouse when they gathered together.

Today, this would be the treasury of the church.

Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

*1Co 16:3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
1Co 16:4 And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.

Notice that those who were to handle this money going to Jerusalem were to be hand-picked by the church.

This offering was to be handled very carefully.

They must choose men of character.
They must be men whom the church could approve and “trust” to handle the money.
They were to be men whom the Apostle Paul could commend through letters of commendation.

Paul would write letters on their behalf to the church in Jerusalem.

If Paul could not go with them, he would write letters of introduction for them.

This was something that was done so brothers could be received as brothers in the Lord and not as strangers.

Act 18:27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

Rom 16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
Rom 16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

That phrase “your liberality” means the things we talk about in Chapter 13.

If this offering were not voluntary, it would mean nothing to the Lord and bring no reward to this church at Corinth.

It was not to be a gift of obligation but rather a gift of brotherly love for one another.

Paul himself would not touch this offering so he could remain above reproach at all times.

Even if his schedule allowed him to make the journey to Jerusalem, those men would be personally delivering that offering to the believers in Jerusalem.

*1Co 16:5 Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.
1Co 16:6 And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go.
1Co 16:7 For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.
1Co 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
1Co 16:10 Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.
1Co 16:11 Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.

We must know that there is always a need to keep in touch with God’s people.

All of us need strengthening and building up from time to time.

This world will wear us down, and it is just going to get worse!

We see here that God does not always want us to do as we plan to do.

God’s will must be the rule of our lives as we minister for Christ!

God is not too busy with all the things He does to not get personal with us.

We are wrong when we do not listen to Him!

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

We must understand that all things are brought to pass by the will of God!

God has a purpose for each one of us, and also as a group!

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, “but according to his own purpose and grace”, which was given us in Christ Jesus “before the world began”,
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

What the Holy Spirit is saying is “it’s our time to shine” as we are brought into the plan God has had from the beginning, way back before Genesis.

No one upon this earth is as wise as God!

We can only be wise if we yield to the will of God!

Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

God does as He pleases, but everything He does is the right thing to do!

God does not adjust His plan according to events that happen upon this earth!

Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

1) There is the directed will of God; these are the things God actively brings about.

He creates. Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

He controls this universe. Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and no one can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

He establishes rulers and governments. Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

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

2) There is the permissive will of God.

This means that even though God has determined all things, He may do them Himself, or He may bring them about through secondary causes.

Sinful acts do not frustrate the plan of God; they just cause us to suffer the wrath of God. God does not ever cause sinful acts!

Man is responsible for all sinful acts that happen in this world.

All the things that God created have one purpose: they are designed to reveal the glory of God!

Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Psa 19:2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
Psa 19:3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Our Lord Jesus died, was buried, and has risen and returned to Heaven because this was the plan of God for our redemption.

Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Act 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Act 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

The Apostle Paul knew he could return to this church in Corinth only if it was in the will of God for him to do so.

At this time, they had Timothy, a young preacher who preached just as Paul did, and they would get the truth of the Gospel.

We would rather run our own lives, but once we recognize these truths of God, we know it is best to yield to His will for us, as did the Apostle Paul.

As we learned from Chapter 13, Paul expressed love rather than division.

*1Co 16:19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
1Co 16:20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.
1Co 16:21 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.

We should understand that this Christian family of Aquila and Priscilla was greatly involved in establishing the churches in Corinth and in Ephesus.

They were also Paul’s partners in a trade that provided Paul with the funds for his journey. He accepted very little help from the churches.

They had established a church in their own home.

Many churches have begun in the humble surroundings of someone’s home.

Gethsemane met first in the home of a church member.

A holy kiss is the kiss of peace that should reign in all the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.

The body of Christ is supposed to be one body, but we know that is not the case in today’s world.

We are all supposed to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ!
We all have the same Heavenly Father.
We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are all supposed to have the same Scriptures. There is only one true Word of God!
We are all going to the same New Heaven and New Jerusalem.
We are all filled with the same Holy Spirit.

We have to wonder why we do not act like it.

Paul’s signature on these epistles was a sign of the authenticity of the Word of God coming by the Holy Spirit.

2Th 3:17 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

Anathema in this passage means that those who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ are objects of hatred, from disgust to all holy beings. They are guilty of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ and deserve condemnation.

They have exposed themselves to the sentence of “everlasting destruction” from the presence of the Lord, which is what Maranatha says.

The word Maranatha means the Lord Jesus is coming, and He will judge all those who have made Him seem meaningless in this world, all those who are Anathema.

God is very serious about how we treat His Son!

Amen

The Gospel Truth

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Gospel and the Resurrection

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 15

The word “Gospel” means “Good News”. There is only one Gospel!

The Gospel is described in many ways:

Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Act 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

The Gospel of the Grace of God.

Mar 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

Rom 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.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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

The glorious Gospel.

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

The Everlasting Gospel.

This church at Corinth, like many churches today, is confused about the resurrection of believers.

This resurrection concerns our bodies, no matter if they are in the grave, have been burnt to ashes, thrown into the ocean, or eaten by some wild animal.

Some were denying the resurrection of the body.
Some were following false teaching, claiming that it occurred at the time of our death.
Some just said God couldn’t resurrect our old bodies when God made us from the dust of the ground to begin with.

There is nothing too hard for God!

Paul said this was a simple thing for God when He showed the power of resurrection by raising His own Son from the dead.

We do not need any other proof!

*1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

No matter where the Apostle Paul preached, he included the resurrection as part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We cannot take our stand on the Gospel of Jesus Christ without standing on the fact of His resurrection and our resurrection.

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

Paul had said earlier that he was not able to preach the meat of the Gospel to these Corinthians, but he did preach the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is a major doctrine and principle of our salvation and our resurrection.

We, as the Church, need to pay particular attention to this chapter.

Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

We should understand that we will see our Heavenly Father face-to-face, and we will be in a glorified body, and that body will be a version of the body we had when we were upon this earth.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Paul is declaring these things again to these Corinthians as if they had never heard them because they had not remained with them.

We must live by faith in the Word of God.

We already know that without faith, we cannot even please God.

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

We are being saved by the same Gospel that was presented to these Corinthians!

We must hold fast to the Gospel.

When we take a stand as a Christian, we are standing upon the truth of the Gospel!

Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

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

The first act of the Gospel was that Jesus Christ died for our sins, fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Isa 53:5-8, Daniel 9:26, Psalms 22, Zec 12:10, Gen 22.

All these Scriptures teach us the death and resurrection of our Savior, God’s Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ is the first thing that should be preached because with His death, He paid for our sins.

Paul is saying that these are the first words that he received from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

Gal 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The death of Jesus Christ was the substitute that Our Heavenly Father allowed for payment of our sins.

Jesus died as our sacrifice.
Jesus died as our ransom.
Jesus died as our propitiation.
Jesus died according to the Scriptures.

Luk 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Joh 1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was despised and rejected by men.

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

The second fact of the Gospel is that the Lord Jesus died and was buried, and He rose again on the third day, just as the Old Testament had testified.

We should understand that there were many witnesses to these events; they were not done in the dark or hidden from sight.

There are still those today who say there was no resurrection because there was no actual death.

We need to just pay attention to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the truth, and it is our faith that saves us and our faith that pleases our Heavenly Father.

Jesus Christ did die a human death. No one buries a man who is alive except a murderer.

If Jesus had not been buried, then there could be no resurrection.

The empty tomb is still evidence that the Lord Jesus arose from the dead!

It is the resurrection of Christ Jesus that proves that our bodies will also one day rise from the grave, and our tombs will be empty no matter how our bodies were buried, scattered, or remain in some urn, or thrown in the ocean.

The resurrection proves that the Lord Jesus Christ is exactly who He says He is, the Living God!

There is no other power anywhere upon this earth that can raise people from their death!

Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that He is our Savior.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that He is the Spirit of Life.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that He is no liar.

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

Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

The resurrection proves that Christianity is real!
The resurrection proves that our Heavenly Father accepted the work that His Son Jesus did for our reconciliation, our salvation.

