Jesus Christ

The Ministry of Spiritual Power

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Ministry of Spiritual Power

Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 4

What makes a local church? When is it actually a church according to Scripture?

Is it when people gather to listen to tapes of some so-called Christian leader?

Is it when a group gathers together to hear different Bible conference speakers?

Is it just to fellowship with other people?

A church that is the Bride of Christ is much more than these things!

  1. There must first be worship!

The most important reason we gather is to worship according to the Word of God.

Jhn_4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Jhn_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1Co 14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

Worship involves presenting ourselves, our entire being, to the Lord.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Many say the church that meets on Sunday violates Scripture.

They also say this was because of some Roman ruler, who said for the church to worship on Sunday.

These same people reject the Word of God, as it reads that we worship on Sunday because the early church decided to commemorate the resurrection of our Savior, who is the foundation of the Church.

Joh 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

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.

Joh 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

The Lord’s supper:

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.

The offerings were made:

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.

Hymns were then incorporated into worship:

Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

  1. There must be preaching.

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

This preaching is for instruction so we can avoid false doctrines!

1Ti 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

This preaching should produce spiritual love among believers, along with increased faith.

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

There must be spiritual nourishment.

1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

Teaching godliness:

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.

Teaching submission:

1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

Teaching a proper focus on life:

1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Passing this work to others called to preach:

2Ti 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

  1. The church must be devoted to the teaching of the original Apostles who were taught by the Lord Jesus:

Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And Christian Doctrine:

Act 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Act 18:11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Teaching in the church and in homes:

Act 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
Act 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

  1. The church must encourage fellowship.

Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

  1. Prayer is to be important because it is powerful.

Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Act 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

1Th_5:17 Pray without ceasing.

  1. Each of these things have their own importance, but they must all be included in a functioning church.

Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

  1. The Church depends on the church members to support these things!

Now this does not mean sending all offerings to Rome. No, it means we must support missionaries, evangelism, witnessing, child evangelism, and discipleship.

Now the world may say that Rome is the home of the Church, but we do not want any part of Rome. The true Church is those who have the Holy Spirit living within them.

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

When these things and more are not found in the local church, then that place is not a church at all nor is it part of the Bride of Christ!

The Bride of Christ has a ministry and so does every member!

2Co 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2Co 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

All these things being true, and they are, if you are a child of God, then you have met the Devil!

*****2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

If you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ as He directed, then you will face trial after trial.

The word trial is used in Scripture in the sense that we will be tested as we serve the LORD.

We will experience fatigue and weariness.
We will suffer strain and pressure.
We will have troubles and doubts.
We will face criticism and opposition.
We will suffer conflict and persecution, and anything else the Devil can throw at us.

If the Devil cannot reach us personally, he will use our families or our friends to get at us.

If you began your reading of the Bible in the Book of Genesis, you would see where the first family that existed was tested, and we live in their failures every day of our lives.

God’s purpose was to give Adam and Eve a knowledge of sin through obedience, not from eating some fruit.

They sought the knowledge of “good and evil,” and they attained that knowledge in the wrong way.

Their temptation came through that Old Serpent, the Devil.

Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Rev_12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev_20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

We cannot serve the Lord in His purpose for us under our own power!

It is the power of God that will sustain us in every trial and in every temptation if we let God’s power work within us.

We have the Holy Spirit living within us, and we must allow Him to do His work.

What is His first work?

Jhn_14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Jhn_14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jhn_15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Notice more and more we see the Triune God involved in our lives!

Jhn_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.

We may be persecuted, but we will never be forsaken!

The supreme characteristic of the true Christian is not that we do not fall, but every time we fall, we get back up again.

Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

We may be beaten, but we cannot be defeated.

We may lose a battle from time to time, but in the end, Jesus Christ has already won the war.

If we remain with the Lord, He will remain with us, so we are on the “Winning Side”!

*****2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

The Lord will never forsake us!

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Yes, the Lord Jesus died, but He gave His life; no one took His life from Him!

We do not serve the Lord in the power of His death!

We are to serve the Lord in the power of His resurrection!

Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

2Ti 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
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.

How many times does the Lord have to say He will never leave us until we understand He means it?

In His physical body, the Lord Jesus was always dying to self!

He was expending enormous energy to share the truth of God, His Father.

He would go without food and water for days at a time.
He would work long, exhausting days.
He would have many sleepless nights.

Someone was always wanting something from Him, and He gave of Himself.

He did these things for the sake of others and not for Himself.

As we serve the Lord to stay mentally sharp, we need to die to self and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the truth of our Pastor and every man of God and each one of us.

Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

As human beings, we do not present such a formidable challenge to this world, but when we die to self and live the life of Jesus Christ, then others see the power of the Lord Jesus Christ within us.

To some, this will lead them to turn to the Lord to be able to conquer their own life.

Most people realize that some things they do are not right and that they have wronged many people.

Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

*****2Co 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

There is only One Spirit of Faith!

Psa 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
Psa 116:10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

It is only our faith in the truth of the Lord Jesus that can sustain us!

We must resist all temptation to give up!

It is the power of our faith that will keep us from being discouraged.

Faith means we believe with all our hearts.

Faith means we stand against every opposition to the Word of God.

Faith means we can see the evidence of God in His creation!

I still believe the greatest Scripture in the Word of God is His first words.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Our world and everything in it was created and sustained by the Holy Trinity.
We are saved by that same Holy Trinity.
We will live in Heaven with that same Holy Trinity.

If we cannot believe this, then we cannot be Christians!

We must believe what we say of the Scriptures!

1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

*****2Co 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

The one thing we can say is that God always has the last word. No one can overrule Him!

God did raise the Lord Jesus from the dead because it was important for Jesus to die.

He died to take our sins to Hell where they belonged.

We must not forget that this death was a separation from His Heavenly Father.

We must do all we can to maintain a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father!

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

The Lord Jesus Christ had to pay with His life for the testimony He gave.

By His death Jesus saved us from the wrath of His Father and from His Judgment at the White Throne.

There will be no winners at the White Throne Judgment!

We know that Jesus died, but He could not stay dead. With this part of His mission complete, He arose from that death.

When we think on these things, we can be encouraged.

The same God that raised the Lord Jesus from His death will raise each of us from our own death.

The Holy Spirit made sure for us to know this is true!

1Co 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

No matter what purpose God has given to us, serving the Lord has its problems, but knowing that no matter what happens to this body, it will not keep us out of God’s New Heaven.

God can do as He says He will do!
God does not speak just to be speaking; He is all-powerful!

One of the great lessons we learn when serving the Lord is that He is willing and He is also able to do what He says.

Jud 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jud 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

God will be happy to see us when Jesus lets us through the Door to Heaven.

If we trust the Lord Jesus for our salvation, then we must trust Him in everything He says.

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?

The Bible reveals to us the Will of God through His Son.

The Lord says everything He did was for our sakes.

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.

God repeats this here in verse fifteen.

*****2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

We live in a lost world that is on its way to Hell.

God will take care of the world and will rebuild it as it was in the first week of creation.

Our job is the same job Jesus had when He walked upon this earth: to reach out to those who are lost and without Yahweh, the true God.

The God of the Bible is full of “mercy,” and He is willing to show His “Grace” to all who will believe.

Only if we stay in the fight, refuse to be defeated, and glorify God with our lives can we show God’s blessings to this lost world.

  1. We are to meet the needs of the people by showing them the love of God.

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.

  1. We must lead those who are lost to the only Savior.

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

*****2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

If we are true to the Lord and full of faith, we will never quit on God.

The things we have just read about in the other verses will give us the strength we need.

At the end of every day, we may want to quit, but if we meditate on the truth of the Lord Jesus and get a refilling of the Holy Spirit and do not forget all the benefits of being a child of God, we will be renewed to face another day.

This old body will take a beating, but the death of this old body is the pathway to eternal life, just as verse fourteen reminded us.

The Holy Spirit said in verse 1: Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

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

If you have many years already on this body of flesh, you know for certain that it is wearing out.

People say our bodies, the day we are born, begin the process of growing, but in reality, our bodies begin the processes of aging, wearing out, and wasting away every day.

Once the Holy Spirit moves into our soul, He allows us to draw near to God for strength and growth.

It is this strength that delivers us from the trials, the pressure, and the troubles of this world.

When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us, and it is this power that renews us!

Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

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

The troubles we have in this world cannot compare to the glory we shall receive in Heaven!

We should not focus on the temporary things of this world but focus on the eternal things in the glory world.

Our goal is to spend eternity with the Lord in New Heaven and the New Earth and fulfill every purpose He has for now and for every purpose then and forever.

2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

We will have a purpose in Heaven!

Things that are seen are only temporary things!

The things that are not seen are eternal, everlasting, endless, forever, permanent, immortal, and glorious.

Let’s think on these things and make them our goal!

Amen

The Requirements of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Requirements of God

Book of Micah Chapters 6 and 7

A requirement is a demand that must be met to receive some reward.

The truth is people in every nation, and every generation have turned away from the Lord.

Some of those returned to the Lord, and the rest are in Hell wishing they had returned to the Lord.

We are not whole until we are in a personal relationship with our Creator.

We cannot follow our own path and think it will lead us to Heaven, for it will not.

To live without God is to live a meaningless life!

Israel had God’s Word, God laws, and God’s commandments.

God’s laws are always for guidance and protection.

The greatest thing we can give back to God for all His benefits is our Love and our commitment to His Son.

God does not ever offer something that He cannot provide!

What did Israel do? They ignored the Word of God and made poor choices.

What does the Church do today? The Church ignores the Word of God and makes bad choices.

*****Mic 6:1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
Mic 6:2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

God is telling Micah he is to be an intermediary between Israel and God.

God told Micah to preach the Word of God so even the mountains could hear his voice.

God has a reason for every command He gives us, and we need to realize it.

We must listen to what God has to say.

What’s wrong with the Church today? The Church quit listening to what God has to say and listens to what some man says or in some cases some woman, of this secular world.

The words of man can never be as important as the Word of God!

We can plead our case, but our words will never be as important as the Word of God.

There is a big difference between speaking and preaching.

2Ti_4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

The command of God to preachers is to preach the Word, and it is used 47 times in the New Testament.

For those who want to speak, God says to speak the wisdom of God and not the so-called wisdom of this world.

1Co_2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co_2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

No wisdom of the world can help us get to Heaven; it is only the Word of God where we find such wisdom.

We may not always listen to what God has to say, but that thing we call nature is always listening to hear God’s next command.

Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Humans and the Devil and his demons are the only things upon this earth that rebel against God!

Those demons still tremble when you mention the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What had God done to cause this rebellion?

*****Mic 6:3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
Mic 6:4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
Mic 6:5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

Why do we accuse God of so many things when God is righteous in everything, He does?

God does not make accusations against Israel at this time; He just defends Himself against what the people accuse Him of.

Notice God still says they are His people.

It is an absolute honor to be a child of God!

Does God make our lives miserable?
Does God place terrible demands on us?
Does God make excessive requests of us?

God deserves an answer to these things!

Why do we always complain about what God is doing in the world when we do not do what He asks us to do?

To say yes to any of these things is to have the same attitude as the secular world.

What had God done to Israel that caused such rebellion?

  1. He delivered them from the bondage of slavery from the Egyptians. They had been servants, and slaves, and God had given them freedom.
  2. God had given them great leaders.

Moses

Moses was a faithful servant in the House of the Lord.

Heb 3:2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Moses delivered to Israel the laws of God.

It was Moses who led Israel out of Egypt, and Moses was led by the Great “I Am” of the Bible.

Moses was more than a Prophet of God.

Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Deu 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
Deu 34:11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
Deu 34:12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

Aaron

Aaron was Moses’ elder brother and the first High Priest of Israel.

Both Moses and Aaron together were a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Miriam

Miriam was the oldest of the children of Jochebed.

Miriam was a prophetess, but only in Music and Song.

Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exo 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Balaam

Balaam was a prophet, but he was a secular prophet, he was not a prophet of God.

God would not allow Balaam to place a curse on Israel but only a blessing.

Balaam did tell King Balak that the weakness of Israel was those men of Israel, who could be tempted by strange women.

This is a weakness in almost all men, so it did not take some great prophet to tell this thing.

God took the life of Balaam when King Balak went to war with Israel.

God is love, but God is also faithful, and Israel could not deny this truth.

So, what does the Lord require of us all?

*****Mic 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
Mic 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

These are part of the requirements of God.

God may be in Heaven, but God is everywhere. God is never very far away from us.

God is not impressed with gifts, or the sacrifices of animals, or of offerings.

If we want to get closer to God, we must meet God at His house with prayer.

Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

We must be humble when we walk with God.

We must do justly, which means to cause no one to be hurt in any way.

Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

Some say it is hard to be a Christian, but with the knowledge of God, I find it is harder not to be a Christian.

How does God describe the world in the day of Micah and the world we live in today?

Mic 6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
Mic 6:11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
Mic 6:12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

*****Mic 6:13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
Mic 6:14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
Mic 6:15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
Mic 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore, ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

The word “therefore” means because of these things He would bring His discipline to them.

God will not tolerate this sort of behavior for very long from those who are His children or say they are His children.

There is a sickness called sin-sickness, and God describes it here.

To smite sometimes means to kill, but it can also mean to conquer in a rout.

To smite with the tongue is to cause injury and reproach, so they could reflect on why God brought these things to them.

God does not want us to guess why we will see His wrath! God lets the sinner know to repent, turn back to the laws of God or face His wrath.

It is hard to enjoy anything when we are sick!

One thing was certain: they would not be able to continue their sinful activities.

