John 4: Come Thirsty

As Jesus ends his encounter with Nicodemus, let us once again listen in to the end of this conversation as Jesus makes the following statements about which there can be no confusion. He tells Nicodemus, “ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him , the world might be saved.” Jesus then says almost bluntly to Nicodemus- “… whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Remember what Paul said in Romans 8? “ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” The trial has been held in the council of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and the verdict is read: “ This is the verdict (condemnation, KJV) Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

We see a brief mention of an argument between John the Baptist’s disciples and a certain Jew about who is baptizing the most converts, John the Baptist or Jesus. John’s disciples are fearful of everyone going to Jesus and his ministry shrinking. John the Baptist says Jesus must become greater and he must become less. And John the Baptist confirms, “ Whosoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whosever rejects the Son will not see life, for Gods’ wrath remains on him.”

Now we move from one remarkable conversation to another. This difference between these two people could not have been any further apart to the people of that time. Nicodemus was a Jewish man, a Pharisee, a religious, respected ruler. The next conversation is with a Samaritan woman, immoral, disrespected and ignorant of spiritual and religious truths.

Jesus and his disciples are headed back to Galilee. We read, “ Now he had to go ( must needs, KJV) through Samaria. He did not have to go through Samaria to get back to Galilee, and most Jews would not travel through Samaria. Just so we understand, Samaritans were despised by Jews. Samaritans were mixed breed of Jews and Assyrians, a result of the Assyrian captivity of the northern tribes in 721 B.C. They were not allowed to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem and had set up their own synagogue on Mount Gerizim. Now remember earlier in John 2, Jesus told us mother, “ my hour has not yet come.” Jesus is following His Father’s will, on His Father’s divine time schedule. His decision to take this route through Samaria we will see is in order to do his Father’s will. Jesus and his disciples have arrived at high noon. The disciples have gone into town to obtain food. Jesus is tired and resting by the well. The Samaritan woman comes to draw water at noon, an unusual time to draw water, but probably a time chosen by her to avoid the women from town.

THE CONVERSATION.

Have you ever noticed most relationships begin with a conversation? Jesus starts the conversation. He will start a conversation with what is at hand, the common denominator, the simple need for water. They both need water. This woman lacks the knowledge which Nicodemus had. Jesus is going to impart three of the most important facts every person on the face of the earth needs to know:

1. Who He ( Jesus) is.

2. What He has to offer.

3. How anyone can receive it.

Jesus is about to cast the seed, the incorruptible seed, the Word of God. We will see as Jesus tells us in the parable of the seed and the sower, the seed will land on one of four types of soil, which represent the condition of one’s heart. The four conditions are: hard heart, shallow heart, crowded heart, and prepared heart. We will see as the story and conversation unfolds, she has a shallow heart, which hears and interest springs up , but the soil will need to be prepared, deepened, plowed up.

Jesus starts the conversation with a simple request: “ Will you give me a drink?” He is respectful, putting himself in the lower position of asking her a Samaritan woman for a drink. Remember there is a deep racial barrier of hatred and animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans. She wants to begin a civil rights debate: “ you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman, how can you ask me for a drink?” It is as if she wants to bait him, to cause him to grow angry and debate these racial differences .

Jesus, however, responds using the natural to describe the supernatural, the spiritual. He tells her “ if you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”

Notice her reply- for instead of harsh words, his gentle manner of respect has created a similar change in her attitude toward him. First she had called him a “ Jew” and now she calls him, “ Sir.” The whole expression of her face has changed along with her attitude toward this unusual man. “ Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and flocks.” She is puzzled but interested.

Jesus replies: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks this water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus who created oxygen and hydrogen and combined two parts of oxygen with one part of hydrogen created water. He is using the physical truths to demonstrate spiritual truths.

So by now, she has encountered two marvels, first of all things, a Jew had asked her for a drink. Second, he claimed to have living water , which he was quite willing to give her. She replies, “ Sir give me this water, that I may not thirst again, nor have to keep coming to the well to draw water.” THIS WOMAN HAD COME THIRSTY.

Now Jesus is offering her eternal life a gift. But Jesus always has to deal with the question of sin. If we say we have not sin, the truth is not in us, and we lie. But if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jesus must put his finger on what causes our thirst which cannot be quenched. The cause of this thirst: sin.

The soil of the heart must be broken. The plow of conviction must do the work. You see, if one wants eternal life, the cause of death – sin- must be removed.

Jesus says to her, “ go call your husband.” This woman who has been most talkative up until now, offers her briefest exchange. “ I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “ You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” No lecture on sexual immorality, no verbal “ raking her over the coals”, no stern lectures or harsh words. He wanted her to know He knew her sins, and she had to admit them.

From calling Jesus a Jew, to the respectfully calling him “ Sir,” now she adds another as Jesus knew all about her, she calls him: Prophet. But now she is uncomfortable because he knows her history. She attempts to change the direction of the conversation to a religious debate. She talks about her religion. “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is Jerusalem.”

She resorts to tradition and the claim of heritage, the same as the Jews did. She goes back to ‘ our fathers.’ But Jesus takes her remark and uses ‘ the Father ‘ over against her fathers. Now in today’s environment of re-defined tolerance we are told not just to accept another’s right to believe what they want to believe, but to accept what they believe, especially in religions, as being equal. When marriage was redefined, President Obama, said we should accept the marriage of a man to a man or a woman to a woman as being as honorable as the traditional God ordained marriage between a man and a woman.

Jesus is saying in plain, clear language: all religions are not equal, nor acceptable to God. They who do not have the Son, do not have the Father. They worship in ignorance and unbelief. Jesus said you Samaritans worship what you do not know. He tells her the truth: you do not know who to worship, where to worship or how to worship. This is not hate speech. This is speaking the truth in love. The only faith God accepts is the faith which came through the Jews. Through the seed of Abraham, through tribe of Judah, of the family of David, of the city of Bethlehem. The Bible is of Jewish origin. God gave His Word through them. They were faithful to write it down and preserve it. (God chose Abraham and his offspring to be the people, the vessels through whom He would bless the world. )God the Son came to earth in a Jewish body prepared for him. God chose to send the Lamb of God through the Jewish people. This is why Jesus said, “ Salvation is of the Jews.” God’s offer of salvation is available to all who believe. To all races, to all genders, to all backgrounds. It is an all inclusive offer. God is not willing that any should perish , but all would come to repentance. But it is an exclusive offer, no one comes to the Father except by Jesus Christ.

Jesus then tells us, “ Yet a time is coming and now has come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” We must have the Spirit of God which comes at conversion in order to know the spiritual truths, for the natural man cannot understand the supernatural, the spiritual. We have the Holy Spirit in our hearts who leads us to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth which is found in God’s Word and poured into our hearts. We engraft His Word into our hearts and souls and then the Spirit of God is able to lead us into true worship.

Now the woman had received some knowledge somewhere in her teaching, she knew about the Messiah, but she did not know who he was. She says, “ I know that Messiah, called the Christ, is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Now Jesus reveals to this woman, an immoral Samaritan woman, he is the Messiah. He has told there the three most important truths she needs to know:

1. He Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the World.

2. He controls the gift of salvation, forgiveness of all sins and eternal life.

3. It hers for the asking. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10)

“ For by grace are you saved by faith and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” ( Ephesians 2: 8,9)

“Therefore , just as sin entered the world through one man( first Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…” But the GIFT is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the GIFT that came by the grace of one man , Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again the GIFT of God is not like the result of one man’s sin.” ( Romans 5)

Guess what happens next? Just at the critical moment of their conversation- an interruption as the disciples come back from town with the food. But guess what- our role is to cast the seed, break the soil, water it, but it is God who gives the increase. The Holy Spirit will not be hindered by interruptions.

Now John in his gospel draws attention to how Jesus was teaching the disciples in private moments those truths which the needed to know. This trip was not just for the Samaritan woman the well or for the citizens of Sychar who come out to hear Jesus. This trip was for His disciples also. This was Jesus’ ongoing discipleship and training program using every moment every day to teach them through example. The disciples have returned with food. They ask Jesus, aren’t you going to eat, Rabbi? Jesus said I have food to eat of which you do not know. What is that food? Did someone bring you something? Again Jesus uses the natural and physical to teach the spiritual. My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish the work. Finish the work of what was God’s plan of redemption even before He created the world. Jesus is on His Father’s time table to finish the work His hour has not yet come.

Jesus then talked about the harvest and told the men to look at the fields for they were already white, ripe for the harvest. Yet the harvest was in a place they would have never looked. And I believe even as Jesus spoke these words, they looked up and saw the crowd coming out of the city to hear Jesus because of the woman’s witness.

Revival would come to Sychar in Samaria and Jesus would stay two more days. They came because of what the woman said. But watch what happens: “ They said to the woman, “ We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” Their faith had found a resting place. It rested not on someone else’s testimony, but on the word of Jesus. Unlike the Jews who asked for a sign in order to believe. The Samaritans asked for no signs. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

Do you see the impact just one person can have on another person’s life? Remember we are salt and light. Salt not only preserves, salt makes you thirsty. Sin cannot quench your thirst. To drink alcohol in excess will dehydrate one and they awaken the next morning more thirsty than ever before. In Luke 16, in the story Jesus tells about the rich man and Lazarus, where the rich man ended up in Hades in the Place of Torment. Listen to what this rich man, who seemingly in life had everything, asked Father Abraham for: “ Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip his finger in the water and cool my tongue, because I am in torment in this place.” A place of perpetual and unquenched thirst.

This woman came not knowing:

1. Who Jesus was.

2. What He had to offer

3. How she could receive it.

Jesus said if you knew the gift of God and who controls is , you could ask Him and He would give it to you. Now repentance was required, sin had to be confessed. For after all it was sin which had left this woman so thirsty. She had come to the well that day- SHE HAD COME THIRSTY. She went away satisfied, forgiven and now knew who Jesus was, what he had to offer and how she could receive it. To receive the love of God , we must receive His Son. The GIFT that keeps on giving.

“If anyone thirsts , let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scriptures has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ( John 7) “ Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters” ..Isaiah 55:1

COME THIRSTY

John

Gospel of John; Chapter 3, Part Two: The Lamb’s Book of Life

August 23, 2017 Benny Page

John 3 Part Two: The Lamb’s Book of Life

The reference to Moses lifting up the brass serpent in the desert is recorded in Numbers 21. It is a story of rebellion and sin. This incident reveals: God’s judgment of sin by sending the fiery serpents whose bite brought death, for the wages of sin is death. It also reveals His grace and the role of faith. For by grace are you saved through faith. There is another important element which took place in this story, the people confessed their sins. They asked Moses to intercede for them and he does. God responds in grace and provides a solution and cure for the poisonous bite of the fiery serpents. God instructs Moses to make a brass serpent and put it on a pole and anyone who was bitten looked to the brass serpent and lived. This was the role of faith, as one looked in faith to the serpent to be healed, their faith in the promise of God made them whole.

Lifted up has two meanings regarding Jesus Christ. He was lifted up physically and literally on the cross at Calvary. And lifted up also means to be exalted and we read Jesus ascended up to third heaven and was exalted to the highest place of honor and glory and power. When we exalt Him with our lives, our testimony and actions, we lift Him up and draw men, women, boys and girls to Him. Jesus said he must be lifted up. We must be born again and Jesus must be lifted up, exalted. We are to continue to exalt Jesus today, even though it is becoming politically incorrect to do so, it must be done.

Now today and in every generation since the fall in the Garden we have a serpent problem. We have all been snake bit with sin, poisonous venom which leads to death unless we look to our ‘brass serpent’ the Lord Jesus Christ. Man has been trying to create his own solution to this problem since the fall. Adam and Eve tried to shift the blame and cover it themselves. Cain thought he had a better solution than God and wanted to deal with the problem his own way, which did not include the shedding of blood. God told Cain, his way was unacceptable. He also told Cain if he would do what was right, he would be accepted, but sin was crouching at his door and its desire was to have Cain. The only solution is to look to Jesus, lifted up on the cross, to save us from our sin, the poisonous bite of the serpent.

Today people still want to blame someone else for their problems. They want to cover it up. They say there is no problem, but 15 minutes of nightly news will tell us that is a lie. They want to rid themselves of guilt by redefining sin. But there is only one cure, one anti-venom, the blood of Jesus. By believing Jesus, looking to Him we will find redemption. We either live in obedience to God or in disobedience to God. Herein lies the problem with disobedience. Disobedience seems like more fun than obedience. Obedience appears more difficult, harder to do, and unpopular also. After all, disobedience represents the broad way and the wide gate which many enter in. It is a way which seems right to man, but ends in death. The way of obedience is a narrow way and a strait gate, few enter there. Why is it so hard to be good and so much fun to be bad? The fact that we have this attitude which asked this question is proof we have a sinful nature. That we have been deceived and believe the lie of the enemy, the deceiver and father of all lies.

The lie, a very subtle one, is God is withholding good things from you. That God is unfair, harsh and a “kill-joy.” Yet Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly. It is the enemy who steals and kills and destroys. The devil is the kill joy. Not surprising then, the first miracle Jesus performed was to turn water into wine, as symbol of joy. Jesus was literally the “life of the party” at the wedding in Cana. And Scripture tells us this: “The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84) To walk uprightly is to walk in obedience to God, the straight and narrow way which leads to eternal life. One of the symptoms of this deadly poison called sins, is to view God does not have your best interest in mind.

Here is what God sees and it makes Him weep. Jesus wept. Jesus cried out –‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets, how I longed to gather you as a mother hen would her chicks, but you would not. God sees what sin does. He sees the hurt in people’s lives, their pain, guilt, shame and worry. He sees the young girl who has believed the lie about sex and finds herself in an unwanted pregnancy then believes the lie of abortion and find herself guilty and ashamed. God sees the damage the lies and disobedience cause. He sees the damage of drugs, pornography, addictions, greed, oppression, violence, domestic abuse, fear, worry, anxiety and depression. He is not indifferent. He will go to the most extreme measure to cure the problem. God Himself because of His Love, will do something no one could have imagined. A love so amazing it prompted the song writer to write- ‘amazing love, how can it be, that God my Savior has died for me?

God sees the cause and the effect. And for this reason, God had a plan before the foundation of the earth, a solution to poisonous bite of the fiery serpent. Let’s break down the most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3: 16 into its 10 key words:

God
Loved
World
Gave
Son
Whosoever
Believeth
Perish
Have
Life

Now there are two other small words I want to mention briefly: for and so.

The word, for, is used by Jesus like the word, therefore, as he explains to Nicodemus why the Son of Man must be lifted up. The cross is a must be for salvation. The perfect sacrifice which takes away the sin of the world, which only Jesus Christ could achieve, for nothing can wash away our sins, but the blood of Jesus. The reason for this action is because of God’s love for the world. Paul tells us: “If God be for us, who can be against us? You will live forever with either God for you or against you. *THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT. The little two letter word, so, speaks of the extent to which God would go because of this love. You can say to someone dear to you: I love you. Or you can add: I love you so much, words cannot convey how much… You could expand this verse to say- God loved the world so much, He gave His only begotten Son. The word so means in this manner or in this way. He demonstrated His love, in this way, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He did this so (in that way) He could forgive us of our sins.

This is why Jesus said, why you worry about life, food and clothing and run after the things the pagans do. Jesus said they seek after these things, but if you being God’s own children seek first His kingdom He will give you all these things. Obedience or disobedience. Choose the way you will go.

Now let’s pair these 10 words into 5 pairs and you will see God has thought of everything, provided the whole world with a solution for our problem.

God and Son. The giver and the gift. The greatest gift ever. The gift of God to the whole world. The greatest sacrifice ever. Jesus said if you knew the gift of God and who it is who controls this gift, you could ask Him and He would give it. For everyone who asks, receives. For by grace are you saved by faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…
Loveth and gave. God is love. And love always involves giving. Love sacrifices. Love is not self-seeking. Love is not easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. You are a newborn babe with no past, only a future.
World and whosoever. The offer of salvation, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life is offered and is available to the whole world- all 7 billion of its inhabitants. The offer is universal and all inclusive. It is not only universal, it is individual. Whosoever is the blank space in the Lamb’s Book of Life reserved for you, where the Lamb Himself wants to write your name in with His blood. Once your name is written in this Book, it can never be blotted out. At the Great White Throne, the lost are those whose name was not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. They will be judged for their sins and sent into eternity because their name never was recorded in the blank space the Lamb wanted to write it, he wanted to gather you- but you would not.
Believeth and have. God extends His Hand, His arms are open wide. He stands at the top of the ladder and bids you to come up to Him. He knocks at the door of your heart. He revealed Himself to you in creation, night after night His voice went forth. Everyone everywhere understood it. Their consciences bear witness to right and wrong. He has extended His hand to you with the gift of salvation. When you reach up with the hand of faith and accept- the transfer is completed. Believe and receive, then you have it and it will never be taken from you.
Perish and life. These two words could not be more opposite. They represent the two ways. Two eternities. The broad way ends in death, which is hell, eternal separation from God. Heaven, eternal life in the presence of the Lord Jesus in a place He has prepared for us. Because He is for us.

God is not indifferent. God is not a harsh judge who takes pleasure in the death of the wicked. He is not willing that any should perish, but all would come to repentance. God is not unfair. He is love, just, holy, merciful and kind.

Let’s turn our thoughts toward a great passage of Scripture in Romans 8. It begins and ends with the greatest of news, of conditions which you can experience as a believer, one whose name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Listen how it starts: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life, set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8: 1&2)

Then there is this other wonderful passage and promise: “And we know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8: 28)

And so Paul begins a conclusion: “What then, shall we say in response to all of this: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will he not also along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring charge against us? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life and is at the right hand of God, is interceding also for us. Who will separate us from the love of God? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger of sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If you are a believer, a child of God, God is for you. He is on your side. He is not against you. He whispers in your ear or shouts above the noise of the life’s storms, Fear Not I am with you.

If God is not for you- He is against you. You should be afraid, very afraid.

Paul has brought us a logical conclusion. Since God has given up His only Son for us. Why would we expect Him to not give us what we need?

Paul has told us in this one chapter of Romans 8: there is therefore now no condemnation of those in Christ Jesus. He says we have been set free from the law of Sin and Death by the higher law, the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.

He tells us He is working all things together for good for those of us who love Him.

The enemy means it for evil, but God will use it for good.

Then Paul concludes by giving us clear logic and the assurance there is nothing, absolutely nothing in this world , seen or unseen, present or future which can separate us from the love of God.

So why am I worried and fearful? Because we doubt His promises.

“All things work for our good; though sometimes we don’t see how they could.

Struggles that break our hearts in two, sometimes blind us to the truth. Our Father know what’s best for us, His ways are not our own. So when the pathway grows dim, and you just don’t see Him, remember you are never alone.

God is too wise, to be mistaken. He is too good to be unkind. So when you can’t see His plan; when you can’t trace His hand, Trust His heart.

He sees the master plan; He holds the future in his hand. So don’t live as those who have no hope. All our hope is found in Him. We see the present clearly. He sees the first and last. And like a tapestry He is weaving you and me. To someday be like him. He alone is faithful and true. He along knows what is best for you.”

The prodigal son believed disobedience was more fun than obedience. So he was lured to the wide gate, the popular gate, and the wide way which many entered. Sin is pleasurable for a season. Wine sparkles in the cup but in the end stings like a snake. Off we go out from under the rules of our parents to do what is right in our own eyes. The enemy wants to lead you away from the destiny God has for your life.

The enemy wants to steal the wayward lamb from the Good Shepherd. He goes about like a lion seeking whom he may devour. A thief, a murderer, the father of all lies, the deceive, the destroyers.

But our True Elder Brother, the Lord Jesus, us unlike the elder brother in the parable. He left home to go to far country to find his younger brother and bring him home, like the lost lamb. God the Father and the household of heaven, rejoiced when you and I were found.

A feast is being prepared for us now, a robe has been given, the sandals of the Gospel have been put on our feet and we the ring on our finger, which represents power and authority. We are now in the Kingdom of God.

And God if for us—- who or what can be against us? Nothing Paul says emphatically and completely can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. There is therefore now no condemnation. You have been set free.

Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? If it is nothing can blot it out.

John

Gospel of John; Chapter 3 – Born of the Spirit

August 17, 2017 Benny Page 1 Comment

John 3: Born of the Spirit

At the end of John 2, we read Jesus performed many miracles at the Passover feast, and many people saw the miracles and believed in His name. But Jesus did not entrust ( commit ) himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in man’s heart. John tells us many believed in his name when they saw the miracles, the miraculous signs he did. Their faith was in the miracles he did. We will see this become the reason many followed him. Their faith was not in Jesus, it was in the miracles of Jesus.

Isaiah prophesized : “ These people honor me with their lips , but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees and added: “ you have let go of God’s commands and are holding to the traditions of men.” ( Mark 7) Samuel said, “ Men look on the outside, but God looks in the heart.”

Jesus is the God- Man. Here he exhibits the omniscience of God. He knows all men- universally. And He knew each individually. He did not commit himself to those for he knows what was in their hearts and did not commit Himself to them. Notice what Jesus said in Mark 7, you have let go of God’s command and are holding to the traditions of man. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “ you have heard it said of old” which is a reference to the teaching of their elders. The Pharisees and Scribes had written two books, the Misnah, and the Talmud. These still exist to this day. The Misnah is a book made up of sections on how to apply the Ten Commandments in every- day life. What one can do or not do on the Sabbath which would be considered work covered 24 chapters. The Talmud was a commentary on the Misnah. ( For example I have books in my library which offer commentaries on books of the Bible. One commentary I have on the book of John is over 400 pages. In the NIV, the book of John covers 46 pages, with foot notes. Without footnotes, it would probably on cover about 25- 30 pages. )

Now it is not that I do not appreciate the work of others who have studied and shared their views and interpretations. But I have but one teacher- the Holy Spirit. He helps me discern the truth. For He always testifies to the truth. It is His testimony I must believe.