When the Lord Jesus prayed at Gethsemane, it was a prayer that His death would bring life through His resurrection.

His Heavenly Father heard His prayer!

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

His resurrection was essential in the plan of God for us to receive the Holy Spirit.

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

There was an empty tomb.
There was the shape of the linen wrappings. Those wrappings still retained the shape of the body. The Lord Jesus had passed right through those wrappings.

Remember Lazarus: Joh 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

The graveclothes of Jesus had remained in that empty tomb with the napkin folded and laid aside, which meant He would return.

Then some witnessed seeing Him after He arose.

*1Co 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1Co 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1Co 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

Peter, who had denied the Lord, now became one of the greatest witnesses for the Lord.

The Lord appeared to the remaining Apostles. Judas at that time was already dead having committed suicide. There were twelve Apostles after his death.

Then there were five hundred witnesses at one time who could testify to seeing the resurrected Christ.

Then the Lord appeared to James, His stepbrother, who would be the Pastor of the Church at Jerusalem.

It is then that the family of the Lord Jesus Christ found out that their stepbrother was telling the truth all along.

He later met Paul on the Damascus Road. Paul became the twelfth apostle hand-chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Paul preached:

*1Co 15:12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

Still today, some unbelievers deny the resurrection of the human body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know that the Lord was one hundred percent God, but He was also one hundred percent human. That human body did die, but God cannot die. He has always existed!

Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

There may be many things I do not understand and cannot explain, but the resurrection of my Savior has enough witnesses to make me a believer, and I have enough faith to accept all the Word of God as the truth.

BUT:

*1Co 15:13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
1Co 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
1Co 15:15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, then there is nothing to Christianity.

Most of this world believes in some supernatural being, and that being would not be much if it could not bring a human body back to life.

The message of the Gospel is the “good news” of our resurrected Savior, who is the God of the Bible and the God of all truth.

Since the God of the Bible raised the Lord Jesus Christ back to life, He will have no problem raising all the bodies in the future that He wants to raise.

Jesus said to his disciples after He had risen Luk 24:38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
Luk 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Luk 24:40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

I will live forever in the presence of the Lord!
I will have a personal face-to-face relationship with the Lord!
I will be made perfect and serve the Lord face-to-face in a New Heaven and a New Earth!
I do know that I know all these things are true!

The Lord Jesus died to free me from death and all other believers, and His Father raised Him, so He will raise all those who have been freed from death!

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

*1Co 15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
1Co 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1Co 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Christians whose bodies are in the sleep of death is a principle that we must reject as impossible!

The goodness, the faith, the love, the tenderness of that Saint of God cannot be dissolved into nothing.

God simply will not allow it!

Since Jesus Christ rose from His death, then that old body of that saint of God that is asleep in Jesus will also rise from that grave!

That old body will not only rise from the dead, but it will be glorified just as the body of Christ is glorified.

The Lord Jesus did not have to take His earthly body back to Heaven with Him, but He did.

He could just as easily have gone back in His Spirit, but He chose to take that earthly body with Him.

If the Lord Jesus Christ did not arise from that grave, then neither will we. It is just that simple.

Why do we question God so much when He expects us to have faith?

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ goes hand in hand with our own resurrection!

If all we have is hope in this life, then certainly we will be miserable as we grow older in years.

If we have served the Lord as He commanded and suffered for it, then we have endured something false.

But now Jesus Christ is risen!

1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The fact is, we will live in the New Heaven with our Redeemer in our glorified bodies throughout eternity.

Since we are in our old body that is now glorified, we will be known by sight, just as we will recognize those who have gone before us by sight.

Where is our faith?

We should be very clear if it is possible to live in the presence of God, and it is, then the human body must first undergo a radical change. Th

1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
1Pe 5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

*1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

If we are not settled on this issue of our bodies, then listen as Paul tells us how these things will take place.

The human body is flesh and blood. It is a physical body and not a spiritual body that will be needed in the New Heaven.

This body is made of earthly materials and substances, not spiritual materials and substances.

This body must be completely remade!

The bodies we have today are made to live in this physical world and dimension.

This physical body is made for the kingdoms of this world and not to inherit the Kingdom of God.

We cannot inherit eternity as we are; a change is necessary!

This means those who have gone on to meet the Lord and their old flesh was left behind and, includes any who are alive when the Trumpet sounds, and we will all meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

When we meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds, it will not be for salvation, but the Lord will take this time to issue rewards for the work that was done on earth.

1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The workman is saved the work itself is burned with fire.

Both the living and the dead will receive newly created bodies.

These things will happen quicker than can be seen clearly and will be invisible to those who will remain on earth during the tribulation period.

We should not worry, as the Lord Jesus said, the Lord’s children will hear that trumpet!

These things are absolutely certain!

The trumpet will sound.
The Lord’s saints will hear it.
The dead shall be raised incorruptible.
We shall be changed.
These things will take place in the twinkling of an eye.

Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The resurrection of the damned will take place over a thousand years later than the Rapture of the Church.

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

The nature of our old bodies is corruptible, but the nature of our new bodies will be uncorruptible!

You do not have to tell a senior citizen about how his body is deteriorating, and his days are getting shorter, and a day of death awaits us all unless the Lord Jesus returns soon.

We are all waiting for our heavenly body that will live throughout eternity.

We know that if we are going to live with God, then these old bodies must change!

*1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

This change of our bodies will swallow up death, as it will not exist in our new bodies.

The grave will no longer be in our future.

This is the victory that was promised by Jehovah long ago.

Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

It is sin that gave death its power, and the New Heaven is a place where there is no sin and there will never be any sin.

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

Sin will now be erased from the picture.

It is laws and standards that show us our shortcomings.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Yes, Lord, I believe you.

When we have been perfected by the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be no law hanging over our heads.

With no law, there will be no condemnation!

Rev 21:4 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.

*1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

It was the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ that proved He had the power over death.

It is through Him and Him alone that we can be resurrected from our death!

His perfect righteousness overcomes sin and sin’s penalty; it condemns sin!

Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Those who are afraid of the Holy Ghost will find that He is our greatest gift after salvation.

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

These things should encourage us all as we live for Jesus Christ.

These promises are to all those who believe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! These are promises!

We must stand on the truth of our Lord, unmovable!

Unyielding.
Unshaken.
Undisturbed by what goes on in this world around us.

We must work harder for those we love and those we meet.

Our labor will not be in vain!

1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Amen

Spiritual Gifts

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Unity Gained from Proper Use of Spiritual Gifts

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12

What are Spiritual gifts?

A Spiritual gift is the God-given ability to serve Him in the command that He has given to us.

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Spiritual gifts are given to the saints of God for the purpose that the whole Church might be built up and increased and grow to maturity.

It is the Holy Spirit who decides what gifts are best for us and best for the Church.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The Holy Spirit He is God with equal standing in the Trinity of God.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three Gods but one God in three persons. The Triune God!

We may be born with natural talents, some of which are passed down from our parents, but Spiritual gifts have their origin with the Holy Spirit.

Some of these gifts are even called “grace” gifts, a gift of God’s “grace”.

Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.

Our lesson begins with verse 12, but let’s see verses 4 and 11 before we begin.

*1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

The Apostle Paul is addressing these issues because of the controversies raging in this church in Corinth over so many things, and now, Spiritual gifts.

Paul said that there should be no pride, no controversy, and no division over Spiritual gifts because these gifts are decided by the Holy Spirit.

God had given many Spiritual gifts to the saints in Corinth so they could minister to the pagan citizens of Corinth, but this church could not minister the Gospel because of the many divisions inside the church.

The Lord Jesus Christ identifies His saints with Himself.

**The life we now live belongs to our Savior: Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

**We have put on the New Man: 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

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

**The Church is now the Body of Jesus Christ: Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

When we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, we were baptized in water as a symbol of our relationship with Christ.

We know from Scripture that we are now home to the Holy Spirit, so we are now baptized by the work of the Holy Spirit within us.

**The Holy will convict, chastise, and strengthen us until we are a useful member of the Body of Christ. Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

It does not matter what our background in life had been; we are all treated the same by the Holy Spirit, but this does not mean we will all have the same gifts to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are all united in One Body of Christ.

Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We should understand that the Holy Spirit is in fact, the “Living Water” of God

There is only one Church, one Body of Christ.

*1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Some who are less gifted feel like they are unimportant to the cause of Christ.

Some who are more gifted feel like they are God’s gift to the Church.

These are untrue things!

Every child of God has the same importance if we remain in the will of God!

The “Body of Christ” is not one member but all its members working in one cause.

Gal 3:28 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.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The unity of the Christian Church is most important because we seek one common life, and it is eternal life.

It is the Life of Jesus Christ that supplies nourishment to the Body of Christ, and if one part falls away, then the Body of Christ loses its strength.

Why is the Church failing today because much of the Church has abandoned the nourishment that can come only from Jesus Christ!

1) Each member is necessary.
2) Each member has an essential function in the Church. The Church cannot function if the members do not function according to the gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit.
3) Each member is placed in the Body of Christ according to the will of God. God does not just set prominent members in the Church; God sets all members in the Church.
4) Each member is distinct.

Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

We must try to make the best use of the gifts God has given to us!

*1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

We must not envy those we think have more important gifts.

Those who seem to be more gifted must not look down on those who seem to have less gifts.

In fact, the less gifted members are more necessary to the Church!

That worker who is never seen by the crowd is much more essential to decisions for Jesus Christ than the evangelist who is at the center of view.

In fact, the prayer warrior who can reach Heaven may be the most essential member in the Church, even more than that great preacher behind that pulpit.

Charles Spurgeon had a hundred and twenty praying for him in a room right under his pulpit, and he gave the credit for his great sermons to them.

The point is that no believer or group of believers is to look down on the less gifted members in the Church, who are actually the backbone of the Church.

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

*1Co 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

What we consider great or small is never the same as how Jehovah sees things.

To God, only one thing is important, and it is that we faithfully fulfill the order He has given to us, His will for us.

God does not reward the size of the gift but the faithfulness to use that gift.

Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

In the human body, we have things like the heart, the kidneys, the lungs, and other organs. Though we cannot see them, they are of crucial importance to the body.
In the Body of Christ, it is exactly like that.

All the work that is to be done for the Lord Jesus Christ must be bathed in prayer. Therefore, the greatest gift may be that prayer warrior, but every member has their importance to the plan of God.

Even those sitting in the pews each have their particular importance as prayer warriors, and workers who take God’s message out into the world.

We are to support one another as we love each other. Support can mean many things besides money. Sometimes a good compliment goes a long way if it is done in love.

We must take our place with the gift God has given to us and pay attention to where we can be of the most profit to others.

Love is the greatest power in the Church, and many times it is shown the most by the faithful women of the Church.

We are all to complement one another for the Church to reach those that God intends to be reached!

*1Co 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

“Comely” means handsome, suitable, graceful, but just a little less than beautiful.

It can also mean well-formed, honorable, and noble.

We must understand that there is a difference between the Christian Doctrine of unity and equality, and the world’s doctrine of one standard for all.

In the Church, there is a place for the rich and the poor, the great and the small, the high and the low, the greatly gifted and those whose gift is unnoticeable to others, and no class of Christians is above the others or lower than the others in the Church.

We sometimes forget that it is the Lord Jesus who is building the Church for Our Heavenly Father.

With the Holy Spirit in the lead, the Church will be at peace with each other and the Church will be strong in the world.

A Church at peace and full of love will be full of members who have the same care for one another.

Act_4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul:

This should describe the Church that the Lord Jesus is building during the Church Age, while realizing that the Kingdom of God is very near.

When one member is suffering, then all the Church should be suffering with them.

When one member is rejoicing, every member should be rejoicing with them.

Not one member is more important than another in the eyes of God, and we must use this as the Lord’s design for the Church.

*1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Every believer is a member of the Body of Christ!

Every believer has their own place in the Body of Christ!

It is a supreme privilege to be known as a child of God!

1) God has set Apostles in the Church if we understand that the modern apostle is an ambassador for Christ.

As ambassadors for Christ, we belong to Christ. We are commissioned by Jesus Christ.

We possess the authority and the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Just as every apostle, each ambassador is chosen by Jesus Christ.

There are no true Apostles today who saw the Lord Jesus when He was alive.

No one today possesses many of the gifts given to those Apostles.

Still, as ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will give us the gifts that are needed and that we can use for the good of the Church and the glory of God.

2) Second, God has set prophets in the Church, but those prophets are our preachers, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, and do not use the name prophet anymore because we have the complete Word of God which the Holy Spirit uses to give that man of God the message God wants us to have on that particular day.

I’m sure God still speaks to those He has called, but there is no new prophecy to be given that we do not already have in the Scriptures.

3) God has set teachers in the Church, and each teacher is to use the existing Scriptures to teach as the truth of God and not deviate from those Scriptures.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

4) It is only God who can perform miracles today, and much of it is because of prayer, but we also know we are surrounded by Angels, and we may not know until we get to Heaven the things God has saved us from and the miracles that have kept us going. Even when the Apostles performed miracles, it was through the power of God, not a power they had themselves. They also had the Holy Spirit living within them.

5) The gift of healing is no longer given to men but comes according to prayer and the will of God.

Jas 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

6) The gift of helps belongs to those who are always ready to jump in to help others who are in need. Some believers are always ready to lend a helping hand, and every Christian should have a part of this gift because it is a sign of love.

7) The gift of tongues is looked upon differently in many denominations, but the Bible is specific that the word tongues means languages and known languages.

Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

They never spoke in an unknown language. This was never a foundational gift to the Church.

Tongues were actually a sign of unbelief!

1Co 14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
1Co 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

What we should understand is that the Holy Spirit will give us what we need to remain in the will of God and be useful to the glory of the Church and the glory of God.

There is a reason the Holy Spirit gives such gifts to believers: Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

We are to take the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the Glory of God and not any glory for ourselves!

Amen

We Must Have the Love of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Agape Love

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13

The word “Agape” is the Greek word for “love”.

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

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

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

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

This love must be according to the truth of God!

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

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

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

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

Let’s compare the various types of love:

1) There is “passionate love or eros love”. This is the physical love between a man and a woman.
It can also describe the love we have for our nation or the ambition of those who are seeking power, wealth, or fame.
This type of love is never used in the New Testament.

2) There is “affectionate love or storge love”. This is the kind of love that exists between a parent and child and between a loyal citizen and a trustworthy ruler.
This type of love is also not used in the New Testament.

3) There is “endearing love or philia love”. This is the love that cherishes. This is the love of a husband and wife for each other, or a brother for a brother, or a sister for a sister, or a friend for their dearest friends.
It is a love that cherishes, that holds someone or something ever so dear to their heart.

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

It is the love of God for the ungodly.
It is the love of God for the unworthy.
It is the love of God for His enemies.
It is the love of God for sinners.

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

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

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

There is an absolute necessity for love in the Church!

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

The superior quality of life is love; it is not in any gift we possess.
The most excellent way to live and serve the Lord is to possess and share His love; it is not in gifts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When we give out of duty, God does not acknowledge that gift.
When we feel forced to give, it is meaningless.
When we give because we have it and the needy do not have it, it is meaningless.
When we give with a rebuke because those who receive are irresponsible, it means nothing.
When we give unsacrificially, it is meaningless.

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

1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

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

*1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love does not seek revenge.

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

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

Love is not boastful.

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

Love does not think evil of anyone.

Love is not rude.

Love is not disgraceful.

Love is not selfish.

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

Love is not resentful.

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

Love will never rejoice in unrighteousness!

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

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

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

*1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

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

The prophecies of Muhammad will fail.
The prophecies of Zoroaster will fail.
The prophecies of Krishna will fail.
The prophecies of Confucius will fail.
The prophecies of Joseph Smith will fail.
The prophecies of Ron Hubbard will fail.
The prophecies of Nostradamus will fail.
The prophecies of these men will fail and then fade away!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

*1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

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

What are the three characteristics every Christian must have?

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

We believe only in the things we love!

We hope only for those whom we love!

Love alone is the sum of perfection in Heaven!

We see that faith and hope cannot work without love!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amen

Examples for the Modern Church

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Admonitions from Israel’s History

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 10

Idolatry is the practice of paying divine honor to any object that is created.

There are three forms of idolatry:

1) Fetishism: the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.
2) Nature worship: the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars as the supposed powers of nature.
3) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors or heroes.

During their long residence in Egypt, the Hebrews fell into idolatry.

Eze 20:7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

The world before the flood was a wicked and idolatrous world:

Jos 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

What is the first commandment given to Israel after Jehovah freed them from Egypt? Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deu 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

Today, throughout the world, people worship everything but Jehovah God!

Those who worship themselves have made themselves to be God.

*1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

As Paul gets further into this epistle, he will eventually get to the security of the believer.

The security of the believer is one of the great doctrines of Scripture, but unfortunately, it is taught without much understanding and without the warnings that come from the Word of God.

We know that when the time of judgment comes, God will first judge the Church.

There are multitudes in the Church who are not truly converted to Jesus Christ, but they have a false security and are overconfident.

They say they are saved, but their lifestyle says different.

Saying and knowing are two different things.

Being baptized and belonging to a church does not mean we are saved.

Taking part in the Lord’s Supper does not mean we are saved.

Being greatly gifted and very active in the Church does not make a person safe and secure in Jesus Christ.

These things were problems in the Church in Corinth.

As Christians, we are in a race for an incorruptible Crown, but this crown is not given on a silver platter.

We must actually be in the race!

The nation of Israel was a prime example of a people who had been greatly privileged by Jehovah, and it led to a people who felt safe and secure, yet many of them perished in the wilderness after Jehovah had saved them from Egypt.

All of them shared the many blessings of God, but none of that group but a few entered into the Promised Land.

The Israelites were as much a people of God as we are today, yet most of them fell in the wilderness of sin.

In truth, the possession of great privileges does not secure us from the danger of falling from the “Grace” of God.

The worst sins of Israel were a direct result of idolatry!

Idolatry is not a light matter to Jehovah God!

Today, many in the Church are willing to be delivered from Hell but shy away from living life like Jesus Christ, which is the standard for being a Christian, and which is the standard for repentance.

What did Jesus teach the Jews?

Mrk_1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

What has Jesus taught the Church?

Rev_2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

The Israelites accepted the position as God’s people, but failed in the duties of being God’s people.

Is the Church doing the same thing today?

We love to say we are the children of God, but is the Church fulfilling the duties of the Church?

Many who say they are Christians were never truly converted and have never really repented of their sins before God!

Israel passed through the Red Sea as if on dry land.

Archaeologists have found the place of the crossing of Israel, even finding the chariot of that Pharaoh, but now Egypt will not allow any more research because it changes the narrative that they want remembered.

There are many other spots that certain governments have placed off limits because they would change the narrative of the world.

Many more like them do not want the Bible to prove itself to be the truth, but it proves itself every day.

Israel had the presence of Jesus Christ with them.

God gave His Son the Leader to lead them to the Promised Land. That Rock was Christ!

God took care of their day-to-day needs.

Jesus Christ was the source, the Energy and the Power, and the Person who caused water from the Rock, caused the Red Sea to part, who caused the cloud to guide Israel, and rained down the manna, and who gave Moses the promises of God.

Jesus Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament!

We should remember there were over six hundred thousand men alone who broke away from the bondage of Egypt.

This means we do not know the actual number of the children of Israel.

We know that only two families, the family of Caleb and the family of Joshua, stayed true to the Lord; the rest died and were replaced before they entered into the Promised Land.

So, we have proof that God will save people from one tragedy, but still not allow them into His Heaven.

We must know that we know we are saved according to the Word of God, or we could still end up in Hell.

These things are a warning to the Church!

*1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

These things were examples for the Church to learn from!

God has given us a Jewish history lesson for the Church to learn because we know that God never changes.

The things that happened to the Hebrews (Jews) are valuable lessons to Christians, and we must not ever forget this!

Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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.

Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

Then God gives us some of these examples.

*1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
1Co 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
1Co 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
1Co 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

**Warning number one: While Moses was upon the Mountain with God, the children of Israel began lusting after the things of the flesh.
Many of them turned to idolatry. Aaron made that golden calf, and the people began dancing around it.

In typology, we know our Lord Jesus is now on Heaven’s Mountain, and the Church is lusting after the flesh and worshipping idols.

**Warning number two: Immorality took over the children of Israel.

And the Lord Jesus says to the Church, Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

**Warning number three: Neither let us tempt Jesus Christ. They tried the Lord’s patience.

You want to get to Hell! Go ahead and see how far you can go to test the patience of the Lord Jesus Christ. These children of Israel always felt that God expected too much from them. Many in the Church still feel this way today!

Many of them even longed for things they left behind in Egypt. Even onions. Who can believe that? Many people love onions, but I doubt they would choose slavery to get them.

Many Christians think they will be forgiven even if they take that second look.
If they just get a taste, or if they could just touch, or if they slip just a little, or if they hold back just a little, which is the sin of covetousness.

Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

**Warning number four: These people could not go a day without murmuring, complaining, and grumbling.

It is the same for the Church of today. So many today are not satisfied with the truth and seek to make their own truth. Much of the Church has moved away from the truth of solid preaching and seeks a church and a Bible that goes along with their own thoughts of Christianity, forgetting what being a Christian is all about.

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jud 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

All these things are examples for the Church not to get caught up in!

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Rom 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be sure of our salvation, and we must know what it is to be Christian!

To be Christian is to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This name was given to the followers of Jesus Christ by unbelievers.

Act 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

This name was given to the followers of Christ in sarcasm.

How many in the Church today would the world call Christian when the word I hear the most is hypocrites?

All these things that Paul has mentioned today should cause us to look at ourselves and just see what our standing is with God.

*1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We must understand that was impossible for any Christian in Corinth to avoid coming in contact with idolatrous practices in its many forms.

We can also say this about America today!

We must understand this warning from the Holy Spirit.

Most every church acknowledges that we are in the last days of the Church Age.

The Church Age is the Age of Grace. There will be no other Age of Grace as Jehovah moves forward with His plans!

Grace is the way God deals with people today. We are a foolish church if we do not heed the warning Jehovah is showing us in the examples of how He dealt with Israel.

Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Any person can fall, especially when we get to thinking we cannot fall.

As long as we are still in the Church Age, there is no way to escape temptation!

We can be encouraged that there will be no temptation that is not common to everyone else.

This means we can prepare for those temptations.

No temptation will be superhuman.
No temptation will be unique to the Church.
No temptation will be beyond our capacity to handle.
No temptation will be terrifying in any sense of the word.

Every temptation that attacks the believer is common to all humans!

Most every Christian has already overcome most of these temptations, and yes, some of us have fallen and caved in, but we have repented and asked for forgiveness, and we can still be overcome if we are not prepared for them.

We should also understand that the Lord limits every single temptation within our limits to overcome it.

We must have enough faith to believe this. God will provide a way out of that temptation!

2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

We of the Church have a greater responsibility to overcome temptation than the Jews because we can read of the mistakes they made and see how Jehovah dealt with them.

The modern Church has no excuse for sinking into sin!

*1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
1Co 10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
1Co 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
1Co 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
1Co 10:25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
1Co 10:26 For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.
1Co 10:27 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
1Co 10:28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof:

We must know that Satan is out to cut the heart of Jehovah and to destroy God’s purpose in saving mankind.

Satan smiles every time he turns a person away from the Lord Jesus Christ by enticing us to give our lives to the things and the false gods of this world.

When we become consumed by the things of this world, then we have fulfilled the will of Satan, the Devil.

We had better understand that God will not allow us to be a guest at His table and be a guest at the table of idolatrous devils.

This is being a hypocrite, and we will provoke the Lord’s wrath, and there will be no hypocrites in Heaven!

Even if we know that a certain thing is legal for us to do without it being a sin, should we do it?

There are limits to Christian freedom!

Should Christians attend social functions with our neighbors and fellow employees who are not saved?

We should ask ourselves:

1) Is it beneficial to me as a Christian?
2) Will it violate my conscience; will it grieve the Holy Spirit?
3) Will our actions affect our relationship with another Christian?
4) Are we just being courteous and kind to that unbeliever, who may just be seeing how far we are willing to go against his thoughts of God?
5) Does it hurt the conscience of another believer?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then we should not attend.

Even if our own conscience is not bothered, we are to act for the sake of others!

We are not to do anything that might offend another brother or sister in Christ!

Rom 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

*1Co 10:29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?
1Co 10:30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
1Co 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

No man has a right to interfere with the liberty that is enjoyed by another if his own conscious, his own conduct, and his own convictions are not affected.

If I am doing no harm according to the Word of God, then why should I be judged by another Christian after I have asked God to bless my meal?

In fact, I do not have the right if it causes harm to another brother or sister who may think that I am worshipping idols when I should know better!

Bearing the criticism of another brother or sister in Christ will not be worth my attending such a social event.

We must keep in mind that everything we do outside the Church is to be for the glory of God!

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

We are not to be so concerned about our own rights that we have forgotten that all things we do are to be for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord tells us: Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We cannot allow our light to grow dim!

We are never to be stumbling blocks to the Jews, to unbelievers, nor believers!

We are to do absolutely nothing that will offend another person or cause them to stumble because this goes against the Lord’s rule of love!

We are God’s children, and again Jesus says: Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

We are not to seek our own profit because we are left upon this earth to seek the profit of our Savior!

Again, our Lord Jesus says: Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

The world might ignore our Savior, but our life outside the Church is to bring Him glory every day that God the Father gives us!

Amen

Living By Love

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Claiming Rights and Living by Love

Book of 1 Corinthians, Chapters 8 and 9

In this lesson, we will see the contrast between knowledge and love.

We know the Word of God provides us with the knowledge of how to live our lives according to the Word of God.

God has a response to every question we have in this life, no matter what it is!

The City of Corinth was a pagan city, full of idolatry.

Most of the meat sold in the marketplaces had been offered in sacrifice to idols, pagan gods.

A portion of a sacrifice was offered as a burnt offering to a false god; the person who offered the meat would get a portion, and the rest of the meat would be sold in the marketplaces.

Practically every social event in Corinth served meat that had been offered as a sacrifice to false gods.

What was a Christian to do when they went shopping for meat for their own families?

They had no idea where that meat came from, just as we have no idea when we go shopping for meat for our own families today.

There were also great social functions in the city, and many of them were held in the temples built for the worship of these false gods.

Could a Christian attend these events and eat the meals that were served, knowing that the meat might have been offered to false gods?

Many felt that it was wrong to buy meat that had been offered to false gods, but they could not tell if the meat they bought had been used as a sacrifice or if the meat came from some other source.

For this reason, many Christian believers became vegetarians.

Just as these Corinthians, Christians of today live amid a sinful and pleasure-mad world, and we will have questions.

These Corinthians wrote a letter to the Apostle Paul seeking answers to these questions, and the Church of today has those answers.

The greatest questions of today are about Christian freedoms.

Are we free to do as we please?

What restraints are put on Christian Liberty?

What controls our behavior in this wicked world?

What is Christian love?

Today, we have the complete Word of God, and it gives us all the answers we need to live in this life.

*1Co 8:1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
1Co 8:2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
1Co 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

We must understand the three Christian graces which are Faith, Hope and Charity!

Faith is the vision of the unseen: Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This is our trust in God.

Hope is our desire to be with our Creator: Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Charity (love) is the necessary condition of our dwelling with God and God in us: 1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

We know that God is love: 1Jn_4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn_4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

God loved us when we were worthless to Him, and we must strive to love like God loves and show that love not only to our brothers and sisters in Christ, but also to those we witness to.

It will be our love that will define us as Christians in the end!

Then, we need to first judge all things by love and not by knowledge.

We all have knowledge if we study the Bible and attend a Bible believing Church, but we all may not have the love of God within us as we go through this world.

The knowledge we have learned may come forth as pride, and our pride may interfere with our love.

It is our love that must define our bodies as a Temple of God!

We certainly have much more knowledge about God’s creations, but it is by no means perfect knowledge.

We have much knowledge about the true Church, but it is love that builds the Church.

It is good to have clear views of Christian liberty, but if we exercise that knowledge without love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, then that knowledge is not fruitful for the Body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is not given to us to do as we please!

We have the Holy Spirit living within us to give us freedom to serve the Lord Jesus, which is perfect freedom.

We are free to obey all the Word of God.

We are free from the law of sin and death: Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

We have complete freedom to do the things that are in God’s will for us.

When God created this world, we live in, He said that it was all good.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

No actions of any Saint of God are unlawful if they are in accordance with God’s design in creation.

We should understand that desires are a function of our bodies that God made. So, in this sense, we have complete freedom.

1) We must understand that many things in this world are neither worthwhile nor are they profitable.
2) We must understand that many things in this world are not wise. Some things will enslave us and not bring self-respect.

We are never to become slaves to anything on this earth, which would include such things as drugs or alcohol, or substance abuse.

We are to preserve our self-control to control the things upon this earth and not be controlled by any of them.

Our good health and our emotions depend upon us being in control of our bodies and our spirits.

Indulgence in any of the appetites of the body is one of the greatest sins of any believer.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Our knowledge is useless if it is not bound by love for each other!

It is love that unites us with Jehovah.

If we love Jehovah, then He knows it and accepts it.

We are not accepted by God because of our knowledge!

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

*1Co 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
1Co 8:5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
1Co 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.

As Christians, we know that there is no God but Jehovah.

We know that no idol is God and is nothing in this world, no matter what their worshippers may think.

There is no God but One, and He is Jehovah.

False gods are gods of the mind and imagination, ideas and notions.

They are gods made of wood and stone.

They are gods and lords of their own creation.

We could all sit down and think about what a perfect God should be, but we do not even know what perfect really means; we just know that our Savior is perfect and He is a perfect God.

We know that an idol is created because the Devil has influenced the mind of that person.
We know that an idol could represent the demons and evil spirits in our world.

1Co 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

There is indeed demonic influence in our world.

Even the powers of nature are worshipped as gods.

Even the Roman emperors claimed to be gods.

As Christians, we know that all these so-called gods do not exist except in the minds of some foolish people.

We know that there is, but one God and He is our Creator.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

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

There are just far too many in our world who have not met the Lord Jesus Christ.

*1Co 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
1Co 8:8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

We already know that this church in Corinth was full of baby Christians and was full of division.

They had not understood the truth of Jehovah.

They had many times eaten of this sacrificial meat and had visited the temples of false gods and taken part in the big banquets.

To them, to continue to do these things had to be a sin against Jehovah and apostasy.

It was their conscience that was weak. They just could not accept that this meat could be clean.

They could not tell what meat came from which source, so to them all the meat was unclean.

Too many, they just did not ask the source of the meat, and they just took it home and ate their conscience free and clear of any wrong.

We can see a lack of faith by those who became vegetarians.

They were not strong enough spiritually to control their minds and beliefs.

Act 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
Act 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

Food is immaterial to God. Food does not make us more spiritual or less spiritual.

The eating of food does not make us acceptable to God nor does it better or worse.

We lose nothing by not eating and we gain nothing by eating.

Some would tell you that this same line of thought would apply to wine or alcohol, but the Scripture never said wine was clean.

Pro 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

Isa 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Isa 5:23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Isa 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

There are many more places in the Scriptures concerning wine and alcohol.

We understand that there is such a thing as Christian Freedom, so the question of real importance is, “What effect will our conduct have on others”?

*1Co 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
1Co 8:10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
1Co 8:11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

Some people use verse 8 to say “fasting” is not needed for a Christian, because of the words “but meat commendeth us not to God”, but this would be a wrong interpretation.

We do have liberties as true Christians, but we are in sin if we lead anyone to do that which he thinks is wrong.

We make things worse for the “babe in Christ” by our example if we teach them to act in contradiction of their conscience.

God has revealed Himself through conscience; Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Conscience may be regarded as an inward monitor or the voice of God in the soul, that passes judgment on men’s response to the moral law.

We can study the Bible and learn every prophecy and think we know all that we can about Jehovah, but if we do not use these things to benefit others, such as babes in Christ, then these things will not bring the blessings of the Lord but rather reproach for the cause of Christ.

No matter how great a Christian we think we are, we must not become a stumbling block to a new Christian and especially to that one who left the Church before they experienced the salvation of Jesus Christ.

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

Note that phrase in verse nine: “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours becomes a stumblingblock to them that are weak”.

To the world, the Church is already a place full of hypocrites, so why would we ever make matters worse?

When Christians are seen out in public doing questionable things, others are sometimes influenced by the things they see us do, but in the wrong way.

We must never forget that none of us are so Spiritual that we cannot fall.

*1Co 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

There is no greater sin for the Christian than to damage the conscience of another believer!

A wounded conscience will make any person feel useless and helpless and may destroy their drive and initiative, and ambition.

Jesus Christ died for us in our weakness. If we lead some poor soul astray, we have committed a terrible sin against the truth of Jesus Christ.

What had the Lord Jesus told the Apostle Paul on his day of salvation?

Act 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Any persecution of any believer is the same as persecuting the Lord Jesus Christ!

*1Co 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

We must understand that we have no value in ourselves, but because of the work of Jesus Christ, we are valuable in Heaven!

If we are striving to be more like Jesus Christ, then we must remember what He has said: Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Our love for our brothers and sisters should mean that we will self-sacrifice for their welfare.

In the Church, we will influence more people by example than we will influence by our knowledge!

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

*1Co 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
1Co 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
1Co 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
1Co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
1Co 9:23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

We can see that the Apostle enslaved himself to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As did the Lord Jesus: Joh 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

We talk about Christian freedom, and we have certain freedoms, but we are free to walk with the Lord.

When we walk with the Lord, we are not as likely to return to the bondage of this world, which is bondage to the Devil.

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This passage may apply more to preachers or pastors, but it also applies to every Christian.

The one purpose of following the Lord Jesus is to reach out to the lost and be a witness for Christ.

Paul said he was free from all men, but he had enslaved himself by love to serve one another.

As we are free because of Jesus Christ, we are not obligated to conform to the world’s opinions.

We are never to compromise our convictions, but we must show the love of God to those we are trying to witness to.

We must remember our humble Shepherd and how He treated everyone He met, no matter their walk in life.

Paul obeyed the laws of Moses when he witnessed to Jews, as did the Lord, as long as nothing violated his walk with Christ.

This is a great example for the Church today.

We are free to do all things that do not violate the Law of God.

Though Paul would be obedient to the Law of Moses as best he could, he did not compel any Gentile to do the same.

Paul would go along with the customs of the Gentiles that were not in violation of the Laws of God.

Paul would go along with babes in Christ and refrain from doing some things that he had the Christian freedom to do.

Paul would not become a stumbling block to anyone seeking Jesus Christ!

The most important “grace” we have in our possession is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

No true Pastor or preacher, or even a Christian believer, can approach the Christian life with a bad attitude.

*1Co 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but onereceiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1Co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1Co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

One of the great festivals of the Greeks took place in Corinth during the Isthmian Games in honor of Poseidon, which took place every three years.

When Paul mentioned the word race, these people knew what he was talking about.

No racer entered those games determined to lose, knowing that only one would be crowned the victor.

To be honest, it is the race itself that brings excitement and not always the winner.

As Christians, we all enter the Christian race to be winners, and we can know that our journey to Heaven will be exciting if we put our hearts into it.

God expects us to run and run hard!

Php 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

A racer will spend much time preparing his body for that one day of the race.

He will prepare his body.
He will prepare his mind.
He will prepare his spirit.

As Christians, we must be just as disciplined as these athletes.

A true athlete will not put anything into his body that is corrupt or polluted.

Remember, our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

We must control our minds and our thoughts, and we must give in to the Holy Spirit and follow His lead.

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

That crown we receive from Heaven is far greater than any crown we could receive on this earth.

We must make every time we witness count toward salvation, even if we water where someone else has planted the seed.

We cannot allow our bodies to dictate our actions.

As we age, our bodies will tell us it is just too tired to do anything and has too much pain.

God will not accept this as an excuse!

We are not to be slaves to our bodies; our bodies must be a slave to our work for the Lord!

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

That cross is a sign of pain and death, but we must overcome it because we can never die, and that cross will drive us to success.

To give in to our bodies is to be disqualified from the race!

We will struggle with sin all our days, but we cannot allow sin to dictate our actions.

There is nothing that we do that can separate us from the love of God.

Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Amen

Lawsuits and Loose Living

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Lawsuits and Loose Living

1 Corinthians Chapter 6

As we learned last week, there must be discipline in the Church that belongs to Jesus Christ. If we are not willing to discipline sinful members, we are not being obedient to the Word of God, and we are lacking in faith.

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

Today, we get into another subject about church members and the saints of God.

A “lawsuit” is described as a suit in law for the recovery of a supposed right, a process in law instituted by a party to compel another to do him justice.

We simply say legal disputes.

We should understand that this passage deals only with disputes between Christian brothers and sisters.

It has nothing to do with unbelievers or disputes between unbelievers!

In the end, we will see that a true believer might ought to suffer wrong rather than risk doing wrong.

The Apostle Paul will lead us through this thought, one question at a time.

The first question.

*1Co 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

What Paul is saying is: “How dare you saints of God go to unbelievers to settle any issue you have with another saint of God”?

A Christian can expect no justice from unbelievers, and two Christians might easily decide small matters in a private and friendly manner.

There is no real reason why two believers should not be able to settle a dispute themselves!

Believers should not be disputing and arguing over rights and authority, nor the things and possessions of this world.

Christians are to use the things they have possession of to further the cause of Christ.

Paul called those secular laws unjust, and most of those judges were ruled by Rome or appointed by Rome and were certainly unjust.

Christians were hated in most places, and it would be hard for Christians to get a fair trial.

In reality, when believers try to settle disputes with other believers before the world, it damages the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught: Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

If we truly love one another, we will not cause each other harm in any way.

Christians have the Holy Spirit living within them, and the fruit of the Spirit is:

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Those Christians who do not possess the “Fruit” of the Spirit may not be saved.

The word “fruit” is singular, so each Christian should possess all the traits that are mentioned here.

The world is a terrible place because it does not have the Holy Spirit or the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

When Christians take their disputes with other Christians to the world, we make the Lord Jesus look foolish.

He has already given us the means of solving issues with each other.

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The problems in any church can be resolved if we live and learn as the Word of God instructs us.

Our lifestyle must not resemble the lifestyle of the world!

*1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

What Paul is saying is that all this information is in the Bible; if you would just read and study it, you would know what God said about all these things.

This verse tells us that believers are to judge “all disputes” between themselves.

We should be able to judge the smallest matters, which are the things that pertain to this life.

We must never take these things to the world!

We will one day judge the world!

We will one day judge and govern angels in the next world, which we may not understand as of yet.

We lower ourselves and lose our dignity as the saints of God when we take our church problems to the world!

The word judge as it is used here means to govern and administer the affairs of the Church, which the world is to have no part of.

Jesus Christ told the Apostles that they would oversee Israel during the Millennial Kingdom.

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Paul tells the Church that we will govern and oversee the Gentiles during the Millennial Kingdom.

Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

There may be judging, which is governing, supervision, and oversight throughout eternity.

Verse 2 says the world will be judged by the Church that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of.

Those who reject the Lord Jesus will never live the life of a Christian, so how could they ever judge the life of a Christian?

Judgment can only come when the Word of God is the “Standard” for all laws.

This “Standard” is rejected by the world of today!

We should be able to judge the things of this life!

*1Co 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

If we care for the Lord Jesus Christ, we would suffer ourselves rather than bring reproach to the Christian name!

Unbelievers are as nothing to the Church.
Unbelievers are of no account in judging matters in the Church.
Unbelievers are not held in high esteem within the Church.
Unbelievers have no standing in the Church.

Why would we ever take matters of the Church to an unbeliever?

They do not live the life of Christ, nor do they intend to.

They do not have the Holy Spirit to rely on!

This Church at Corinth had fallen from Grace and needed to return to the truth of God.

When problems arise between believers about everyday things, other believers ought to be able to give solutions.

These things did not require any Spiritual insight to come to the proper conclusion.

*1Co 6:5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
1Co 6:6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

Salvation is our great deliverance from the guilt and pollution of sin and can only be accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Heb 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Once we are saved, we find that the things of this world have little, or no value as compared to the things of Heaven.

Knowing this, why in the world would we take our issues with other brothers and sisters to a court of non-believers?

Surely there are plenty of people in the Church who are competent to settle such disputes.

If we lack wisdom, all we need to do is ask God!

Jas_1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

There should be nothing that comes between two children of God that needs to be settled in a court of unbelievers!

If we feel that outside courts would be better able to handle simple disputes between two Christians, it only proves that their worldliness is stronger than their Christianity.

We are also saying that there are no wise men in the Church who understand our problem.

Then we do not accept that the wisdom of God is far superior to the wisdom of this world!

*1Co 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
1Co 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Rather than cause friction in the Church, why not just give in?

Why not suffer being wronged and cheated rather than wronging or cheating another brother in Christ?

Just going to an outside court is defeating the principles of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Just going outside the Church ruins our testimony for Jesus Christ.

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

1Pe 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
1Pe 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
1Pe 3:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

Obviously, these things concern disputes between two members of the same church and not the broken laws of the world.

No doubt that some of these Corinthians were guilty.
They wanted some of the things their brothers had.
They did not steal them outright but sought them by outside legal means.
The world may have called it legal, but they were cheating and stealing from God and God would deal with them.

The Lord Jesus said: Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Mat 15:20 These are the things which defile a man:

Can church members who do such things really be saved?

We can surely say they are unrighteous, and we could question their character.

*1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

We should be able to see that some of these things are things that God will condemn and reject.

We can expect that nothing can save a person who practices these sins.

We cannot defy God and get into His House!

As Christians, we should know these things!

Since God is righteous, His Church must be righteous to be accepted by Him!

Many people profess religion.
Many people practice religion.
Many people talk about religion.
Many people defend their beliefs about religion.

So, they live their lives according to religion.

However, Christianity is not about religion but is about a “relationship” with God!

God’s “Grace” is not given to us as a free ticket to sin.

There are very few people in the many churches who think that God will reject them!

Most church members think God will accept them, and many of them are wrong.

The Lord Jesus taught by parables, and there is one we should pay attention to.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

If this oil represents the Holy Spirit, then Jesus is saying that only about half of the Church is truly saved.

Remember, God will judge the Church before He judges this world!

Many believe that deception sins are not fatal, but they seem to forget what being a Christian is about.

2Jn_1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

God simply says that none of these persons shall inherit the Kingdom of God.

We should know these things!

*1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

If we truly give ourselves to the Lord Jesus, then those sins of our old life have been forgiven, and God will never bring them up in our relationship!

Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

We cannot be saved by anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

We can then be “Born Again” into the family of God!

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

We were once dead in trespasses and sins: Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

We cannot approach God without faith: Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

That faith must be in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did to save us: Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The Lord will save everyone who calls upon Him with a pure heart!

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

We know what we were before we met Jesus Christ, and when we see others doing those same things or similar things, then we know they are not saved.

This is not judging, this is knowing them by their fruit!

We cannot say we are saved unless we have a salvation experience!

It is a once-for-all event because the Scriptures tell us this.

We are not to return to the world, and its sin pollution. The worst of all pollution.

God the Father takes our “faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ and counts our faith as righteousness.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We do not have any righteousness of our own.
We are still imperfect.
We know we are short of God’s glory.

We must surrender our new life to God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and worship Him.

It is these things that honor God the Father, and He will gift us with God the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus takes care of our past.
The Lord Jesus takes care of our present.
The Lord Jesus takes care of our future.

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Are all things now lawful to us as the Saints of God?

*1Co 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

The Holy Spirit is not given to us to do as we please!

We have the Holy Spirit living within us to give us freedom to serve the Lord Jesus, which is perfect freedom.

We are free from the law of sin and death: Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

We have complete freedom to do the things that are in God’s will for us.

When God created this world, we live in He said that it was all good.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

No actions of any Saint of God are unlawful if they are in accordance with God’s design in creation.

We should understand that desires are a function of our bodies that God made. So, in this sense, we have complete freedom.

1) We must understand that many things in this world are neither worthwhile nor are they profitable.
2) We must understand that many things in this world are not wise. Some things will enslave us and not bring self-respect.

We are never to become slaves to anything on this earth, which would include such things as drugs or alcohol, or substance abuse.

We are to preserve our self-control to control the things upon this earth and not be controlled by any of them.

Our good health and our emotions depend upon us being in control of our bodies and our spirits.

Indulgence in any of the appetites of the body is one of the greatest sins of any believer.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

1Co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they (sinners, the unsaved) do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Paul adds: 1Co 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

**1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Amen

Confronting Immorality in the Church

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Confronting Immorality Within the Church Family

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 5

Some things in the Bible are not easy to comment on, and the things Paul writes in this chapter are one of those places.

I do not see myself with enough knowledge to present this lesson other than to follow where research will lead me, along with the Word of God.

We must accept this chapter as something the local church should do when it is known that there is sin in the midst of the congregation.

In reality, most churches have bylaws that take effect in such situations, and the pastor of the church would be aware of them.

First, there is no local church that can prevent someone from sinning!

God gave us free will, and we are still in these bodies of flesh.

So, the big question is, how does the church, the Body of Christ, respond when someone’s sin has become known?

If we, as church members, take sin lightly and do not put away known sin that is among us, then can we still say we are the church that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, established?

These are also things that can divide the church, and we see this happening all over America today.

Many in the church say, “I just do not see anything wrong with that,” rather than seeing what God says about it.

We must know that there is a difference between “falling into sin” and “living in sin”.

Falling into sin means we have done something that is sinful.

Living in sin is not something that is done once; it is a sinful practice in everyday life.

If someone commits adultery once is terrible because it affects two families, but living in adultery is far more terrible.

What should we do if we know someone is in sin? The Lord Jesus gives us the answer.

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear there, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

We should first approach that person and attempt to resolve this issue with them.

If we do not succeed, then we should try one more time, bringing another person.

If we do not succeed, then we need to get the Pastor involved and then the church.

If that person confesses that sin to God, and another person, if such a one was involved, and no one else needs to know about it.

What had happened in this church at Corinth was a terrible sin, and almost all the church knew it and had done nothing Biblical to stop it.

Some in this church even thought this was laughable.

*1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

We should not try to connect this chapter with chapter four, as Paul jumps in to handle this sinful situation in the Church at Corinth.

To the Church, this is a terrible sin, and is rarely seen, but to the Jew, this sin was specifically addressed in the Scriptures and the Books of the Law.

This passage gives us an idea of just how wicked the city of Corinth was; it was full of all sorts of lust, lewdness, and excessive unlawful indulgence.

This sin is unacceptable in almost every nation upon this earth.

We would think that this sin was not possible for a believer to take part in, but we would be wrong.

The Apostle Paul explains this very well: Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

We should understand what Paul is saying here and prepare ourselves for the day the Devil will place us in these situations.

When morals have become so corrupted as they have in our nation and most other nations of this world, we see more and more of these types of sin.

Our own nation might recognize same sex marriages, but God does not.

Fornication is any sexual relationship outside the relationship of a marriage between one man and one woman.

The Word of God states that gay men and lesbian women are living in sin.

In Hebrew families, fornication was seen as a crime against society and was severely condemned, and it should be.

Deu 22:22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

So, how did this church respond to knowing this sin had taken place and this church member was living in sin?

We sometimes do not realize how important it is for us to confess our sins and repent for them.

We cannot live in sin and say we are Christians!

*1Co 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

How did this group of believers react to this sin in the midst of them?

They acted as if nothing was wrong. They became arrogant, pretending to be greater than they were, even proud of themselves.

The Church at Corinth was in deeper sin than the man who had done this wickedness, when they should have been sad that such a thing took place.

If they had been sad, maybe the man who had done such a thing might have been removed from the congregation.

We come into the Church to praise and honor God, and we are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not sin at all.

We cannot connect Jehovah to sin!

We cannot connect the Lord Jesus Christ to sin!

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ died for all our sins.

We must not be partakers with those who are living in sin!

Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

If we allow such things to go on unchallenged, then we are partakers with these so-called Christians.

Paul said the church should have handled this situation immediately after finding out about it.

If a sin of this proportion has become public knowledge and is allowed by the church, how could we ever criticize the sins of the world?

*1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

What is Church discipline? Discipline in the Church comes from rules for order and the purity of the lives of the members, including rules for the government and worship in the church.

Each church may have different rules for the discipline of church members.

We have already read what the Lord Jesus has said in Matthew chapter 18.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: 2Th 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

Then Paul added: 2Th 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
2Th 3:15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

We can love them and pray for them, but we cannot hang out with them.

First: This man was to face church discipline, “in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.
The Lord Jesus is the head of the Church. It is His Church!
It is the Lord Jesus Christ whose name is being damaged.
It is for the Lord Jesus that discipline should take place!
It is only by the conviction of the Lord Jesus that will awaken this brother to his sin.

Second, the entire church was to come together to handle this difficult matter.
Paul said he would be with them in Spirit.
This church was to clean itself up before this discipline could take place.

A church full of sin cannot discipline a sinful member!

Third: This brother is to be given to Satan.

What does this mean? In short, it means that this brother was to be excommunicated.

If the Church is in the realm of God, then outside the Church is the realm of Satan.

2Co_4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Those outside the Church do not have the hand of God to protect them, and God would remove His hand of protection from this brother.

We have not seen much church discipline throughout the many denominations today, as many of them have fled from the truth of God and have given in to the world, and the Church has lost its power.

It is only by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that discipline can be carried out on any child of God.

We know for sure that there is Spiritual power that inflicts punishment for sin.

2Th_2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

For those who have control of their flesh, we already have God’s answer to that problem.

1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
1Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

The Apostle Paul tells us that Christians can become castaways

1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

We are told to always examine ourselves: 2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The only person who can commit a sin unto death is a church member!

I do not know what this means, but it is said by some to mean eternal death.

Review: 1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

If the life that God gives is Spiritual and Eternal, then the sin unto death must correspond, and it must mean the opposite, which is spiritual and eternal death.

This being true, then for the Bible to be held in High Regard, this person must not have been saved to begin with, because we cannot lose our salvation!

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

It is never good for any church or any church member to glorify sin, especially as we see it today!

*1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We know that using leaven is the same as we use yeast today.

Leaven in the Bible stands for sin.

Sin in the Church leavens the whole Church.

This sin had reached the Apostle Paul in Ephesus, and the testimony of this church in Corinth was ruined because this church was glorifying sin.

As long as sin remained in this church, the testimony of our Lord Jesus, who had no sin, and drastic measures must be taken, or the early church would fail.

Too often, a church will overlook the sin and a sinful lifestyle of a man who is a leader in the community, government, or big business. In fact, some churches will brag about having such a man as a member

This church in Corinth needed to wake up to the truth of the Word of God.

The first thing this church needed to do was to remove the sin by removing the sinner.

This meant that every member needed to look at their own lives to make sure to remove any sin that they had.

This means looking at their old life before salvation and making sure there were no remnants of that sin remaining within them.

If we accept the truth of God, then there must not be any of that old leaven in our lives.

This is a big problem in the Church today.

Many of the queer community just say God made them the way they are which means God must have made some mistakes when He created them which is impossible. God does not make mistakes!

Like every sinner, they can be forgiven, but they must repent of their sin just as all sinners must do.

To become Christian, we must be “Born Again” and become new creations of God without sin.

The Church is not to bring sin (leaven) back into the Church!

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

During the Passover, the Jews would remove any leaven they had in their homes, even taking a candle and searching all the corners and the dark spaces to be sure to remove any leaven that remained in their homes.

It is no different for us; we are to search ourselves to remove any sin that remains in our lives after salvation.

If we continue to practice sin and or accept sin, it proves we do not believe that we are cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

“For even Jesus Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us”.

This Church at Corinth must have its own Passover and search out all sin and remove it from the congregation before they could remove this sinner.

1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

*1Co 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

The duty of the Church is to separate itself from the World!

The duty of the Church is to welcome every sinner into the Church and teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they accept the truth of the Lord Jesus, they can stay; if they reject the truth of Jesus Christ, then they must leave and go back into the world.

There is no middle ground!

The Church must separate itself from the world!

We are not to become a part of the world outside the doors of the Church.

We must be friendly and love those who are lost, but we do not party with them or hang out with them.

If we know of some in the Church under false pretenses, we are not to associate with them.

We are not to keep close company with the lost world!

We have to work in this world, and we have to live in this world, but we are not to be a part of this world.

What we find is that much of the Church of today has ignored the teachings the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostle Paul.

It can be said that fornication is what drives the world’s sin today.

Fornication includes all immoral sexual acts! Adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and any form of sexual deviation.

Those who practice fornication are not to be part of the fellowship of the Church!!!!!!!

The Church is not to become mixed up with the covetousness of this world.

The word covetous means all those who seek more and more, while millions within this world are dying from sin, hunger, disease, and poverty.

Covetousness is a sin that is especially despised by Jehovah!

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

The Church is not to become mixed with extortioners.

These are thieves, grafters, and those who take advantage of the poor to get more gain for themselves.

There is a certain party in politics that has been doing this for years, and in fact, this is what all the immigration we have seen in the last few years was all about: to gain voters and people dependent upon handouts they could control.

This Church is not to become mixed with those who worship false gods. There can be no Chrislam!

Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible, and He must be accepted as such!

Believers are in the world, but they are not to be part of the world!

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

*1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

We must separate ourselves from those who say they are Christians, but the fruit of their lives tells a different story.

We know our salvation is between us and God, but the Lord said we would know them by their fruit.

To be safe, we must avoid them while praying for them, not even eating with them.

These are the same ones who should not participate in the Lord’s Supper.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Psa 78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Psa 78:36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

*1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Co 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

We have nothing to do with the people whom the Lord will judge when He returns.

Our one job is to tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we need to show them the love of Christ while we are doing this.

The lost world will be judged by God, and we can tell them how to avoid this judgment.

Any and all evil must be removed from the Church!

There must be discipline in the Church!

Those who refuse to repent must be removed from the Church!

We must not forget we were once part of the lost world.

Eph 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Knowing what we were before coming to Christ should allow us to see those who in the Church who are still of the world, but we should also remember there are times we should not remove them, as the Lord has stated.

1Th 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
1Th 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

The Lord Jesus has already said: Mat_13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

There must be discipline in the Church, but it must be done according to the Word of God!

Remember, every Word of the Bible was written for the Church!

Amen