God would take away their wealth along with all their treasures and make them desolate.

God can also take away our health if He so chooses.

If God in anyway causes our sickness, then He may heal us from that sickness.
If we run from God to the world and that sickness come from the world, then He may or may not take away that sickness.

I believe desolate here means God would desert them for a time and deprive them of comfort.

I do not know about you, but when you are going through something terrible in your life, the comfort of God sure does feel good.

God said He would bring hunger to the land.

They would no longer be satisfied with their meals, meaning they would not have enough to eat.
They would have a constant feeling of hunger.
Their enemies would come in and take away anything they tried to hide.
They would not feel safe in their own homes or in their nation.

Why do so many have weapons in America, because we do not feel safe in our own homes and the politicians will not do anything about it but continue to allow terrorists and corruption into our nation and allow judges to put dangerous people back on the street.

God had already told Israel what would happen if they rejected Him at any time.

Deuteronomy Chapter 28, verses 15 through verse 45. God is serious about rejection from His people.

Deu 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

God will surrender His people to cruel oppression!

Much of Israel does not feel safe in their homes today.

They are always aware that a siren could go off at any minute and they could spend endless hours in bomb shelters.
No other nation would tolerate this thing yet Israel is expected to stay calm and not try to get revenge.

God said these things would be taken away by force, a force they could not stop.

Their grain, their olive oil, and their grape juice would be consumed by their enemies.

Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
Deu 28:50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
Deu 28:51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

They rejected the laws of God so they could keep the laws of man.

In reality, we see many of these things in the USA today.

Our food is so high that we can barely afford it, and much of it is tainted We hear of food recalls almost every day.
I hate to think this way, but since we have turned to organic food, we find that some people will use anything for fertilizer, even human waste.
Our gas is getting so high that most of us stay home more.
People are moving from one place to another because they don’t feel safe or secure where they once lived.
People are leaving the Church and rejecting God, the only hope we have and many local churches have closed their doors.
The Church is rejecting the laws of God to obey the laws of man, and the church is failing in its mission to reach the lost.

Mic 7:2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

Mic 7:6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

And we wonder why so many bad things are happening in our own nation!

*****Mic 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Mic 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Mic 7:9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

Our only hope is in the Lord, and it is the same for Israel!

Though Israel has gone and is still going through many of these things, there is a better day a coming.

This time it is Micah who says “therefore”.

For the Church, as we see all these things going on in our own nation and what is going on in Israel, we must realize that surely our only hope lies in the Lord.

We know it has been about 2000 years since the Lord Jesus went back to Heaven, but He promises to return, and He will.

That trumpet of the Lord could sound at any minute, and we would be out of this world in the blink of an eye.

Most of us believe that the Lord Jesus will return to take His Church out of this world before God’s wrath takes place.

Israel has the great promise that the Lord Jesus(the Messiah) will soon sit as King of Israel, and King of this world.

Every day that passes gets us closer to these things.

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

We are always to pray for others, but disobedient souls must also pray for themselves and not be dependent on others to pray for them.

Micah pleaded with God on behalf of Israel and Judah.

Israel’s oppressors at that time were Assyria, and soon Babylon would be the oppressors of Judah.

Today the oppressors of the Church are the worldly powers who reject the truth of God.

The world had better not gloat over the fact that the Church is not growing, but we of the Church know that not all members were saved to begin with.

God will guide His Church as He always has.
God will protect His Church as He always has.
God will preserve His Church as He always has.

It is the same for Israel as they will soon see the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psa 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

God’s people will be vindicated in front of God’s enemies.

The lost still say today, “Where is your God?” but they will one day bow before Him!

Isa_45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Isa 45:24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
Isa 45:25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

The Bride of Christ is the seed of Israel through Jesus Christ.

Rom_14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Php_2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

There is only one God.
There is only one Messiah.
There is only one Jesus the Christ of God.

*****Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Mic 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Who is a God like Yahweh?

No one can hold God’s people when He wants them set free!

Exo 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exo 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Exo 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

God is never going to be angry with His true children forever!

There are a lot of nations in the world who are sold out to false gods, but we do not see where any of those false gods can save or provide for them as individuals.

Black nasty dirty oil is the god of the Muslim just as gold and other valuable metals are the gods of most Gentiles.

To the terrorist their god is the bullet and homemade bombs.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can pardon iniquity. To bear iniquity is to endure the punishment for it and be happy to be forgiven for it.

What is pardon? When God pardons, He has removed the guilt of that iniquity.

To be pardoned of God means “as if I had never sinned”.

Who is the One true God? Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

God will one day stamp out all sin!

God has already forgiven all sin. The Lord Jesus Christ was the payment for all our sin. We must recognize that this is the truth and go to Jesus Christ who died in our place and ask for forgiveness.

It is mercy that drives God to forgive us, but God’s punishment of those who reject Him will be without mercy.

Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

What is the truth of Jacob? God’s promise, and God does not break His promises.

Gen 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gen 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Gen 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

God gave the land of Palestine to Israel. God will make sure that this takes place. It is only a matter of time. All the Arab nations need to make peace with Israel!

What is the truth of Abraham? God’s promise.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Again, it would be best that all the Arab nations become friends with Israel!

All families are blessed because the Lord Jesus Christ is that “blessing” that came from Abraham.

Rom_4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

All true blessings come from above:

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.

Eph_1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

God continues: Isa 41:8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

The seed of Abraham is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Bride of Christ(The Church)goes everywhere that our Lord Jesus goes.

He will never leave us or forsake us!

Today the Church is espoused to the Lord Jesus, soon the Lord Jesus will present His wife(the Church) to His Heavenly Father.

Amen

The Testimony of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Testimony of God

Book of Micah Chapters 1 and 2

The name Micah is a shortened form of Micaiah, which means “who is like Jehovah”?

What is a testimony?

A testimony is a statement made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact.

A testimony is the declaration of a witness. How my life has changed since the Lord Jesus Christ came into my heart and stayed.

Thus, the whole Bible is a testimony of JEHOVAH’S sovereign will, and the Gospel is a special testimony of the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus to the church and people.

If we are not willing to testify of the truth of our Savior, then we do not have much of a testimony.

Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

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.

Micah begins his ministry by warning of the coming judgment of God when true justice will finally, conclusively, and completely be executed.

All the wicked and the unjust in this world will have to give an account for their behavior.

A day is coming when everyone will face the “judgment” of God.

*****Mic 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

This prophecy will be against the Northern Tribes.

Micah presents Yahweh as the righteous Judge and the faithful Shepherd of Israel.

His message is that God hates sin, lawlessness, idolatry, and religious formality.

Religious formality refers to the strict adherence to outward rituals, rules, or procedures in religious practice, often at the expense of genuine spiritual engagement and heartfelt devotion.

What does God say? 2Ti_3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: “from such turn away”.

How are we to worship God? Jhn_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Any other worship is in vain! Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Micah was from a small town about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem called Moresheth.

We should understand that in the coming judgment, God is not going to send an angel or anyone else; He is coming Himself!

*****Mic 1:2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
Mic 1:3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

Micah prophesied for the most part to the Northern Tribes, but immediately the Holy Spirit says, “Hear all ye people, O earth and all that is therein”.

There is no part of the Bible that we should leave out of our studies!

All his life, Micah stayed true to the Word of God.

Micah not only preached the “judgment” of God, but he also preached the “Love” of God.

Judgment is certain for those who rebel against God, and just as certain is God’s love for those who keep a personal relationship with Him.

We should also understand that there is no one we can compare to the Holy Trinity!

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Not three gods but the three persons of the Triune God.

Isa 46:8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Samaria and Jerusalem would both face the harsh condemnation of God.

These were the capitals that represented the two kingdoms and everyone in them.

We should know that the fate of nations depends upon the people of that nation.

That national leader might not do right according to the Word of God, but we do not have to follow them. They will be judged harshly for how they had led their nation.

In fact, the fate of nations depends entirely on the fate of God’s people.

The Bible testifies to the judgment that will take place if we transgress the covenants God has made with His people.

The destruction of the Northern and Southern tribes of Israel is a testimony to the nations of this world of how God hates sin.

God is the Eyewitness to these truths!

God does not need anyone to tell Him how evil the world has become!

We all should take notice that if God is that severe with His own people, who should be the Light of the world, how can they think that God has too much love to punish this world?

The punishment of the Jews did not begin to end until May 14, 1948, and God has not begun judgment on the Church as of yet, except to say it is ongoing, and then after this He will judge this world.

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Verse three tells us that the “Day of the Lord” has come and the LORD has appeared.

Those high places are everywhere where false worship takes place.

Up until this time, the Lord was out of view because just His glory would cause this world to burn and people to perish.

How can anyone think that God will not save His people, those who worship Him in Spirit and Truth, from His wrath?

The liberal church must have the same Bible I have, though many of them have removed much of the truth of God from it.

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?

It is the glory of God that will set this world on fire!

*****Mic 1:4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

When the Lord Jesus steps onto this earth, the consequences become immediately noticeable. When He touches the mountains, they become like wax before the fire. His majesty is a consuming fire.

The valleys collect that waxy mire, and in the end the world becomes almost level except for Jerusalem.

Heb_12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Psa 68:1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
Psa 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
Psa 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Now we know that this does not happen till the end times and has not yet taken place.

The destruction that Micah is referring to is the imminent destruction of the Northern Ten Tribes by the Assyrian Empire led by Shamaneser, and then the invasion of the Southern Empire by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar about 125 years later.

The final fulfillment of all these things will take place when the Lord Jesus returns to claim this world as His own.

Psa 96:13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Some of these things can be applied to us here today.

Those mountains of difficulties we face as Christians can melt like wax so that we can pass over them.

As Christians, we will spend our days on top of the mountain or down in the valleys; we will very seldom be completely settled, especially during these end times.

Isa 49:11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

*****Mic 1:5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
Mic 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
Mic 1:7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

What will the Lord Jesus destroy when He comes again to this earth?

  1. He will destroy all the places that wicked men and women considered to be safe.

Rev_6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

  1. He will destroy all (ALL) the militaries upon this earth that go against Israel.

Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

  1. God will destroy all places of false worship.

No nation will be safe from the wrath of God.

Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Why will God destroy this world we live in today? It’s very simple.

The reason for God’s actions is because of the transgression and the sins of His creation.

All those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ will be destroyed along with them because they are not God’s people but are the children of Satan.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Mat_7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What about Israel? The seat of corruption lies in the capitals of these separated nations.

Governments have the power to remove evil wickedness from their nations, but in most nations, corruption begins with the government.

There is no doubt that Satan is in control of most nations’ capitals, if not all of them.

What are the facts? The Assyrians left only a heap when they destroyed Samaria.

The foundations of corruption were laid bare.

The only good side was the fact that the land could now be plowed to produce needed crops, which the world will need after Jesus Christ defeats this world of sin.

For the sinner, God will sometimes have to break down the walls that we have built ourselves just so He can reach the heart.

These things are mostly very painful. That Heavenly Hickory will become a Rod of Destruction.

God does not mind smashing idols to pieces, but the gifts and the treasuries of those places of worship will be plundered.

The Assyrians plundered the places of false worship and took the gold and silver and other valuables, and used them to make more of their own false gods.

This world just loves its many gods!

Spiritual harlotry is taking the things that belong to God and giving them to a false god.

These are the things of the heart: worship, praise, and faithfulness.

Idolatry is everything that takes our eye away from the Lord Jesus Christ as the center of our lives.

1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Micah mourns because this punishment extends to Judah also.

“Stripped and naked” describes the condition of the people that the King of Assyria took back to Nineveh with him.

Micah would do the same in Judah to show the people what the destruction of the people looked like.

Listen to Isaiah: Isa 20:2 At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isa 20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
Isa 20:4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

The Hebrew word “tannin” is used where we get our English word dragons, but it can mean other animals or beasts.

The Hebrew word”tannin”. It typically translates to “sea monster” or “dragon” and is associated with formidable creatures in biblical texts.

The term can often symbolize power and chaos, often representing evil or national oppression.

In some contexts, it is also linked to the concept of a leviathan, embodying death and disorder.

The “wailing like the dragons” is a metaphor for profound, animal-like grief — a cry so raw and desperate that it echoes the howls of wild beasts.

It emphasizes the severity of the coming judgment, Micah’s own personal anguish, and the desolate state of the nation of Israel, the Northern Tribes.

It’s not just a description of sound; it’s a call to recognize the seriousness of sin and the weight of God’s wrath.

God said the wound of Israel, the Northern Tribes, was incurable because it had now passed to Judah.

We see that sin is contagious!

God set aside His “grace” from Israel, and only His wrath was left.

God would destroy the Northern Tribes using the hands of the Assyrians.

The same sins of the Northern Tribes led to the same sins of the Southern Tribes and would lead to the same fate.

We know that God used the hands of Babylon on the Southern Tribes.

God would not have put these things in the Bible if not for our own learning.

The citizens of the world are just as guilty today of idolatry, if not more so.

Our idols may not be the same, though some are, but to worship anything but the Living God and True God is still a shameful sin.

We cannot give ourselves to the false gods of this world and still call ourselves Christians or the children of God. We are called Christians because we are trying to be like Jesus Christ.

Idolatry in any form of false worship will doom us to Hell!

*****Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

What does God mean here? They were not led to idolatry by others; it was the leaders who conceived these evil things in their own hearts.

Those who are lost spend a lot of time planning some sin and planning to sin.

All idols are just figments of people’s imaginations!

The heart conceives this wickedness, and with their hands they make themselves a god, so their hands become their gods.

They no longer lifted their hands to God; they lifted their hands to themselves.