We read the last verse of John 2 which says: “ …for he ( Jesus) knew what was in a man.” And it leads us to the first verse of John 3: “ Now there was a man of the Pharisees , a member of the Jewish ruling council.” Understand a Pharisee in the time of Jesus was considered to be extremely religious, zealous in keeping the law, following the minutia of the Misnah in all the rituals, diet, ceremonies, cleansing, sacrifices and keeping the Sabbath. Nicodemus was religious, rich, respected and a ruler. Jesus knew what was in the heart of Nicodemus, for he knew all men and knew what was in this man’s heart.

Nicodemus must have heard what Jesus said and saw what he did in the temple. But Nicodemus had been taught all his life, that what a man needed to please God was clear instructions and hard work to follow those instructions, keeping the law. In some ways we all have this in our hearts, that we can please God with our works, our efforts, our good deeds, and in doing so , God will accept us. Nicodemus recognized in Jesus an ability to teach in a way he had never heard before. Nicodemus was convinced Jesus was a teacher sent from God for no man could do the miraculous signs Jesus did. He knew in his heart Jesus was sent from God.

Nicodemus would seem to anybody viewing his life, to have it all. Money, respect, position, a leader and a morally good man. He is even humble enough to come to Jesus this carpenter from Nazareth. His words and actions reveal he is a man unsure of his standing with God. He has no assurance of God’s acceptance of his good works, of all his efforts to keep the commandments. Perhaps he had been to hear John the Baptists, as had many of the Pharisees. Now this man appears on the scene, this Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter from Nazareth, a “ nobody’” in the eyes of the Sanhedrin. No degrees, no pedigrees, no writings, no followers except six other nobodies, some rough neck, unlearned fishermen.

Yet…Nicodemus heard Jesus teach, saw what he did and came at night to see him. Recognized him as a superior teacher, and as a man who must have been sent by God, for no one could do what he did. Nicodemus uses the plural “we” referring to other members of the Sanhedrin who believe Jesus is somebody special. If he thought Jesus would be impressed that other members of the Sanhedrin were impressed with his teaching and therefore Jesus would respond favorably he was mistaken. Nicodemus thought he would lead the conversation. But Jesus’ reply comes directly to the point, like a sharp sword it divides the thought and intentions of Nicodemus’ heart.

Jesus replies: “ I tell you the truth, ( verily, verily, KJV- meaning this is the most important thing I can tell you) no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” A new birth is essential, absolutely necessary. The Greek word used here is interesting. The word is anothen. It literally has three meanings: to do it a second time; a new beginning; and it also mean from above. We will see all three occur. We will see we are born again a second time, spiritually. It something radical a new beginning which comes from above and as a result we are a new creation. A newborn babe, born again not of the corruptible, but the incorruptible seed, the Word of God. ( 1 Peter 1; 23)

Listen to what Nicodemus says in reply: “ how can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb.”

Notice the first word Nicodemus uses: how. How not why. Ask a teenager to do something and he/she might reply : ‘why?’ – Which speaks of rebellion, which usually is the start of an argument. Or they can answer how- which implies I will do it, show me how- teach me how to do it. After all we had to be taught how to mow the yard, do the laundry, make up our beds, etc. This is the role of parents for children. This is why God chose to identify Himself as our Father which art in heaven. The person who realizes and says with great humility- I know no good thing dwells within me is a person who is humble. The Pharisees thought highly of themselves. This is why Jesus told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who went down to the Temple to pray. This parable compared two extremes- the confident self-righteous Pharisee and the despised, humbled tax collector. The Pharisee depended on his good works, his keeping of the law. The tax collector does not plead his good works, he pleads for the mercy of God. Jesus said the tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee who exalted himself, but the man who humbled himself. Nicodemus has humbled himself to come to Jesus seeking advice and teaching. He has a teachable spirit. The seed of the incorruptible word of God is about to be planted.

Realize the impact of this conversation. It is the most important conversation ever held. It contains the most well known verse of the Bible and the most profound truth. Let’s listen in as John did that night Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews came to see Jesus. Jesus is about to answer the question of Nicodemus and the question of every doubter- How can one be born again?

Jesus answered: “ Verily, verily ( I tell you the truth) no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

Now to be in the Kingdom of God is to belong to God; to be part of His rule, His reign and His domain. Paul tells us we are transferred from the “ kingdom of darkness, ruled by the god of this world, into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” This same one John told us is the Light of the World. Out of darkness into light occurs at salvation. Jesus saw in Nicodemus’ heart a hunger and emptiness of a man who wanted so desperately to please God and be accepted by God.

What does Jesus mean when He tells Nicodemus and us, we must be born of the water and the Spirit. Does being born of the water, mean our first physical birth? I think it is obvious we must be born the first time, which is out of the water of our mother’s wombs, into the kingdom of this world. Does it mean baptism of water? No baptism of water cannot save one. None of the Old Testament Saints who are in heaven today were baptized in water. Baptism denotes death in the New Testament. But I believe Jesus is telling us there are two factors involved in the 2^nd birth, water and the Spirit. Water is a symbol of the Word of God. In John 17, Jesus prays, “ Sanctify them through the truth; thy word is truth.” In John 15, Jesus says, “ you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” I believe to be born again from above, to be cleansed of all your sins, the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God applied and believed in our heart.

Again let us go back to Genesis 1, where John began his Gospel calling Jesus the Word of God who was with God in the beginning and who was and is God . “ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and in darkness and the Spirit hovered above the face of the waters”. There it is the Spirit and water. There I was in darkness, my life without purpose, void, empty. The Spirit was hovering over me. Then came the light- God spoke and said let there be light. John the Apostle told us Jesus, the Word God became flesh and dwelt among us. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.

Now let’s go back to what John the Baptist told the delegation of priest sent from the Sanhedrin who ask who he was and why was he baptizing Jews as well as Gentiles. John the Baptist had been the phenomena of the day, drawing huge crowds. His reply to the delegation of priests would have been brought back to the Sanhedrin, perhaps Nicodemus was even with them when they went to question him, but he undoubtedly heard the report of what John the Baptist said, “ I baptize with water, but there comes after me One who will baptize you with the Spirit. This man on whom the Sprit comes down on and remains will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

John the Baptist’s baptism stood for repentance. There is no regeneration without repentance they go together. No repentance, no new birth. No new birth, no entering the kingdom of God. Cannot enter it, cannot see it, that is understand it. The Spirit of God used the Word of God to bring light into darkness in the creation account. This is exactly what occurred in my life and yours when you were born again. When we say we have been born again, we are compared to a baby, a new infant which desires the Word of God like a new infant desires milk. But also think about this- a newborn infant has no past, only a future.

When were born the first time physically, we inherited from our parents, our ancestors. We were born in the flesh. Jesus tells us, “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh…” We inherited the sinful nature. God de also made man to be inhabited by God. We were created by Him and for Him. The human spirit was designed to be inhabited by God. After the fall, when sin came into the lives of Adam and Eve, the Spirit departed. God does not intend the change the flesh, the old nature. You do not put new wine in an old wine cloth. The old nature is at war with God and the new nature, which is God in you. “ The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” ( Romans 8)

“…That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “ When you and I were born in the flesh, we entered this physical world. A world which are told is under the control of the devil. We received a physical body which allowed us to identify with the physical environment through our five natural senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. This is how we sense and understand our physical world. Notice we call these our natural senses, because they allow us to associate and identify with the natural world. We are referred to in Scripture as the natural man, also known as the old nature when we get saved. We are told in I Cor. 2, the natural man cannot comprehend, cannot understand spiritual truths, for they lack the Spirit to reveal those truths to them. When one cannot understand something , we use our natural sense of sight to describe this as ‘ not being able to see.’ In other words they are as we were before the new birth- spiritually blind.

Here is the bottom line- we are born lost. In bondage to sin, imprisoned by our old nature which cannot be redeemed. But when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, we become a new creature. Our sins are cleansed, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives to indwell us and seal us. A new life has begun.

Jesus then tells Nicodemus: “ Marvel not that I said you must be born again.” Then He proceeds to give a second illustration of the work of the Spirit as He compares it to the wind. One cannot see the Spirit, and one cannot see the wind. Nor can one tell where it comes from. Weather forecasters try to predict and forecast where the wind will blow, where a hurricane will reach land, but they do not know. The action of the Spirit on the soul of the sinner and the saint is like the wind in the natural world. As the branches of the tree are moved and reveal the movement of the unseen wind, so are the thoughts , words and deeds of a person’s life evidence of an invisible force at work in their lives. The wind can be soft and gentle in a child’s heart and mind or it can be tornado which makes one fear and seek shelter.

The Spirit had been stirring the heart and mind of Nicodemus and he knew he had to speak to this man called Jesus. As Jesus spoke to him, Nicodemus began to realize, here he was this teacher of Israel, this religious man, who had no peace.

Jesus , who is the Greatest Teacher ever, continues with this lesson of life eternal. He tells a bewildered Nicodemus: “I have spoken to you of earthy things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” We realize the natural things of earth, including birth, how nature reproduces after its own kind, how the wind, which we cannot see, blows, how the seed dies in the ground to germinate and bring new life, were all pictures of something spiritual and heavenly.

What does this mean? Jesus was talking a man who had knowledge of Scripture. Jeremiah predicted a new creation would be given; Ezekiel said God would take out your old sinful heart of stone and give you a new one. And there were many more statements about a new birth and a new life. Jesus would later tell people the Scriptures testify of me. Jesus is saying the Scriptures testify of me, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the prophets, and Nicodemus as a teacher of the do not understand these things.

Nicodemus’ problem is not what he does or does not do; nor is his problem what he knows or does not know- his problems is what and who he is . A lost man trying to keep the law to attain acceptance from God. Jesus is about to give Nicodemus and us the source of salvation. It is interesting after this encounter with Nicodemus, Jesus and his disciples will go down to Samaria, where he will tell a woman who clearly does not have the knowledge of Scripture that Nicodemus has, about the source of salvation. The conversation will revolve around water and the One who is the source of a spring of eternal water.

Here Jesus tells Nicodemus the source of salvation. “ No one has ever gone into heaven, except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

I am going to stop there for John 3: 16 deserves our full attention.

I believe Nicodemus became a believer, but not at this time. But I believe the full truth of what Jesus said came to Nicodemus when Jesus was crucified, nailed to that cross and lifted up, that it all came together for Nicodemus. We know Nicodemus would accompany Joseph of Arimathea when he asked Pilate for the body of Christ.

John

Gospel of John, Chapter 2: The Wedding

August 8, 2017 Benny Page

Gospel of John, Chapter 2: The Wedding

Let me go back and give us a refresher as to what has occurred in the Gospel of John so far. In John’s telling of what happened with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, he established a time line which can be confusing. In verses 19-27, John tells us this is the record of what happened when the delegation of Jews came to ask John the Baptist who he was.

Jesus had actually been baptized over six weeks ago by John the Baptist. We area of John the Baptist’s account of this baptism in both Matthew and Luke. We know the dove which represented the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and remained on Jesus. The dove represents the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come upon individuals, but would not remain. Again let me take you back to the Book of Genesis. In Genesis 1, the Spirit is described as hovering over the waters. Then in the story of Noah, we see Noah send out the dove from the ark. But the dove found no place to light and rest upon, but now the Spirit has alit on Jesus and remained with him. Jesus had then been led by the Spirit to be tested and tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. This is recorded in Matthew 4. John ends this account of John the Baptist’s encounter and investigation by the priests by telling us: “this all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing”. John then gives us an account day by day for the next few days which will lead us to the wedding at Cana. John tells us the day after the encounter with the priests, John the Baptist points out Jesus as the Lamb of God. (We can then assume Jesus has returned from his 40 day fast and encounter with Satan.) John and Andrew follow him. We read in John 1:43, the day after Andrew and John had spent time with him, Jesus calls Phillip to follow him. Phillip invites Nathaniel to come and meet Jesus, who Phillip now claims to be the One Moses wrote about. Their encounter leads to Jesus revealing to Nathaniel he, Jesus, is the ladder on whom he will see angels ascending and descending. The ladder Jesus referred to was the ladder Jacob had seen in a dream and the ladder reached down from heaven to earth.

(A word about angels ascending and descending: we know from the story of Job, the angels come before God to report. Therefore we can assume angels are ascending and descending between heaven and earth. We know there are angels who guard children (Matthew 18); minister to believers, (Hebrew 1:14) are assigned over nations, as we read in Daniel)

Now as we begin Chapter 2, we are told on the third day they attend a wedding in Cana. This will be Jesus’ first miracle. He has with him six disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Phillip and Nathaniel. Three words are used in the New Testament to describe what we call miracles: miracles ( dunamis/dynamite) meaning powerful, mighty works; wonders, something supernatural, which produces wonder among those who witness it; and signs, meaning there is a significance deeper meaning to these mighty works.

At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus’ first miracle is at a wedding; his last public miracle was at a funeral, the raising of Lazarus. The first miracle or sign at the wedding in Cana is connected with one of life’s gladdest moments, a new beginning. The last is connect with one of life’s saddest moments a funeral. Yet if we are the ‘bride of Christ’, Jesus tells us we will never die.

Moses’ first miracle in Egypt was to turn water into blood. The law was given by Moses. The first miracle of Jesus is to turn water into wine. Wine is associated with joy. Jesus was full of grace and truth. Jesus was fully God and fully man; never less than God, never more than man. He was completely balanced.

We also read Jesus’ mother was in attendance also. John never mentions the name Mary in his gospel. We believe the Bible is divinely inspired. Omission of the name of Mary may have been part of the divine inspiration. There were already errors taking root in the church. Perhaps one of the early ones was worship of Jesus’ mother. We know to this day, the Catholic Church reveres Mary and prays to her. She is believed to have been immaculately conceived and a perpetual virgin. She is referred to in Catholic Church as the Virgin Mary. Sometimes called the Queen Mother 0f Heaven. Prayers are said to her in hope of her influencing her son to act. Some of the error arises from the “seed of the woman” passage in Genesis 3 and Paul’s reference to the first Adam and Christ as the last Adam, thus Mary must be the last Eve.

Notice the situation in which the first miracle occurs at a wedding. Having run out of wine, the mother of Jesus says to him, “They have no wine.” Jesus rebukes her gently: “Woman, what have I to do with you? Mine hour has not yet come.” All of her life, Mary had endured suspicion due to the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. She knew who Jesus was and how he was conceived. Perhaps what Mary wanted was for Jesus to display a miracle which would prove he was who she said he was. As we read the passage we will see his miracle was not made public as the master of the banquet did not know where the wine came from. If Mary wanted Jesus to perform a public miracle to clear her of suspicious circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth, it did not happen. We must remember Jesus is our High Priest, we can approach directly. He is the One Mediator between God and man. He is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved. No one comes to the Father except by Jesus.

We believe the miracle, unknown to the attendees, was to bring joy to the wedding. After all, it was God who established the institution of marriage and family. The other reason Jesus performed this miracle was to reveal his glory to his six new disciples. They were convinced and we read –“his disciples put their faith in him.”

Now we must also notice Jesus performed his first miracle using what was available. After all God said to Moses, “what is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4) It was his staff, a stick- but God used the staff as a symbol of His divine power.

Jesus still uses what is available. There were six large water pots used for ceremonial cleansing. These water pots represented the Old Testament covenant of ceremonial cleansing. They symbolized Judaism and its rituals. They had now fulfilled their purpose. This new wine symbolized a new creation, Christianity. Not a ritual or a religion, but a relationship which was full of joy, unspeakable, rich and full of glory.

It was also the beginning of signs designed to display the glory of Lord convincing the disciples to place their faith and truth in Him.

The water pots were filled with water to the brim. Jesus then told them to draw some out and take it to the master of the wedding banquet. Obviously, this required a step of faith by the servants. But also there is a picture here of our lives as Christians. Paul refers to us earthen vessels, clay jars or water pots just like these.

We are commanded in Ephesians 5: “Be NOT drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” We are those water pots. As we are filled with the water, the Word of God, we are to ladle it out to those who thirst for righteousness. As I often say, “my duty is not to fill your cup, but empty mine.” We will read in John 4, of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus tells the woman if you knew who it was who asked you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would give you living water.” The Holy Spirit wants to fill you with the Word of God so that you might ladle it out.

Do you see what we need? We need a nation of John the Baptist who creates thirst for righteousness for someone they can trust to bring meaning and fulfillment in their lives. Where are these 21^st century John the Baptists? People need to hear the Good News. The nation of Israel, God’s chosen people had been in a 400 year spiritual drought. John’s preaching was preparatory to the coming of Jesus. It struck a spiritual chord and renewed an interest in the Messiah who would make their nation great again. Has not our nation, America, entered into a spiritual drought?

There is only one Holy Nation; it is the Church the Bride of Christ. It appears to me, we have run out of wine – the honeymoon our country, America, enjoyed with the Lord Jesus in its early days has been replaced by a nation where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. We have desecrated the very sacred institution of marriage and family the Lord created. It is much like it was in the days of Noah, when man though of evil 24-7. Our cities have turned into the Sodom and Gomorrah as it was in the days of Lot. Jesus said in Matthew 24 we were to learn from the fig tree. “ Now learn from the parable of the fig tree; when the branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh. So likewise when you see all these things, know that is near, even at the door. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, until all these thing are fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”(Matthew 24)

Where are we today as the church, the bride of Christ? Are we like the church at Laodicea? It was a wealthy church in a wealthy city. Their diagnosis: lukewarm. How does something get lukewarm? It gets away from the source which made it hot. It takes on the temperature of its surrounding environment. Your hot coffee left to sit on the counter, becomes room temperature, lukewarm. Not fit to drink. Were it hot or iced coffee it would be fit to drink. Lukewarm is a combination of apathy and neglect. Remember what the couple said on the road to Emmaus when the resurrected Lord revealed himself and then vanished? “Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

JESUS CLEARS THE TEMPLE

If they had a local paper, this would have been the headline: Jesus clears the temple. We read in verse 13, as John is recalling things chronologically; the Jewish Passover is at hand. We know the Passover is a feast celebrated even to this day as a commemoration of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. It was celebrated on the 14^th day of Nisan (March/April). Jews from all over the Roman Empire came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. This was a national feast which lasted a week.

On Passover Eve, the head of each household cleansed the house and made sure to gather all the leaven in the house and remove it. Yet no one thought of cleansing the House of God. Jesus will take on the role as the head of the household to cleanse the Temple of leaven, which is a symbol of sin. Leaven puffs up dough. Pride, a sin God hates, puffs one up. He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

This will be the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. It starts in Jerusalem, in the temple. He is making himself known through these “sign” he is the Messiah. But he will be rejected by the leaders of the Jewish faith. He came unto His own, but they received Him not. (John 1)

Now remember, the last Old Testament prophet Malachi tells us: “See I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, a launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites.”

Gina and I were in Marrakesh Morocco several years ago on business. We shopped in the ‘souks’ which were like kiosks. The area was crowded, dirty, and noisy with all of the haggling and bartering over prices and goods. We purchased a rug there in an event which we still recall to this day, which took about 3 hours to get the price we wanted.

I believe those souks, those crowded open stalls were much like what Jesus encountered when he came into the temple this first Passover of his ministry. Here was supposedly a sacred structure being desecrated and turned into a market place. Today religion is a big business. The courtyard of the temple was where all of the business traffic was centered. There were at the time of Jesus, four courts. These courts were: the court of the Gentiles, the court of women, the court of Israel and the court of the priests. These had become places of business, the “souks’ the stalls and tables of the merchants. Much like the flea market.

Oxen, sheep, and doves and other creatures generally used for sacrifices were sold here. There was a cattle market adjacent to the altars for convenience. All sacrifices had to be of approved animals. The temple even had their own flock of sheep in which the purchaser of these were guaranteed acceptance as having no flaw.

All the pilgrims come for the celebration had to pay an annual temple tax. Common currency could not be accepted, it had to exchanged for temple currency. This currency exchange was a profitable business and the temple received a percentage of all monies.

They had turned Passover into a profitable season of selling and exchanging and bartering. The Feast had brought great crowds into Jerusalem. It was a busy time for all types of businesses. The Passover Celebration had become to them what Christmas has become to merchants today.

The Lord’s heart was moved at the sight of all this business traffic in His Father’s House, a House of Prayer. He fashions a scourge of cords for driving out the oxen and begins to overturn tables and drives them out single handed. The disciples must be frightened at his actions. Jesus has taken on the “establishment”. He has put himself in direct opposition of the Sanhedrin and their members. He has put them on notice. He has proclaimed Himself the Son of the Father, the Son of God.

His disciples would later recall the words of Psalm 69 which says of the Messiah: “Zeal for your House has consumed me.”

The Jewish Authorities were not long in reacting. They wanted to know by what authority Jesus had done this. They asked for a miraculous sign. Paul would later say, the Jews demanded a sign. We will see later in this chapter how there are those who came to Jesus because of his miracles, his signs.

Jesus said here is your sign: “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up.” John looking back at this statement writes, he had spoken of his body. And of course we know when we get saved, the Holy Spirit enters into our lives and our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit. For as early as Exodus 4, we learn wherever God is – is holy ground. Even if it is a burning bush in the desert.

Next week we will listen to one of the most well known conversations in history. Nicodemus and the Lord Jesus in a one-on-one conversation. So my invitation to you is like the invitation of Jesus- “come and see” what it was all about. For it contains truths you want to know.

John

The Gospel of John, Chapter 1: Who Do You Think You Are?

August 1, 2017 Benny Page

The Gospel of John, Chapter 1: Who Do You Think You Are?

Before we begin, let me share with you the reason, the purpose John wrote this Gospel. He is an old man, the last surviving of the original 12 disciples who spent 3 ½ years with Jesus in his earthly ministry. He had survived exile on Patmos and was living in Ephesus, where he writes about those years with Jesus. He tells us toward the end of his gospel why he wrote it: “ But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

Chapters 1-12 are about the Lord’s public ministry, his miracles, or “signs” as John often called them. In hindsight, looking back in the mirror of time, John is able to see what those miracles represented.

In chapters 13-21 John allows us alike no other gospel to see behind the public scenes to see the private ministry of Jesus with his disciples to prepare them for service after He has returned to heaven and the Spirit has come. This is a very special section for us believers.

It is a book which is filled with metaphors which allow us to visualize the attributes of the Lord: the Lamb of God who takes away sin, the door, the sheep gate, the good shepherd, the ladder, the bread of life and many more which help paint a word picture of the Lord. John is giving us word pictures with captions which allow us to visualize the Lord Jesus. He is God with us, Immanuel. God in Flesh. God in man. God as man.

From the very beginning of creation, God revealed His desire to dwell with His people. “But will God indeed dwell on earth?” asked King Solomon at the dedication of the temple in I Kings 8:27. We know the glory of God filled the tabernacle in the wilderness in Exodus 40. And on the day the temple Solomon built, God’s glory filled the temple. God’s presence was revealed in His glory with a cloud which filled the tabernacle and the temple. But then His Glory departed we read in Ezek 9-11, as God’s glory departed from the disobedient children of Israel. John tells us in his Gospel; the Glory has returned in the One and Only begotten Son, God the Son, the Son of God. He witnessed it as did others when Glory came down to earth in the incarnation. God became flesh.

THE WORD

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. “ Jesus Christ is the Eternal Word. Eternal not only means a future without end, it means also a past with no beginning. He has always existed, no beginning, no end. Always has been, always will be. Go back to the beginning in Genesis 1, and what does it say: “In the beginning God… Do you see that? God was already there in the beginning, because He always has been.

Now let’s take this profound statement and realize what John is telling us when he calls Jesus, the Son of God, the Word. Words are used to reveal to others our hearts and minds. God gave to man the gift of language. When you fall in love you express that love in words spoken and written which reveal your heart. Jesus Christ is God’s Word to reveal God’s heart and mind to us. He uses words. Words are composed of the letters of the alphabet. We are told Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega- this is the first and last letters of the alphabet.

In Hebrews 1, we read: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being…” Jesus is God’s last word to us. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was God in flesh. God with us, Immanuel. He clothed his glory in flesh. But Jesus Christ, The Word, is God. When Phillip asks Jesus to show him God the Father, Jesus said, Phillip have I been with you this long, and you do not realize God the Father and I are one ‘ if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.’ Now do you understand Jesus’ invitation to you: Come and see. Come and see Jesus is who He says He is.

Jesus Christ is not a created being. He is eternal God who put on flesh, born of a virgin with a sinless nature. The Word became flesh by the miracle of the virgin birth foretold centuries before in Isaiah 7; 14.

Jesus told the Pharisees before Abraham was, I am. He is the eternal Word which spoke the creation into existence. He is the Creative Word. He spoke and creation came into being. Paul tells us in Colossians 1- Jesus is the overall creation. “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

He is the Incarnate Word. Not a spirit, but flesh and blood body which many touched. He was God in flesh and now He is in a glorified body. John lets us see his humanity: Jesus was weary; he was thirsty, hungry, wept, groaned, bled and died. After his resurrection He proved to Thomas and the disciples he had a body; although now a glorified body. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus came to reveal God to us. To reveal God’s glory to us. To reveal God’s love for us. The Glory of the Old Covenant was a fading glory as the glory faded from Moses face. The religious Jews of Jesus’ day were blinded to the truth. Satan had veiled their mind. The veil is removed when one turns to Christ. The law could reveal sin, but it could never remove sin. But the glory of the new covenant in Christ is one of an increasing glory we read about in 2 Cor. 3.

THE LIGHT

Light is a theme which runs through the Gospel of John. Light is one of the essentials for life: light, air, water and food. Jesus is the Light of the World. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. He is the one who began life; he breathed life into the nostrils of Adam. He is the source of life. He is the Water of life. He is the Bread of Life. He is light, life, water and food. He is everything we need.

Light and darkness are recurring themes in John’s gospel. God is light. Satan is the power of darkness. People either live in the light of God or in spiritual darkness. Those who live in spiritual darkness love the darkness and their love of this darkness controls their actions. We who are believers are called the lights of the world. We are spiritual lights, lamps in a world of spiritual darkness. We are like streetlights in the night.

Now watch what God had done to prepare men to receive the light. John tells us there came a man who was sent from God: his name was John (John the Baptist) He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. John the Baptist was a witness sent by God to testify. He came to bear witness of the Light. A witness is not an attorney; they are called solely to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. John the apostle tells us John the Baptist was not the light; he came just as a witness to the light. Here is an eternal truth: The true light who is Jesus Christ, God with us clothed in flesh gives light to every man was coming into the world. Did you see that? EVERY MAN- EVERY PERSON. God has revealed Himself to everyone through the light of his creation.

John the Baptist had come like a herald proclaiming the Light has come into the world. The nation of Israel had been given many spiritual advantages from God. God had revealed his Word through them and from the very beginning God’s covenant with Abraham when God told Abraham he would make a great nation from Abraham’s offspring and God would bless them and all the people of the earth would be blessed through them. They were given the prophecies concerning the Messiah; they had been given the sacrificial system, the Law of Moses and the Prophets. But they missed it. How did they miss it?

They were blinded to their own Messiah in spite of all the signs Jesus would perform to show them who he was. Why did so many of them reject him? We are told Jesus came unto his own, but they did not recognize him. There is a key here in this description of Jesus as the light of the world. He is described as “the true light.”

The true light is the original light. They had with all of their rituals and ceremonies and man-made laws and self righteous – become content with their copies of the true light. Which is what all the sacrifices and holy days were a symbol of.

They had the temple, Moses and the law, the sacrifices and were content with those. And for their religious leaders, it was their source of power, prestige and wealth and they were satisfied with their exalted positions and did not want them changed. Jesus tells us exactly what the problem is: “This is the verdict, light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3; 19)

Now John let us know Jesus came to his own, the Jews, but they did not recognize him. He was not what they expected. He was not important, rich, powerful, king-like or from a well known family. He was a nobody. A carpenter’s son from Nazareth. He could not be their Messiah, their King. He was the most unlikely candidate. He was judged by his outward appearance and a resume which spoke of mediocrity. He could not be their warrior king like David and overthrow the Roman Empire who was over them. The word, Messiah, means anointed one. To them the Messiah would be an anointed person with oil. A king, a priest, a prophet. We will see Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit.

The Jews were looking for a messenger, someone like a Moses who would confront the Roman Empire and bring them to their knees. The Jews were looking for a king who would make Israel and Jerusalem great again. Jesus had to come first as a Redeemer, before He comes the 2^nd time as a Ruler.

But John makes it clear, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and they had seen the glory. They had seen the light- the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father full of grace and truth.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Now the attention shifts for a moment to this important character who had but a brief time on the stage of history, John the Baptist. He had a phenomenal ministry for a short time. He was attracting large crowds coming out to hear his preaching and calling for repentance to prepare for the coming of the Lord. The Pharisees, the religious leaders came out to question him, who he is… which really to me means they were saying ‘ who do you think you are?’ John is baptizing Jews as well as Gentiles for repentance. This delegation of Pharisees are there to see if he is a threat to them. John has created fervor, a revival of sorts and a renewed interest in the coming of the Messiah. His preaching was powerful and the leaders of the temple could not ignore him. Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah? Are you a prophet? Then who are you they asked after he replies no to each question. John the Baptist tells them, “I am the voice of one in the wilderness calling in the desert. Make straight the way for the Lord. John the Baptist then tells them there is one coming after him whose sandals he is not worthy to untie.

The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming and said, “Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John the Baptizer is given the high honor of baptizing the Lord Jesus Christ. It memorialized as we are told in the Gospels by the Spirit coming down on from heaven on Jesus in the form of a dove. We also read in the Gospels John heard a voice from heaven say “this is my son in whom I am well pleased.” There is the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The great question of the Old Testament was voiced by Isaac on Mount Moriah, “Where is the Lamb?” (Genesis 22:7) And Abraham answered, “God will provide Himself a lamb.” The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was there in the Jordan River.

John was baptizing a baptism of repentance. The immersion in the water was a symbolical cleansing sins. But what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 10 tells us the blood of bulls, and goats could never take away sin. Not the ordinary blood of a lamb, but the precious blood of the Lamb of God, which Himself provided. Jesus was not baptized for sins, for he had no sins. It was a foreshadowing of his death, burial and resurrection.

The next day John the Baptist points out Jesus to his two young disciples, John and Andrew and tells them: “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

What takes place next is a conversation and interaction which would change their lives forever. Turning around Jesus asked them, “What are you seeking?” Is this not the question of life? What are you seeking in life? Where are you looking? What have you found? How is working for you?

ANDREW’S ANSWER

When Jesus asked the two young men what they are seeking, Andrew answers- “Where do you live?” Was he too overcome to ask a more in-depth question? Perhaps startled by Jesus’ turning around and inquiring what they were looking for- or maybe it was a natural question. After all when we meet someone new, we ask “where are you from?” We ask, especially men, some standard questions: what do you do- meaning what kind of work do you do. This allows us to know what their income level is, their education and background. We are forming an opinion of where this person is on the economic, social status and are they level with us, below us or above us.

We just talked about judging last week. Yet we judge by outward appearance, and by: where one lives, their physical appearance, their speech, their education level, economic status. Is this not what happened with Jesus? And his disciples? After all the privilege of birth opens doors. The sons and daughters of the rich, famous, and powerful have doors opened for them and opportunities others do not. Remember what Paul wrote: “The Jews look for signs, the Greeks looked for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.

Jesus’ answer to Andrew and John is His invitation to all: “Come and see”.

So begins their journey which will travel with them in the Gospel of John. We will put on their sandals and walk with them through the next three and ½ years and we will see Jesus up close and personal. His public ministry and his private ministry. We will hear from Jesus his plans for us, his prayers for us and his love for us.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 13: BLESSED ASSURANCE

July 27, 2017 Benny Page 1 Comment

2 Corinthians 13: BLESSED ASSURANCE

“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine; Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God; Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.” (Blessed Assurance, Fanny Crosby)

Do you have assurance? “ Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith; tests yourselves.” Paul asks in closing his letter to the believers in the Corinth church to examine themselves to see if they are ‘in the faith.’ Today we end our study in these two letters of Paul’s to the church in Corinth, which is as applicable today to the church and believers as it was when Paul wrote it centuries before. How can that be? That something written long ago can be so applicable 20 centuries later? It is because the truth and truths of the Bible last forever. Man does not really change, new inventions, trends, and fads, cultural changes are nothing new, and they just use new technology to commit the same old sins. Same old lies dressed in the political correctness of tolerance.

Today, the politically correct word is tolerance. One of the scriptures used most often by those who disagree with Biblical truths is: “Judge not that you be not judged.” As if this verse taken out of context from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount gives one a free pass to live anyway they want to live. That truth is relative and their truth is as good as your truth. “What gives you the right to judge”, the unbelieving world asks the believer who disagrees with them on what is right and wrong.

I like what Francis Beckwith, Christian Author, said after sharing at an open meeting on media’s responsibility for broadcasting of programs that contain sex, violence and obscenity and the impact it had on society. In other words, Beckwith was calling upon the media to judge itself. A distressed young woman in the audience asked him the question: “Who are you to judge?” This is what our culture has come to believe of Christians and those who oppose or disagree with their lifestyle, actions, beliefs and words.

Beckwith answered her: “I certainly do have a right to make moral judgements. I am a rational human being who is aware of certain fundamental principles of logical and moral reasoning. I think I’m qualified. Your claim that I have no right to make judgments is itself a judgement about me. Your claim, therefore, is self-refuting.” (“ Relativism, pg. 12, Beckwith & Koukl, Baker Publishing.)

Now if you read the whole Sermon on the Mount, you will see in the preceding chapter, Matthew 6, Jesus talks about the hypocrites, the Pharisees. Jesus is implying we are not to be hypocritical judges, for God will judge us by the same standards. These self-righteous Pharisees had a beam in their eyes while attacking and judging another with a speck in their eyes. Jesus says rid yourself of the beam first than help your brother remove the speck. In the same passage, Jesus tells us not to give to dogs what is sacred or cast our pearls before swine. Jesus tells us watch out for false prophets, and the only way to know a false prophet is to know the absolute truth by which we are to judge. He tells us to judge another professed believer by their fruit. We are also told not to judge others by outward appearance. So Jesus did not tell us not to judge or examine. He gave us specific do’s and don’ts. In Matthew 18 Jesus further instructs us how to deal with sin in the church.

So Paul is simply asking them to do what they have been doing to him. They have been examining him to see if he was who he said he was. Now Paul says they should examine themselves to see if they are in Jesus Christ. Are they really and truly saved? What does real faith look like?

COUNTERFEITS.

There used to be a television game show called, To Tell the Truth, where 3 people would all claim to be the same person. This person had done something remarkable. The panel was read a brief biography of this person and their accomplishment and then the panel questioned the persons to see which one was telling the truth and which of the other two were imposters, counterfeits.

Paul challenges us to do the same. So let me first like the television show share with you the elements of a true believer, a Christian who possesses genuine, real faith.

Here is our defining description of real faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11: 1) This description tells us faith is in the present tense. “Now faith is.” It further tells us faith exists in the area of the unknown, unrealized hope and unseen, uncertain future. The enemy of faith is doubt. Doubt creates worry, anxiety and fear. These question the object of your faith. It is not your faith which is of most importance. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. The most important thing is the object of your faith. What or who is your faith in? Paul said examine and see if realize without any doubt Jesus Christ is in you and you have placed your faith in Him. “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Paul tells us the Holy Spirit testifies we are in Christ and He is in us. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16)

Peter tells us we desired the Word of God like a newborn babe desires milk. 1 Peter 2. Do you desire the Word of God? The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to grow your faith. It is the source of faith- “now faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” And who is the Word? Jesus is the Word of God. He is the way, the truth and the life.

Paul tells us we are new creatures and old things have passed away and are passing away. Sin no longer controls you. You have been changed and are changing. This is the progressive work of sanctification, carried out by the Holy Spirit using the Word of God to make us like the Son of God. Have you been changed from the inside- out? Do you have a new perspective of life? New Morals? A New Master? A new mandate?

John wrote: “And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how WE KNOW THAT HE LIVES IN US: WE KNOW IT BY THE SPIRIT HE GAVE US.” (I John 3: 23, 24)

Real faith is simple faith. Children can believe it. It is not complicated. “John 3: 16 is as simple as verse as there is. We all know it. In Romans 10 Paul tells us exactly what we must believe and confess: “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with the heart you believe and with your mouth you confess and are saved.”

The Gospel we believe is simple and has three elements. “ For what I received ( the Gospel) I passed on to you as of FIRST IMPORTANCE: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures and then He appeared to Peter and the twelve. After that He appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time.” (I Cor. 15) The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. Notice how all inclusive it is: it is for everyone who believes. It is also exclusive- Jesus made this claim: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me. It is the narrow gate and the straight way, unfortunately few enter in.

God has done everything. His Grace has provided what we need, all we need. “For by Grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared, ( ordained) in advance for us to do- to walk in.” (Ephesians 2” 8-10)

Are you involved in the work God has prepared for you to do? Are you bearing fruit?

Real faith trusts God, not self. Proverbs 3 says trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all your ways and He shall direct your path.”

Examine yourself continuously. Question your motives, your decisions and actions. Grade according to the key- the absolute truth of God’s Word.

Now Paul’s goal was not for you to doubt your salvation. But to examine it. To see if your actions and all the areas of your life were in accordance with the Word of God. Are you walking in the Spirit with your eyes on things above? Or are you walking the world with your eyes on the things of the world? It is a balancing act and the Lord knows how to keep us in balance. The Holy Spirit is like our GPS which tells us which way to turn and when we turn the wrong way, He warns us to re-route- to turn around and get back on the straight and narrow way.

Will we become sinless? No. But we should sin less; we should be experiencing victories over sin. We are in pursuit of holiness. We are in training. We should be making progress. It takes time. We see this in the stories God has chosen to share with us in His Word. Abraham made wrong turns, as did Adam and Eve and remember who their Father was, and where and how they lived.

David was the apple of God’s eye, and yet David committed some horrific sins. All through the Bible God allows us to see how He works in the lives of those who place their trust in Him. They were imperfect, flawed people, marred by sin. This is why God sent Jeremiah down to the potter’s shed to see how God takes our lives in these earthen clay vessels and re-shapes them. How He will put us in the refiner’s fire to burn off the dross. Peter says these fiery trials have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-, may be proved genuine and my result in praise glory and honor- when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (I Peter 1)

“Blessed assurance Jesus is mine; Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God. Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest. I’m in my Savior happy and blest.

Watching and waiting, looking above. Filled with His glory. Filled with His Love. “

Perhaps you are out of fellowship with the Lord. It might be sin in your life, of which you need to repent, and remember repentance means a change of mind which results in a change of direction.

Maybe you have disappointed yourself and the Lord with some of your actions. Peter certainly knows what it is to disappoint the One he loved so much. Peter had denied he knew the Lord three times on the night the Lord Jesus was arrested.

The last chapter of the Gospel of John, chapter 21 is about Peter’s restoration and reconciliation. Peter needed to know, just as you need to know you can start over again.

Restoration begins with repentance. Repentance is not remorse. We have two parallel stories of remorse and repentance with Judas and Peter who both betrayed the Lord Jesus. Remorse is sorrow for your sin. Repentance is a desire to change, to turn around. The enemy wants to destroy you as surely as he destroyed Judas.

Restoration begins with repentance which provides reconciliation with the one whom you have wrong. Making amends with the one you have hurt and disappointed.

The start of the earthly journey the disciples experienced began with a simple reply to Andrew and John’s following Him the day John the Baptist pointed out Jesus and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. They followed Jesus. Let those three words sink in. He asked them, what are you seeking? This is the question of life isn’t it? Andrew asked, “Where do you live?” Jesus invites them and us on a journey with the same invitation: “Come and see.”

Follow me and I will make out of you, what I created you to be. There in this relationship with the One who created you- you will find your purpose for life. All things were created by Him and for Him and they are all sustained by Him.

Purpose is to life what the skeleton is to one’s body. It is the foundational support. Without is your life falls apart.

The Word of God is alive and powerful. It is life giving, life changing and life sustaining. We know life is in the blood. And the Blood of Christ runs through this Holy Book like a scarlet thread. This why the Word of God is alive- the Blood of Christ brings life to this book and it is why it never grows old or fades. It is the bread of life for all who hunger; it is an eternal spring for all who thirsts. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Jesus knew who He was He came to reveal who we are.

He wants you to know- that you know, that you know- you are His and He is yours.

The enemy wants to cause the believer to doubt for this renders one ineffective.

Jesus longs to gather you as a mother hen would her chicks. What are you waiting for- run to His open arms like the prodigal did to his waiting father, who ran to him. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

Experience the Blessed Assurance!

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12: The Crown of Thorns

July 20, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 12: The Crown of Thorns

Paul reveals something which happened to him 14 years before when he was caught up into heaven. What is amazing, is Paul had never told anyone about this. Today we have books written and movies made about people who supposedly died and went to heaven and returned. Paul had not spoken of this for fourteen years.

Now Paul describes this occurrence and speaks of himself in the third person, which rabbis often did. He says he went up to the third heaven, which he calls paradise. We know when Jesus ascended we are told he passed through the heavens. The first heaven is the canopy, the atmosphere we live in where the sun shines and storms occur, but all the conditions we require for life are provided. The second heaven is beyond this atmosphere into what we call outer space, where the stars and planets exist. Man has explored a part of this and even walked on the moon. This second heaven is so vast, we do not know where it ends or if it ends, but beyond this is the third heaven, paradise. Here God lives and Jesus in a resurrected body is seated above all authority , power and dominion, and every title that can be given , not only in this present age, but also in the one to come.

Paul was caught up to there and heard inexpressible things that man is not permitted to tell. Then something unexpected happens: Paul was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him from becoming conceited, prideful because of the surpassing revelations he had seen and heard. The thorn in the flesh was given Paul, an affliction which caused him to suffer. Paul says this thorn, this affliction was given to him by Satan to torment him, buffet him. Thorns speak of pain.

One of the great mysteries of all times is evil and why God allowed it to come. God allowed evil to enter the world as a result of sin. Having made man in His own image, man had the freedom to choose, to decide. God told Cain when Cain was upset and angry because his offering was not accepted that sin was crouching at his door. Cain had to master sin or sin would master him, God told him.

The combination here is baffling: paradise and pain; suffering and glory. But they belong together and God’s story from the beginning has plainly told us this truth and shown it repeatedly in the stories of mankind. We even read about this in 2 Corinthians 8, where Paul talks about the grace God had given the church in Macedonia. Paul then describes the work of God’s grace in that church: “ Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” Did you get that? Their overflowing joy came out of the most severe trial. Their rich generosity came out of their extreme poverty.

The secret of knowing God’s complete sufficiency and extreme grace is in coming to the end of self. Once we reach the point we will stop seeking sympathy for our difficult situation or ill treatment, because we will recognize these things as necessary conditions for blessings.

How do you respond to the storms, the sickness, and the “thorns” in your life? Do you get bitter and blame God? Do you endure it in your own strength, until you are completely drained? Do you grow angry with God when He does not heal you from your sickness? Paul is allowed to go up to heaven, either in his body or in a vision, he was not sure. But it was the most amazing experience he had ever had. What great heights he was lifted to- the things he heard and saw. And then back to earth he was given an affliction, a thorn. Paul pleaded with the Lord three times, he begged him to remove this painful affliction from his life.

I think of Jacob whose life had never been the same after his sons returned home with his bloodied robe of many colors to report Joseph and been attacked and killed by a wild animal. We know they concocted this story while selling their 17 year old brother into slavery. Jacob was never the same after that day. He had lost his Rachel, the love of his life. His sons for the most part were a disappointment to him. Then comes a severe famine which sends his sons to Egypt to find grain or face starvation. We know the story of how their brother Joseph, is unrecognized by them. He accuses them of being spies and hides their money back in their sacks of grain. Joseph keeps Simeon captive until they return with their youngest brother, Benjamin. When told of all this, Jacob proclaims with great sadness and grief: “ Everything is against me!” We know how the story ends. And Joseph and this story gives us great insight into how God uses evil and controls evil. Joseph said, “ But as for you, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is to this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50) Interesting observation, when Jacob thought everything was against him was actually when God was doing everything for him. If God is for us, who or what can be against us?

The story of Job allows us to see in to the third heaven how God controls evil and uses it for his glory. We realize Job was never given an explanation for why this happened. But we are not to live by explanations but by God’s promises. Paul writes in Romans 8: 28: “ And we know that all things works together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Sometimes we cannot see or understand how some of these painful things can benefit us. In fact, Paul pleaded three times for this thorn to be removed.

2 Corinthians 12: 9a is the turning point: “ But then He( Lord Jesus) said unto me…” Do you know what the Lord Jesus has said unto you? Do you know what He has promised you? I believe this insight Paul is about to receive was a turning point in his ministry. Paul could then with confidence write from a prison in chains, “ Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” ( Phil. 1)

God uses pressure to generate spiritual power, the same way a turbine uses the friction of the gears to generated electricity. Wheels within wheels working to create power. Opposite forces also keep us in balance, just like opposing forces keep our earth in orbit. God uses adversity to strengthen, purify and grow our faith.

Paul wanted the thorn, the affliction removed. The use of the word ‘pleaded’ tells us Paul was imploring, urging, and even begging for relief. It is encouraging to me to know Paul wanted the affliction removed, and even greater encouragement is my High Priest, the Lord Jesus who can empathize with our situations for He, too pleaded in the garden three times with His Father for the cup could be taken from Him. Could they find another way to accomplish His will? Could they find an alternative method, a substitute. So I can ask for the problem to be removed, the pain to go away, to be healed from the sickness. But in the end I must want God’s will , not mine. God is not going to remove Paul’s thorn, He is instead going to use it to transform Paul until Paul sees the thorn as a gift from God. It was not meant for evil, but for good, for the saving of many lives.

THE END OF SELF.

Ever come to the end of self- the end of trying to do something which you cannot in your own strength do? We sing , “ I surrender all- all to Jesus , I surrender.” Surrender means you give up completely. Surrender is more than commitment, commitment is often a function of self will .

I fought a battle with alcohol for 14 years. Completely defeated and no longer deceived that I could quit drinking I decided to end my life rather than go on living that way. On September 16, 1977 I straddled the rail of a balcony on the 10^th floor fully intending to end my life. I had come to an end which the enemy who had deceived wanted me to come to. Death is the wages of sin and separation from life. I pushed back from that rail and fell on my knees and ask the Lord Jesus to save me. I was an alcoholic and ironically, the AMA has recognized alcoholism as a disease. To which I would add , as is all sin, a disease. It is the disease of mankind. It ends in death. On that day, almost 40 years ago, I came to end of self. And looking back the end of self was the beginning of a new life. For Jacob it appeared everything was against him, and it all added up to the cumulative effect, that nothing good could come out of this. He was completely broken. I was broken that September morning in 1977. Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.

To admit one is powerless opens the door for an amazing truth Paul is about to have revealed to him. Jesse Ventura, former Navy seal, former professional wrestler and former governor of Minnesota was once asked in an interview what was his view of Christianity. To which he replied, “ Christianity is a crutch for the weak.” He did not realize how close he was to the secret we are about to learn about weakness.

The Lord’s answer to Paul is the answer to us in our time of despair in troubling circumstances. For as surely as the Lord said unto Paul, He is saying unto you in even your darkest hours. He has promised you and me, He would never place more on us than we can bear, but will make a way to stand up so we can bear it.

Here is what the Lord is saying to you: “ My grace is sufficient for you.” This is the amazing grace we sing about. This is God’s provision for us. It is always sufficient and it is manifold.

His grace is sufficient for your ministry. Paul writes, “ He ( the Lord) has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant.” 2 Cor. 3

His grace is sufficient to meet our material needs. “ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Cor. 9

If His grace is sufficient to save us, surely His grace is sufficient to keep us and strengthen us in our times of need.

His grace is a strengthening grace: “ When I am weak, I am strong.” ( 2 Cor 9)

So the Lord’s first answer to us when we seek the removal of a problem, a thorn in our flesh, He tells us His grace is sufficient. And one of the reasons for the thorn is to make us realize our limits. To understand in the spiritual realm, spiritual power comes from Jesus and it comes when we realize we are powerless.

The second part of the Lord’s answer to Paul, which is also our answer to life’s thorns is equally important: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

I can see the expression of joy on Paul’s face as the deeper insight comes to him. The thorn is a gift. Accepting the thorn in your life as a gift, allows God to accomplish the purpose. Paul accepts the gift and realizes, “ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, I am strong. “

On September 16^th, 1977, as I have often said, I went down on my knees a sot, I rose up a saint. A new creature. I was led to call AA that morning and attend my first AA meeting in the basement of a church in Nashville. It was only minutes away from my hotel. When I arrived, I heard them read the 12 steps of AA.

The first three steps were all I heard for they spoke so loudly to my situation, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. Here are the first three steps:

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

This is what had just occurred in my life. I had begun the journey of sanctification. It is a journey all believers are on. I refer to myself as do others who have been afflicted with the thorn of alcoholism, as a “ recovering alcoholic.” The fact is what I really am is what all believers are- “ recovering sinners”. The only way we recover is to realize we are powerless over sin and self. And come to believe a Power greater than ourselves can deliver us and restore us.

Now there are 12 steps in the AA program of recovery. I begin to work on the subsequent steps. But looking back in rearview mirror of time, I can see how it works. It is an ongoing daily process. This is why we were encouraged to take it one day at a time. But let me share the last two steps of this ongoing process.

Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Is this not what we are supposed to be doing? Of course it is. The Lord has equipped each of us with spiritual gifts to enable us to perform the work He has ordained we walk in.

APPLICATION:

The spiritual is more important to a dedicated believer than the physical.
God knows how to balance the burdens with the blessings.
Not all sickness is from sin but for God’s purpose.
Something worse than sickness is sin, and the worst sin is pride.
Physical afflictions, life’s thorns, need not be a barrier to effective Christian service, but a gift to enable us to depend completely on the Lord for His Strength.
We can always find rest in the Lord. Come unto me all you who are weary and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Remember, the Lord knows what it is to despair. He knows what it is to not have to deal with the thorns. But it was thorns which trapped the ram which God provided for Abraham in place of Isaac for a sacrifice. And it was my Lord Jesus who wore a crown of thorns on Calvary that day He took my place. Even though He despised the shame, he endured it for the joy set before Him. The joy of becoming the author and finisher of my faith. Amen!!

“ The city was Jerusalem, the time was long ago. The people called him Jesus, the crime was the love he showed. And I’m the one to blame. I caused all the pain. He gave Himself the day He wore my crown. He could have called His Holy Father and said take me away. He could have said I’m not guilty and I’m not going to stay. I’m not going to pay. But he walked right through the gate and then up on the hill. And as HE fell beneath the weight, He cried, Father not my will! And I’m the one to blame. I caused all the pain. He gave Himself for me, the day He wore my crown.” My crown of thorns.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 11:

July 6, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 11:

I want to finish this section of 2 Corinthians 10 first and then begin the first part of chapter 11 as they fit together.

“And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete (fulfilled, KJV).” 2 Corinthians 10: 6

The question you must ask yourself is- are you ready to punish every act of disobedience? Are there areas in your life which are either questionable, or sinful? But you are not ready to punish those acts of disobedience. The walls of resistance built up in our minds are like the walls of Jericho and to have victory in the battle they must be pulled down. What are these walls in your mind? They are reasonings that are opposed to the truth of God’s Word. The question the Holy Spirit asks of you is the same question Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to be made whole?” (John 5) Sometimes we want to hold on to a pet sin, or attitude which is wrong.

*Once the walls of the mind have been torn down, the door to the heart is open.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

Jesus warned his disciples not to pattern their leadership after that of the Gentiles. This teaching came as a result of James and John asking Jesus to put them in the positions of power and authority at this right hand and left, when He established His kingdom. Jesus them what spiritual authority was all about. He said “the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their high officials exercise their authority over the people. Not so with you. Instead you must be a servant and whosoever wants to be great must first be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” (Mark 10)

Paul said his authority was to build them up not tear them down. Paul wanted to use his authority given to him by the Lord to build up the church. The Judaizers wanted to use the church to build up their authority.

Paul says these men measure and compare themselves with statistics and with other churches. Baptists are known for measuring the success of their ministry with the “three B’s” – baptisms, budgets and buildings. The bigger – the better.

In Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus measured the churches by a different standard. To the church in Smyrna, Jesus says: “I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich.” (Rev. 2:9) And conversely Jesus measures the church at Laodicea: “You say I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” (Rev. 3: 17)

The Judaizers were using a false measurement. They were measuring external activities rather than internal transformation. All the Judaizers belonged to a mutual admiration society and used the same standards of external measures to measure their success. They boasted of their success. If we would be honest, most people look at the big ministries, and want to know and copy what they have done in order to duplicate their growth. Not all of it is bad, but it is very difficult to carry a full cup. The praise and flattery and recognition that come from growing big ministries can create a ‘big head.’

TRUE MEASUREMENT

Paul suggests three areas of measurement to measure our ministries by the will of God. In verse 13, Paul says we will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us. I am not competing with other Sunday School classes, and West Jackson should not be competing with other churches. We are competing with ourselves. God is going to judge me and measure my success based on the field of service He has assigned to me on the basis of the gifts and opportunities He, the Lord has given me.

Can you imagine at the Southern Baptist Convention how the bi-vocational pastor of a church of 100 members is made to feel when comparing himself and the church he serves to the mega- churches? Will he ever be asked to speak to the national meeting about church growth? About how to build large Sunday School classes? Yet the Lord has put him there in this seemingly unimportant field. And based on the measures others use, he must feel like a failure.

The other true measurement of a ministry is that God is being glorified. This may not be known until we are before the Bema, the judgment seat of Christ where our works will be tested for rewards. Many a pastor and teacher who never had the large churches, the big budgets, but were faithful in little, may well be recognized for the faithfulness to glorify the Lord, never complaining while toiling in the field they were assigned as humble servants. Those who received praise of men for their successful building of large congregations and beautiful buildings and wrote and sold many books may see some of their works burn up. For their motive was to be seen and recognized as a leader in their field.

Now this leads to another true measurement- can the Lord commend me for the work I have done with the gifts He has given me, in the field He has assigned me to work. The word, “approved” used in verse 18 means to approve by testing. There is the future testing at the Bema, but there is current testing in the present. God permits difficulties in the local churches in order that the work might be tested and approved.

These difficulties can come in various forms- financial difficulties, false doctrine, proud leaders who want to run the church, and the challenge of change. If we stay true to our calling, trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean to our own understanding, God will direct our path. The ministry will survive having become purer and stronger and most of all, God will be glorified the most!

CHAPTER 11

Now beginning in Chapter 11, Paul wants to convince them of his love for them and out of his love and jealousy for them, wants to warn them of false teachers. Here Paul compares the love he has for the church at Corinth as loving father of a daughter about to be married. Paul is using a picture of a proud, loving father presenting his pure daughter to be the bride of Christ.

So as their (the church at Corinth) “spiritual father” he wants to make sure the bride to be keeps herself pure for her husband to be, the Lord Jesus.

PAUL’S CONCERN

Like any parent, Paul is concerned for the welfare of his children. Viewing the church at Corinth as his spiritual children, Paul‘s role as father is to raise them up in the fear of the Lord and present them pure to the Lord Jesus. His concern is they remain faithful and pure while engaged to the Lord Jesus. So we must keep ourselves pure as we prepare to meet the Lord, Paul’s fear is they be deceived as Eve was deceived in the Garden by the serpent. He speaks of his cunning and how he leads minds astray. Remember, every sin starts as a thought. So Paul’s focus is on the mind for Satan is a liar and wants us to listen, and ponder in our hearts, entertain the idea of temptation, which will if not taken captive will lead us into sin. James tells us “each one is tempted when by his own evil desire; he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown gives birth to death.” *(James 1) If we look at the deception of Eve we see the steps of this deception:

1. Satan questions God’s word (Has God said?)

2. He denies God’s word. (You shall surely not die.)

3. He substitutes a lie for the truth. (You shall be as gods.)

Satan is an imitator. He copies what God does and then tries to convince his offer is better than God’s. Satan says the chief end of man is to enjoy himself and lead a life of pleasure. This enemy of your souls claims he provides greater enjoyment, pleasure and a better life. He is the ultimate smooth talking salesmen with a marketing plan for his product which uses false advertising in order to convince you. He reduces the risk, which in turn, increases the interest. After all, if I can enjoy this sin without consequences, why wouldn’t I enjoy it? But there is the hook. For although we have the freedom to choose and make our own decisions, we are not in control of the consequences and results. Then, we discover the consequences of sin are under the control of God. Sin when it is full-grown gives birth to death. As I have told you before: sin will take you further than you wanted to go; keep you longer than you wanted to stay and cost you more than you wanted to pay.

Judas wanted to return the money to the chief priests for his sin- but there is no money back guarantee from the father of all lies. He lied to you in order to get you to sin against God. Satan hates you. He hates God. He is out to attack God so he attacks God through us.

Satan uses false teachers who offer a false gospel, which is no gospel at all. It is usually a mixture of law and grace, of truth and lies. But there is only one Gospel and only one Jesus. There is only One Spirit, One Faith, One Baptism, and One Lord.

A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR ENEMY

Just as they will publish pictures of criminals wanted for crimes and often warn us if we see this person, call 911 and do not approach them for they are considered armed and dangerous.

We must be able to recognize these who the enemy uses to aid and abet him in the crimes he commits. We are told by the Lord Jesus to “watch and pray.” We are told to be alert and vigilant for our enemy goes about seeking whom he may destroy.

Those two men in the small town in middle Tennessee, who recently apprehended those two dangerous escaped convicts, offer a real life example for us. These men were warned ahead of time. They knew how dangerous these two men were. They were armed and they were on guard and alert. They had a description of them. They were also a close knit community ready to help one another. They were in a way a description of what the church is supposed to be and do.

Here is the description of these men who are false apostles, deceitful workers masquerading as apostles of light. They claim to have special revelations. They are often gifted speakers who can speak with the tongues of angels. They claim they want to glorify God, but their personal gain is by capturing converts to a false gospel. They promise a life of prosperity and a Christian life superior to what others teach in the true gospel. Notice how infrequently they speak the name of Jesus Christ.

They are not empowered by the Spirit of God; they are energized by the spirit of the enemy, called the Prince of Power of the Air. And they love to use the air waves of television to spread their gospel, which is not a gospel at all.

They disguise themselves, because Satan never appears in his true character. They appear as well dressed, handsome men, or attractive women, who say they represent Jesus Christ. They do not mention or condemn sin, because that “hell-fire and damnation” of those old time preachers is a turn off and this is the 21^st century. They speak of prosperity and possessions, wealth and health are yours if you believe. When one does not find what they said they would find- they tell them it is their faith which was not strong enough.

They have redefined the meaning of the abundant life. Although Jesus said “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Go back to what Jesus said about leadership: ‘whoever would be great among you must be your servant, whoever wants to be first, must be slave of all.’ See if this describes their ministry and their lifestyle. You shall know them by their fruit.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 10:

June 29, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 10:

“Now, I Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ- who in presence am lowly, (timid, when face to face with you NIV), but being absent am bold with you. I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. “NJKV

Understand Paul is writing to a divided church, some of which were resisting his teaching and authority. A church being seduced by false teachers. Paul is addressing those who say Paul writes boldly from a distance, but is timid and backs down in face to face confrontation. Paul is saying to those who are on his side I may not have to be bold toward some of you, but I expect to be bold toward some who think we walk and live by the flesh, or world standards. Paul is saying I am prepared to do battle and my weapons are not carnal, but mighty in God. They are spiritual weapons for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every pretension that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. True spiritual power is a combination of meekness and gentleness as exhibited by the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 11, Jesus says come unto Him and take His yoke upon you and learn from Him for I am gentle and humble in heart.

The false teachers and Judaizers who were dividing the church and attacking Paul were men of impressive personalities, great speakers, clever with words, and appeared to be intellectually superior. They used these skills as weapons to make people believe they knew more than they really did. Their personalities were overbearing, and their high-minded attitude of intellectual superiority intimidated people. We see these types of personalities on the nightly news, we read their opinions in the daily papers, and our response to them is anger and if we will admit it- hatred. We despise them. Yet Paul is speaking of this battle we are waging, tells us the first thing we must do is recognize our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, gains the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in high places.

THE BATTLE

Paul tells us this is spiritual warfare and requires spiritual weapons. This conflict began in heaven, in the spiritual realm and spilled out on to earth. What we observe in the physical realm began and is influenced by the spiritual realm. In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us this truth which we are very prone to forget: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.” Now in battles, the opposing forces establish fortified places- strongholds or fortresses as base of operation from which to launch their attacks. The four fronts on which the enemy attacks are plainly seen:

Personal.
Family.
Church.
Society

LOCATION

So we have established by God’s Word the battle is in heavenly places but impacts our lives on these four fronts. Let us see what the Word of God tells us about these heavenly places. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1: 3) Do you see where all your blessings are? This is where your spiritual weapons which are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds are. In that same chapter in verse 20 we read: “That power is like the working of His mighty strength which He exerted in Christ when he raised Him up from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given not only in this present age, but also in the one to come.” Our Lord Jesus is above all and in control over all. Now so far I have probably not told you anything you do not already know. But perhaps are reminding you of what we have available to us. Now one more truth about the heavenly realms: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus….” I know you have always heard – you cannot be in two places at once- but we can and we are. You must put your mind on things above- not on the things on earth. You need a heavenly mind-set. Why? Because the enemy is going to attack your mind.

Next we must realize where the battlefield is and what is at stake. The battle is for your mind, this is the battlefield and we must learn how to use the weapons of spiritual warfare. Our job as Christians is to destroy strongholds. So one of the most important things we need to learn and teach others is how to guard, strengthen, and renew our minds, because the battle for sin always starts in the mind. Every sin begins as a thought.

THE CAUSE OF THIS WAR

Do you know what the cause of this spiritual war was? The battle was and is for glory. Lucifer was a created being, an angel. And the Word of God tells us there are levels and types of angels. Lucifer was an anointed cherub. A cherub angel is like the honor guard of God, the King. They guard His Honor, His Glory. This is the responsibility of the cherub angels to proclaim and protect the glory of God. Lucifer was the highest ranking cherub angel. Angels were evidently created with volition, the ability to choose. Lucifer coveted God’s glory and wanted it for himself. We read of his rebellion and the subsequent revolt that followed. We read of this in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. In Isaiah 14, we read the motivation and cause of this war in which we were all born. Lucifer said in his heart: “I will ascend to heaven. I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.

We know Lucifer and the angels who followed him (1/3^rd) were cast out of heaven to the ground. Here is a lesson to learn from this fall of Lucifer, the highest ranking angel, who even today is called the prince of power of the air. And John tells us the whole world; (society) is under his influence. Here is the lesson- one can control one’s own decisions, but God is in control of the consequences.

The battle is ongoing. Children born in certain parts of the world are born in war zones where two forces are at battle. In Israel the battle is ongoing between the people of Palestine and the people of Israel. And we are born into a war zone, a battle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil.

Don’t miss what God’s motives are as explained in Ephesians 3: “ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus.” God’s plan and motives and His wisdom which is manifold is being revealed to not only the 2/3^rd of the angels who stayed loyal to God but also being revealed to Satan and the angels who followed him. God is displaying His glory through His manifold wisdom, power, authority, grace, holiness and justice.

In our lives personally, God wants us to use the mighty spiritual weapons to tear down any stronghold in our lives which take away the glory of God. Two instances come to mind of men who would have the glory that belonged to God – belong to them: Nebuchadnezzar who wanted glory which belonged to God. As a consequence he spent 7 years crawling on his knees living like an animal. (Daniel 4) And King Herod Agrippa who declared himself God. He was immediately struck dead, eaten by worms.

SATAN’S STRATEGY

We see the enemy’s strategy in the first temptation and sin which resulted in the fall. In Genesis 3, Satan who can disguise himself even as an angel of light appears as a serpent. He tempts Eve by questioning God’s Word. A strategy that uses today with great effectiveness. He questioned the Word of God in three areas: Accuracy- Authority and Acceptability. He then tempted with: lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. The rest is history.

Satan wants to establish strongholds in your life in your mind. A stronghold is a fortress the enemy has built. The enemies of the Christian are threefold: the devil, the world he controls and our old nature, the flesh which walks according to this world. This is one of the reasons our God is One God in three persons to deal with the threefold enemy we face. The word stronghold can also be referred to as a fortress. It is something the enemy has built in your life. This is the base of his operations which he uses to attack you at will. When you have an enemy who can take refuge in a stronghold and come out an attack you at will, you will not get anywhere until you tear down that stronghold. A stronghold is a partition the enemy has built in your mind where God’s glory is not present, is not allowed. This partition must be torn down, for whoever controls thoughts control actions.

Here he can launch an attack on the individual. How do we recognize the stronghold? A stronghold is an area which you have said; you cannot get victory over it. You cannot fix it and you cannot seem to yield it to the Lord. It is a mindset. He starts here with the individual, just as he did with Eve. This then created the family problems that ensued as a consequence (Kicked out of Eden, Cain and Abel.) Why the family? By destroying the family the enemy seeks control of the next generation. As the family goes, so goes the church and as the church goes so goes the community, our society, our culture, our country. Passages in Daniel lead us to believe the enemy has control over whole nations.

TRUTH WHICH WILL SET US FREE

Paul is very succinct in what we must do. Although the strategies and weapons are not named in this passage, we can discover them in Ephesians and other places. Here are the truths Paul wants us to know and believe:

We are in a battle, a spiritual battle which has manifested itself in our lives. Since it is a spiritual battle we must NOT use carnal weapons, (weapons of the flesh) to fight spiritual battles. We must use spiritual weapons which have divine power.
Satan attacks our minds to establish strongholds. He builds up partitions which block God and therefore God’s glory from that area. The stronghold is a mindset. We must recognize in that area the thoughts are the thoughts of our old nature which was deceived by the lies of the enemy. We must know the truth and apply the truths. For Jesus told us ‘if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. And if the Son (who is the Truth) sets you free, you are free indeed. Recognize those thoughts and cast them down, replacing them with the right thoughts. ( Philippians 4)
Strongholds, these partitions in your mind are established and built up to make you “double-minded”. And a double minded Christian is unstable in all his ways. We must be heavenly minded- put our thoughts on things above.

Our emotions only respond to what we think. Emotions come from the heart. This is why the Bible tells us ‘as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. ‘(Proverbs 23: 7) therefore, it makes sense whoever controls the thoughts of your heart, controls your emotions and determines how you feel.

Paul says we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Now we have an old nature, the flesh, which Paul tells us has a mind of its own. In Romans 7, Paul says the good things he wants to do, he does not do and the evil, sinful things he does not want to do, he does. He says it makes him wretched and he discovers this principle, every time he wants to do good, evil is always present.

THE WEAPONS OF THE FLESH vs. WEAPONS OF THE SPIRIT

What are these weapons of the flesh? Manipulation, coercion, pressure groups, compromise, demonstrations, raised voices, clenched fists, violence, and riots. They happened in Paul’s day and they are happening in ours. These are the weapons of the flesh. And we see them wielded every day from the streets and in the schools, the college campuses right up to and including the halls of congress and the White House. Carnal, worldly minds think they know more than God. They think of themselves as smarter, more sophisticated, more effective, and more powerful than God’s ways

If you are governed by the flesh, the old nature. These are the fleshly weapons employed to get things done.

Carnal thinking among Christians, true believers who have compromised their beliefs in the name of political correctness or tolerance are nothing new. They have always been a problem. The wisdom of the flesh is nothing more than man’s natural abilities opposed to God’s supernatural grace.

What are our weapons which are mighty in God? Ephesians 6 tells us what they are as well as other scriptures also. Ephesian 6 remind us we ‘wrestle not with flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness. ‘ Paul goes on the describe our spiritual weapons and armor: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation, the Word of God and prayer.

Here is the clash- the Word of God, the truth, comes against the deceitfulness of false teaching. The breastplate of righteousness, His Righteousness comes against the image of success according to the world’s standards. The simple Gospel comes against the smooth words of deceit which promise fulfillment, but leave one empty. The shield of faith is opposed by the perception of power which intimidates like a roaring lion. The Helmet of Salvation protects our minds against the world authority which would have us not speak of the Word of God in the public place, nor voice our opposition to sin and wrongdoing in the name of tolerance.

And the shield of faith is the largest and most protective piece of armor we have against the fiery darts of the enemy. And when we have armed ourselves for the battle what do we do? Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Charles Stanley says we win all our battles on our knees in prayer.

Thoughts reap action; an action reaps a habit and habit reaps your character. And why is character so important? Because character reaps your destiny. Reject, tear down, and replace any thought which does not honor Christ in our thinking.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE

Dress appropriately. Follow these steps.
Put on the belt of truth first thing each morning upon rising. This belt Paul observed on the Roman soldiers who guarded him was a very important element. It was a leather apron, a girdle for his loins. Protective and functional. It held his sword and perhaps short dagger, also he used it to tuck his robe into it when he went into battle so he would not be entangled. We are to set aside that which so easily entangles us and keeps us from running the race set before us.
Next we put on the breastplate of righteousness. This is not our self-righteousness, but the righteousness of the Lord Jesus. It deflects fiery arrows. Those arrows of temptation to sin or give into wrong emotions, such as fear, hatred, self-pity, or dissatisfaction
Put on the sandals of the Gospel of Peace. Roman sandals were comprised of thick soles with spikes for traction, so a soldier in combat could anchor himself in the ground and remain steadfast. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand.
The shield of faith. Largest piece of armor which offered full body protection. With unwavering faith in Christ, we are assured of His protection, no matter what the enemy throws at us.
The helmet of salvation. Our minds are protected when we put on the helmet of salvation and let this mind which is in Christ Jesus be our mind to give us wisdom and discernment.
Then and only then can we take our stand and pray always with all prayer and supplication for all the saints

We are not go it alone. We are to keep on learning, keep on leaning and keep on loving.

We come here each Sunday morning to keep on learning, leaning and loving. To keep growing in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man.

If your teacher or preacher quits growing then you will quit growing and the church will quit growing. We need teaching, preaching and training if we are to keep on learning and growing.

The only way we can have consistent victory over the flesh is to bring every thought into obedience to Christ. We must recognize carnal thinking, and take dominion over it, casting wrong thoughts down. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing your mind.

Paul will address one of the problems of carnality which we will explore in next week’s lesson. Paul asks a very penetrating question which is a test for carnal thinking: “Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?”

To be continued…..

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 8: The Treasure Principle of Amazing Grace!

June 12, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 8: The Treasure Principle of Amazing Grace!

Buried treasure is the theme of novels, movies and the dreams of everyone who ever watched a pirate movie or read, Treasure Island or the Count of Monte Cristo. This fascination with buried treasure is nothing new, listen to what Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13: 44)

Can you visualize what Jesus wanted the crowd to visualize in this story about the kingdom of heaven? Here is a man walking along the path beside the field and perhaps cuts across the field to get to where he is going. As he walks with his staff, his staff sinks in the some soft dirt and hits something solid. The man, curious as to what his staff has landed on, drops to his knees to dig away the dirt and there it is- an ornate chest which he pulls up. Glancing about to make sure no one is looking, he opens the chest and finds- a buried treasure from long ago. Now do not let the main point of the story get lost and miss the most important point: this man went and sold all he had to possess this field with its treasure. Notice it was ‘in his joy’; he gave up all he had for this. He was exchanging the lesser treasure for the greater treasure. “A man is no fool to give up that which he cannot keep for that which he can never lose.” (Jim Elliot)

The treasure principle was a key part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6 we read: “Do not store up treasures for yourself on earth, where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break into steal. But store up treasure for yourselves in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Jesus’ appeal for giving is not emotional, it is logical. He is saying by investing your treasures in heaven, you can enjoy them for eternity. He is enlightening our self- interest. He is directing us to give where we can enjoy it for the longest period and have great joy in the present as we anticipate future joy. Right now our family is looking forward to a family vacation in a new spot, St. Georges Island. We have made the necessary investment to secure this location for a whole week in July. I have joy in the present as I anticipate the future joy of being there with all my family for a week, doing all the fun things with the people I love the most.

Did you notice the treasure we lay up in one of these two locations is for us, for ourselves. Jesus is called, “Wonderful Counselor”. Here in this parable and in these verses, Jesus is giving us a life lesson about where to invest and store up treasure. He is telling us the treasures we lay up on earth will not last. He tells us laying up treasures, investing in temporary things is like my spending money to redecorate this rented vacation home – painting it, putting in new carpet, buying new furniture and lighting fixtures. In fact it is foolish and just plain stupid spending not only my money on this, but wasting my time doing all this work. On the other hand, I want to make sure my family takes good care of this temporary housing.

Psalm 24 tells us “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” Haggai tells us “the silver and gold are the Lord’s.”

Deut. 8 provides this insight: “Remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” And one last reminder: “You are not your own, you have been bought with a price.” (I Cor. 6)

Did you forget, like we all do, you are living in the Lord’s world, in His house, managing His money which He gave you the ability to earn. I am His steward managing His estate and wealth. He is extremely generous, allowing me to keep 90% of what He has given me the ability to earn. He is the owner of everything, I am His steward. What I have just written is what Scripture tells us is true and it is also a picture of His Amazing Grace.

LIFE AND THINGS

Grace is often defined as -: God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. He created it all for us to enjoy. I enjoy all I enjoy in this world at Christ’s expense. What a costly investment He has made at Calvary where He shed His blood to pay for my sins. Peter said this blood of our Lord is more precious than all the silver and gold. (Gold by the way is used for paving roads in heaven.) Jesus shares a parable about a rich man in Luke 12 who stores up all his wealth in his barns. He has to build new barns to hold it all. Thinking now I am set and have plenty of good things stored up for many years. “I can take life easy: eat, drink, and be merry. Jesus calls this man a fool in this parable, because that very night his life will end and who then will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes.” Jesus is trying to tell us life is more than things. He says he will provide us with all we need if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. If you are worrying about things and life today, then you are not trusting Him.

We are told not to love the things of this world. Yet people, possessions and places are what we build our lives around these things. Jesus is saying I know you have need of these things but they can steal your love for Me. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the life.

Do you want to know what life is? Jesus defined it for us: “And this is life eternal, that they may know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) Knowing Jesus is the secret to what life is about and the right attitude toward things. “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12) This is materialism. And the antidote for materialism and worry is to know and serve the Lord. Invest your life in Him. The more you know Him, the more you will love Him, and the more you love Him, and the more you love Him the more you will obey Him, and the more you obey Him , the more you will abide in Him and bear more fruit. In this is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit. (John 15) “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This is the greatest investment you can make and brings the greatest joy now and forever.

We will receive our rewards in heaven which will last forever. What are those rewards? We will rule and reign with Christ. We will be put in charge of many things, including cities. We will receive crowns. Jesus is keeping track of all the things we do for Him and others, every small act of kindness will not go unnoticed by Him. Paul said to the Philippians as he thanked them for their gifts to him, “not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking at what may be credited to your account.” There is an account book in heaven in which Jesus is crediting me for my rewards. They will be tested for motive at the Bema where rewards are bestowed. We will realize at that time, how much time, effort and money we wasted on things of no lasting value.

Do you know why people dread the thought of leaving this world? It is because they have buried their treasure here on earth. And where your treasure is there will your heart be also.

So let’s look the guidelines Paul introduces us to for giving.

GOD’S GRACE.

“And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, (a great trial of affliction, KJV) their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. “

First thing to notice is the source of all of this is a result of the work of God’s Grace. This giving will be all of God’s grace. It is an amazing combination of opposites. Notice the great trial of affliction came from the Grace of God. Grace does not just remove trouble; it is grace which often brings trouble. “T’was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fear removed.”

But out of this severe trial came overflowing joy. This is the mark of grace, joy in the midst of trouble and affliction. It was these two working together which unlocked the combination to the treasure chest of generosity. Joy is rooted in grace, not in freedom from trouble. The more severe the trial the greater the joy. This is the reaction of grace –when the trial is severe, the joy is abundant. Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame for the joy set before Him. The joy was to be the author and finisher of our faith.

Notice the next two extreme opposites: out of their extreme poverty welled up their rich generosity. The grace of God brought affliction and extreme poverty. But it was the grace of God which produced out of these dire circumstances- overflowing joy and rich generosity. What we do in extreme afflictions in severe trials which bring extreme poverty is the key to all Christian living. Paul said he had learned to be content in those extremes. He knew what it was to have plenty and to have nothing. The Macedonians could have told Paul we are extremely poor, we cannot give you anything. In fact they could have grumbled and complained about all the problems they had. But they did not complain- they did the opposite.

This response got Paul’s attention. Paul said “they did not do as we expected.” Paul was not expecting this. It reminded me of the man who came on the talent show who managed a cell phone store. There was nothing extraordinary about him, his looks, his personality, his life. He told Simon he loved opera and he would perform an opera aria for his talent. The look on Simon’s face said it all- a sneer of this will be good only for laughs as we humiliate this nobody. Yet when he opened his mouth and began to sing- it was a powerful rich tenor and it was all the more joyous because it was so unexpected. Do we come to church every Sunday expecting something unexpected which produces great joy? Or do we come expecting nothing more than what we can do in our own power. Our joy can rise not higher than our ability to produce circumstances which make us happy, which we confuse as joy.

Grace, God’s Grace is the source of joy. And it is the most abundant and overflowing when it comes from the most unlikely conditions which one would not expect it to come.

Paul reminds us in verses 8 & 9: “I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with your earnestness for others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Could it be what we want is more wealth and possessions? Yet statistics reveal on average the richer people are, the smaller the percentage of their money is given to charity.

Now here is what Paul was not expecting: “For they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability.” Have you ever given not as much as you were able but beyond your ability?

They gave of their own free will. They were not manipulated, or coerced or made to feel like they had to do this. THEY WANTED TO GIVE OVER AND ABOVE BEYOND WHAT THEY COULD GIVE. They so loved God and were so impacted by His grace they wanted to do this. God loves a cheerful giver. It was of their free will and out of a passion for God. Grace results in this type of response. They begged to give more. It is true; we love Him because He first loves us. He loved us and gave Himself for us.

Their giving was twofold. First they gave themselves to God. This is first and key. God went first; God risked not having His love returned. He gave Himself to us – so we should give ourselves to Him. Here is where we will find a treasure of greater worth – worth giving up all we possess, which we could not keep any way. Second they gave of their possessions for the exchange was for the lesser for the greater; for the giving up of the temporary for the eternal. And if that was not enough, it created joy and peace which surpasses our ability to understand or explain.

So where is your treasure? We mentioned earlier our treasures are usually found in people special persons in our lives; in places- our homes, our favorite possessions. These are producers of joy or happiness. Yet many of our possessions are temporary and are headed to Good Will or even to be picked up as trash. Many of us are looking to downsize our homes, shed ourselves of possessions which fill our houses, attics and garages. Friends come and go, relationships change. The flowers of life fade, such fleeting beauty, but the Word of God and the souls of men last forever. Have you invested in the Word of God, storing it in your heart so you might share it with others? It never runs out and like God love, compassion and faithfulness it is new and fresh every morning.

Psalm 16: 11 “in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

The church at Macedonia was a poor church consisting of poor people. They treasured Jesus above money. They treasured Him in their afflictions and in their poverty. And as a result they experienced great overwhelming joy and generosity.

For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

Jesus said lay up your treasures in a place_- heaven.

Find your joy in a person, Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind, will and emotions. Then love your neighbor as yourself.

Love people and use things to express your love for others by giving out of your abundance of out of your poverty. Either way, you will discover it is better to give than to receive. Today people are lovers of self and of things and use people for their own selfish purposes.

Motive is key. And God looks at your heart.

Paul says this of the Bema: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder and someone else is building on it.”

Everything you and I have as believers comes from God’s grace. For by grace are you saved through faith. And Paul tells us even the faith to believe was a gift.

Now we are building on the foundation laid for us of which Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Those works will be tested for reward.

We are cautioned by Paul “to be careful how he builds.”

What and where are you laying up your treasures?

What is being credited to your heavenly account?

What is your source of joy? Is the joy of the Lord, the passion of your heart. It was for this poor church at Macedonia. And their story is being told 2000 years later. A bunch of poor nobodies who in God’s eyes are a story worth telling and an example to us even today.

Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector. Yet he was looking for something that would satisfy the longing in his heart. He was wealthy but unhappy. His position was one of power and wealth. He was in the eyes of the world – a “somebody.” But he was a nobody until he met Jesus. He became a new creature. He found the treasure he was looking for and his life as changed from that moment on.

And his life which had been touched by the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus resulted in his giving. When Jesus comes to your house, you get changed and you turn the deed of your house and your possessions over to Him.

Did you ever notice Jesus borrowed so many things from others? He borrowed a donkey, an upper room, food, and empty tomb. He had no home on this earth. No place to lay his head. Why did Jesus do this? Why did He live this way?

He gave it all for the joy of making us rich. Not financially rich, although some are able to be blessed with by the Lord with financial riches because they use them for His kingdom. They are like the servants given the talents to invest for their master.

God led the nation of Israel into the wilderness in Exodus to teach them He could supply all their needs. God gives us what we have. God gives us opportunities. He gives us abundance that we might learn the joy of sharing with those who have needs around us.

You cannot take it with you. But you can send it ahead. You can also learn the joy of giving. Try it- discover the Treasure Principle it is more blessed to give than to receive and in doing so you are laying up treasure for yourself which will never run out!

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 7: Two Types of Sorrow

June 8, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 7: Two Types of Sorrow

“Can two walk together, except they agree?” (Amos 3:3) This Old Testament verse reminds us why we are not to be unequally yoked. But when the world pulls a believer back into sin, how does one get back into sync with God. Repentance. This is what this lesson is about. How to get up when you have fallen and how to get back into step with the Spirit and walk by faith.

Of all the physical trials and dangers Paul endured, (the 195 lashes from the Jews, the beating with rods three times from the Romans, the stoning and all the other physical punishment), I believe the emotional pain and stress of unresolved differences with the church at Corinth were the most painful. Indeed, Paul’s greatest sorrow came from his lost brethren of Israel and his broken heart over broken relationships with fellow believers. Paul wanted reconciliation. He wanted what God wants, for all to come to knowledge of the truth.

Paul returns to his earlier statement in his 2^nd letter to the church at Corinth and pleads once again, “Make room for us in your hearts.” Paul wanted for the church in Corinth what he wanted for all believers. He wanted them to pursue holiness, to grow in their faith, and make progress in their sanctification process. We must remember victory over sin is God’s will for the life of the believer.

Now before we go any further in today’s passage in 2 Corinthians 7, let us understand God’s purpose for guilt. Guilt is an emotion. It occurs when we do something which violates our conscience. It causes us to regret what we have done and feel shame that we have done it. The Lord designed this emotion for us to experience responsibility for our actions, to move us to repent. Good guilt is an effective tool for prompting us to repent. It helps us correct our direction and get us back on the right path. This is why the Psalmist writes: “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light upon my path.” (Psalm 119: 105)

Remember God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him, they might be saved. (John 3) Going back to the verse in Amos: “Can two walk together, except they agree; means God wants us to agree with Him we have sinned. This is why we confess our sins to restore our relationship. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1) Victory over guilt begins with the clear understanding that Jesus Christ took all our sins, and shame (remember He despised the shame) to the cross and paid our penalty in full. When we sin in the present, our relationship with God does not change, but our fellowship is interrupted. When we confess our sins, we agree with Him. Then we can walk together in agreement. And now we are walking again in the right direction, because we have repented. Repentance always turns one from doing what is wrong to doing what is right. God is faithful. God is a promise keeper. God is good. And God does not change. You will be freed of guilt. However, remember your sin can have consequences which can carry over even after restoration.

REPENTANCE

Since the Bible tells us ‘all have sinned.’ Then it is clear everyone needs to repent. I do not know if you made any New Year’s Resolutions and if you did, how are you doing in keeping them? One thing is for sure, when we look back over our lives, we all have regrets. Some of those regrets we have never resolved. They linger, and frequently plague us with doubts. If only I had… is the way they enter into our thoughts. Not being able to deal with unresolved guilt and regret can create sorrow. But in today’s lesson we learn there are two types of regret which come from two types of guilt and sorrow. What we want to explore and understand more fully is the good end of godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow and how to recognize the difference.

Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth were about the sin in the church as Corinth. Their sins were no different from the sins we face in our church today in the 21^st century. They were like a country and western ballad filled with ‘somebody done somebody wrong’ actions and of course there were people taking sides with and against others. Paul addresses these issues and sins in a direct manner. Now the church had taken offense with Paul and Paul was concerned he had been too harsh, although he spoke the truth. The church was experiencing the “blame and shame” game which is as old as the Garden of Eden. Guess who was behind all of that? The enemy of our soul who loves to cause division, quarrels and fights among believers.

Even Paul had second thoughts about the letter and says he did not regret it, even though for a little while he regretted it. Ever have that happen to you? You said something to someone or wrote something you thought needed to be said and then you wondered if you should have said it or written it. Paul is depressed and distressed over this broken relationship over how bad the meeting went when he visited them. It was so contentious Paul decided not to make his planned return visit. Now Paul is waiting to hear from Titus whom he sent to inquire how the church was doing. In 2 Cor.2 Paul explains in his letter: “So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. “Paul said when he had not heard from Titus, in Troas, he had no peace of mind. When there has been an argument, a wrong action committed which caused a breach in a loving relationship, we are distraught until we can reconcile. No wonder there are so many songs about love, and somebody done somebody wrong songs, they all have the same common theme, love hurts when it is not returned. Only love can break a heart and only love can mend it again is as true a lyric ever written.

Paul has returned to the theme of make room for us in your hearts. But notice in verse 2-4, Paul’s approach to make things better rather than worse and thus begin the healing process. Paul says he has a clear conscience he has wronged no one; corrupted no one; exploited no one. Paul has a clear conscience. But let interject, if you had also been wrong in this broken relationship, you need to start out admitting you were wrong. This is taking the log out of your own eye before dealing with the speck in your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7) So if your conscience is not clear, this is the first action in reconciliation.

Now Paul says, “I do not condemn you.” Paul affirms these believers. This is very important step. You do not want to start out with harsh, angry condemnation of the other person. Jesus said, ‘let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.’

Paul then moves to tell them, “I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged in all our problems.” Paul did not say to these people he was ashamed of them and their actions. Paul aka Saul of Tarsus could look back at what he had done to harm Christians and realized if he could be forgiven and used by the Lord Jesus, so could anyone.

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. Paul had come to Macedonia and said: “this body of ours had not rest, but we were harassed at every turn, conflicts on the outside, fear within.” Does this describe how you feel some days? You have conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside. Evidently Paul was running into trouble in Macedonia while at the same time he was fighting fears in his mind as he was distressed over the unresolved problems and broken relationships with the church in Corinth. The great Apostle Paul was downcast. He was distressed, concerned about problems without and problems within- doubts about his actions.

Then comes good news! “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort You had given him. He told us about your (the church at Corinth) longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever!!” God knows what you are going through- the burdens you are carrying, the sorrow you are experiencing. Remember it is God who has allowed this to happen. They are not accidents. God put us in this fire. God put us on His potter’s wheel. He has set the thermostat on the oven, and He will not allow you to be tempted or tested above that which you are able to bear. (I Cor 10: 13) You may think you cannot bear it, but God knows what you are able to bear. He is the God of all comfort. He is the God of Good News!

Now Paul can look back at what has happened and in his review he admits he knows his letter caused sorrow. He says I do not regret it. Though I did regret it… Paul regretted he had hurt them with his honesty. But Paul said he regretted only for a little while because it had the desired effect – ‘”not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. GODLY SORROW BRINGS REPENTANCE THAT LEADS TO SALVATION AND LEAVES NO REGRET, BUT WORLDLY SORROW BRINGS DEATH.”

Paul introduces two types of sorrow or regret. Godly Sorrow and Worldly Sorrow.

The good end to Godly Sorrow is salvation. So here are Paul’s three points.

Godly sorrow is good. It is a good hurt, it is good grief.
Godly sorrow leads to repentance.
Godly sorrow leads to salvation

What godly sorrow was the church at Corinth experiencing? They were grieved over the way they had mistreated Paul and believed things of him that were not true. They had hurt Paul with their words and actions. They had sorrow and regret over their past sins and sin in their church. Godly sorrow is sorrow according to God. What grieves God, should grieve us. This is godly sorrow. It is a feeling of remorse over one’s actions which grieved God. The opposite of godly sorrow is worldly sorrow, which is sorrow according to the world.

Worldly sorrow and regret is when you feel sorry for something you did because it starts to backfire on you and cause you pain, loss and perhaps humiliation. It is a reflex of a prideful ego. Pride regrets making a fool of itself. Fear regrets acts which jeopardize our comfort and safety. In other words feeling SORRY FOR YOURSELF. Worldly sorry ‘s focus is on one’s self. O woe is me. Godly sorry is sorrow because we have grieved and wounded God, not ourselves.

Godly sorrow comes to us and creates regret because the God’s Word puts its finger on sin in our lives. Worldly sorrow or regret comes not from God’s Word, but from man’s attitude and society’s attitude and praise of what the world considers important. Worldly sorrow or regret comes from not having the world think highly of us. In other words, the word of man not the Word of God becomes the criteria by which we feel sorrow or guilt or regret. This is worldly sorrow.

Godly sorrow leads to repentance and repentance leads to salvation. This is what leads to salvation and it continues to save us from being entrapped by our false feelings of guilt. Godly sorry causes a change in behavior which leads to a sense of freedom.

Listen to what Paul says this godly sorrow produces: earnestness, eagerness to clear yourself, indignation, alarm, and a longing, a concern and readiness to see justice done.

In addition, when any of us are headed in the wrong direction then experience godly sorrow which leads to a change in behavior, attitude and direction it encourages others.

Paul says to the believers I have complete confidence in you. And it makes him glad.

REPENTANCE

To repent is to change one’s mind. How is repentance connected to salvation? Remember John the Baptist came on the scene with the message: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus after His baptism and testing or 40 days in the wilderness began His ministry and we read in Matthew 4: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, Peter was preaching filled with the Spirit. We read: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all of you who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

To repent in relationship to salvation is to change one’s mind about who Jesus Christ is. To come to believe the one whom you have rejected is indeed both Lord and Christ.

In other words change your mind about what you think of Jesus Christ. For as Tozer said, ‘what comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.’

We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves; it is a gift of God, not works lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2: 8, 9)

No one can be saved by works. But we are His workmanship saved unto good works which God has ordained we walk in. (Ephesians 2: 10)

Repentance unto salvation results in good works.

So in closing let me set the stage for the next portion of Paul’s letter which deals with money and giving.

John the Baptist was calling people to repentance. He then told them to “produce fruit in keeping with your repentance.” They asked John the Baptist, “What should we do then?”

John answered: “The man with two cloaks should share with him who has none; the one who has food should do the same. Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher, “they said, “what should we do? Do not collect any more than you are required to, he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely- be content with your pay.”

Do you see what works godly repentance leads to?

Everyone should share food and clothes.
Tax collectors shouldn’t pocket extra money they overcharged people for.
Soldiers should be content with their wages and not extort money from citizens.

Each answers involved or related to money and possessions. This was John the Baptist’s answer to what should they do to demonstrate true repentance.

Next week we will unpack the teaching about giving and generosity.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 6 Part 2: Followership

May 30, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 6 Part 2: Followership

Paul says to the Corinthians, “we have opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding affections from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange- I speak as to my children, open wide your hearts also.” Paul speaks a father to his children, who have robbed him of their love.

Last week’s lesson was entitled: Are you Sincere? Are we sincere when we say we love the Lord?

If the greatest command is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, then what happens when you rob God of your love, is your heart has become divided. The thief has stolen your love of God and replaced it with the things of the world.

I approached the pharmacy one rainy Saturday to pick an Rx. Just as I was walking up, they were closing the window and would be closed for an hour for lunch. I called to them to wait, I need to pick up a Rx. Sorry, and we close for an hour for lunch on Saturday. Pointed to the sign. I felt this was rude and disrespectful to me personally. I was indignant. I was angry. I was frustrated. Can you imagine how Paul felt with all he had done for these people and they had shut him out? Has this happened to you before? Now imagine how much your Heavenly Father has done for you, all of the sacrifices He made for you and imagine how He feels when you shut Him out. When you do not return His love.

Thus comes Paul admonition to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. To be separate and come out from them. To not touch any unclean thing. Paul is not talking about isolation from the world; he is talking about separation unto God. Paul is linking the reason the Corinthians are withholding love for him is they have divided hearts. They love the things of the world.

Do not take this to mean we are not to reach out to sinners. For Paul has just told us we are to be ministers for reconciliation , that is to say, offering the peace with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. We are to be ambassadors. An ambassador is loyal to the leader of the country he/she represents. Their loyalty is based on their love of the country and the one who leads it. An ambassador follows his leader.

God is love. We cannot imagine how much He loves us. He created us in order to love us. He made us for love, gave us the power to love and it is this same love of God’s which sustains us, keeps the earth in its orbit, the stars in their place and the tides from overflowing.

As His ambassadors we are to follow Him. Yet, it seems we pray to Him almost as if we expect Him to be following us and providing what we need and taking care of our problems.

Following Christ is the beginning and the end of what it means to be a Christian. Everything in between is measured by it.

FOLLOWING JESUS.

Following Jesus is not easy. To start with our old sinful nature loves itself. The world wants to conform us to love the things of the world. The Lord in His Sermon on the Mount told us the Way of Christ is hard to follow.

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew7: 13, 14)

“Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that Day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many might works in your name? And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7: 21-23) Those are scary, sobering verses.

Do you see what has happened to our culture? Everywhere we look the traditions of our culture are being lost, replaced by a mindset of doing what is right in one’s own eyes. Our culture is unraveling before our very eyes. Here in the beginning of the 21^st century, we must realize the foundation for the 21^st century was laid in the 20^th century.

Now I understand why many people are doing what they do, for they realized something was missing in their lives which gave it meaning. But when we look at the world today, we realize the ‘lead-your-own-life’ culture is unhappy, dismal, disappointed and their frustrations are turning to anger and depression.

Paul told us in his letter to Timothy: “But mark this: there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- having a form of godliness, but denying its power.”

Let’s look back at the call of the disciples from the combined accounts in Matthew 4 and Luke 5.

In the account in Matthew 4 read of his calling of the first disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and John. Now John will tell us in the Gospel of John, how he and Andrew had been introduced to Jesus by John the Baptist, the day after John the Baptist had baptized Jesus. John the Baptist told them Jesus was the Lamb of God. They followed Jesus that day and spent time with Him and went home and told their brothers James and Peter they had found the Messiah. They spent some time with Jesus and then Jesus left, being led by the Spirit to fast in preparation for the beginning of His ministry. He is tempted by the devil and it is after spending 40 days in isolated preparation Jesus returns and begins His ministry and the calling of the disciples. By reading both accounts we learn Jesus comes by the Sea of Galilee as the Peter, Andrew, James and John are finishing a night of fishing. They are cleaning their nets, mending them and getting ready for the coming night. They fished at night we learn from these accounts. They are getting off work and making sure all their gear will be ready when they return to go out that night. Jesus has a crowd following Him and Jesus asks Peter can he use his boat as a pulpit to enable the people on the shore to hear him. They agree and Jesus speaks to the group. Then in Luke 5 we read: “When he had finished speaking, Jesus said to Simon: “Put out into the deep water, and let the nets down for a catch. Simon answered, ‘Master we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” We read they caught a record catch, so large, the signaled for James and Andrew, their partners, to come help them and they filled both boats.

“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus knees and said, “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man. For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken.” Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid, Follow me and I will make your fishers of men. So they pulled up their boats on shore, left everything and followed Him.”

I know you have heard this so many times in the invitation to come to Jesus. The preacher will often say, ‘invite Jesus into your hearts, into your life.’ Do you see in these verses what took place? Jesus invited them into His life. This is what He does; He invites you into His life. To share His life with you.

His invitation to us today is the same as it was when the two young me, John and Andrew asks him where He was staying, and Jesus said, “Come and See. “

When Christ called Peter, Andrew, James and John, He interrupted their lives in every way- their careers, their daily routines. To follow Him, meant a change of direction. To follow Him, meant to leave behind everything to physically accompany Him for the next three years of their lives. In Matthew 4: 20, we read: “At once they left their nets and followed Him.”

What did those “nets” represent to these men? They represented their way of life, their careers, their way of providing a living, a lifestyle which they had probably learned from their parents.

These are our safety nets. They are our comfort zones. They are our nests.

Nets represent anything that entangles us, which keeps us from following Jesus wholeheartedly.

So we drop our nets and follow Him. For a while, but the urge, the temptation to pick them back up again is strong. It is tempting. We controlled it, or thought we did.

I remember when I left the company I had worked for – for years. Sometimes I would leave my house in the morning and before I realized it I was driving back to my old workplace.

We sing ‘wherever He leads, I will follow’. But do we?

WHAT ARE THOSE NETS IN YOUR HANDS?

People can be nets. Surely some of the people the Corinthians were fellowshipping with were old friends. But what if those old friends were not believers, and refused to believe, despite your witnessing. What if you found yourself laughing at their off-color jokes, laced with profanity and the Lord’s name in vain? Our children can be nets. I wonder what you would think if your children were called to the mission field, which would mean not only seeing them for months and even years, but also not seeing your grandchildren for years?
Things can be nets. Things can be anything from our careers, homes, hobbies, exercise and any number of things which consume our time, money and thoughts.
Our plans and dreams.
Money can be a net.
Secret sin can be a net.

Now the nets Jesus calls us from are not always sinful, or degrading. They can simply be things which capture our attention.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FOLLOWER?

I believe this song captures it:

“All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him, I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.”

It is not a project you are committing to- it is a Person.

Henny Youngman was an old- time Vaudeville performer who had a long career. He told one joke after another in rapid succession.

Here is one of his jokes: “A fellow at work ask me the other day, “How is your wife? I said, “Compared to what?”

Comparison provides contrast and contrast provides clarity.

Compare anything Christ asks you to drop and ask yourself what this is worth compared to having Christ? Compared to Christ- no contest!

I do not know what you struggle with- but the Lord knows. Whenever the temptation arises, do you try to resist based on fear of the consequences, guilt or shame? Those are certainly truths to consider.

But…what if we avoided them because we love Jesus more than we love the indulgence of this temptation.

Would you choose _______________ over Christ? Put in that blank whatever net is entangling you.

“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” Separated unto the Lord.

“Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters. (2Cor. 6: 17, 18)

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”(2 Cor. 7:1)

Peter sums up what life lived without Jesus turns out to be “We have worked hard (toiled) all night and caught nothing.”

Ever feel like you have worked hard all night and caught nothing? The athlete, who wins the championship, finds the thrill soon wore off and they were emptier than ever before. The multi-millionaire who has accumulated a fortune, but lost his family due to neglect finds money a poor replacement for the love of others. They climbed the ladder of success only to find out they leaned it against the wrong wall

The secret to Christian living. It is real simple. “Follow Me. “It is here you will discover the meaning of life- in ‘followership” We were created to be followers.

What are those ‘nets’ in your hands?

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 6: Are You Sincere?

May 24, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 6: Are You Sincere?

Some definitions to start today’s lesson:

Sincere is defined as free from pretense or deceit: proceeding from genuine feelings. The Bible uses this adjective with sincere love, sincere faith, and sincere hearts. We value sincerity and we despise hypocrisy, deceitfulness, and flattery.

A fanatic is someone described as “filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, especially for an extreme religion or political cause.” They are defined by their excessive enthusiasm.

“At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “ You are out of your mind Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane. I am not insane, most excellent Festus, Paul replied. What I am saying is true and reasonable.” (Acts 26: 24, 25)

“When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him (Jesus), for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3: 21)

Paul and Jesus viewed as out of their minds- a description which might describe a person who is a fanatic. Paul admits to his single-mindedness, and says “this one thing I do”. And the one thing Paul did was what was the one most important thing in his life. There can only be one most important thing. The adjective, “most” says this is at the top of the list. This is why the first commandment of the Ten Commandments is” “You shall have no other gods before me.” This is why Jesus says the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord, thy God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Let me ask you as well as me, does this definition describe your relationship with the Lord Jesus? You can rate yourself on any rating chart you have, from 1-10, from 1 star to 5 stars, with half stars an option. What is your level of commitment? I already do not like the way this lesson is going, and I am sure you are beginning to feel the same way also. I will come back to this question, but let’s take a look in today’s lesson from 2 Corinthians 6 as Paul speaks of being “sorrowful but always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing but possessing everything.” Talk about paradoxes, these seem to be completely incompatible. How can we be sorrowful, but always rejoicing or having nothing but possessing everything?

Have we missed something somewhere? Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before me, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5)

It seems the extremes the Lord, Paul, the disciples and Christians down through the ages, including here in the 21^st century have faced is what gives their lives a distinctive flavor and light which is both attractive and repelling. It is certainly not neutral, bland or flavorless.

Wait a minute- are you saying we have to be fanatics to be Christians? Are you saying we have to suffer persecution and be called names in order to be a real Christian? I believe we have come to a time in our lives, which we did not anticipate earlier in our lives in the ease and comfort of the greatest economy of the last 70+ years. Of the freedoms we experienced in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Now we realize we have to be brave in order to stay free. We have come to a time in our journey in this country, where to be a Christian and speak the truth can cause us to be persecuted, to be called names, such as: racists, bigots, fanatics, backwards, scientifically ignorant, superstitious, homophobic and hateful. Our reaction: “I never thought I would see the day when_____________” You fill in the blank and there are plenty of things we could put there, aren’t there?

Remember what Paul has told us we are: ministers of reconciliation, ambassadors, through whom, God is making his appeal to a lost and dying world. Paul’s warning to us is make sure we do not put a stumbling block in anyone’s path, that our ministry be blamed. The culture we live in is reflected in our media, who love to find a prominent Christian committing a sin, especially sexual sin. We also have preachers who preach a “prosperity gospel” and live lavish lifestyles which offend many who view them as phonies, imposters, con artists with false teaching.

Now Jesus said He came to give us life and life more abundantly. In America, the abundant life is considered the normal life. But is our definition of the abundant life and Jesus’ definition one and the same? Let’s see what Paul says.

“Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:” (Commend means to present oneself as worthy of regard; approval of our behavior, actions and performance. We would applaud a worthy, inspiring performance of the choir of a beautiful hymn, well sung; Bravo, after a stirring performance by an actor on the stage. ) What does Paul commend himself and other servants for? Great endurance, great patience. When? In troubles, hardships and distresses. Troubles are used to describe a variety of afflictions: health, finances, relationships, and a variety of troubling circumstances from the untimely flat tire to the dire conditions of a deadly disease or the death of a loved one. Hardships are those circumstances which hem you in and you cannot seem to find a way out. How do you respond to those times and circumstances? Paul tells us it is alright to be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing because we know Whom we have believed and are confident He can complete that which He has begun. Paul uses the word, distresses, also as what we must endure. The word distress comes from the Greek root word for “narrow places.” Nowhere to turn but up.

Next Paul speaks of how others have inflicted these upon him and others: beatings, imprisonments and riots. This is happening to believers all over the world, and it is coming to our shores. The riots are here already. We can now see the real possibilities of laws being passed which could cause us to be dragged into court as some already have for the cause of the faith. We are facing tough times, tough opposition, and it requires tough commitments. The challenges Paul faced two thousand years ago in Corinth and in the Roman Empire are no different from what we face today. In fact they are eerily similar. Las Vegas had nothing over Corinth- the culture of the Roman Empire was no different from the one in America. Both cultures were consumed with arts, sports, sex, power, education, commerce and physical beauty.

Paul is telling us as God’s servants we must sacrifice. Notice hard work, sleepless nights and hungers were voluntary choices for one’s self in order to do the work of a minister of reconciliation, an ambassador of God through whom He is working. As ministers we are to be pure, understanding, patient and kind in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love.”(vs. 6)

Our resources are God’s weapons, His armor the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. We will study more about these weapons in chapter 10.

The Paul lists the list of opposites which he says we endure with great patients relying on the resources of God and all His promises. His promises from His Word are the anchor of our souls, which holds us steadfast in the storms of life.

“We endure and go through: glory and dishonor; bad reports and good reports; genuine, yet regarded as imposters; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, het we live on; beaten, yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (Vs. 7-10)

Easy to cheer for Jesus when every situation appears to be a win-win-win situation. Good things happening. Money is plentiful, health is good, and family is fine. Your daddy’s rich and your momma is good looking, it’s summer time and the living is easy!

Billy Graham was in Europe not long after the Berlin Wall had fallen. He was meeting with the leaders, the pastors who had been part of planning teams for his revivals. As he often, did Billy Graham begin to ask those believer and leader around the table, tell me how you can to know the Lord and be saved. He tells of this one man, who was a member of a denomination whose clergy wore robes and collars which signified their faith. He said he was already far advanced in the hierarchy of his church while he was on a trip to Chicago for an international meeting. Deciding he would take a bus to and from the meeting and get to see the city, he was on his way via the bus to a meeting dressed in his formal wear. He had to sit next to a large Afro-American woman. Who asked him where he was from and why he was in Chicago. He told her of his work and his church. She then asked him a question which shocked him. She had the audacity (in his opinion) to ask him, “Have you been born again?” He replied with great emphasis of the high office he held in his church and the number of years he had been serving. She replied nothing until she got ready to get off the bus. She then looked him in the eye and said, “That is not the question I asked you, I asked you “Have you been born again?” Her question bothered him all through the day. That night when he returned to his hotel room. He turned to the passage in John 3, where Jesus told Nicodemus – You must be born again. And this man wept and got down on his knees because he saw himself in Nicodemus, this religious man who had not been born again.

We all tend to measure our devotion, our relationship with the Lord based on those around us. There are some we believe are more committed than we are, but there are plenty who are not. What do we measure that by? Our service, our attendance, our giving. Mission trips. Home schoolers. We measure how good we are by how good our children are. Of course there are always those who seem to be doing better than us in every category.

Knowledge of the Bible and knowledge about Jesus is another measure we use. But knowledge is not intimacy. I shook hands with George Bush the elder. I know about him. I have been by his house in Kennebunk Port. But if I had shown up at the gate and told them to tell President Bush, Tim Fortner from Jackson, was there to visit him. President Bush would have said, I don’t know him. I do not have a relationship with him.

NICODEMUS

Nicodemus came to visit Jesus one night. We read of this encounter in the third chapter of the Gospel of John. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was an elite group of community religious leaders in Israel. They were 70 of the most influential men in all of Jerusalem. Nicodemus was an admirer of Jesus. He had heard him teach and was inspired by his teaching. Nicodemus was looking to take his relationship to the next level and thus had sought out a personal one-on-one meeting with this famous teacher.

He came at night, because Jesus was a somewhat controversial person among the religious leaders. It could be costly for Nicodemus to be considered one of the followers of Jesus. But being a secret admirer was not costing him anything. He could have the best of both world, his religious place of authority and respect as a teacher and one of the select 70 most important people in the Temple and a private relationship with Jesus. So he came secretly at night, so as not risk losing any of this he had worked so hard to attain. No real changes. No public commitment.

Here is the first reality we must face: there is no way to follow Jesus without it interfering with the rest of your life. Nicodemus believed Jesus was from God. Is that enough? “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder.”(James 2: 19)

Jesus would not accept a relationship with him where he simply believed. Jesus wanted Nicodemus to follow Him. He did not want Nicodemus just at night for a fireside conversation of inspiration then off the next morning to live life the way Nicodemus wanted to define their relationship. Jesus wanted Nicodemus, night and day for the rest of his life.

The man on the bus in Chicago realized he had a Nicodemus relationship with the Lord. Biblical faith is more than mental assent. This is why Paul wrote we must believe with ALL our heart, the mind, the will and the emotions. Peter, John and James were told by Jesus, “follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

We tend to define belief as the acceptance of something as real or true. But Biblical faith is a commitment to follow. Following calls for movement. Believing in Jesus in the Scriptures involved following. They are not separate they are connected. In his book, “Not a Fan: Becoming a Follower of Jesus” by Kyle Idelman, I love his description of believing and following: “They are the heart and lungs of faith. One can’t live without the other.”

Following is part of believing. And like the heart and lungs, if you remove one of them belief dies. To truly believe is to follow.

Now you may not like what has been said today. I am not too crazy about it myself. In fact Kyle said he got an email after a particular sermon about believing and following being connected. The man requested to be removed from the church membership. His stated reason: “I don’t like Kyle’s sermons.”

Kyle got up his nerve and called the man and asked him what he disliked about his sermons. The man gave a rambling answer, but somewhere in there, he hit upon the truth. He said to Kyle, “Well…whenever I listen to one of your sermons, I feel like you are trying to interfere with my life. “ This is exactly what Jesus wants to do is interfere with your life without him.

I remember when I got saved. I began a journey with Him. I believed in Him and followed Him. But not always. It got better and what I really see now in the stories of those men and women of faith in the Bible, it takes time. Let me make this clear as your teacher, I do not always follow Jesus. Does this shock you? But more and more I have learned, to not follow Him always means I will head down some direction, usually what I consider a short cut. But like the Beverly Sills the opera singer said, “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” Follow Him wherever He leads.

Let’s see what happened to Nicodemus. By John 7, Jesus has become very popular and many are following after him. The Sanhedrin is concerned how this Jesus and his ministry is impacting and undermining their ministry. They are jealous and want this Jesus silenced. Nicodemus speaks up for Jesus. Not too bold, but I can hear the quiver in his voice as he begins to follow his heart. Nicodemus speaks up: “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him and finding out what he is doing?” The response: “Are you from Galilee too?” Followed, I am sure by laughs all around and a red-faced Nicodemus embarrassed for his speaking up for Jesus.

Hey- it happens today quite frequently in mixed company when you speak up for Jesus, people roll their eyes and look at you as foolish.

But by the end of the Gospel of John, when Jesus is crucified, Nicodemus is seen publicly helping prepare the body of Jesus for burial. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds worth. This was expensive financially and it would cost Nicodemus his reputation. He was no longer a secret admirer who wanted Jesus and his career- he was a follower.

It is going to become less popular to be a believer and follower of Jesus in the days to come. Jesus said if they persecute me, they will persecute you. Jesus is calling us to follow Him and in doing so to define our relationship with Him.

Are you sincere when you say you love Him? Are you really His every day, all the time? Jesus knows if you are sincere because Jesus knows what is in your heart. Are you asking for directions in order to follow Him, or are you asking to consider your options? You must be sincere in your desire to follow Him- or else He will sense your insincerity and will not give you directions until you are sincere.

Because if you are sincere, you will follow Him.

How would you define your relationship to Jesus? Are you an admirer like Nicodemus? Not a bad start, but only a start. This was not what Jesus wants- He wants all of you so you can all of Him.

Are you sincere?

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5, Part 2: Who Wrote the Book of Love?

May 17, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 5, Part 2: Who Wrote the Book of Love?

In verse 14, Paul tells us what compels him, what motivates him and gets him up every morning- “Christ’s Love.” We know the Bible tells us God is Love. The song recorded by the Monotones asks the question: “I wonder who, who wrote the book of Love? I’ve got to know the answer was it someone from above? “The Bible is God’s Book of Love- all 66 books. And the Monotones sang: “I’ve got to see this book of love and find out why it is true.” The Bible is a love story, a book of love about a God who so loved the world He gave His only Begotten Son. He loves us with all His heart and He says we will never, never, never, never, never going to part.

Paul is convinced of who wrote this book and knows that is true. He tells people everywhere the good news, the news of peace with God through the process of reconciliation. This is a love story above all other love stories. A story of mystery, death, betrayal, mercy, love, hate, truth, lies, war and peace. It is the all-time best seller of all books.

Paul presents the Gospel in a very succinct manner here. One (Jesus Christ) died for all and therefore all died. (He explains this in more detail in Romans 5) He died for all of us, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him. This is how we ought to live. And this is where the battle is each day- old nature, the flesh and the new nature, the Spirit.

Paul also tells us we are not to regard people from a worldly view any more. We all know what the worldly view is, man looks on the outside: physical appearance, dress, smile, hair, clothes, cleanliness, etc. Rich or poor- liberal or conservative- and mover and shaker or nobodies. Today we live in the most divided times since this country’s civil war. Daily we see the outrage of this group against that group and on and on it goes. Yet God has declared peace and we are living in the time of grace, of His Favor, the time of acceptance. Let’s go back to when the story of God becoming flesh began in Luke 2.

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” This is the first words spoken by angels to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. It announced the arrival on earth of the Savior of the world, Christ the Lord. And it was a message which proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 2) Did you notice the good news is for all the people? Did you notice the news is about peace on earth with the One who created earth and everything in it and on it? Did you also notice who God chose to reveal this great news to? Shepherds. Not the High Priest who looked on this shepherds as; people of no regard, uneducated, powerless, and of no importance. God chose these nobodies to first reveal the good news of the Gospel.

The very first message from these angelic messengers is a message of reconciliation offered to sinful man by a loving God who is not willing that any should perish, but all come to repentance. It a declaration of Peace on Earth.

THE INCARNATION

The Word became flesh; God became a man, born a babe in Bethlehem. Notice God declared peace not war. The Lord Himself had come down from heaven into time and space and into the flesh and blood body of a human. He came to reconcile us to a Holy God. Man was created by God and for God. He was created to worship God and glorify Him. In the Garden before the fall, man was in perfect fellowship with God and man and God stood face to face. But when man, the first Adam sinned, he turned his back on God. And since God is Holy and Just, He turned His back on mankind. All of mankind was born alienated from God, their backs turned away from God. But God had a plan, the plan of redemption. And when the Lord Jesus came into the world, He came not to be served but to serve. He came to save us, to redeem us at great costs. The plan of redemption was put in place at Calvary. There God turned His face away from His Own Son in order for Holy God to be able to turn His face toward man again. And thus the message of the angels on that night became true. Good news of great joy to mankind. Peace on earth and good will toward man was made possible in this singular act of reconciliation. It had been made possible by the Last Adam which Paul explains in Romans 5. The message was you can now turn your face toward God, but you must turn from your sins, turn around and look full in His wonderful face. This is reconciliation which comes from godly repentance. This is the good news of great joy to all the people. God is not saying I have declared war on earth. He is saying I have declared peace on earth and good will toward men. We still live in this age of grace, God’s favor and time of acceptance and God will not declare war on earth until the fullness of time is completed. Then we read of the Wrath of God which will be poured out on the world in judgment of sin in the book of Revelation. But now we are ambassadors bringing the good news, that God has judged the sins of the world and by accepting His forgiveness made possible by Christ’s sacrifice we are declared justified, not guilty and can turn and face God. But the urgency of this message is upon us, for ‘NOW is the accepted time. There will come the day in each person’s life who has not accepted the terms of God’s eternal covenant of peace based on reconciliation, when they will no longer be able to accept the truth and will come to believe a lie. That Day is coming soon, as we are told what signs to look for which tell us of its soon arrival. We do not know the day or the hour, but we can see the signs it is coming soon. The end of time of grace is the end of an era in which God welcomed with open arms and encouraged mankind through us believers who are His ambassadors to accept this peace treaty which God has enacted.

THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT

To understand how this has taken place means we must understand these terms: Imputation, Reconciliation and Regeneration. We must embrace these terms of the agreement.

Imputation: This is a key concept and truth to understand. The word is borrowed from the world of banking terms and it simply means to “put into one’s account.” When you deposit money in the bank, the teller puts that amount in your account, to your credit. When Jesus died on the cross, all of our sins were imputed to Him- put in His account. “God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Not only did God impute our sins into Jesus’ account, He also imputed or placed in our account, Christ’s righteousness. So He is our righteousness. This is the Great Exchange. The result in God’s eyes is all our sins are paid for and God no longer holds them against us, because we have trusted Christ as our Savior.( If you have not trusted Christ as your Redeemer, you are accountable for the payment for you own sins. The wages of sin is death. )

Reconciliation: Because of the rebellion of man, man was the enemy of God and out of fellowship with Him. Through the work of the cross, Jesus Christ has brought man and God together again. We have peace with God. God has been reconciled and has turned His face in love toward us and the whole world. To be reconciled is to be changed thoroughly. He loved us and forgave us while we still yet sinners.

Regeneration: Re-gened, reborn, born again are terms used to describe this process. Jesus in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 told him he must be born again. This new birth is a spiritual birth that results being made alive spiritually. Man in his natural state is dead in sin and trespasses. Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘flesh gives birth to flesh, and the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of heaven or see it, for sinful flesh cannot stand in the presence of God. Regeneration occurs at salvation along with being sealed; adopted and reconciled. Before we were children of wrath, now we are children of God. The ongoing process of sanctification begins as we learn how to live out our new identity. Now some would wonder like Nicodemus did, how can I be born again? Let’s consider what we now know about the Book of Life. The Book of Life is a science book written by God in scientific language which it has taken man centuries to figure out and be able to comprehend. What is the Book of Life? It is DNA, the genome, a complete book of instructions on how a physical life is built. It contains the equivalent of a 200, 500 page phonebooks. It now tells us a new creature is formed when the sperm fertilizes an egg. This occurs in 1 second. Within 30 minutes, it has sealed itself so no other sperm can enter. A unique, new creature has been created with all of the instructions of this new life which began at conception now begins the nine month process of developing in the miracle which will appear nine months later, a new life, fearfully and wonderfully made. This is what happened when we were born again, the Holy Spirit entered our lives and sealed us and a new life began. Our book of instructions is the Bible, God’s Book of Love. This human genome, the genetic code of life is in each cell of our bodies. We have approximately 10 trillion cells in our human bodies. If each of these tightly coiled strands of DNA were uncoiled and stretched out they would reach 744 million miles!! The God who wrote the Book of Love also is the author of the Book of Life. Nothing is impossible for Him!

THE NEW DEAL

We have now entered into a new relationship with God. Let us consider what this new deal entails:

New Master. He is now our King. We are to live for Him, and not self.
New Morality. His word defines our new morality. He tells us right from wrong and also empowers us to choose right over wrong. The enemy has said we have the right to decide what is right and wrong in our own eyes. The enemy is a liar, a thief, a murderer, and a deceiver.
New Mind. Let this mind be in you which is in Christ Jesus. Our minds are to be transformed by the Word of God. When we abide in the Word and the Word abides in us we will know the truth and the truth will set us free from the lies the enemy uses to destroy us and alienate us from Holy God.
New Mandate. We now have new goals in life, a new agenda, God’s agenda and plan for our lives. God tells us He knows the plans He has for us to give us and future and hope.
New Positions. We are now a royal priesthood. We are ministers of the new covenant and ministers of reconciliation. We are Ambassadors for Christ bringing the message of reconciliation to the lost world.

OUR NEW POSITION- ROYAL AMBASSADORS

The enemy, Satan, has being tearing this world apart since the Garden of Eden. Man was separated from God in the Garden of Eden.

God sent His Only Son to earth as a man to put back together what the enemy has torn apart.

God did not declare war on the world at Calvary. God declared peace on earth and gave us the way to be reconciled with Him. He made a way where there was no way. Jesus said I am the Way.

God is saying to us here is your message of first importance- the good news of the Gospel. “Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures and was seen by over 500 witnesses.

Bring this message as the message of first importance, for the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. This is not to say, God is soft on sin, or that sin does not matter to Him. He is saying I have already judged sin. I want to you know all of your sins are forgiven if you place your faith in Jesus. If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved.

It is a message of God’s grace. “For by grace are you saved by faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. “

It has all been done. God gives you the gift of faith with which to believe. You must accept the gift. It is voluntary acceptance.

As Ambassadors, we bring a peace treaty which God has enacted. The only ones who are not covered by it and face judgment of God are those who do not accept God’s judgment of sin He poured out on Jesus at Calvary.

God is saying to lost man, I am not willing that any should perish but all would come to repentance. Jesus wept over lost humanity as He professed with tears running down his face, how he longed to gather the lost like a mother hen would her chicks, but they would not let him.

Our message of first importance is the gospel of grace. As an ambassador I can tell those who are lost and hurting, my story. For I once was lost and hurting, longing for something to fill my longing.

God sees mankind’s loneliness. He sees our emptiness, which we are so busy trying to fill with the things of this world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. He sees each of us and looks not on the outside but in our hearts where He sees we long to be something different.

Do not mistake God’s longing for us not to perish as being soft on sin. God is very concerned about sin and human evil. He hates sin because He knows it destroys us. In fact God is so concerned by sin; He has done something about sin at tremendous cost to remove the problem of sin. He gave His only Son, who knew no sin to be sin for us. And then God poured out His wrath and punishment on His own Son. Now consider the fact, that Jesus told us He and the Father are one and realize God gave us His own self, a king who paid the price for our sins with His own life.

This message of reconciliation is what the world needs to know. This offer made freely by God has to be voluntarily accepted by man.

In the first two verses of chapter 6, Paul speaks to us as Gods’ fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation, I helped you. “ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, and now is the day of salvation.”

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in Him, stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s only begotten Son. This is the verdict, light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3)

There comes a time in everyone’s life, when the time of God’s favor will no longer be available to a person who has so hardened their hearts to God’s favor they can no longer be convicted and are lost. Paul says the day is coming when this will occur. Now is the time, now is the Day of salvation. Darkness is coming.

Let’s review some Scriptures:

Acts 4:12; I Timothy 2: 5, Romans 10:9-13

I called on His Name on September 16, 1977. And in one second I was born again. The process had begun.

The Author of the Book of Life was now becoming known to me as the Author of the Book of Love.

I now know who wrote the Book of Love and have found out why it’s true.

In chapter 1 He told me He loved me with all his heart.

In chapter 2 He told me – we are never, never, never, never, never going to part!

It is the best, most wonderful book I have ever read and continue to read. For it is a never ending story of His never ending love.

There is one other book which is a very, very important book. Your name must be found there, for it is called the Lamb’s Book of Life. To have your name written there, “you must look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12)

Let me tell you Who, Who wrote the Book of Love- God.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5: What’s In It For Me?

May 10, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 5: What’s In It For Me?

Often referred to as man’s favorite radio station, WIIFM- is something we all think about. For it is part of our nature which thinks in terms of our own selfish nature. What’s in it for me – means what benefit will I derive? What will this do for me? Let’s face it self-interest is something we deal with every day. Jesus came to enlighten our self interest. He understands a reward system and incentives. This is why in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us not to lay up treasures for ourselves on earth, where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break into steal. But instead lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal. Jesus understands our need to be satisfied. This why He warned us of the enemy who comes to steal and kill and destroy. While the Lord came to give us life and life more abundantly. Jim Elliott the missionary who was killed by the tribes he was ministering to – understood this principle and said: “A man is no fool to give up what he cannot keep for that which he can never lose. We were created by the Lord and for the Lord. He knows what will fulfill our deepest longings and satisfy us the most.

The word “it” is a pronoun which is often identified as an impersonal pronoun. What is in me and you in these earthen vessels, in these tents, is nothing less than the Lord Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. When He first came into my life, He was virtually a stranger. He said of this incident, “I was a stranger but you took me in.” Then we began a journey together and He has become my best and most intimate friend. He understands me. He reveals spiritual truths to me.

As we ended chapter 4, Paul says the real things in this life are not the seen, visible things, but the real things are the invisible things, the unseen. Natural man, man who does not have the Spirit of God indwelling him cannot understand these unseen things. In fact they are foolishness to him and he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned. (I Cor. 2) What are these unseen things which are eternal? They are the unseen forces at work in the world, of which most of the world is completely unaware. These are the two kingdoms at war in the unseen realm. The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. The kingdoms of darkness is under Satan, aka Lucifer, the fallen angel, and consist of the angels who followed him, aka known as demons. The kingdom of light is the Kingdom of God and consists of Triune God and the angels who remain with Him to do whatever He commands them to do. These kingdoms are eternal, although invisible. The Word of God is eternal, it will not pass away. And the souls of men are eternal and will exist forever in one of two locations: heaven or hell.

WE KNOW

Notice how Paul starts this chapter: “Now we know…” Paul does not say now we hope, he says now we know. How can I know with certainty? By faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we cannot see.” This is how we live and walk by faith and not by sight. The natural man, the lost of this world, do not know these spiritual truths and therefore walk by sight. As believers in the Word of God we know absolute truth. We are certain of things we cannot see. I have never seen Jesus Christ or heaven, but I am certain they exist for the Word of God is absolute truth and as such is the only reliable thing in this unreliable world. Everything we see today will pass away, but the Word of God remains forever. It is the anchor of my soul. Paul uses a description of our body here in this chapter as an earthly tent. Paul says we know these tents will be destroyed, and that we have a building, a house built by God not by human hands, eternal in heaven. Remember what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We know we understand the world and everything in the universe, both seen and unseen were created by God. They are held together by God, He is creator and sustainer of all things. We are told to look beyond the visible to the invisible things. The Word of God tells me there are angels, both good and bad working both for and against human beings on this earth. We who are on earth are caught up in this great invisible conflict in which we are both under attack and supported by invisible hands. This is why Paul said we wrestle not with flesh and blood but against invisible principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.

This unseen battle spills out on the earth and the 24 hour news cycle on television brings the results into our homes every night. Since the unseen world is not understood by man, they are deceived into believing different reasons why the world is in such a mess. They must find visible reasons for these problems and thus we have wars, rumors of wars, riots, a polluted environment and unbelievable violence, murder, rape, child abuse and the awful things we see on the 24 hour news cycle. Jesus told us in Matthew 24: 37: ‘As it was in the days Noah, so also will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” How was it in the days of Noah? Genesis 6 tells us: “Then the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Are we there yet? One could build a case just from watching the news cycle that we are. But listen to this statistic, in 2015 on one pornographic website, consumers watched 4.3 billion hours of pornography. Convert those hours to years, and it is 500,000 years of watching porn. Minds polluted, consciences seared with this hot iron of filth. Surely we are as wicked as the society which was swept away in the flood in the days of Noah.

I fear the generations coming behind us have lost the values which our grandparents and parents deemed as absolute. Now everyone does what is right in their own eyes. We have accepted the redefining of marriage, abortion of unborn as a right, and pornography as mainstream entertainment. The two greatest weapons the unseen forces of evil have unleashed on this world are sex and technology combined to make it available in every home and almost impossible for parents to protect their children from this evil. We are in a battle. A battle for the mind. For remember the mind can overrule a God- given conscience until it becomes desensitized to evil and has no concept of right and wrong and their minds are on evil 24-7, just as it was in the days of Noah.

WE GROAN

Paul was a tentmaker. He now switches metaphors to describe our earthly bodies not only as jars of clay, earthen vessels, but also as tents. The tent is our earthly body, temporary and weak just like a tent. Tents sag; tents are not very comfortable when exposed to the elements, heat, cold, rain, snow, etc. Tents grow old and threadbare, easily torn. Paul says we know if these tents are destroyed we have a building, a house to dwell in created by God. This house Paul is talking about is our glorified body which our souls will reside in for eternity. It was created by God for each of us who are believers. We read of its description in the Gospels when we read of Jesus’ resurrected, glorified body. For He has told us, flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. So God has created a glorified body for each of us, so when we see Jesus we will be like him. Abraham was known as “a man of the tent and the altar.” The tent reminded him of the temporary and the altar of worship reminded him of the eternal city he was seeking whose architect and builder was God. Wherever God is present is Holy Ground. Paul has referred to our bodies as a house. Truly when we realize what is in these earthly vessels and these tents in which our souls reside, we realize the presence of God in our lives makes our bodies a house of God, a house of Worship.

Paul tells us while we are in these earthly tents, we groan. This groan is not the groan of old age or worn out bodies. This is a groan of longing, like the earth, all of nature groans with longing for its Creator to return and restore them to their former glory. Paul’s groan is a groan of longing for heaven and all its glory.

So here Paul explains our situation as believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit:

Alive in an earthly tent, a body which is temporary tent that is wasting away.
Death, for a believer is referred to as sleep by Paul and the Lord Jesus. Here Paul refers to it as being ‘unclothed.’ In other words we took off the tent, the clothing of our temporary earthly bodies.
Clothed with our heavenly building, which is our glorified transformed body like Jesus we receive at the return of Jesus. If we are alive when He returns we will receive a glorified body in the twinkling of an eye we will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible. This glorified body is a dwelling a building built by God, not human hands. It is and eternal body.

We are told to be absent from the body, (leave the earthly tent) is to be present with the Lord. To be still in this earthly body is to be absent for the physical presence of the Lord. So people of God are in one of two places: either in heaven or on earth. We are not in a grave. We are not in hell. We are not in purgatory, a so-called in-between place between heaven and hell, which does not exist.

Now we are curious as to what it is like between the time when we die and the time we get our glorified bodies. . Remember our souls are immortal, they never die, they simply change locations when the leave the body. The saved are in the presence of the Lord Jesus. The lost are in Hades, a place described as a place of torment in Luke 16. The lost will be brought from that place to the Great White Throne for their punishment based on their deeds and misdeeds, sins.

Does this mean when I leave my body I will exist in a disembodied state of sleep? I believe when our souls leave our bodies, these earthly temporary tents, we enter the presence of the Lord in Heaven. What we also enter is eternity. In eternity there is no time. No past, no future. On earth we lived in the temporary, created 24 hour day cycle. We are conditioned to think in terms of time. This is why eternity is placed in our heart, although we do not fully understand it, we long for it. In eternity, we never have to wait for anything. Your loved ones who have not only entered heaven and the presence of the Lord, they have entered eternity where there is no time. They do not want for anything and they do not wait for anything, this is the phenomena of eternity where time as we know it does not exist.

Paul then tells us: “Now it is God who made us for this purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, as a guarantee of what is to come. The Holy Spirit renews us each day reminding us the best is yet to come. And as we grow older and our bodies are wasting away outwardly, but because God has placed his very Spirit within us to remind us daily and renew us daily as we feast upon the Daily Bread of His Word, who is the Lord Jesus Himself our Bread of Life who renews our minds each day. He is providing us with a foretaste of glory divine. If you remember your wedding day, or have recently attended a traditional wedding, the bride and bridegroom turn to face each other as they repeat their vows. When we behold Him our Savior, Redeemer and look full in His face, the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His wonder and grace. He is preparing a place for us now and we know at our age, whether He is coming soon or we are leaving this building to go be with Him, the time grows short.

WE ARE CONFIDENT

Paul says, therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the lord. We walk (live) by faith and not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him, for the things done the body, whether good or bad.

We are confident while we are still in these earthly tents we are away from the Lord, we can walk by faith and not by sight because of the Holy Spirit deposited in us as a guarantee. God has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He told the disciples as He prepared to go the cross, he would not leave them orphans. He promised us He would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

Paul says we are always to make it our goal to please the Lord. And the reason we should make this our priority is because all believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. This is not the Great White Throne judgment which is for the lost, whose name is not found written in the Lambs’ Book of Life; this is the bema, where our works will be tested by fire for rewards, as we read in I Cor. 3. Those works which burned up were inferior and done for selfish motives and recognition of man. Jesus said the recognition you received would be your reward. The works which survived the fire were works done not for recognition on earth, but to glorify God and please Him, not ourselves.

Paul is telling us heaven is not only a destination, it is also our motivation for how we should live here on earth. The parable of the talents and the servants show us our motivation and ambition to the please God to receive a reward is not sinful. God promises rewards. Therefore if God promises rewards for faithful servants, rewards from God cannot be sinful, but in fact are motivation. Paul, as Saul of Tarsus understood ambition and hard work and rewards. All of his accomplishment prior to his salvation were a result of his hard work, study, sacrifice and ambition. Ambition is not wrong when one’s ambition is to please the Lord. Paul realized all of his works before he was saved were nothing, and he considered them as rubbish, worthless. The saved person known formerly as Saul of Tarsus was a new creature. He was humble, not proud, but he still possessed ambition, now he was motivated by wanting to please God. He wanted to run the best possible race he could, he wanted to press on, to strive to give it his all for the glory of God.

Think of all the hours you worked at your job for not only money and advancement, but for the recognition of your bosses and co-workers and the community. I have received awards and recognition in my career. Salesman of the year, national recognition, two awards of excellence. Our company had an annual review for each employee where we met with our immediate bosses for review of our accomplishments for the year. Our rating would impact our bonus and salary going forward. We put together a presentation which showed our accomplishments for the year, the increase in business, the profitability, etc. We had set goals for the year in the beginning of the year which were shared with our supervisors. We were then judged on how well we did and the results of our efforts. We worked hard for the money and the recognition.

Heaven is not only our destination it is also our motivation. If we are looking at the unseen above and the day when we stand before Jesus – we begin to realize, at least I do, at my age, I am running out of time to lay up treasures and rewards in heaven.

I understand what Paul means when he says we know what it is to fear the Lord. I believe we will be fearful at the Bema, fearful our efforts were self-serving and not serving and glorifying Him, who died for me. I will enter heaven, but how much of what I spent my life doing will really matter. For if the only things of this world which are eternal are the Word of God and the souls of man, how have I invested in those?

Paul wanted to set God-Honoring goals and then work ambitiously and hard to achieve those goals.

How did Paul set those goals? He believed God’s promises. He believed God had equipped him to do the work God had called him to do. He had a consuming desire to achieve those God-given goals. He was not afraid to risk failure. He was determined. He was persistent. He stood firm in the faith and walked by faith not by sight. He let go of the past.

What goals do you have for the rest of your life? Have you asked God what does He want you to do with the rest of your life? He told us what we are to be doing. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the earth. Amen.’ Matthew 28; We are to be godly goal setters, soul winners and disciple makers.

When we stand before Jesus at the bema to answer what we have done, it will be clear what we have done in obedience to Him and what we have done for our own glory. I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be ashamed. I want to be approved by the Lord Jesus. I want to have pleased Him.

Paul said we are to try to persuade men.

Evaluate your own goals and ask God what are His plans for today. He will show you where He is working and He shows you in order that you might join Him there. Be as ambitious to please Him as you were your employer. Work as hard as you ever have on a project for work. Work as hard as the athlete who trains. Works as hard as some of the people I see at the Lift to be physically fit. Make sure the rest of your life counts for something of eternal value.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 4, Part 2: Hungry – Homeless – Helpless

May 4, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 4, Part 2: Hungry – Homeless – Helpless

I saw one of our ‘professional beggars’ with this 3-word homemade sign. I was impressed with this man’s economical use of careful wording which supposedly described his dire circumstances. Paul has told us he had experienced these same circumstances and more on many occasions. Yet Paul did not lose heart, which means he did not lose hope. He possessed the secret to having a hope that did not disappoint. He had a hope, as he described in Romans 4, that Abraham had: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…” In fact Paul wrote in Romans 15: “May the God of hope fill you with all hope as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

First of all before we begin our study of the secret of never losing heart and what to do when we experience the awful emotion of hopelessness, let’s review what we know about Paul, aka Saul of Tarsus and his encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. We know the story from Acts 9; Paul was on the road to Damascus. This zealous Pharisee, named Saul of Tarsus, was on his way to stamp out Christianity. He was stopped in his tracks when the Lord Jesus confronted him. Blinded, Saul of Tarsus was sent to Straight Street where the Lord sent Ananias to tend to him. Here is what the Lord told Ananias: “Go! This man is my chosen vessel to carry my name to the Gentiles, to kings, and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer.” Do you catch that last word- suffer? Saul of Tarsus was a man in his prime. A brilliant theologian who studied under Gamaliel. He was part of the elite, in-crowd of the powerful men of the Sanhedrin. His religion and career were everything to him. He had knowledge, but this knowledge only puffed up.

PAUL’S PERILS

We read how Paul had received 39 lashes from the Jews five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked three times, having spent the night and day in open waters. He had been in danger everywhere he went from harsh elements, (he was homeless) to danger from Gentiles, Romans, Jews, everyone, everywhere. He had gone without sleep, had known hunger and thirst and gone without food (he had known real hunger); Paul had been cold and naked. He also had been arrested and in jail and prison. In addition Paul had deep concern for the churches. Paul also told us in Asia he had experienced great pressure beyond his ability to endure. (Paul is telling us I know what it is to say, ‘I just can’t take anymore of this!) He knew despair. He said in his heart, he felt the sentence of death.

Then Paul tells us a truth he learned, which if we are not careful we will miss this all important truth. Paul said “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises, the dead.” (2Cor. 1: 9) Self-reliance is one of the most difficult things to overcome. In order to overcome this, God has to put us in circumstances over which we have no control. Now I have reviewed all of this, so we would realize if anyone knew what it was to be homeless, hungry, and in dire circumstances which would cause any of us to lose heart and thus all hope, Paul certainly knew it from experience. So when Paul says I have learned the secret of contentment, the secret of not losing heart, I want to know how, don’t you? Of course we do. Paul uses the word, ‘therefore’ quite often. He uses this word to connect the reason for his action based on knowledge and experience. Therefore is a conjunctive adverb used to join phrases, the single word can be used in place of “for that reason.”

“Therefore, since through God’s mercy, we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” Paul is telling us because of God’s mercy we do not lose heart. Gina knows what it is to lose heart when she faced a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in May of 2015. She awoke early on this particular May morning and the Holy Spirit reminded her of these verses from Lamentations 3 she knew and had memorized. If you go back and read the verses leading up to these verses you will read the word of a very depressed, defeated, depleted man, named Jeremiah. He might as well have stood on the side of the road with a sign that read: Defeated, Depleted, Homeless, Hopeless, and Helpless. “I well remember them, (his afflictions) and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I called to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lord’s mercies I am not consumed for His compassions fail not, they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.” Paul is saying the same thing here.

In 2 Corinthians 4: 16, Paul tells us: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” After the fall in Genesis three, all of mankind and all of nature began to decline. By now we have all faced what it means to decline. The aging process means our bodies are wasting away outwardly. At our age, we don’t need to read what Paul says to believe this – we are reminded every morning when we wake up with a stiff back and look in our bathroom mirror each morning to discover less hair, another wrinkle, and an inward groan as we bend over to pick up the paper. In fact this reminds us of how all of creation groans about us. A fallen environment with its storms, floods, tornadoes, hail, droughts, and pollution. The news on television displays the impact of the fallen nature of man in his never- ending violence, destruction and immorality. All of this can certainly tempt us to say, what’s the use? Will this never cease? We tend to be overwhelmed and then personal problems, real and scary, can cause one to lose heart, to be depleted. Paul knows this. And more importantly so does our High Priest, the Lord Jesus. He remembers our frames are dust.

So we humans, since the fall are born with these finite bodies created from the dust of the ground by our Creator. They began a process of deterioration from birth. But from the time we were born again, we had come into the earthen vessels, these jars of clay the treasure of God Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit.

From that moment God equipped with the means to be renewed every morning. Our source? The treasure within us, the Holy Spirit. Now Jesus told us we could expect trouble in this world, from the fallen creation, and the fallen nature of man. Between these two fallen entities we are – Hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. God allows this to show the all -surpassing power is from Almighty God and not from us.

Our fallen, declining, outwardly wasting bodies feel the pressure, but the all-surpassing power within us keeps us from being crushed. Notice the ‘ but not’ – hard pressed on every side, we feel this pressure, just as Paul did, but like Paul,’ but not crushed’; perplexed, confused about our situation, but not in despair, that is not losing heart; persecuted from those who hate the Word of God , but not forsaken ; and struck down, but not destroyed. Greater is He who is in us, than the one who is in the world.

THE SECRET OF BEING RENEWED DAY-BY-DAY

The experience of not losing heart fades and must be renewed day by day. Discovering how to not lose heart is the discovery of a fountain of life, which can be endless source of hope, strength and joy each and every day. The Lord Jesus told us He is the bread of life. In the desert, the children of Israel were fed daily with manna from heaven. This daily bread only lasted that day. You could not gather enough for tomorrow, only for today. This is why Jesus told us-‘therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ His mercies, his compassion are fresh every morning, great is His faithfulness. Just like the daily manna which arrived without fail fresh every morning for 40 years in the wilderness to feed his children. This is why Jesus taught us to ask our Father for our ‘daily bread.’ We must gather enough each morning for ourselves and our family. Don’t worry about tomorrow, tomorrow there will be fresh supply for the Lord Jesus Himself is our bread of life. I never have to look anywhere else! Look to Jesus, look to the unseen, which is eternal, not the seen which is temporary.

My car has to have gas and the tank has to keep being refilled. My physical body and its metabolism require me to keep feeding it daily. And our spiritual bodies need to be fed as our spiritual metabolism can be depleted. Our days are filled with daily pressures, confusing events which perplex us, persecution from a world culture which despises us, and being struck by the daily collisions in a world which seems intent on crushing Christianity and Christians, like we were in the bumper cars at the fair. Now remember, God has promised He would never place more on you than you can bear. Jesus told us you Father knows you have need of things which includes – vacations, a time away from the pressure, a time of enjoying life, food, family, and rest.

As far as I can tell, the word, renew is used only one other time in Paul’s writing. In Colossians 3: 9, 10 we read: “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Our new inner self, our new man is always being renewed in knowledge. Knowledge alone without the Holy Spirit puffs up, but love builds up. Not losing heart is connected to not losing the truth. To engraft the word into our soul requires, we read it, study it, memorize it, meditate upon it and obey it. This is how we feed upon the daily bread which renews us. The Holy Spirit was able to help Gina recall those verses which she had memorized, meditated upon and even sung about so the treasure within these clay jars is the Holy Spirit who brings to mind everything Jesus causes us to remember. But we can only remember what we have repeatedly put into our minds. Renewed in knowledge. Jeremiah remembered, David remembered and we must remember and to remember we have to be renewed in knowledge of our position, our promises, our Provider. Faithful is He who called you who will also do it.

Remembering comes from reminding ourselves what we have stored in our minds through meditation of the word which can serve our hearts and keep them from losing hope. This is why the first thing each morning is to collect your daily bread to feed you mind so your heart will be reminded of the truth which sets us free.

What is the truth Paul is telling us to put in our minds in these passages? It is that our troubles are light and momentary. Now your first reaction is to say- this problem is not light and it is ongoing and has been for years. Paul certainly knows what it is to feel that way also. But he is reminding us of eternal truths. Our problems, our burdens send us running to Jesus, Our Great High Priest who says, ‘come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden (burdened) and I will give you rest.” Our Creator made our earthly bodies out of clay, so He, Our Potter, could shape them. He also made us jars or vessels for the purpose of filling them with Himself. And one of the reasons we come to Him is out of our weakness. Weighed down by our problems our sorrow, we might as well be standing on the roadside with a sign which says, I have lost all my hope. I am sick and tired of life. Jesus pulls up alongside us, and says come unto me and I will give you rest.

Notice what Jesus then tells us “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The yoke is where we learn how to trust the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding.

Did Jesus tell us, you will never have trouble? Never get sick? Never be tired and hungry? Physically and spiritually? Know He told us He would help us carry the burden. How? By yoking our lives with His – so He become an ever- present help in the time of trouble.

Feel that ache in your shoulders, that tension headache, the fatigue which comes from sleepless nights of worry? You are trying to shoulder the problems that belong on His Shoulder. The government of your life will be on His shoulders. Spiritually Hungry? He is the bread of life, fresh every morning. He is the Living water. A fountain a spring which never runs dry.

Paul is not saying our light troubles are not troubling- but put in your mind this treasure- these troubles which are light and momentary are preparing us for an eternal weight of glory which eye has not seen which ears have not heard, nor entered into the hearts of men what is in store for us who love the Lord. Your afflictions are preparing, in fact are producing even now an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Momentary? Lord this problem has been for 15-20 years- what is that compared to 10,000 years, to a million years in which you will enjoy the outcome of these trying moments which also strengthen, purify, magnify and expand your faith today.

How do we do that? Paul says look not at the things seen, for they are temporary. Look at the things unseen, but promised, for they are eternal. Keep your eyes fixed on things above.

Paul is telling us to experience this heart-renewing power; we must fill our minds with these truths. We must put these glorious truths in our minds, so that as we focus our minds upon these truths, it opens the eyes of our hearts to the hope to which we are called. To the very God of all hope and comfort who provides us with rest, with comfort and hope.

Expect the unexpected. And expect it to come in the most inconvenient times. Jesus wants us to learn to live this way. Jesus teaches us how to live this way and not lose heart by placing us in situations where we realize our inability to meet the unexpected, inconvenient needs to drive us to Him. To His Yoke where we learn how to live. He wants us to learn He is faithful. His mercies and compassion are new and fresh every morning. Our Lord Jesus is eager to help us.

Paul tells us three truths about our troubles: they are light and momentary and are achieving for us an eternal glory. These troubles are light, because we come to the Lord Jesus and get under His yoke which is light and easy. Paul tells us they are momentary- they are limited in time. And they have a purpose- to achieve for us an eternal glory which outweighs them all. There is a time limit, a weight limit and an eternal purpose. Remember and remembering is what the Holy Spirit helps us do; God will never place more on you than you can bear. When you go through the flood, you will not be overwhelmed; and when you pass through the fire, you will not be burned.

Few things honor God more than our willingness to really trust Him to provide all our needs. It shows the world around us the ability to withstand the pressures of our afflictions, no matter how great they are can only be attributed to the all-surpassing power of God Almighty who indwells us, this Treasure in these clay jars.

All I have needed, thy hand had provided, Great is your Faithfulness!!

So we should be standing on the corners of our busy city with a sign which reads:

I have HOPE WHICH CAN FEED YOUR HUNGER AND AN ETERNAL HOME FOR THE HOMELESS.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 4: “The Light of the World”

April 26, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 4: The Light of the World

“Therefore since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. “Paul talks a lot about not losing heart, about not giving up and about not quitting and pressing on. He has given us two reasons why in this one verse: we are now ministers of a God-given ministry and the recipients of God’s mercy. Peter calls us a royal priesthood.

Each believer has a ministry; we are the ministers of the New Covenant based on the Gospel, the Good News. The New Covenant, as Paul described it in Romans 8 is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus which set us free from the Old Covenant, the Law of Sin and Death. God has chosen the time and place we were to be born and when we were born again, the Spirit equipped each of us with a spiritual gift with which we minister to others the ministry God has given us. This is all because of the mercy of God.

And mercy means we did nothing to deserve it. Realizing this truth of underserved mercy, Gods grace, humbles the believer. Paul was a humble servant of God. Now when Paul says ‘we do not lose heart, he in no way says he never has been worried. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 1, he tells the church: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.” Paul then goes on to explain, God has allowed this so they would not rely on self. Paul knew what it was to despair, and he had come to learn through experience, ‘God was always working things together for good for those who loved him and have been called according to His purpose.’ (Romans 8.28)

Paul was dealing with false teachers who were using deceit and manipulation to bolster their own success. This included distorting the word of God. Our foundation is the Word of God. And remember Jesus Christ is called the Word. He is the cornerstone of the foundation. If a builder does not build on a sound foundation, all will come tumbling down at some time. Jesus said, ‘anyone who hears His words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. The rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, yet it did not fall.’ And then Jesus said anyone who hears His word and DOES NOT PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE is like the man who built his house upon the sand, and when the storms came, it fell with a great crash.

When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7)

Jesus set the truth before people clearly and plainly so they could understand it. When we read the teaching of Jesus, described as “The Sermon on the Mount”, listen to what He says: “You have heard it said to those of old, “but I say to you – and then Jesus made it clear that God does not look at outward compliance of the law, but at the heart. For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he. The religious leaders had come up with man-made laws which called for outward actions to comply with the Law of Moses. By performing and keeping these outward man-made laws, they believed they were earning their salvation through their self-righteous acts. Yet Jesus said – your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of these Pharisees, and you ‘must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” “For without holiness, no one will see the Father.” “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” In other words unless your heart is pure, you cannot see God. For man looks on the outside but God looks at the heart. David prayed for God’s mercy and prayed for God to wash him thoroughly from his iniquity and cleanse him from his sin. Create in me a clean heart. Psalms 51. Even in the Old Testament, God revealed what was necessary: “I will give you a new heart and put my Spirit within you: I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36)

We received a new heart when we got saved. This heart is pure. The impure heart with which were born is referred to as a ‘heart of stone’, the seed, which is the Word of God cannot take root here and will wither. This heart is impure, it cannot see God, and it cannot understand spiritual truths. How then does mankind get saved? By responding and turning to the Christ who is the Light who removes the veil which has blinded the mind of the perishing, (the lost).

So instead of manipulating, Paul says, “on the contrary (rather than using distortion and deception) by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience.” We need to understand the difference between conscience and the mind. Conscience is a God-given faculty in man which convicts him of sin and righteousness. The mind uses reason and the mind can be deceived. The mind can also be swayed through emotions. But the conscience responds to truth, for Paul said even the Gentiles who do not have the law know right from wrong. (Romans 2:15) Truth and the sense of right and wrong can convict a person through his conscience when his or her mind is deceived. This is why Jesus’ teaching reached people; this is why they said He taught as no one else did. If we simply do what Jesus did, which is speaking the truth in love; it will bring with it the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Christ. They knew Jesus’ teaching was right. The open, simple, but powerful statement of the truth has the power to attract people. They hear it and their conscience bears witness this is right. We do not count on our intelligence, natural abilities or the power of our personality to reach people. WE simply teach them what the Bible says in language they understand.

The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord with your whole being. This means God becomes your treasure above all things. The second is like unto the first which is to love your neighbor. Jesus said on these two laws, these two pillars of love all the Bible rested. In I Timothy 1: 4, 5, Paul writes: The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” In I Timothy 4, Paul warns us: ‘ The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teaching comes from hypocritical liars whose conscience has been seared as with a hot iron.’ A seared conscience is de-sensitized, no longer sensitive to the sense of right and wrong and does what is right in their own eyes. It is an attractive message to those who love darkness rather than light.

Sometimes the person with the brilliant mind, the high IQ, the great intellect in their pride reject the light. For this is the truth, ‘light has come into the world but men preferred darkness, for their deeds were evil.’ (John 3: 19) Their conscience bears witness to the truth, they have seen the light but their minds reject it. So how does anyone get saved? Paul then talks to us about spiritual blindness, the god of this age, the veil he uses to deceive and the Light. To do this Paul will take us back to creation when God said “let there be light.” For light is the only thing that dispels darkness.

THE LIGHT

Let’s pick up in verse 3 through verse 6: If our gospel be veiled (hid) it is veiled from those who are perishing (lost). The god of this age (this world) has blinded the minds of the unbeliever, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. For we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as LORD, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness made the light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

The veil of unbelief is a tool and strategy of the devil. He is responsible for the unbelief of men. The veil is the delusion, (remember he is not only a liar, but a deceiver) that we are adequate to handle life by ourselves. We are the masters of our own fate. It is this sense of pride which says I can do this myself.

Now man was made in the image of God and God placed eternity into our hearts. We want to be like God, we want to be in control, we want to control others, and we want to control our own destiny. In other words, the devil has taken this God given desire to be like our creator and tell us we can be our own God. This is exactly how sin entered the world. Eve was believed the lie of the deceiver, who told her when she ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil she would be like God.

We want to be god-like. We desire godliness. Peter tells us very clearly: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him, who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1) God made us to be like Him, to be His children and the only way we can ever be like Him is through Jesus. