Repent Submit Be Blessed

Repentance, Submission, and Blessing

Book of Job Chapter 42

What we will see in this last chapter of the Book of Job is that although Job had not sinned, there were many things that he did not have the right understanding of about the Lord.

Job did not have the Bible that we have today to guide Him, Job only had those things of knowledge that had been passed down from his forefathers and what he could learn talking face to face with the Lord.

Job was not very many generations from Noah, so the fear and the power of God should have been near to Job’s heart.

We should clearly understand that we are to take the Word of God He has given to us, to learn all we can about our God and fools not to do so!

We are only temporary residents of this place called earth.

My mom is 91 years old, but many of us will not live that many years, but we will live eternally with the Lord so this little time we live now, is nothing compared to eternal life.

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 one thing every child of God knows is, that our Heavenly Father has a plan, and we are smack dab in the middle of it and we will not be left out of God’s plan.

We serve a Great Big God of All Power and we are blessed that He is a Loving and Merciful God!

The greatest wrong we do today may be the fact that, we speak too much before we have the right understanding!

This becomes really serious when we are speaking of our Lord and Savior.

*Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

What is awe? Awe is fear mingled with admiration or we could say, fear mingled with reverence.

Psa 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
Psa 33:9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

In the days of Job, the rainbow had much more significance than it does today for it reminded the people of the awesomeness of God.

Today most people do not give the rainbow a second thought, but we should!

If we do not have these same thoughts that Job had, then we are the sinners, not Job.

There is nothing that God cannot do except sin. God cannot sin and God cannot lie, and God cannot be unrighteous!

It can never be said that God will do foolish things and it be true!

God can hear the smallest whisper because God can hear the thought that is in our heart before it gets to our mind and causes some action good or bad!

Job admitted he had talked about things that he had not clearly understood.

*Job 42:3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

What is the one greatest thing that Job had learned in all this?

We have no right to question the ways of God!
We have no right to complain to God for the things we go through!
We have no right challenging God’s wisdom!
We have no right challenging God justice!

We should think about these things as we have seen the results of the recent elections!

Did we vote according to the Word of God?

God does what God does anytime God wants to do so!

What did Job learn?

That he must bow in humble submission before His Creator and admit, it is God who is sovereign!

Isa 14:24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

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:
Isa 46:11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

To be honest, we must accept all the things that God does as the right things to do, no matter how we feel about them!

Jehovah is a righteous God!

We may not ever understand all the Word of God, but the more we study ourselves, the more we listen to the Preacher, the more we attend Sunday School, the more we will understand how our Lord works in this world.

In fact God will never go against anything He has given to us in writing!

We do need to have an accurate Bible written, according to the Greek and Hebrew Manuscripts of the Received Text.

We will never understand the Bible unless the Holy Spirit lives within us and we will never have the Holy Spirit live within us, until we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

The world can never know the truth of the Scriptures unless a child of God, led by the Holy Spirit, teaches them and of course the Holy Spirit is the greatest of all teachers and He will always, “always” lead us to Jesus the Messiah.

God has every right to demand we live according to His Word!

*Job 42:4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

We must also understand that we must be willing to live without our questions being answered!

This is what “faith” provides!

Faith allows to go on with our life knowing that everything that God does is the right thing!

We serve a righteous God!

When our “faith” is strong our suffering will be short!

Satisfaction comes with the knowledge of the truth!

We must clearly understand, that because we have accepted the truth of God, the truth of the Lord Jesus, we are the children of God and the Lord knows best what we need in this life, and He has prepared us a place for us to live in our eternal life, where there will be no problems at all.

Another thing we must know is that we are not perfect, and we always have some sin to repent of.

Our thoughts are not always pure!
Our actions are not always right!
Our non-actions can be sin!

There are always some things that we have not done knowing we should have done!

You see, the closer we get to the Lord the better we will be in this life!

The more we know about the Lord the better we will be in this life!

When we pray, we should have a greater knowledge of the Lord’s answer, if we are familiar in what the Lord has done in the past.

If we are God’s child, then we can know that He will answer our prayer and we will get what we ask if we ask in faith.

The key to our relationship with the Lord and answered prayer is our “faith”!

As one man wrote “we should be crushed under the weight of God’s “greatness”, if we think about it!

*Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

As God had said, Job was the most perfect man on the earth at that time, yet Job had never grasped the greatness of God.

I believe we all fall short in this category!

It is a true statement “that we need to get off self and get on the Lord”.

We are nothing more than a sack of dirt, yet in the eyes of our Savior and our Creator, we are the most brightest shining jewel, upon this earth.

He is not going to harm us!
He is not going to allow this world to harm us until it is time for us to go home!

The Lord never said it was going to be easy being a Christian in fact, the Lord said just the opposite.

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 need to be over-comers of all the things that happen to us in this world!

The Lord teaches us to hate evil.

Joh_7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

The works of this world are always evil in some way!

The world sees an act of goodness as the first step of domination.

We must see sin as something that needs to be eradicated from this world!

We cannot allow corruption to be victorious!

For the most part we tolerate sin, when we need to express that hatred for sin the Lord teaches us to have.

This does not mean that human being, but it does mean that sin!

If Jesus testified of the works of sin, then if we are “like Christ” (Christian) then we need to testify of the works of sin!

The world does not see that being a Christian is being like Christ Jesus!
The world does not see that being a Christian is to live according to the Word of God!

We must always repent of any sin that we have, and this does not mean to tolerate the sin of others!

We are not found sincere in these things unless we have submitted to the Lord!

Now God speaks to Eliphaz.

*Job 42:7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

You see it was right for Job to reject the error of these three so-called friends and Elihu.

The things they had said to condemn Job, were wrong!

It was Job who had said things that were right according to the truth of God!

Eliphaz had been a bad example for those other three who followed after him in accusing Job.

We see that Jehovah had chastised Job, but His wrath was against those three men.

God’s own children will never see God’s wrath upon them!

This is another type in the Book of Job.

God does chastise His children and will keep His children from His wrath to come.

Rom_5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, “we shall be saved from wrath through him”.

But the children of disobedience will see the full force of the wrath of God.

Rom_1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against “all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”;

Rom_2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Job had remained true to God through the assault of these worldly men!

Eliphaz was a type of the world and those with him were his followers.

And the Lord does not ever change, He will reward those He has justified, and He will punish those who are disobedient sinners who refuse to accept the Lord Jesus Christ, and refuse to repent!

When we have been “justified” by the Lord it does not matter if we are wrongly judged by the world.

The world thinks we are all hypocrites, anyhow!

We are not of this world just pilgrims passing through this world!

The world that rejects the ways of God cannot then judge the godly!

1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Then God shows mercy to these men rather than “judgment” at this time.

*Job 42:8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

As I said at the beginning of our lessons in the Book of Job, we see Job was considered a Priest in his day.

This is also another proof of Job’s innocence.

Here again we see that Job was told to do these things before the 613 laws were given to the Jews.

2Ch 29:21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
2Ch 29:22 So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.

That word “folly” means foolishness, but it also means wickedness.

Those who defend these three men should know that Jehovah said they were wicked!

Wicked people do wicked things, insisting they are only trying to help, just as corrupt people do corrupt things insisting that is was only for the good of our nation, and everyone to vote in our recent elections and they do not see the wrong in doing so to achieve their goal, a quest for power.

This is the same goal of the Antichrist, “power”!

These three men did exactly what the Lord told them to do, and we can be sure Elihu was watching and listening just as he had been doing all along, but was probably not near 30 years of age.

*Job 42:9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.
Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Before Job could offer up a sacrifice for these three men, he would have first had to offer up a sacrifice for himself and God had accepted that sacrifice along with this sacrifice for these three men.

Remember these three men had been inspired and used by Satan, and God put a stop to it, and again placed that hedge of protection around His child Job.

What did Solomon teach after such things?

Ecc 9:7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
Ecc 9:8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
Ecc 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

We also see that the Lord also took Satan out of the picture for the rest of the days of the life of Job!

Once Job was healed and his grief ended, we see that Job was accepted again by his friends and family who had also been influenced by Satan.

*Job 42:11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

Job had suffered for no wrong that He had done and when we suffer in this way God smiles! Why?

Because we are growing to be more like His Son.

Again we see Job as a type of Christ.

1Pe 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Job was humbled by his conversation with the Lord and he now knew much more about the ways of God.

These are the reasons that the Book of Job, and all the wisdom books are in the Bible.

This is why the Book of Job is considered a wisdom book, because we can learn the ways of our God and we are very wrong when we do not try to learn about Him.

We need to understand the way the Lord deals with sin and His children.

We say the patience of Job and Job was a great man of God, but I still do not understand why the Lord puts up with us.

I do not know how God could have sent His Son to pay for my sin and all our sin.

Notice how Job’s friends and family return, still blaming God for bringing evil upon Job, still not claiming God to be a righteous God.

They do now show the signs of true comforters.

1) They came in respect. We must show respect to our brothers and sisters in their time of need.
2) They brought food. We should bring food because many will not fix for themselves.
3) They brought money. When possible or when needed we may have to provide for their necessities.
2Co_8:14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
4) They came with the intention to comfort. We must come as comforters and not accusers!

Yes, God allowed these things, but we should be thanking God for these valuable lessons we have learned and can learn for the Book of Job.

Notice how God will always make us pay for the harm we cause our brothers and sisters.

Their comfort was not in their money nor that gold, their comfort was in remembering that they should have supported Job from the beginning and not have abandoned him.

It is God who blessed Job!

*Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

Notice how Job was now twice as rich as he had been before.

We do not know the time frame for all these things that happened to Job, but I do not think it was a long period of time.

We see that God knew exactly how many animals Job had before they had vanished.

God knows more about us than we know ourselves!

As the children of God there are some things we need to understand!

1) All our earthly troubles will sooner or later have a blessed ending.
2) Our success in this life is not what we have in the beginning but what we have at the ending.
3) Our afflictions are not penalties but for correction and sanctification.
4) At the end of this day if it ends in peace, we should be devoutly thankful and press onward till we reach that ending that sums up our lifetime upon this earth, remembering that we need to cling to our integrity as a “Born Again” child of God.
5) All true blessings come from our Heavenly Father!

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

The Lord also blessed Job again with seven sons and three daughters and this time we know their names.

*Job 42:13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.
Job 42:14 And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.

The greatest treasure that God allowed to be restored was children.

Job again had seven sons and three daughters.

Some would say why not 20 as with the animals.

Job had the knowledge that those first ten were in Heaven!

As head of the family, it was still Job’s job to try to make sure that these ten would live righteously and when Job got to Heaven and when their time on earth ended there would be twenty of Job’s children in Heaven.

Jemima a beautiful child meaning “as beautiful as the day” some also say it has the meaning of “dove”.

Jezia (Cassia) meaning, “sweet-scented”.

Psa 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

Kerenhappuch (Kehren Happook) meaning “horn of cosmetics” taken from the Hebrew words meaning “ivory” or a ray of light added to “glowing” as in “glowing eyes”.

No doubt Job’s three daughters were the fairest in all the lands in their day!

*Job 42:15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

In the day of Job it was the men who were left an inheritance and the women were expected to marry and that husband provide for his wife but Job decided to go against the grain and he equally left all ten of his children an inheritance and Job was rich, that inheritance was great.

So many say that the Bible does not treat men and women equally but we see God always treats everyone equal but he also insist in the order of the family with the man the head of the family in a Christian home led by the Lord.

There will be order in the Church the Lord the Head of the Church and that Christ called man of God to be the shepherd of the Church.

But God was not through blessing Job.

*Job 42:16 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.
Job 42:17 So Job died, being old and full of days.

Job lived to see his grandchildren, his great grandchildren, and his great-great grandchildren and Job’s life was full.

Full meaning, abounding in love and grace and peace for a hundred and forty more years.

Jas 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

The Lord Jesus was very compassionate and merciful also, but today He has patience greater than Job as that old accuser is constantly in His ear accusing those Jesus died for.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

The Lord’s patience has an ending and according to many scriptures the Lord could return at any time and redeem His children!

Amen!

Submitting To God’s Righteousness

The Submission Of Righteousness

“The Law Of Love”

Our Text:

Romans Chapter 13:1-14

As we have progressed through the Book of Romans, we began with God showing us what He considered as sin, then the wages of that sin, which is death. We next saw confession to salvation, and then a short comparison of Israel as a nation and the Church. In these last chapters of this great book, God will get real close to us, one on one, because God deals with us individually. God is a one on one God and every one of His children have a special place in His heart, somewhat like any daddy(Abba Father) would be to his children.

We have learned last week how important it is for us to demonstrate our salvation in our daily walk with God. We must dedicate ourselves to God and to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have seen that this results in “God transforming” us rather than “we conforming” ourselves to the world we live in.

A transformed life is far different from the life we led while we were lost and no matter how weak we may appear to those of this world, we know we will have “victory” in the end.

What we will see now in the Book of Romans is that apostle Paul turned the attention of the church to their relationship with the nation they lived in.

We need to learn these things also in the nations we live in.

The Bible says we should be the best citizens of our nation. We can also see that this is getting more difficult every day.

There are many that see the role of the church is to change the governments of this world.

There is a religious group we know of, that has become it’s own government. Our own nation, America, even sends an ambassador to this place.

This is not the what the Bible teaches in the New Testament nor even in the Old Testament.

This does not mean that a Christian cannot find a place government to serve, as long as they do not become servants to that government but continue to serve the Lord God Almighty.

We will one day be citizens in Heaven and we should behave as close as we can in that same way while we are here on earth.

Anything we do on this earth is temporary, but we should lead our lives as though they are eternal because they are eternal!

*****Our Text:

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

This is another section of the Bible where we may not always agree, but we must remember the truths of these scriptures are just as important as those of salvation. God would not give us information that was not true.

The Bible teaches us that God has established three institutions:

1.) God first establish the home:

Gen 2:21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

2.) God next established government:

Gen 9:5  And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.
Gen 9:6  Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Gen 9:7  And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

3.) God next establish the church:

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Those words, “every soul” mean “every believer”. Remember Paul was writing to the church, the Body of Christ. Those “higher powers” are those civil authorities that are ordained of God.

Even when the people we vote for, are not the ones that get elected, does not mean we are to be disobedient to the ones that are elected. In fact we must still pray for them for it is by the power of God they are in their position. God has a purpose for everything He does.

We may not respect those that hold office but we must respect the office itself. In other words we may not agree with our president but we must respect the office of president no matter who fills that role.

It can be said that God established government because we are sinners and have need of authority over us!

Does this mean we use our vote to try to help God. No! We are still to vote for those that we think will follow the teachings of God’s Word.

The results of our leaders, can be seen, in that the world we live in is becoming more lawless and we know lawlessness comes from sin.

1Jn 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

We know that lawlessness is the refusing to be controlled, this is a sin in the eyes of God.

What we see in our nation is a public that is unwilling to punish crime. This means that the nation we live in, has a sympathy for sin rather than to hate sin!

The victim of crime is soon forgotten!

This is one of the main reasons that law-enforcement breaks down. What we see are lawyers that exploit the technicalities of legal procedure to defeat the law. This was not the intent of the law and only brings corruption from both sides.

There are many so called lawyers who represent those that they know are guilty of heinous crimes and they will answer to God one day for this.

God has one main law in this matter.

We are to love the sinner but we are to hate the sin and sin still brings judgment!

We as a people do not have the right to cause any harm to other people!

This could not happen if our entire communities would stand up to the truth. We as the church are lax in this also.

If we follow the life of the apostle Paul we will see that Paul himself used Roman law to protect his own life on more than one occasion. God used Roman law to get Paul in position to witness to whosoever would listen in Rome itself. It was the finances of Rome paid for Paul’s missionary trip to Rome. It was the finances of Rome that provided Paul a place to live and food to eat.

I cannot imagine that happening today.

We sometimes actually teach riot and rebellion in the name of Jesus Christ. God does not teach us to be pushovers for everything that comes in our path but, God does not teach us to rebel against His Word for any reason!

When we do not obey the civil law authority then we are saying it is okay for every man to do what’s right in his own eyes.

The Bible says:

Pro 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

We live in a world that just does not hate sin. But we serve God that condemns sin. We simply do not have our priorities right.

*****Our text:

Rom 13:5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Most of us would obey the law just to avoid the punishment but we as Christians should obey the law because of our conscience.

What is conscience?

Conscience means that we have in our own self a sense of what’s right and what’s wrong!

When we were lost, our conscience mind was perverted but knowing Christ is to be renewed in our minds.

There are times when our government interferes with our conscience. When this happens we are to obey God rather than our government!

In our day we see the laws pertaining to abortion, but we should obey the Word of God.

In our day we see the law pertaining to the immoral lifestyle, but we should obey the Word of God.

But when the laws of the land we live in are right then we are to be obedient to those laws.

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:

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

1Ti 3:9  Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

What we see is that in the day we live in, the latter days, the people of this world and our nation have no conscience.

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;
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; [having their conscience seared with a hot iron;]

If your conscience has been seared with a hot iron, you will not have one!

This is the truth of the Bible and is true of the world we live in!

This does not change the fact of how we are to live as Christians.

Act 24:16  And herein do I exercise myself, [to have always a conscience void of offence toward God], [and toward men].

Those government authorities should include not only our national government but our local government including the police and the military.

There is no place in God’s Word for pacifist. It is an honor to be a soldier and a true soldier is not a killer or a murderer.

It is therefore sin to call the work of a “true” soldier evil.

Luk 3:14  And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

There are those that reject the local police but most of these are the first ones to call when something is happening on their property.

In America we find that many come in pursuit of freedoms they did not have where they lived.

But we as Americans see sometimes is that these wanting freedom insist on trying convert America to be like the nations they escaped from. How confusing is this?

It is God that has allowed the formation of the nation’s. It is God that will sometimes use one nation to police another nation!

I cannot say that this is the role of America in this world we live in.

I can say that God will use one nation sometimes to police and stop the evil of another nation!

It is God that sits in the throne!

We can therefore say that anyone that would divulge the military secrets of our nation to another nation surely go against the Word of God.

There is no such thing as a pacifist or a conscientious objector in the Word of God!

When it comes to taxes that we owe, these are included as respect for the nation we live in. If we do not pay our taxes we are also showing disrespect for the law and our government officials but more importantly to the Lord.

We might not agree with the way our government spends tax money but we go against the Word of God when we refuse to pay them. It is more important for us to be obedient to the Word of God!

The apostle Peter wrote:

1Pe 2:13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14  Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
1Pe 2:15  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
1Pe 2:17  Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

We cannot allow as Christians, for the world to think that the church is above the laws of the places we live.

In verse eight we see again the truth of the words of our Lord.

“To love one another is fulfilling the law of God”

Jesus said:

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Paul is repeating the exact words of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

When we practice this law, we have no need for any laws of man, nor any of the laws given by Moses.

If we love each other enough, we will not sin against each other nor will we sin against God!

This is exactly why we did not see the 10 Commandments often in the New Testament. In fact we do not see the Sabbath commandment mentioned at all in the New Testament.

We of the Body of Christ, do not live under any law, we do live under “grace”! It is “grace” that is our motive for obeying God!

“To owe no man nothing” does not mean that it is a sin to be in debt.

The Bible does not forbid borrowing. The Bible does not forbid financing when interest is involved.

What the Bible does forbid is charging high interest, robbing from the brethren or anyone else, and failing to pay a debt, as as that would be to steal.

Banking and investing are not wrong. It is wrong to take on a debt that you cannot repay.

Paul is teaching us matters of the heart and of conscience. These are things that no law can affect.

It is the law of love that shall rule our hearts and our minds.

*****Our Text:

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

We must always have an understanding of where we are in our lives but more importantly we must understand the timing of God. If we do not realize we are closer day by day and moment by moment to the coming of our Lord then we do not understand God’s timing.

Our life on this Earth is temporary, and it will be much more pleasant if we are obedient to the laws of the land.

There are those that believe Earth is a permanent home but we do not find that in the Word of God.

As a child of God we absolutely cannot live on this earth for ever. We must move on through the time that God has given us until we enter into eternity, for this is the promise of God!

We have already come a long way, we cannot turn back now, and why would we want to.

It is in our best interest to be found faithful when Our Lord returns.

The Bible says we need to “wake up”:

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

The Bible says we need to “clean up”:

1Jn 2:28  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1Jn 2:29  If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

The Bible says we need to “grow up”:

Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

If we continue to feed our flesh we will fail as Christians!

If we will feed the inner man, God’s new creature, we will succeed!

A Christian should be the best citizen in the nation where he lives!

We do not have to agree on politics or those in authority.

But we must have a godly attitude toward human government!

The apostle Paul uses the full title of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because we must put on all of Jesus.

1.) Jesus was His personal name:

Mat 1:21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

2.) As Christ, He is The Anointed one:

Joh 1:41  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Joh 3:34  For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

He is able to save because He is truly the Messiah sent from God.

3.) As Lord, He is over all things:

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

It is the apostle Peter that announced His full name at Pentecost.

Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

To be a true believer, then you have to put on All Of Christ:

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

He is our life:

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

All we have to do is examine our own selves. A reprobate is someone who has rejected the Lord Jesus and lost to His grace.

The only way to put on the Lord Jesus Christ is to put to death that old sin nature!

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

This should be our daily walk down that path to becoming perfect:

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

A godly love is the key to our success!

Let’s pray!

Submitting To God’s Righteousness

The Submission Of Righteousness

“The Law Of Love”

Our Text:

Romans Chapter 13:1-14

As we have progressed through the Book of Romans, we began with God showing us what He considered as sin, then the wages of that sin, which is death. We next saw confession to salvation, and then a short comparison of Israel as a nation and the Church. In these last chapters of this great book, God will get real close to us, one on one, because God deals with us individually. God is a one on one God and every one of His children have a special place in His heart, somewhat like any daddy(Abba Father) would be to his children.

We have learned last week how important it is for us to demonstrate our salvation in our daily walk with God. We must dedicate ourselves to God and to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have seen that this results in “God transforming” us rather than “we conforming” ourselves to the world we live in.

A transformed life is far different from the life we led while we were lost and no matter how weak we may appear to those of this world, we know we will have “victory” in the end.

What we will see now in the Book of Romans is that apostle Paul turned the attention of the church to their relationship with the nation they lived in.

We need to learn these things also in the nations we live in.

The Bible says we should be the best citizens of our nation. We can also see that this is getting more difficult every day.

There are many that see the role of the church is to change the governments of this world.

There is a religious group we know of, that has become it’s own government. Our own nation, America, even sends an ambassador to this place.

This is not the what the Bible teaches in the New Testament nor even in the Old Testament.

This does not mean that a Christian cannot find a place government to serve, as long as they do not become servants to that government but continue to serve the Lord God Almighty.

We will one day be citizens in Heaven and we should behave as close as we can in that same way while we are here on earth.

Anything we do on this earth is temporary, but we should lead our lives as though they are eternal because they are eternal!

*****Our Text:

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

This is another section of the Bible where we may not always agree, but we must remember the truths of these scriptures are just as important as those of salvation. God would not give us information that was not true.

The Bible teaches us that God has established three institutions:

1.) God first establish the home:

Gen 2:21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

2.) God next established government:

Gen 9:5  And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.
Gen 9:6  Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Gen 9:7  And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

3.) God next establish the church:

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Those words, “every soul” mean “every believer”. Remember Paul was writing to the church, the Body of Christ. Those “higher powers” are those civil authorities that are ordained of God.

Even when the people we vote for, are not the ones that get elected, does not mean we are to be disobedient to the ones that are elected. In fact we must still pray for them for it is by the power of God they are in their position. God has a purpose for everything He does.

We may not respect those that hold office but we must respect the office itself. In other words we may not agree with our president but we must respect the office of president no matter who fills that role.

It can be said that God established government because we are sinners and have need of authority over us!

Does this mean we use our vote to try to help God. No! We are still to vote for those that we think will follow the teachings of God’s Word.

The results of our leaders, can be seen, in that the world we live in is becoming more lawless and we know lawlessness comes from sin.

1Jn 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

We know that lawlessness is the refusing to be controlled, this is a sin in the eyes of God.

What we see in our nation is a public that is unwilling to punish crime. This means that the nation we live in, has a sympathy for sin rather than to hate sin!

The victim of crime is soon forgotten!

This is one of the main reasons that law-enforcement breaks down. What we see are lawyers that exploit the technicalities of legal procedure to defeat the law. This was not the intent of the law and only brings corruption from both sides.

There are many so called lawyers who represent those that they know are guilty of heinous crimes and they will answer to God one day for this.

God has one main law in this matter.

We are to love the sinner but we are to hate the sin and sin still brings judgment!

We as a people do not have the right to cause any harm to other people!

This could not happen if our entire communities would stand up to the truth. We as the church are lax in this also.

If we follow the life of the apostle Paul we will see that Paul himself used Roman law to protect his own life on more than one occasion. God used Roman law to get Paul in position to witness to whosoever would listen in Rome itself. It was the finances of Rome paid for Paul’s missionary trip to Rome. It was the finances of Rome that provided Paul a place to live and food to eat.

I cannot imagine that happening today.

We sometimes actually teach riot and rebellion in the name of Jesus Christ. God does not teach us to be pushovers for everything that comes in our path but, God does not teach us to rebel against His Word for any reason!

When we do not obey the civil law authority then we are saying it is okay for every man to do what’s right in his own eyes.

The Bible says:

Pro 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

We live in a world that just does not hate sin. But we serve God that condemns sin. We simply do not have our priorities right.

*****Our text:

Rom 13:5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Most of us would obey the law just to avoid the punishment but we as Christians should obey the law because of our conscience.

What is conscience?

Conscience means that we have in our own self a sense of what’s right and what’s wrong!

When we were lost, our conscience mind was perverted but knowing Christ is to be renewed in our minds.

There are times when our government interferes with our conscience. When this happens we are to obey God rather than our government!

In our day we see the laws pertaining to abortion, but we should obey the Word of God.

In our day we see the law pertaining to the immoral lifestyle, but we should obey the Word of God.

But when the laws of the land we live in are right then we are to be obedient to those laws.

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:

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

1Ti 3:9  Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

What we see is that in the day we live in, the latter days, the people of this world and our nation have no conscience.

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;
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; [having their conscience seared with a hot iron;]

If your conscience has been seared with a hot iron, you will not have one!

This is the truth of the Bible and is true of the world we live in!

This does not change the fact of how we are to live as Christians.

Act 24:16  And herein do I exercise myself, [to have always a conscience void of offence toward God], [and toward men].

Those government authorities should include not only our national government but our local government including the police and the military.

There is no place in God’s Word for pacifist. It is an honor to be a soldier and a true soldier is not a killer or a murderer.

It is therefore sin to call the work of a “true” soldier evil.

Luk 3:14  And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

There are those that reject the local police but most of these are the first ones to call when something is happening on their property.

In America we find that many come in pursuit of freedoms they did not have where they lived.

But we as Americans see sometimes is that these wanting freedom insist on trying convert America to be like the nations they escaped from. How confusing is this?

It is God that has allowed the formation of the nation’s. It is God that will sometimes use one nation to police another nation!

I cannot say that this is the role of America in this world we live in.

I can say that God will use one nation sometimes to police and stop the evil of another nation!

It is God that sits in the throne!

We can therefore say that anyone that would divulge the military secrets of our nation to another nation surely go against the Word of God.

There is no such thing as a pacifist or a conscientious objector in the Word of God!

When it comes to taxes that we owe, these are included as respect for the nation we live in. If we do not pay our taxes we are also showing disrespect for the law and our government officials but more importantly to the Lord.

We might not agree with the way our government spends tax money but we go against the Word of God when we refuse to pay them. It is more important for us to be obedient to the Word of God!

The apostle Peter wrote:

1Pe 2:13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14  Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
1Pe 2:15  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
1Pe 2:17  Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

We cannot allow as Christians, for the world to think that the church is above the laws of the places we live.

In verse eight we see again the truth of the words of our Lord.

“To love one another is fulfilling the law of God”

Jesus said:

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Paul is repeating the exact words of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

When we practice this law, we have no need for any laws of man, nor any of the laws given by Moses.

If we love each other enough, we will not sin against each other nor will we sin against God!

This is exactly why we did not see the 10 Commandments often in the New Testament. In fact we do not see the Sabbath commandment mentioned at all in the New Testament.

We of the Body of Christ, do not live under any law, we do live under “grace”! It is “grace” that is our motive for obeying God!

“To owe no man nothing” does not mean that it is a sin to be in debt.

The Bible does not forbid borrowing. The Bible does not forbid financing when interest is involved.

What the Bible does forbid is charging high interest, robbing from the brethren or anyone else, and failing to pay a debt, as as that would be to steal.

Banking and investing are not wrong. It is wrong to take on a debt that you cannot repay.

Paul is teaching us matters of the heart and of conscience. These are things that no law can affect.

It is the law of love that shall rule our hearts and our minds.

*****Our Text:

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

We must always have an understanding of where we are in our lives but more importantly we must understand the timing of God. If we do not realize we are closer day by day and moment by moment to the coming of our Lord then we do not understand God’s timing.

Our life on this Earth is temporary, and it will be much more pleasant if we are obedient to the laws of the land.

There are those that believe Earth is a permanent home but we do not find that in the Word of God.

As a child of God we absolutely cannot live on this earth for ever. We must move on through the time that God has given us until we enter into eternity, for this is the promise of God!

We have already come a long way, we cannot turn back now, and why would we want to.

It is in our best interest to be found faithful when Our Lord returns.

The Bible says we need to “wake up”:

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

The Bible says we need to “clean up”:

1Jn 2:28  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1Jn 2:29  If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

The Bible says we need to “grow up”:

Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

If we continue to feed our flesh we will fail as Christians!

If we will feed the inner man, God’s new creature, we will succeed!

A Christian should be the best citizen in the nation where he lives!

We do not have to agree on politics or those in authority.

But we must have a godly attitude toward human government!

The apostle Paul uses the full title of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because we must put on all of Jesus.

1.) Jesus was His personal name:

Mat 1:21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

2.) As Christ, He is The Anointed one:

Joh 1:41  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Joh 3:34  For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

He is able to save because He is truly the Messiah sent from God.

3.) As Lord, He is over all things:

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

It is the apostle Peter that announced His full name at Pentecost.

Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

To be a true believer, then you have to put on All Of Christ:

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

He is our life:

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

All we have to do is examine our own selves. A reprobate is someone who has rejected the Lord Jesus and lost to His grace.

The only way to put on the Lord Jesus Christ is to put to death that old sin nature!

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

This should be our daily walk down that path to becoming perfect:

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

A godly love is the key to our success!

Let’s pray!