As my Pastor says, their hands were no longer Holy.

Today we would say, “Look what I can do”.

Today, this woe is for all those in power, the people with money and influence, who are only interested in self-enrichment, stop at nothing to practise the evil they conceive when they are at rest, and the next day they start doing it.

We should understand that there is only one cause for the “judgment” of God, and it is sin!

Judgment is coming!
Judgment is inevitable!
Judgment is inescapable!

Why? Listen to what God says. Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

This does not mean just a few, “but all”, every living soul that has ever put their foot down upon this earth and those yet to be born.

This world is full of people who hate for other people to have what they do not have.

This is the beginning of what is called socialism.

*****Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Just turn on the news, and you will see open violence and fraud that have been planned and put in place.

Isa 5:8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

We hear all the time about how generous the richest men are to charities, when the charities they donate to are immoral and sinful.

We do not hear how they buy up every piece of land in our nation until they own millions of acres, and we should ask ourselves why.

God knows why and pronounces this woe on them.

Covetousness is the sin of the world. Just look at the war in the Middle East that is taking place now.

Iran is planning, plotting, and telling the world that they own a body of water just because it touches their nation. If they get away with it, then every nation that joins the seas will try to do the same thing.

They keep this nonsense going on while in the background they are plotting for the destruction of all people they hate, making more war machines, and are determined to have a nuclear bomb.

There are a lot of things going on in this world, some of them good, not many, but covetousness, robbery, and oppression are the greatest crimes and are never brought to justice.

When the laws of God are violated, the rights of one’s neighbors are violated.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

When sin occupies our hearts, then sin will come from our hands.

Whatever our area of weakness, God warns us against thinking evil thoughts and planning or plotting evil.

Mat 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Those guilty of this will one day face the wrath of God.

*****Mic 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

God says we will reap what we sow.

Some people cannot get a good night’s sleep because doing evil is always on their minds.

Those mentioned in verse one, those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds and then do that evil, have a special judgment coming from the Lord.

As they devise some new evil, God will devise a new penalty.

Who is this family that God is so against? It is Israel.

Amo 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
Amo 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

When God mentions their necks, He is referring to a yoke put on the necks of animals that plow.

Hos 10:11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.
Hos 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

This yoke is their conquest and their exile at the hands of foreign powers.

Jer 27:12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

God says it is this judgment that will remove the sinful pride from Israel, and it will be an evil time, full of calamity.

This yoke will be so heavy it will be a burden that will crush them.

Deu 32:35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
Deu 32:36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
Deu 32:37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,

And the Lord continues:

*****Mic 2:6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
Mic 2:7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
Mic 2:8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

Here is another place in the Bible that is being repeated in this day and time.

The people persecuted God’s true prophets and placed their trust in the false prophets of the world.

What is happening? Another church closes its doors every week because people do not want to hear the truth.

The mega churches are still growing because these worldly prophets preach only half-truths and have messages that assure the people of security and prosperity, which God made no such promises here on earth.

The average church just wants to hear pleasant things, but I hate to inform them that, as loving as the Lord Jesus is, He is bringing a calamity when He returns, and it will not be pleasant.

Church is not about having fun; it is for preparing for the return of Jesus Christ! This is the job of the Church.

Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

What does God say to do if we hear such preaching?

Mic 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

A truth that we can understand is that all those who preach a deceiving gospel will be right beside the Devil in the hottest part of Hell, and they will have no remedy.

*****Mic 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

What God is saying about the judgment of Israel will hold to be true, but we must never think that God will allow the annihilation of all the people of Israel.

God will remove sin and corruption from this world, and those who do such things had better be aware of this and be warned.

God still has a plan of salvation and restoration that will survive and be put in place in the end.

Those who want to see a true miracle need to be aware that this whole earth will one day be like the Garden of Eden was in the first week of creation.

Praise the Lord, punishment is not the last Word from God!

Jer 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
Jer 31:11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Jer 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

This is much greater than what has been happening since May 14, 1948.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

*****Mic 2:13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.

We know that there is a lot of preaching about the Antichrist and the end times, but we must keep one thing in mind.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the only One who can break us out of Satan’s prison.

He is the Breaker!

The Lord Jesus will one day soon burst upon the scene of this world to first destroy sin and corruption and then remake this world.

The pains of bondage will be destroyed because He is also the Good Shepherd who will lead His own sheep out and bring them into freedom and care for them for eternity.

The Lord Jesus has already destroyed the bondage of sin and condemnation by dying in our place.
The Lord Jesus has already destroyed the prison of death and the grave at the cross.
The Lord Jesus has already made us acceptable to our Heavenly Father if we trust and follow Him in His ways.
The Lord will return to “deliver” us to His Father as His wife, the Bride of Christ.

It is called Redeemed!

Do we have the same faith as Job?

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

These things are not very far from being completed with the Church and then Israel.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
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.

The Lord Jesus Christ will be our Breaker, our King, and our Lord.

Amen

King Ahaz Walked Not After the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

King Ahaz Walked Not After the Lord

2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16

King Ahaz was the twelfth King of Judah and the son and successor of Jotham, king of Judah, who came to the throne about 734 B.C.

The only notable event of his reign, so far as we know, was the invasion made by his northern neighbors, Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Damascus.

Isa 7:1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

These two kings had made an alliance against the Assyrians and were trying to compel Ahaz to join the coalition.

When King Ahaz refused, they decided to war with Judah and defeat King Ahaz and then put a new king on the throne of Judah who would bring Judah’s armies to battle with them against the Assyrians.

God was not about to allow this to take place.

Ahaz did not venture to take the field but shut himself up in Jerusalem and strengthened its fortifications.

It was perhaps at this time of need that he sacrificed his son as a burnt offering to false gods.

2Ki 16:2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.
2Ki 16:3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.

We should clearly understand that God deals harshly with all those who sacrifice their children.

What did God teach them? Lev 20:2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
Lev 20:3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

God will never approve of abortion!
God will never approve of the destruction of babies or small children.

It was at this time of his accession that Rezin, king of Damascus, and Pekah, king of Israel, had recently formed a league against Judah, and they proceeded to lay siege to Jerusalem, intending to place on the throne Ben-Tabeal, who was not a prince of the royal family of Judah, but probably a Syrian noble.

*****2Ch 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:
2Ch 28:2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.

The reign of King Ahaz was disgraceful and full of devastating evil.

King Ahaz set loose a stream of wickedness that rushed Judah into total destruction under the hand of God’s judgment.

Those who choose to pursue the wrath of God do not know what they are seeking.

To look at King Ahaz, you would think that he ruled Israel rather than Judah.

King Ahaz did not have a righteous bone in his body.

King Ahaz led Judah to worship Baal rather than Jehovah, the true God.

Nothing good is written about King Ahaz.

He does what is evil in the sight of the LORD, Yahweh, Jehovah.

How wicked was King Ahaz?

*****2Ch 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
2Ch 28:4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

We should remember that the nation of Israel was to drive out or destroy the nations that occupied the Promised Land because those nations did the things that King Ahaz was doing.

His idolatry is so general that he makes any place he considers suitable for it a place where he can sacrifice to the idols.

King Jotham was far from perfect, but it was his godless son who revolted against God.

Every child has their own responsibility in the choices he makes, and the parents of that child should not be held responsible.

We know that God punishes everyone for their own sins.

Deu 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

As parents, we do have the responsibility to raise our children in a godly manner.

Pro_22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

What did God think of these things?

Jer 7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
Jer 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
Jer 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
Jer 7:33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.

What do we know of the human heart?

Mar 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Jer_17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

There is only one way to change what is in our hearts: a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

King Ahaz could stop anywhere and worship his gods who traveled with him.

What did God do? God did exactly what He said He would do!

*****2Ch 28:5 Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
2Ch 28:6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

Syria and Israel had formed an alliance and then attacked the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

This is known as the Syro-Ephraimite War.

These are the things that happen when you face the judgment of God.

We can say that the God of the Bible was not the God of Ahaz, but we should understand that God will never give up His rights to His land.

The world needs to understand this! God loves Jerusalem!

Why does God judge His people, Israel? Amo 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
Amo 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

God disciplined King Ahaz by giving him into the power of the King of Syria and the King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

A large group of prisoners is taken by the King of Syria and the King of Ephraim, and the Northern Tribes slaughter even more of them.

King Ahaz wanted to be like the kings of the Northern Tribes, and he got a first-hand view of who they were.

They were the enemies of God’s people!

When we connect ourselves to wicked people, we will experience wickedness, and wickedness is ugly and can be very brutal!

King Pekah and the Northern Tribes were even more wicked than King Ahaz, but the Lord dwells in Jerusalem, so Judah has the greatest responsibility to remain with the Lord.

When things get out of hand, God will step in.

*****2Ch 28:8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
2Ch 28:9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.
2Ch 28:10 And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God?
2Ch 28:11 Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

We see that God will punish even those whom He calls His children if they forsake Him.

God will use severe methods if this is what it takes to get us back in line.

God used King Pekah of the Northern Tribes to inflict severe punishment on Judah, but Pekah went a little too far when he attempted to make his own brothers, Judah, his slaves.

We do not know much about this Oded, but we know that he stood bravely before King Pekah and his victorious army and issued a strong warning to them.

  1. King Pekah of Israel was guilty of brutality; he was excessive in his cruelty.

They did not get the victory over Judah because of their military power.
They did not get the victory over Judah because they were better people; in fact, they were worse than Judah.
They did not get the victory over Judah because they were more favored by God.
They did not get the victory over Judah because they were more righteous, and the people of Judah were more wicked.

They got the victory over Judah because the LORD was executing justice upon Judah.

They had slaughtered the army of Judah in a rage that reached into Heaven, and God was not pleased.

They had shown no mercy! If not for God’s mercy, we would all be headed for Hell!

  1. They were attempting to enslave these men and women, a serious violation of God’s commandments.

Lev 25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
Lev 25:40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:
Lev 25:41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
Lev 25:42 For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
Lev 25:43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

This was a call for King Pekah and his army to repent or face serious judgment themselves.

  1. The Judean slaves must be freed immediately, for God was about to turn His wrath loose on the Northern Kingdom, and only if they released these people of Judah would He show mercy.

We should understand that our merciful, loving God, who is full of compassion, does not play when His wrath is being exposed to reality.

God means what He says, and God says what He means!

It was time for some of the men of Ephraim to come to their senses.

2Ch 28:12 Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,
2Ch 28:13 And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

We could say that even though there were wicked kings of Judah, only King Ahaz was as wicked as the Kings of the Northern Tribes.

King Pekah and his army relented, and these two hundred thousand would be slaves were released, and the plunder that was taken from Jerusalem was released.

These princes of Israel made sure that these captives were fed and clothed and then provided for those who were injured.

They made arrangements for their transportation as far as Jericho and provided a military escort to keep them safe.

It is not part of our lesson, but this is one of the times that the Edomites invaded Jerusalem while they were in a weakened state, and another reason the Edomites do not exist today.

The Philistines also took advantage of the weakness of Judah and took over a large part of Judah.

2Ch 28:19 For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.

It was at this time that King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to come help him, and one of the kings did come, but not to help.

*****2Ch 28:20 And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.
2Ch 28:21 For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

The nation of Judah was in shambles, and the army had been diminished; Judah was helpless to defend itself.

The nation of Judah was under constant attack from neighboring countries.

Judah was suffering because of King Ahaz, but we do not read of King Ahaz ever repenting.

God had humbled Judah because of their sin.

Just because Judah’s King was so wicked, it did not mean the people had to be like him, but many were.

We must never think that God does not have a remnant of true believers because He always does.

It is never easy for God’s true people!

This Assyrian king had no intention of helping King Ahaz, but just like the others, he took the time to get a part of the riches of Judah.

This king attacked Syria and conquered them, but he did not do this to help Judah.

King Ahaz was forced to pay the King of Assyria a large amount of riches, and it appears that it bankrupted Judah, and Ahaz had to rob the House of God and demand large sums from the princes of Judah.

Judah was a conquered nation militarily and economically, and all these things were brought upon Judah because King Ahaz wanted to be like the Kings of Ephraim.

No human savior would be able to help King Ahaz; he needed the God that he had rejected.

There is no savior other than the LORD!

King Ahaz had rejected the lessons of history and sought salvation in mortal men when only the Eternal Supernatural God could provide him any help.

Sounds like another nation that has been in the news so much since April.

*****2Ch 28:22 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.
2Ch 28:23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.
2Ch 28:24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

When the false gods of the Edomites did not help him, Ahaz turned to the false gods of Syria.

False gods cannot help anyone. King Ahaz was at the mercy and the power of the Devil.

Psa 115:2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
Psa 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Psa 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
Psa 115:5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
Psa 115:6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
Psa 115:7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
Psa 115:8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
Psa 115:9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

King Ahaz was not alone; this is a picture of all people, especially so-called religious people who do not allow themselves to be corrected in any way by the Living God.

They run on the road to destruction just because they reject the only true God and refuse to believe anything He says in His book called the Bible.

Everything that reminds this world of the Living God and our Creator is removed from their lives and their surroundings, and they continue to seek alternative ways of believing.

Everything is good to them, as long as it is not from the God of the Bible.

Sounds just like the USA today.
Sounds just like the evolutionists.
Sounds just like the atheists.

Ahaz was such a person! Ahaz was finished with God, but God was not finished with him!

The God of the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ!

The world thinks it is finished with Jesus, but it is not!

The world will soon meet Him as King Jesus!

The only good that came out of King Ahaz was King Hezekiah, his son.

King Ahaz lived in the way of the world we have today.

No one wants to hear what God has to say, and King Jesus will soon show up to put this world out of its misery.

Amen

Chastisement Because of Rebellion

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Chastisement Because of Rebellion

Book of Hosea Chapters 4 through 9

Chastisement is correction, punishment, or pain inflicted for punishment and correction.

The truth is that God will only chastise those He loves.

God is much more about correction than He is about punishment!

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
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.

If we are full of sin and have not been chastened for it, then we had better ensure our salvation.

Chastisement is not judgment! The Lord Jesus Christ took our judgment on the cross, and when we are saved, we have been justified and will not see judgment.

Job 34:5 For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.

Chastening is to teach us obedience to the Word of God.

Job 34:31 Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
Job 34:32 That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

We have seen that God chastised Israel and Judah for rebellion, but it is still chastisement, not judgment, because He still loves them, even if it seems very harsh.

We know that Hosea had firsthand experience with the hurt that is caused by unfaithfulness.

*Hos 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

This is God speaking by the Holy Spirit to make sure that Israel understands the sins they have committed against God.

No matter our sin or who else may be involved in our sin, that sin is against our Holy God.

If the Lord Himself is delivering these charges, then we know they are true.

Israel is charged with a lack of truth, a lack of mercy, and a lack of knowledge of God.

What is the truth?

1) Truth and Love cannot be separated. When you love someone, you tell them the truth.
2) Truth cannot be sustained without “mercy,” and mercy without “truth” will make us negligent. Truth and mercy must be mingled together.
3) When there is no knowledge of God, people will be willfully ignorant of how to treat others and will therefore attempt to dominate them.

We live in this world today. A world without natural affection.

Rom_1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

2Ti_3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

It is in our politics, and it is in our everyday life. We have chosen hatred to rule our lives.

We must keep hatred out of the Church!

What were the specific charges against the Northern Kingdom?

*Hos 4:2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

When faithfulness, kindness, and the knowledge of God are lacking it creates room for all kinds of sin.

When there is no bond with God there will be no commitment to relationships with others.

One of the greatest examples is Adam and Eve.

Eve blamed the serpent, but Adam blamed God, who gave Eve to him as a helpmate.

Then their children did not see God clearly, and Cain killed Abel.

The Northern Tribes of Israel had trampled the Word of God under their feet, and they violated the Laws of God.

1) Swearing to confirm a lie is a violation of the third commandment.

Deu 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

We must be very careful that we do not misuse God’s name.

2) Lying is a violation of the ninth commandment.

Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

They deceived, twisted the truth, exaggerated the facts, and misled others to build themselves up.
Sounds just like Washington, DC today. In fact, these things are happening in most nations’ capitals, especially those that seem to be the most powerful nations.

3) Murder is a violation of the Sixth Commandment.

Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.

These people filled the land with murder. Again, sounds just like America and many other nations.

Someone is being murdered every day.
It is said that the government of Iran has murdered over 42,000 people who are suffering from a terrible government.
People are not really safe anywhere these days. Ride by shootings, schools, gatherings of people, none are truly safe.

4) Stealing is a violation of the eighth commandment.

Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal.

Selfishness and covetousness cause people to take what they want from anybody they want to. They cheated wherever they could get away with it. Businesses overcharged customers, overpriced products, and used cheaper materials to make so-called quality products.

5) Adultery is a violation of the seventh commandment.

Deu 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

Sexual immorality had swept over the land. Few were faithful to their spouses. Even among priests.

They committed adultery in their marriages, but worse than that, they committed adultery against God, their Creator and Savior.

6) These people had broken all Godly restraints:

Neither the Word of God, nor the people’s consciences, nor any sort of reasoning remained with these wicked people.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

7) They had allowed violence to run wild.

People in every walk of society were willing to do anything to fulfill their lust and their pride.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

You cannot make these things up because these same things are happening in our own nation today, along with many other sins against God.

There is only one answer to our problems.

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

What did God say about all these, and God never changes?

*Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed, for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Hos 4:7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

The Church needs to wake up, and the false church needs to wake up. We know God does not ever change, and this passage is clear language of who God holds to blame.

God does not have to destroy this world; our world is so full of sin and foolishness that it will destroy itself if God does not stop it.

The people were guilty of polluting the land that God had given to them to live on.

Isa 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
Isa 24:4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Isa 24:6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

King Jeroboam’s first action was to corrupt the law of God from the very beginning.
What Jeroboam started was a religion that mixed a little of the truth of God with the false religion of the world.

Again, the same thing is happening today in the Church.

He found his own priests from people who were disqualified to be priests by the Word of God, non-Levites.

Jeroboam had set up a state religion, but the Word of God was not taught, and the people had allowed it to happen because most of them knew the truth of God.

We already know that Hosea was the only prophet who resided in the Northern Kingdom through whom God spoke.

The other true prophets who prophesied in the Northern Kingdom resided in the Southern Kingdom.

This tells us there were no other men in the Northern Kingdom whom God trusted to give them the truth.

Most all the Levites had escaped to Judah.

These people still had no excuse because they knew the truth of God.

They did not wander astray because they did not know the way of God, but because they had no desire to go God’s ways, and the religion of Jeroboam gave them an excuse.

Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Job 21:15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Today, most people do not want to hear what God has to say because it will bring them under conviction.

The truth is that not knowing God and His Word will not save them from the judgment of God because they are already judged.

Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

The priests chosen by Jeroboam were leading the people further away from God and not closer to Him.

This is the same problem of false preachers today. They lead the people further away from God and not closer to Him.

The result is that the people of God will lack the true knowledge of God, and it is showing up in the modern Church today.

We can know all the facts of the Bible, but we still must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and He must be Lord of our lives.

God cannot break any promises He has made; “judgment” had to come to the Northern Tribes of Israel.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

What we find is that if we look at the history of mankind, it appears time and time again that acquired greatness has been abused by mankind to self-exaltation, while God is forgotten.

Judgment would begin as God would no longer provide their needs.

*Hos 4:10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
Hos 4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

Why do some people believe that sin brings benefits?

Oh, they may win a small amount from the lottery, but that big pot is just an enticement to most people.

I do not know of many people out in the world who are satisfied, especially as they approach their elder years. I know I wasn’t.

Most of them are so greedy that they will never be satisfied, and the rest know they are missing out on something, but they do not know what it is.

Their insatiable thirst for sin will remain with them because the Devil will not let them go and may even cause them an early death.

What do we know about the heart? Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

These priests had lost their understanding of the Word of God.

When every action we take is to benefit ourselves, we are living in harlotry.

When we do not think about worshiping the Lord, we are living in harlotry.

When we quit praying, we are living in harlotry.

We have lost our understanding of the Word of God.

Wine! I do not believe that the Lord Jesus authorized the use of alcoholic wine.

Pro 23:20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

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.
Pro 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

God will never contradict Himself!

The word “wine” is used many times in the Word of God.

The most common Hebrew word is “yayen”. Yayen could be fermented wine, but it could also mean to tread out, which is grape juice.

Another Hebrew word used is “Ashishah”, and it is not wine but basically means raisins.

Another Hebrew word used is “Asis” which is grape juice no older than one year.

Another Hebrew word used is “Hometz” which is vinegar.

Another word used is “Hemer” and it means the blood of the grape and or grape juice just beginning the process of fermentation.

Another word used is “enabh” which is cakes of raisins.

Another word used is “Mesekh,” which is mixed with yayen, water, and spices. Mixed wine.

Another word used is “Tirosh” which is wine that is intoxicating and is said to take possession of the brain.

There is still “Sobhe” which means drunkard.

“Shekar” which is intoxication liquor.

“Yekebh” which fresh pressed juice.

“Shemarim” which is old juice.

“Mesek” mixed juice and spice, but not diluted with water, boiled down to a syrup.

The wine the Lord Jesus made is described as “oinos”. Fresh-squeezed juice mixed with water.

This same Greek word is used to describe the wrath of God.

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

All other grape juices were mixed with water.

Our Lord miraculously supplied wine at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee (Jhn_2:1-11).
The Rechabites were forbidden the use of wine (Jer. 35).
Nazarites also were to abstain from its use during the period of their vow (Num_6:1-4); and those who were dedicated as Nazarites from their birth were perpetually to abstain from it (Jdg_13:4, Jdg_13:5; Luk_1:15; Luk_7:33).
The priests, too, were forbidden the use of wine and strong drink when engaged in their sacred functions (Lev_10:1, Lev_10:9-11).
“Wine is little used now in the East, from the fact that Mohammedans are not allowed to taste it, and very few of other creeds touch it.
When it is drunk, water is generally mixed with it, and this was the custom in the days of Christ also.
The people indeed are everywhere very sober in hot climates; a drunken person, in fact, is never seen”.

We should be very careful to look closely at the word “wine” used in English-speaking Bibles.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not drink alcoholic wine and it should not be used in the Church.

Some people are told to drink a little wine for medical purposes when grape juice will do the same thing that the wine will do in medicine.

*Hos 4:12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

Even though these are the people of the Northern Kingdom the LORD still required the people themselves to be accountable for their own sins.

We can be sure that there will be a great accounting to God by those who were the leaders of God’s people it still does not diminish the fact that these people will endure God’s chastisement for their sins.

We know that God does not change, so this should be a great lesson for the Church today.

The Church cannot allow what God calls abominations to continue in the Church!

The people of the Northern Kingdom ceased seeking the only One who could give them proper counsel, Jehovah.

*Hos 4:16 For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

An acceptance of physical and spiritual adultery had gripped that society.

The priests and the people played the harlot, enticing people away from God.

These people began to worship sex as well as idols and false gods. This is what fertility worship leads to!

I have already said it, but I will say it again: we see these same things here in the USA and throughout the world, and people wonder why our world is so messed up.

They had rejected the covenants that bound them to a Holy God!

Jer 3:3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

What was happening in Israel was affecting what was happening in Judah.

Jer 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

Isa 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

We have to wonder sometimes why our Heavenly Father even puts up with any of us as long as He has.

*Hos 8:5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
Hos 8:6 For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
Hos 8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

What does God think of the idols we worship? They will be broken in pieces.

What did God say about choosing our leaders or presidents? We are to choose them according to whether they are following the Word of God.

We are to choose those who remain close to Israel.

We are to choose them if they are into truth and not lies.

We are to choose those who are close to God in their lives.

We are to choose only after we have spent some time in prayer.

We are never to choose them for political reasons.

We are never to choose those who deny Jesus Christ or the Bible.

God was going to allow the Assyrian army to judge Israel.

What country or what nation is God going to allow to judge our nation? He could still do this.

God hates idol worship!

We are to be a righteous nation and not the Great Satan.

God has a desire for us to return to being a godly nation.

The only thing saving our nation today is the patience of God.

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We had better get our hearts right with God very soon!

The Northern Tribes, called Israel, had:

1) They had broken their covenant with God and rebelled against the Word of God.
2) The people had made a false confession. They pretended to still be God’s people.
3) The people rejected what was good. Truly seeking and believing in the Lord. Doing deeds of righteousness in the spirit of justice, mercy, and humility.
4) They had chosen corrupt leaders without consulting God’s guidance or His consent. They had chosen according to charisma and political reasons. They had chosen with their dreams of having greater power and wealth.
5) They used their own imagination to create idols for themselves and provided silver and gold to build false worship centers.

We see these same things today in our own nation and most every other nation, including Israel.

No idol can do what our powerful God can do!
No idol can cleanse you of your sin.
No idol can bleed and die for you.

The reference to Samaria has no connection to the places where those two calf idols were located; it was just the capital city used by the Northern Tribes.

A handmade god is not a god nor can it ever be. It is foolish, and full of nonsense, but also a terrible sin.

Listen how Isaiah describes such things: Isa 44:13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
Isa 44:14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
Isa 44:15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
Isa 44:16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
Isa 44:17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

Everything we do has consequences. Good deeds have good consequences; bad deeds have bad consequences.

Even nature proves this to be true.

When Israel sowed wind, which is “nothingness,” they reaped the “whirlwind,” which is God’s judgment!

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.

Israel was supposed to be the nation that blessed all the other nations, but they had failed miserably, and they became a vessel that the Gentile nations had no pleasure in and still are today.

*Hos 9:17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

What happened to the Northern Tribes of Israel?

This same thing was happening in Judah!

Hos 8:14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

The bitter harvest was coming to the nation of Israel, and no matter what those who are lost think, the Lord God was justified in this severe judgment!

He had called for repentance many times, but His calls were ignored.

Israel had been warned. Deu 6:12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

The prophets of God were ignored or silenced.

Today, the Church is traveling the same road as Israel traveled, and Christians have forgotten who made them and saved them from the consequences of sin.

Much of the Word of God has been rewritten and left out God’s judgment and God’s laws.

Why would the Church think that God will respond any differently today when He says He never changes?

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
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.

We are to meditate on the Word of God and this is a good place to start!

Amen

Don’t Let Pride Ruin Your Testimony

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Uzziah’s Sin and Punishment

Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 26

(Related Scripture 2 Kings 14:21 through 15:38 and 2 Chronicles 27 through verse 9)

What is Pride? Pride is inordinate and unreasonable self-esteem, attended with insolence and rude treatment of others.

Pride is the high opinion that a poor, little, contracted soul entertains itself.

Pride makes itself known when we praise ourselves, adoring ourselves, attempting to appear before others in a superior light to what we are; contempt and slander of others; envy at the excellence others possess; anxiety to gain applause; distress and rage when slighted; impatience of contradiction, and opposition to God himself.

What is the truth of God?

Pro 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Most people see pride as positive and certainly not as sin.

We do need to have strong self-esteem to be successful in this life here on earth.

We must recognize our strengths and skills to be productive in this life.

We should be proud of the abilities God has given us.

This is acceptable pride. This is humble pride.

I am proud that I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.

I am embarrassed when I fail Him so often because I do not intend to.

Pride becomes sinful when we exalt ourselves above others and think we are better than other people.

As Christians, we may be better off than those who are lost, but we are not better than any other human being, no matter who they are.

Our lesson today is about King Uzziah, King of the Southern Tribe of Judah.

We know that the tribe of Benjamin also remained with Judah.

*2Ch 26:3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

After the murder of Amaziah, his son Uzziah was chosen by the people to occupy the vacant throne at the age of sixteen; and for the greater part of his reign of fifty-two years, he lived in the fear of God and showed himself a wise, active, and pious ruler.

His father, Amaziah, had been assassinated just as his father, Joash, had been assassinated.

We should also notice that his mother Jecoliah was a Jew, and the wife of King Amaziah.

We will see, as we go through the Books of Kings and Chronicles, that most of the good kings of Judah had Jewish mothers who had raised them with an understanding of the Word of God.

We did not read verse 1, but Uzziah was made king in a special way.

Judah was in turmoil with the assassination of his father and his grandfather, so the people of Judah took a firm stand and made Uzziah king, even though he was only 16.

2Ch 26:1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.

We should understand that Amaziah and Joash were kings in the line of David, and any change would have affected the kingly line to Jesus.

God uses the will of the people to make Uzziah King of Judah.

In the Book of Kings, King Uzziah is called King Azariah, but they are the same person.

2Ki 14:21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

Uzziah ruled Judah for 52 years, but God did not give us much information about his good years; he quickly went from his good years to his bad years.

No matter what we did in our best years, people will remember that time when we were not living right, especially if it happened in our later years.

*2Ch 26:4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.
2Ch 26:5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.

King Uzziah followed in the footsteps of his father, King Amaziah, yet like his father, he did not stop the idol worship in the high places.

Remember, it was his father who had regained control of the Edomites, but he had also hired a mercenary army out of Israel that a prophet of God had told him not to use, and Amaziah sent them back, and this caused problems for the king.

He was, and he was later taken captive and held in Samaria. Uzziah was probably made a co-regent at this time. Amaziah was assassinated shortly after he returned to Judah, and his son Uzziah was crowned king.

We do not know for sure who this Zechariah is, but he was certainly a prophet of God and the king’s counselor.

It is written that he had understanding in the visions of God, such as did Daniel.

Dan 1:17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Zechariah was a popular name in Judah.

Not much is known about this Zechariah, but it is obvious that God used this man as a prophet and delivered visions to him, which he relayed to King Uzziah.

We must know that our relationship with God will be based upon our obedience to His Word!

As long as King Uzziah was doing right in the sight of God, he prospered.

Another thing we should notice is that God will use young people in His plans if they follow in His will for them.

Following in the first part of his father Amaziah’s life was a good thing, but it seems that he also followed in the last part of his father Amaziah’s life, which was a bad thing, as he turned away from the Lord.

Zechariah had a special relationship with God, and the right teaching comes from having the right fellowship with God.

One of the things we must learn and then teach our children is to seek God in His Word and then seek God in prayer.

We must trust the written Word of God to be real and to be true, and this we must teach to our children.

I am a firm believer that the very first verse in the Bible is the most important verse in the Bible.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

We will never have the right relationship with God unless we understand that He is our Creator and the Genesis story of our creation is one hundred percent true.

Much of the Church is turning away from different parts of the Scriptures, but we must accept all the Word of God as the truth, or we can trust none of it.

We need God’s help in this wicked and evil world.

*2Ch 26:7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.
2Ch 26:8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

Does anyone want to guess why Israel wins so many wars and why they lost a few?

They win when God helps them, and they lose when God does not want them to win.

Who is our greatest threat to safety?

Our enemies who are closest to us!

The Philistines shared a border with Judah, and they were a constant threat to those areas closest to that border.

Those Arabs were probably the descendants of the Ishmaelites and also an enemy of Judah.

Mohammed claims to be a descendant of the Ishmaelite, which would make him a descendant of Abraham. There is no way to connect his bloodline through the intermingling of the Arabic races.

I’m so glad the Bible does not use the word race, and we are all truly born as the descendants of the same man, Adam, who was married to Eve.

God only sees one people. The color of their skin is irrelevant! God looks into the heart!

In typology, the greatest threat to Christianity comes from within the Church, from those whose hearts are far from the truth.

So-called Christians who are not sincere, learn from erroneous teachings and wrong practices, but they can be found out by the truth of the Word of God.

Why would anyone think God would give us an incomplete book or a book full of lies or misunderstanding?

Every false religion who claim Christianity uses the excuse that God has given them some special revelation, but God does not work like that.

Each one of them refuses to recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as the third part of the Holy Trinity and the God of the Bible.

Those who do not recognize the Holy Trinity, best said, the Triune God, who is One God, are not part of Christianity and not part of the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Jesus is much more than just some good man.

Jesus is much more than some prophet.

Jesus is the God of the Bible!

God says what He means and God means what He says!

Uzziah found success at war because God helped him.

The Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah so he would not bother them, and Uzziah was a strong king while he was obedient to God.

King Uzziah became so confident in his strength that it began to interfere with his relationship with God because his own pride had come between him and God.

*2Ch 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
2Ch 26:17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:
2Ch 26:18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.

One of our biggest human mistakes is that we think we are far more important than we really are.

We reach a point where we believe we can accomplish anything if we work hard enough, and that we do not need any help from others.

Uzziah began to believe that he did not need God, the Word of God, His priests, nor God’s prophets.

We must understand that today the New Testament priesthood exists.

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

In the Old Testament, it was impossible to combine both offices, for there was a priestly line, the Levites, and a kingly line, the line of David.

There would forever be only one King-Priest, and He would be the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Today, the entire church functions as a priesthood!

In Israel, only the Levitical line had that privilege.

As the Church Age believers, we can go into the throne room of God at any time of the day through Jesus Christ, our High Priest, who will soon be our King.

In Israel, individual believers could only approach God through a Levitical priest; this included the King.

Jesus Christ is our permanent High Priest and permanent King because He can never die!

Heb 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Our Lord Jesus is Holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted into Heaven!

Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

King Uzziah was not the right king to take over the duties of the High Priest, much less any true priest of the Levitical line.

King Uzziah was of the tribe of Judah.

The golden altar of incense represents Jesus Christ as our Mediator!

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

Aaron and the Brazen Altar was a type of Christ in His sacrificial role on Mount Calvary.

This Golden Altar of Incense stood squarely in front of the Mercy Seat just outside the Holy of Holies, depicting Jesus Christ interceding at God’s right hand, where He is today interceding on our behalf, on behalf of the true Church.

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

There was no way God was going to allow King Uzziah to become a part of the priesthood.

This Golden Altar symbolizes the power of prayer, and it must be through Jesus’s name to get an answer from God the Father.

Those who refuse to claim their prayers in Jesus’s name will not get their prayers answered.

Jhn_14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

This Golden Altar declares the Victim of Mount Calvary to now be Victor over Satan, over sin, and over sorrow to become King of Kings and Lord of lords.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Again, God could not allow Uzziah or any other King of Judah to come between the High Priest and His duties.

Azariah the High Priest went in after him and took with him eighty valiant priests of the Lord, and they withstood the king.

King Uzziah was supposed to memorize the Word of God, so he knew he was not supposed to be where he was and certainly not to burn incense on this altar.

This is a major sin, and God’s sentence would be harsh.

When we place ourselves on equal standing with the Lord Jesus, we are committing blasphemy.

*2Ch 26:19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar.

King Uzziah becomes furious at the priests who stopped him.

He had the censer in his hand and thought he was fixing to do something beautiful because God had blessed him so much.

He feels good about it, but it goes against the Word of God.

Christianity is not about feeling good; it is about obedience!

His thoughts were “how could they have the audacity to stop an man who was so blessed by God”.

I believe this passage is in the Bible to teach us that we cannot twist the Word of God to make it okay to go against what God has said.

It teaches us that we had better take the Word of God literally.

We are to have great faith, but this faith cannot lead us to go our own way; we must go God’s way.

We must be saved by the way God has described to us, and it is by faith in the work the Lord Jesus has done for us to be saved.

The Lord Jesus is the Door to Heaven, and we must go through Him.

Jhn_10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Jhn_10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Jhn_10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Up to this point, Uzziah had been a good king and had not committed any major sin against God, but God had to teach King Uzziah a valuable lesson.

We have already talked about leprosy, and it was the dreaded disease in those days.

Leprosy was a foul cutaneous disease, appearing in dry, white, thin, scurfy scabs, attended with violent itching. It sometimes covers the whole body, rarely the face.

God allowed leprosy to be on the forehead of King Uzziah so it could be seen by everyone. He could not hide it.

He had then become unclean, and he would no longer be allowed into the House of God.

It was in King Uzziah’s best interest for him to leave the House of God quickly.

*2Ch 26:20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him.
2Ch 26:21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

When we resist the Word of God, we stand on shaky ground.

If we go against our own High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, we may face the wrath of God.

When it is in our mind that we are on equal ground with the Lord Jesus Christ, we are committing a terrible sin.

When our pride tells us that we are God’s greatest servant, we are walking toward the entrance of Hell, and God may never redirect our steps.

We should be very clear: God does not need any of us!

Luk_19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

It would be a sad thing to be replaced by a rock!

King Uzziah was thrown out of the Temple, and he could never enter again because he was considered unclean.

Lev 22:3 Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.

King Uzziah knew not to retaliate against the priests because he knew it was God who allowed this to happen to him.

Uzziah was afflicted with leprosy because of his sin, and we never read where he ever repented of his sin.

Uzziah was afflicted with leprosy until the day he died, and because of this, he had to live in isolation from the people of Israel and step aside from public ruling.

Lev 13:46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

He could no longer worship in the Temple and had to put his son in charge of the government.

2Ki 15:7 So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

Uzziah had been a good king up until he let pride into his life and thought he could do as he pleased and ignore the Word of God.

Because he was a leper, he could not be buried with kings such as David and was buried in a field that was purchased to bury the bad kings of Judah.

*2Ch 26:22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.
2Ch 26:23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

What did the Holy Spirit allow Isaiah to write?

Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

On the day that King Uzziah died, one of the greatest prophets of Israel, Isaiah, volunteered to serve the Lord.

Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

The Lord Jesus used many of these same words when He informed Israel that He was the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah.

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Pride and self-righteousness are serious sins in the life of any person, but we must learn that these things go against the Word of God.

We are no better than anyone else, no matter what our walk of life in this world.

We should praise God for any skills or any talents He has chosen to give us, but He expects us to use those things in His service.

Being attractive, or talented, or skillful are blessings from God, but we must never demean, degrade, or put down others.

Pro 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Oba 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

The God we serve is serious about the things He has written down for us.

Every single Word!

Amen

Jesus Christ Is Alive

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jesus Is Alive

Book of Luke Chapter 24

People sometimes ask, what is the greatest discovery that has ever been made throughout the history of our world?

Immediately, they think about material things or certain medicines.

That answer should be simple. The greatest discovery that has ever been made in this world is the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ!

His tomb is still empty today because it was a borrowed tomb; the Lord Jesus only needed it for three days.

Much of this world does not know this, and most of the world does not believe this is true to their loss.

We should be very clear: if the Lord Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, there would be no such thing as Christianity.

Christianity would be just another religion serving a false god.

The empty tomb and our risen Savior have to become a personal discovery for each individual on this earth.

If my God cannot do the impossible, then He cannot be my God!

If my God is not alive, then I am no more than a fool and bound for Hell with no means of salvation.

The Passover is past. The Lord Jesus was buried just before six PM on the day of the Passover.

The first day following Passover was to be a holy convocation treated as a special Sabbath, and it did not matter what day of the week it was; it could well have been on a Friday.

Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

It was on Tuesday when the Lord Jesus had these words.

Mat 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Two days after Tuesday would be Thursday. The words of Jesus are more reliable than calendars; this Passover was on a Thursday.

The day after the preparation day, which was Passover, would be the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was treated as a Sabbath, a High Day. Then, in this particular year, the true Sabbath would follow that day, meaning that when Sunday came, Jesus would have been in the ground for three days and three nights.

The Lord Jesus had been in the grave three days and three nights just as He had said.

At least this is where my Bible study leads me.

Mat_12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so, shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jhn_19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Luk 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Luk 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
Luk 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

*Luk 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Luk 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Luk 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

It was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that would bring the history of this world and eternity to their fulfillment according to God’s plan.

God plans that every living soul be provided with the opportunity for atonement.

The day of atonement was the only day of the year in which the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, but not without blood, which he offered for himself.

On this day, he wore none of his colorful clothes to enter behind the Veil but wore white linen clothes.

On this Passover, the Lord Jesus offered His own blood for the atonement.

When the High Priest fulfilled his purpose, he left those clothes in the Holy of Holies just as the Lord Jesus left His white linen clothes behind, and He is not only our Mediator, but He is our true High Priest.

Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

The meaning of the word is at-one-ment, and it means the state of being at one or being reconciled to God.
Until you are washed in the blood of Jesus, you cannot be reconciled to God!
Atonement is reconciliation. It signifies the truth of the Gospel which flows from the death of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ died in our place! The Lord Jesus Christ took our punishment, which we were rightly due for the sins we committed against our Heavenly Father, our Creator.

Our guilt was imputed to Him, and this is why He came at the First Coming.

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

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

This was God’s plan, and it was executed by His only begotten Son.

The Old Covenant is over, and the New Covenant has begun.

These women were not aware of these things, yet all they knew was that the body of the Lord Jesus Christ had not been properly cared for, and it had been three days.

At four days, the body of Jesus would be corrupted.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had rushed to get the body of Christ into a grave on the day of Passover.

The Lord Jesus had been dead three days, just as He had said.

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.

The Lord Jesus Christ arose on the first day of the week, which is Sunday on the Jewish calendar.

We now look at Monday as the first day of the week and Sunday as our Sabbath.

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.

This Sunday would have had its beginning at six o’clock the previous day, and these ladies came to the Tomb of Christ early that next morning.

Because His resurrection had occurred just as He had said, another order of things had occurred.

It was love that brought these ladies to the tomb of Jesus, and it is love and truth that should bring us all to the cross of Jesus.

Death reigns no more in our earthly flesh if you are reconciled to God.

The curse of Adam has ended for you.

The rules of death have been broken by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why? Because His tomb was empty, but that was not all.

1) The Scriptures were opened: Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

2) Eyes were opened: Luk 24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

3) The mind is opened: Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

4) Heaven was opened: Luk 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

That stone was not rolled away to let the Lord out of that grave. He was already out before the angels rolled away that stone.

That stone was rolled away to allow these women who loved Him so much to go inside and look at an empty tomb.

This was the first victory of God’s amazing grace.

Now, mercy and grace are the rules God will use toward all mankind.

These ladies were perplexed about what they had seen.

*Luk 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

One of the best proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the testimony of these ladies.

They witnessed the body of the Lord Jesus being placed into that tomb, and they now see that the tomb is empty.

They knew He was dead, and they knew where He had been laid, and the door had been sealed.

It was the penalty of death to remove this seal unauthorized.

None of those who came to the tomb of Christ had believed Him when He said He would be three days in it and then He would arise from that death until it took place.

As they arrive, they see the stone rolled away, and no one man could do such a thing, and they knew that they could not do it themselves.

Mar 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
Mar 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
It was the angels who rolled away the stone.

Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

An angel of the Lord cannot lie; they are only messengers.

The body of Jesus Christ was not in the tomb.

These angels had taken on the form of humans.

They looked like men, but their clothing was not of this world but shining garments.

One angel was on each end of the slab where the Lord Jesus had lain, which gives us the vision that the mercy seat was no longer in the Holy of Holies.

Jesus is first called Lord Jesus in this passage after His resurrection, for He is now our risen Savior.

What was the message of the angels?

*Luk 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luk 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Luk 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luk 24:8 And they remembered his words,

They were not so much afraid of those angels as they were about the missing body of Christ.

The truth is, God the Father has fully accepted the work of His Son for our atonement, and life has returned to Him.

Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

The Lord Jesus becomes the Living God because death cannot hold our Savior!

Not many living will stay in a dead man’s tomb for very long.
.
These angels also reminded these women of what the Lord Jesus had said before His death.

We had better be clear in our hearts, we do not honor a dead Savior, we honor the Living God!

Because they now remembered the words that Jesus had spoken, they had conviction and boldness to witness to others this truth.

The Lord Jesus had declared that the grave could not hold Him.

Heb 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

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:

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,

It is the power of His resurrection that removes any doubt that the Lord Jesus is the true Messiah, God in the Flesh.

None of those who had followed the Lord Jesus had truly accepted that He would arise from His death.

They had not accepted that He would die until it happened.

It is an eye-opening event when we realize that we were wrong about God!

God is who He says He is!

God does as He says He will do!

*Luk 24:9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Luk 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
Luk 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

What is the greatest lesson we can learn from this passage?

We need to pay attention to what the Lord Jesus Christ says!

The Lord Jesus always speaks the truth!

Not finding the Body of Jesus puzzled these women when it should have brought faith.

Many will say that an empty tomb is not proof of a resurrection.

Full belief required the appearance of Jesus Christ.

Faith would know that He is alive!

We should understand that the Holy Spirit did it this way so the Church would know that the grave was empty and it was the actual body of Jesus and not some ghost.

Many commentators will say that those two angels are Moses and Elijah, but the Bible does not lead us in this direction.

The angels quickly told these ladies that if they wanted to see the Risen Savior, they had come to the wrong place.

We know our Savior cannot be bound by any tomb, and you will never find Him there again.

The angels told these ladies to remind the eleven Apostles that He would meet them in Galilee.

The angels also said, “Do you not remember what Jesus said?”

Luk 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
Luk 18:32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Luk 18:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

The body of Jesus Christ had not been removed; Jesus had walked out of that grave, going straight through the rock because it was the angels who rolled that heavy stone away.

The enemies of Jesus were still rejoicing, but this rejoicing was about to end.

It took a while for these women to believe that the Lord had risen from that grave, and the Apostles did not believe these women.

The greatest sin in all the Bible is to not believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The Apostles had no excuse for rejecting the truth of the resurrection, for the Lord had told them He would arise on many occasions.

They did go to Galilee, but they were quitting. They felt they had no one to serve after the death of Jesus.

This is where they would witness the truth of the Lord Jesus.

There is a lack of clear direction. They are no longer full of the Lord Jesus, and activities they previously abandoned for Him have a chance to creep back in.

It is never a good time to quit on Jesus!

Mar 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Peter was still suffering because he had denied Christ.

*Luk 24:12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Many say that those linen clothes lay in that grave just as they were wrapped, meaning that the body of Jesus had passed through those wrappings, leaving them in place.

Jesus had folded the napkin that was over His face and laid it in another place, and we all know the meaning of this. “I will be back.”

As I said earlier, the High Priests would always leave those white linen clothes in the Holy of Holies, so that the empty tomb had become the Holy of Holies, and that place in the Temple was no longer important. The Veil had been torn into two pieces.

Peter came to the tomb of Jesus.

Peter saw what manner His clothes were laid.

Peter departed, wondering within himself what had actually happened.

What we now know is that it is dangerous not to understand the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We cannot spiritualize the Word of God because it will lead to unbelief and serious problems.

All we need to do is be open to the evidence that the Holy Spirit gives us in the Gospels.

1) The tomb is empty.
2) Jesus has risen just as He said.
3) The Holy Spirit will convince us of the truth if we listen to Him.

Joh 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The risen Messiah was not some spirit, He was not some vision, not some phantom, not a hallucination or the figment of man’s imagination, He was the risen Savior.

One day, not so far into the future, we will have a glorified body just like the Lord has.

*Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The road to Emmaus is another great picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but our lesson goes to the teaching of the Lord Jesus to the Apostles after they knew that the resurrected Christ is the same Christ who had died for their sin and ours.

Now that these Apostles know that Jesus is a risen Savior, they can better understand the lessons He had taught them.

All prophecies up to the point of the Cross had been fulfilled just as they were written.

Jesus makes a point to teach these men that every word of God would be fulfilled just as written.

We can depend on the Word of God and a proper translation of the Word of God, such as the KJV.

Many translations are nothing but trash and should be done away with.

1) The death of Christ and the Resurrection had to take place just as they happened. Some of the brutalizing of our Savior was unnecessary, but foretold.

None of these things should have been a surprise to these men, and certainly not to the Scribes and Pharisees who were supposedly Bible scholars.

The Lord Jesus had preached these things Himself.

2) It was necessary that the death of Christ and His resurrection take place. His death was imperative, or we would still be bound with our sin, unforgiven.

His resurrection also had to take place, showing us the power of God and our own future resurrection of our bodies.

The Lord Jesus gave us His own division of the Bible of that day.

The Law
The Prophets
The Psalms

Basically, the entire Old Testament.

3) The Lord Jesus opened their eyes so they could understand:

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.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

4) These prophecies had to be fulfilled.

Christ had to suffer a terrible death and then rise from that death.

Repentance and forgiveness must be preached.

The Holy Spirit and the Power of Heavenly Father must be sent.

Every believer was to be equipped for witnessing the truth of God.

The source of the Holy Spirit and His Power can come from God the Father only.

Jesus Christ was to send the promises of God the Father.
It was God the Father who made the promises.
We are to wait upon the Lord Jesus Christ to return while praying for the promises of God.

God the Father is the source of all power.

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

His work finished, the Lord went home to be by His Father’s side.

*Luk 24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

Luke closes his Gospel with the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He had remained on earth for forty days since His resurrection.

The Lord Jesus came to this world on a mission to save the people of this world, and He provided a means of salvation and reconciliation with God to every individual who has lived since that time.

His ascension closes His earthly ministry, but it opens His Heavenly ministry, His mission of intercession for the world.

He now bears witness through the lives of those who believe Him.

He is now the propitiation for our sins.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

God’s Son returned to the right hand of God the Father.

His ascension proves that Heaven is a real place!

Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Php 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

His ascension assures us that we have a very special Helper in Heaven who really loves and cares for us.

Amen

Mock Trials, Crucifixion, and Burial

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Mock Trials, Crucifixion, and Burial

Book of Luke Chapter 23

Who is this Jesus?

Luk 22:67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:

Luk 22:68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
Luk 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Luk 22:70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.

This is the Jesus who was born of a virgin.

Luk 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

This is the Jesus who received His commission at His baptism.

Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

This is the Jesus who was proclaimed at His first sermon.

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

This is the Jesus who was proclaimed by His disciples.

Luk 9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

This is the Jesus of Nazareth.

Act_22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

This Jesus is the Son of Man: Luk 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

This Jesus is the Son of God: Jhn_11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

This is the same Jesus, who the Scriptures prove is God’s Messiah, and was rejected by the Jews.

This is the same Jesus who was crucified for all the sins of this world.

This is the Jesus that should not be seen as a helpless idealist who died in weakness, but who was and who is the Lord of Glory.

1Co_2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

What were the charges against the Lord Jesus Christ?

1) Jesus was charged by the Sanhedrin Court with perverting the nation of Judah and with committing sedition against Rome, which was a false charge.
2) Jesus was charged by the Sanhedrin Court with disobeying the Laws of Judah and not paying His taxes, which were all false charges.
3) Jesus was charged by the Sanhedrin Court with claiming to be king and being a rival to Caesar, which was also false.

*Luk 23:13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
Luk 23:14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
Luk 23:15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

We first saw Pilate, who was the great compromiser.

It is by this Roman that the most innocent man to have ever lived, the Lord Jesus Christ, was put to death.

This was the greatest tragedy in human history, though it was deemed necessary by God the Father.

He found no fault in Jesus because there were no faults, as these Jews brought only false charges, and they knew it.
He had sent the Lord Jesus to Herod, who also found no faults in the Lord Jesus.
He gave in to worldly pressure.

Herod was also a compromiser who used this instance to repair his relationship with Pilate.

Pilate hated the Jews because of their religion, and the Jews hated Pilate for the same reason. He worshipped idols.

Among the things he had done was that he had stolen money from the treasury of the Temple for a water project, and he was never forgiven for this.

Pilate was certainly a wicked man.

Pilate knew that these same elders and High Priests would go to Caesar if he did not do as they requested.

We see that they all were worried about their standing and their riches, all material things.

Pilate decided to appease the Jews because it was certain that they would cause Him trouble in Rome.

Pilate was concerned about himself, not truth and justice.

A compromising man is self-centered. They will always protect themselves at the expense of all others!

Pilate said, “I will just chastise this Jesus and let Him go”.

Pilate subjected our Lord Jesus to a horrible punishment of scourging, just to try to satisfy the religious leaders of Judah.

He thought that the sight of Jesus after this cruel treatment might perhaps cause the people to pity Him.

The High Priests had the people in such a false uproar that they made a tragic mistake.

Mat_27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

*Luk 23:16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.
Luk 23:17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)
Luk 23:18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
Luk 23:19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)
Luk 23:20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
Luk 23:21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.

The Romans had a custom of releasing a prisoner on certain special days and Pilate brought this custom to Judah. It was never a Hebrew custom.

At the time of the Passover, Pilate would release a prisoner from his cells, many just political prisoners, and Pilate decided he could release our Lord Jesus, and all sides would be satisfied, but the elders and the High Priests so stirred up the people, and they would have no part even in this.

Pilate may have tried many ways to release the Lord Jesus when all he had to do was just release Him; he had this power all along.

The Lord Jesus was completely innocent and Pilate knew this.

We see that word envy: Mrk_15:10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

What is the truth of envy? Envy leads to strife, division, railing, and sometimes murder.

We see all these things in this mockery of a trial of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

There was a man named Barabbas who was the guiltiest prisoner in Pilate’s cells at that time.

He was a murderer.
He was a thief.
He was a seditionist.
He was an insurrectionist.
He was guilty.

There are some who say that this Barabbas was also named Jesus, but this is not true.

In the Armenian version of the Scriptures, it says: “whom will you that I shall deliver unto you, Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus that is called Christ?”

The Armenian Church does not follow the Doctrine of the Apostles, which is the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.

One commentary says this text was written by a bigoted transcriber.

Matthew wrote that Barabbas was a notorious prisoner.

Mat 27:16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

These disciples of the Devil had their way with Pilate because he was just as wicked as they were.

Psa 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

One thing is missing. When the truth is known, it should be proclaimed and not compromised!

This is the only thing that our politicians know how to do today: compromise with the Devil and his ways.

Compromise weakens principles.
Compromise weakens life!

God will never accept compromise!

Much of the Church has compromised with the world today, and they will find that God will not accept them.

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.

They cried crucify Him, crucify Him.

Luk 23:24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

The Lord said the same thing that we say about our children. We just cannot fathom how our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will survive in this wicked world if the Lord Jesus does not return soon.

Luk 23:28 But Jesus, turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

The Lord Jesus was crucified, and the Lord Jesus Christ died a real death.

*Luk 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Luk 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
Luk 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

The sixth hour would be midday, around twelve o’clock, when the Sun was high in the sky.

At this very moment, the brightest time of the day, it became completely dark.

This was not an eclipse of the Sun, and it can be proven.

An eclipse of the Sun only lasts about six minutes, but this darkness at the death of Jesus Christ lasted for three hours.

Another proof is that the time of the Passover is the time of the full Moon, and Eclipses of the Sun do not take place at the time of the full Moon.

The Sun withdrew its rays when the Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for us.

If He had not been made sin, there would be no means of salvation.

The Sun of Righteousness is led into darkness.

Ecc_3:16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

In those places, people are selfish and ambitious. The greatest injustice in the place of justice is the trial against the Lord Jesus.

Mal_4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

The sun is the symbol of dominion over the day (Gen_1:16 ). Thus, the day of the LORD is marked by His dominion over Sunday, but truly every day.

Jesus is the day star.

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

The “daystar” appears in each of us once we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.

He is the bright and morning star: Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

At this time, the light of Our Daystar was out because the Lord Jesus had taken on all the sin that this world had committed.

It was darker than it had been since that first Passover.

It was so dark you could feel the darkness, and it did not feel good!

There is no goodness in darkness!

Exo_10:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

There was no light anywhere to be seen for three hours.

This darkness tells us just how much God hates sin!

In the darkness, all of mankind also stood in the darkness, having no way to see God.

For three hours God forsake His Son.

This was the thing that the Lord Jesus hated the most.

God had to break fellowship with His own Son for three hours.

The Lord Jesus Christ hung lonely on an old wooden cross between Heaven and Earth.

The Earth did not want Him and lifted Him, and Heaven closed itself above Him.

God had stopped the Sun from shining, and the Glory of the Lord went dark for a period of three hours.

That is not all: The veil of the Temple was ripped from top to bottom because the Almighty God had ripped what could not be ripped by man.

The way to God has now been opened and it is through His Son.

Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ was dead, but He could not stay dead and still be God!

God dwells in darkness, and He invites the entire world to come to Him by the Light of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus said, “Father, into thy hands I commend My Spirit”.

The work that provided every human being a way to Heaven to live with God was now finished; all we need to do is accept this truth as fact.

The unshakable foundation of the Kingdom of God had been laid!

Psa 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

The Lord Jesus came to die, and this work was now complete.

*Luk 23:47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

This thing that happened got the attention of a man who had fought many battles and survived but was still in the hands of the Devil.

He had been in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but he knew he was never in charge at all.

He had made sure that Jesus was nailed to the cross, but since that time, all these things that happened were between the Lord Jesus and God the Father.

No one could have changed what happened.

Old Satan was celebrating, but his joy would not last exceedingly long!

This Centurion was a Gentile, and the Church would soon turn to the Gentiles who began to see the truth of Jesus Christ in the coming generations, but we must understand that God will soon turn back to the Jewish people, and almost all of them will believe what they first rejected, and God will close the Door to the Gentiles.

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,

Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

It was time to place the Body of Christ into a borrowed tomb.

*Luk 23:50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
Luk 23:51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
Luk 23:52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
Luk 23:53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

This man we know of as Joseph of Arimathea was a secret believer who failed to confess the Lord Jesus publicly until His death.

He had ignored what the Lord Jesus had said.

He had stepped forward for Jesus, but only after His death.

The Bible does say that he had not committed to the false trial and deeds of those who had pushed for the death of Jesus.

He was afraid to stand up for God, and there are many like him today in the Church.

This is a question we should ask ourselves: would we take a stand with Jesus if that time came to us?

We need to be settled on this question now!

We must never be afraid to make a public confession of our faith!

Joseph was a highly educated member of the ruling body of Israel.

He was a good and just man to those around him.

He was a man looking for the Messiah.

He was a man looking for the Kingdom of God.

These things meant nothing because he was a man who refused to stand up for Jesus, who was also the Messiah, as Scripture proved so easily.

He feared the loss of his position more than his fear of God.

Joh 19:38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
Joh 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
Joh 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Here we see another man named Nicodemus, a man similar to Joseph.

Luk 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

It makes no sense for us to be this way because it just makes us losers.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Our fear does not come from God; it can only come from the Devil.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
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,

Joseph got his courage back at the death of our Savior, and he went to Pilate to demand the body of Christ because he knew that the Romans usually just dumped the bodies of crucified criminals.

Pilate, being fed up with the Jesus matter, still did not want the disfavor of the Sanhedrin Court and gave the body of Christ to Joseph, who was a part of the Sanhedrin Court.

Every secret believer needs to go to the foot of the cross and meet the Savior who died for us there.

Joseph is careful with the body of Jesus and laid the body of Jesus in his own tomb he had prepared for himself.

When the Lord Jesus Christ was born, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Now, as He has died Jesus was wrapped in clothes again.

While everyone else is preparing for the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, the Lord Jesus is laid in a borrowed tomb.

Many who had stood by the Lord wanted to get close to Him now, but there was no sign of the eleven disciples.

The cross had changed many lives just as it does today.

Just remember we serve a Living Savior who can never die again.

Amen

The Beginning of the End

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Beginning of the End

Book of Luke Chapter 21

This is one of the chapters in the New Testament that is known as the Olivet Discourse.

The Lord Jesus will teach us:

1) The destruction of the Temple.
2) His return.
3) The end of the world.

The Book of Matthew, Chapters twenty-four and twenty-five, along with the Book of Mark Chapter 13, should also be studied to get a complete picture of what the Lord Jesus is teaching here.

The Lord Jesus begins with the destruction of the Temple.

We should understand that this Temple was intended to be a House of Prayer.

Mat_21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mrk_11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Luk_19:46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The Temple had been made into a house of commerce and was no longer the house of God, but a house of men.

Only for faith did it have any value, such as that poor widow who had given all she had in faith.

The disciples of the Lord were still blind to the corruption in the House of God at this time.

Much of the Church is blind to the corruption in many houses of God today, which are more entertainment centers than they are Houses of Prayer.

What is wrong with the Houses of God today? Repentance is no longer required, and the Bible is not preached, or it has been changed to reveal a false gospel.

*Luk 21:5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
Luk 21:6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

The Lord Jesus begins to reveal to them what will happen to this Temple that they are so proud of, and some of them may have still been alive to see it happen.

The Lord Jesus describes to them the destruction of Jerusalem and the total destruction of the Temple that took place in 70 AD.

The siege of Jerusalem began in April 70 AD, led by the Roman general Titus, as part of the First Jewish Revolt against Roman rule (66-73 AD).

The city was already weakened by internal strife among various Jewish factions, including the Zealots, which hindered their ability to mount a unified defense against the Roman forces.

After months of intense fighting, the Romans breached the city walls and captured Jerusalem. The climax of the siege occurred in the summer of 70 AD when the Romans set fire to the Second Temple.

Estimates suggest that over a million Jews died during the conflict, with many more enslaved or displaced.

The Romans systematically destroyed much of the city, leaving only a few structures, including parts of the Western Wall, which remains a site of pilgrimage today.

The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple fundamentally altered Jewish religious life and still does today.

The destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD was a significant event that reshaped Jewish history, culture, and religion, with effects that are still felt today.

It is said that Titus did not want the Temple to be destroyed, but he lost control of his armies and Temple was set on fire to melt all the gold that could be captured.

Josephus the historian wrote that, except for Herod’s three great towers and part of the western wall, the whole circuit of the city was so thoroughly levelled and dug up that no one visiting it would believe that it had ever been inhabited.

This is why the Muslim say today that Israel never existed.

The disciples then wanted to know when these things would take place.

*Luk 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

The Book of Mark tells us that Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked this question.

They also asked if there would be a sign before it happened.

The Jews did love their Temple. We know that King Herod had spent forty-six years making the Temple one of the great wonders of the world.

The government of the Jews had no respect for Jehovah God.

The disciples had already begun to see that the Lord Jesus was not going to sit as King of the Jews at this time, and this thing told of the Lord made this more real to them.

The Lord Jesus told them that this destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was not one of the signs of the end times.

The Apostles of Jesus Christ would face some terrible times as they taught the first words of Christianity and the beginning of the Church.

In other words, there will come a time of the destruction of Jerusalem and a new rebuilt Temple, which would take place during the time of the Gentiles.

Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

We get the idea that it would certainly be centuries before the return of Jesus Christ, first to get His Church and Second to reclaim Jerusalem and all the earth.

2Pe 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

What is the greatest sign mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ?

The sign of deception!

Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.

The Lord Jesus is dealing with the end of the Temple and the end of the world, the destruction of the Temple and the destruction of the world.

It is sin that causes the judgment of God upon this entire world and not just the sin of the Jews!

Deception is the state of being misled.

As Christians, we recognize that the Church Age will end with the judgment at the return of Jesus Christ.

Because God is Holy, He must judge all that is unholy; otherwise, He would no longer be Holy Himself.

God is judging in this present age as every true Christian has been justified, but this future judgment goes much further than this.

At some point in the past, God judged Lucifer and the fallen angels.

God judged the people of the earth when He sent the flood.

God judged the people at the Tower of Babel, and the different languages began.

God judged the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and then later He judged the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

None of these things were the final judgment.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Rom 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Unbelievers will stand before the White Throne Judgment!

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

At the end of the ages, God will judge Satan and his demons together with the beasts and the false prophet.

Yes, judgment is coming to all God’s created people!

A great deception is already in place today in the Church and in the world.

We believe that after the Rapture of the Church and the Church meets the Lord Jesus in the air, it is at this time or near this time that a covenant of peace will be signed with Israel, and the Temple will be rebuilt, and the priestly duties, along with animal sacrifices, will begin again.

This begins the time of Jacob’s trouble, when Israel has relative peace until they find out that the Antichrist, who is the great deceiver, has no intention of peace, the sacrifices will stop, and the Temple will again be destroyed in what we know of as the Great Tribulation.

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Mat_24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

This is the time of Israel, and God has removed the Church just as he promised before this takes place.

Some things should not bother us too much, for the Church will not see this wrath of God as He has promised.
As long as the Church is upon this earth, we are to stay busy spreading the Gospel.

The Lord Jesus says that we will live in a time of unrest, and we are today, and it may get worse before we go home to Heaven.

We have seen this unrest since the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and the beginning of the Church Age.

*Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

What have we seen?

1) We have seen nations fight each other and kingdoms take up arms against each other.
2) We have seen that the earth has been moved by great earthquakes and natural disasters.
3) Heaven has also spoken; terrible things have happened that make great impressions, and great signs in the heavens have already been seen.

The Lord Jesus said that these things are going to happen, but they are not necessarily signs that the end is imminent.

The Lord Jesus Christ was preparing His Apostles for His death and departure and preparing them to carry on without Him.

We already know that these eleven men and the Apostle Paul faced some terrible times in which they were all martyred, but the Apostle John.

The most important thing we can gain from this message of Jesus Christ is that we must not grow weary in waiting for His return.

He was telling us all that we will see and experience so much trouble in our world that our faith might falter, and we must guard against this happening.

Many walk this earth today after their own lusts, not even caring if Christ will return, in fact stating, where is He, where is His promise.

One of the key signs of the return of Jesus Christ is what we see today: 1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
1Jn 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Many of the doubters come from the Church itself.

We see a falling away from the Church today, but this speaks of those who belong to Satan who have become leaders in many churches and now deny Jesus Christ.

We should know that God is never caught off guard. He is still on the throne and still in charge of His creation.

We should not get caught off guard ourselves. We can expect these things from a corrupt world, so we must not get discouraged.

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

We will face challenges that will try to draw us away from God, our Savior.

We must concentrate our trust on New Heaven and the New Earth and not in this world.

We must remember that the Lord Jesus was not preaching a sermon here; He was answering the questions from His Apostles.

Joh 16:31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
Joh 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

We should also understand that the turmoil we see in our world is not part of the plan of God; He just knows that these things will happen.

It is because of the lust, the greed, and the wickedness in this evil world, which never goes away.

Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

We must not get caught off guard by these things we see every day!

We see how violent our world has become, so we believe that the end is near, and it may be, but it may not be.

We are to remain busy with the work of the Lord!

Jer 51:45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.
Jer 51:46 And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

There will most certainly be natural disasters, which may increase and have.

We do live in a cursed world!

*Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

We can say that since the time of the flood, there have been great earthquakes.

We seem to forget sometimes that when the Lord Jesus first created this earth, all the land was in one great continent.

During and after the flood, this big continent broke apart, and volcanoes and earthquakes began as the tectonic plates began to shift and are still shifting.

Gen_7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Gen_10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

What do we know about earthquakes?

Just on March 30th.

Map data from National Geographic
5.1 magnitude Celebes Sea
3.9 magnitude Road Town, British Virgin Islands
4.9 magnitude, Lakatoro, Malampa, Vanuatu
4.2 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla
4.1 magnitude, Road Town, British Virgin Islands
4.6 magnitude, Fiji
Another 5.0 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla
Another 3.9 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla
Another 3.6 magnitude, Road Town, British Virgin Islands
Another 3.7 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla

There have been 195 earthquakes in the past 24 hours
1,278 earthquakes in the past 7 days
5,452 earthquakes in the past 30 days
50,842 earthquakes in the past 365 days

Earthquakes are one of the most feared disasters among people.

The historian Josephus made a record of the earthquake that fulfilled the prophecy of the Lord Jesus upon the cross.

Josephus also thought the world was coming to an end on the day Jesus died.

He wrote: There broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest shower of rain and continuous lightnings, terrible thundering, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake.

He added: These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder, and anyone would guess that these wonders foretold some grand calamities that were coming.

The Lord Jesus speaks of “great earthquakes” more powerful than what we see daily.

Food is one of the necessities we cannot do without. Jesus said there would be a great famine before Jerusalem falls again.

Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Rev 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The Bible says that those who are slain with the sword are better off than they that die from hunger.

There will be great diseases, and we know disease shows no partiality.

No one can buy their way out of an epidemic of disease.

There will be fearful sights and great signs in the heavens.

We know that the earth can be darkened by the dust of volcanoes, windstorms, and even smoke from huge fires.

Whatever darkens the sun will also affect the moon.

Meteorites fall from the sky, and we have been seeing very large meteorites pass through our solar system lately.

Large enough to destroy our planet.

The earth is primed for all these things to take place, but if we believe that the “Rapture” is the next event on God’s calendar to take place, then there is one more thing that will take place.

*Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

This is the sign that concerns the Christian that will happen before God removes His Church.

Right now, there is a Christian murdered every two hours just for following the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is only going to get worse.

For them, following the Lord Jesus Christ has cost them everything!

They are tortured and murdered just for saying “I believe in Jesus Christ”.

This is the reality for Christians who live in the Islamic World.

More than 388 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.

We had better understand that we will face persecution for claiming our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We stand for godliness; the world is not godly, nor does the world seek to become godly.

The Muslims claim to serve the God of Abraham, yet they reject the Lord Jesus Christ, so this is an outright lie; they serve the Devil.

All those who live for the world do not think they should have to change; therefore, the message of Jesus Christ is that they will die in their sin.

Repentance is not even taught in many so-called houses of God today because few people left are willing to change their lives.

When this persecution happens, we must be settled in our hearts that we will remain with Christ, and the Holy Spirit will use our own mouths to speak the words of Jesus Christ.

Without a test of our faithfulness, we will never have a testimony!

What will our persecution look like?

Luk 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

*Luk 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Many believe that the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 AD was the fulfillment of this prophecy.

1.1 million Jews were slaughtered.

97,000 were taken captive and removed from Jerusalem.

Not one Jew was left alive in Jerusalem.

Not one Christian died because they fled Jerusalem before the siege of Jerusalem took place.

Many Jews have used this as an excuse to hate Christians ever since, but our main job is to obey the Word of God and not this world.

The Romans not only destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem, but they also ransacked the entire area around Jerusalem, so that it looked as if no one had ever lived there.

Was this even what the Lord Jesus described?

After the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews predicted by Jesus in the previous verses, there would come a long period when Jerusalem would be dominated by Gentiles.

But miraculously, in 1948, Israel again became a nation, and in 1967 Jerusalem was captured again by the Jews and is now again one of the mightiest nations on this earth.

As long as the Muslim rule on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem is still trampled by the Gentiles, there remains prophecy to be fulfilled.

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

As Christians, we believe that this one week is the seven years of tribulation that have not taken place yet and will not until the Rapture of the Church has taken place.

The truth is that no one knows exactly when these things will happen, and the Lord Jesus says to watch and pray.

To watch means to keep up with what is going on in Israel and Jerusalem at all times.

*Luk 21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Luk 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

No doubt these things took place in the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Some who Jesus was teaching were alive to see these things happen.

Some of the Apostles and the Christians fled to a place called Pella in the district of Decapolis.

In reality, we are still to be prepared for the coming judgment of the end times because we know they have not taken place yet.

As Christians, we may be actual witnesses to the beginning of these things of the end times.

*Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
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.

We should understand that Jesus describes things that did not happen in the years around 70 AD, so the Lord Jesus is describing a future event.

Revelation Chapters 6, 8-9, 15-18 give us a much clearer picture of what the Lord Jesus is teaching here.

Our universe will be in complete turmoil.

What Size Asteroid Would it take to destroy Earth?

It is believed that no single asteroid can completely and utterly destroy the Earth as a planet. However, an asteroid approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter or larger could trigger a global catastrophe that renders the planet largely uninhabitable for humans and many other species.

In the last few years, there have been asteroids or comets that have entered our solar system larger than this.

Gravity is another power in the heavens, and gravity in some way must fail before the stars of heaven can fall.

The power above all power is in God, the Holy Trinity, who only can cause such things to fail.

It is at the end of these things that the Lord Jesus will return to this earth.

The Church will already be in Heaven or will be returning with the Lord Jesus, so those who are gathered would be those who were saved during the Great Tribulation, and they would be mostly Jews, who still have God’s covenant.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rom 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.

This is the remnant that is mentioned throughout the Bible.

Isa 10:21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

This is a lot to take in, but when we see any of these things begin to take place, then we need to look up, lift our heads high, because we are soon going home.

Remembering that deception is the main culprit affecting the Church, we should be holding our heads up high now and not be deceived.

The Church will be out of here soon.

Amen

Parables and Blessings

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Parables and Blessings

Book of Luke Chapter 18

Besides the Holy Spirit, prayer is our greatest weapon in this world against the evilness and wickedness of our world.

*Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Prayer is the meeting of our soul with the mind of God.

1Sa 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

Prayer is beseeching the Lord.

Exo 32:11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

Prayer is crying out to Heaven.

2Ch 32:19 And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.
2Ch 32:20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

Prayers are seeking and making supplication.

Job 8:5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;

Prayer is drawing near to God.

Psa 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Prayer is the bowing of the knees.

Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

We must persevere in prayer because it is our duty!

We must put forth the effort to talk with God even when it seems He is not listening because He is always listening!

*Luk 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luk 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
Luk 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luk 18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

What is persevering prayer? To persevere means to be constant in our purpose for praying.

When we look around, we see that we are in similar days of Noah and Lot where God brought destruction.

God has already promised a future destruction, and we are very near to it now.

Psa_2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Isa_9:19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

Isa_13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Zep_1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

There is power in persistence.

Continuous prayer is the only thing that gives us the strength to persevere.

Continuous prayer shows that we are confident in our God.

We are to pray and continue to pray until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to take us home.

In this parable, we see an unjust judge who disregards the laws, hates God, and hates those who come before him.

Yet he feels like he has the power to do as he wishes.

This is the way of our world today.

Everyone wants to reach in and grab a piece of power to do the things they desire.

We live in the day of the unjust judge, and it is very noticeable.

There was this widow who had been wronged and was seeking help from the judicial system, but this judge had no feelings for the truth, and he hated to be bothered with such trivial matters.

Every judge in our nation needs to understand there is a Higher Judge who has His eyes on them, and they, too, will be judged the same way that they judge others.

It is a fact that on that day of the widow, that most every widow, especially those who had no children, lived in helplessness and defenselessness.

Luk 7:12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
Luk 7:13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Many times, this judge just ignored her and her problems.

We know this is not the way of the Lord Jesus, who is a most compassionate God.

This judge began to realize that if he did not do anything to help this widow, she was going to continue to come before him.

Finally, this self-centered judge did the right thing just to free himself from her ceaseless pleading.

The Lord Jesus is saying that if a corrupt judge on this earth will attend to the pleas of this poor widow whom he cared not for, how much more will God be moved by those He loves.

It is a fact that God is biased in favor of innocent victims of persecution.

We may never have to plead with God, but we must also understand that God will not answer every prayer at the time we think it is needed.

God knows what we need and when we need it.

God does not get mad at us if we ask for the same thing over and over again until we receive it or God says no.

*Luk 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

We must not think that this judge is a type of God; he is not. He is just an unjust judge who does not care about the suffering of any people.

The Lord Jesus wants us to continue in prayer of faith until we get an answer.

It is not that God is just too busy; it is just that God knows what we need and when we need it.

God knows our needs, and He promised to meet our needs.

God will avenge His own elect!

God’s elect are those who follow His Son, Jesus!

As God’s elect, we know that only God can meet our needs!

We also know that only God is the Judge of all His creation.

Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

God is patient with all of us, but we know He is so full of mercy and grace that He will always meet our needs.

We must also realize that just as Jesus suffered, we will also suffer, and this will make us stronger witnesses and servants.

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

These things will make us stronger, and God wants us to learn from all our trials.

God will also avenge His elect without hesitation.

*Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Our God is the only true Judge in this cosmos.

That word elect means God’s favorites, God’s preferred, God’s believers, the disciples of Jesus Christ.

God will preserve all Christians from all their adversaries and save them from the seven years of Tribulation that is soon to come to this world.

Remember, this is God’s choice, and He did not have to make this choice.

Only God can do the choosing of those who will not be a part of His wrath.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

If an unjust judge grants the petition of a defenseless person he cares nothing for, how much more shall our just Judge, our merciful God hear the cries and avenge the cause of those He loves.

We may have to cry out day and night before God will answer but He will answer.

He never said we would not suffer; in fact, He said we would.

Keep in mind the Jews suffered many years before God sent Moses to Pharaoh.

We should know that once God chooses to avenge His elect, He will come speedily.

*Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

We must understand that persevering prayer is tied to our faith! He may not come soon but it will be suddenly.

Our adversaries will not know what hit them until it is over.

Jesus then adds, when He comes, will He find faith on this earth?

The Lord wants us to continue to pray even though it has been so long that we are losing heart, even though the answer is delayed, and we see evil increasing daily.

God is still hearing our prayers, but we must persevere until He comes.

We could ask how many will keep the faith until He comes?

We must guard against losing our faith!

God will always remain faithful to do as He says, but will we?

We swore an oath to be saved based on faith, and that faith must remain with us.

God does not have to think about whether He will return or not.

He knows He is coming and He knows when He is returning, and it will not take Him long to get here when He does come.

The Church may pass through a period of oppression in this world, but we must cling to our faith.

We should begin now by praying more earnestly.

If Jesus Christ seems to be delaying His return, then He has His reasons, and it has nothing to do with the Church.

The vengeance of the Lord will be a terrible time upon this earth, and the Lord will have to put aside His compassion to do those things, but He will do what He says He will for His Church.

Whenever deliverance comes, it will be sudden!

Then the Lord speaks with another parable.

*Luk 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

The fact is that self-righteous people do not need to pray at all!

These people will never lose heart because they never had it to begin with.

They do not need faith to be confident in this world.

They feel that all they need dwells within them in their bodies and minds.

Pro 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

We are in the generation of the return of Christ, but we are also in the generation of self-righteousness.

The Lord continues.

*Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

When we think we stand head and shoulders above all others, we are no better off than King Saul.

This Pharisee was a religionist.

This publican was a sinner.

Both these men went to the House of God to pray, which the Lord Jesus said was a house of prayer.

There is no better place to pray than in the House of God!

They both wanted to please God.
They were both seeking God to feel His presence in their lives.

Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

This Pharisee represents the religious world in its most respected form.

This publican represents people who have no honor to maintain. He knows he is a sinner and is looking for the mercy of God.

The Pharisee prayed only with himself, only to himself.

He glorified himself before God and just told God how great a man of God he was.

This was not true prayer, and it did not reach into Heaven.

Joh 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

Prayer is a means of worship, but this Pharisee only worshipped himself.

In fact, he actually thanked God for making him who he was.

God does not make us self-righteous, and God does not cause us to be sinners, and God does not tempt us in any way.

This Pharisee said he had not fallen into sin, which means he made himself to be equal with the Lord Jesus Christ, who truly had no sin.

He fasted twice a week, and he tithed. Both of these are good things and are pleasing to God, but these things do not make up for self-righteousness.

The publican.

*Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

This man was ashamed and embarrassed by his sin, and others would not get near him because of his sin.

Remember Publicans were tax collectors for Rome, and the Jews hated them.

This publican stood far off, much like a leper.

He felt cut off by God and mankind. The Jews had a special hatred for publicans and considered them traitors to the nation of Israel.

I feel somewhat like this for all Democrats and many Republicans.

He would not even lift his eyes toward Heaven, but he did lift his heart toward Heaven.

He knew he did not deserve God’s forgiveness!

He beat on his chest because he was angry with himself for his sin.

He pleaded with God to forgive Him. He pleaded for God’s mercy.

We can only appeal to God’s “Grace” when we do not deserve it.

There is no other way to be received by God than to acknowledge our sin before God and plead for God’s forgiveness.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve, which is eternal death.

Grace comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is receiving what we do not deserve, eternal salvation.

We should understand that as long as we are in these bodies of flesh, we will never be righteous; we are only “counted righteous” by our Holy God because we are covered by the Blood of Jesus.

2Th_1:5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Who then was justified?

*Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

We can see that the words of Jesus do not line up with what the world says.

In fact, the words of Jesus do not line up with what many churches teach today.

It is the one who acknowledges that he is a sinner who has been justified by his faith.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
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.

*Luk 18:15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
Luk 18:16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Luk 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

We must be humble when we approach the Lord for forgiveness of our sins.

The first characteristic that fits the Kingdom of God is that of a child.

When we doubt that the Lord Jesus can save little children, we are acting like a Pharisee.

When we think the Church is spending too much money on our youth, we act like Pharisees.

When we do not look at our youth as being the future of the Church, we are acting like a Pharisee.

When we do not look at our youth as being the future of our nation, we act foolish because we need to train them to be the future of our nation.

God cares about every stage of the process of our growth, starting from childhood.

God loves the little children as much as He loves any of us!

Most children are obedient to their parents, and they can learn right from wrong at an early age.

Most children are far more forgiving than most adults.

When we get to Heaven, we will find that we are all children, God’s children!

There is no way to get into Heaven except by receiving God’s Kingdom like a child!

Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Amen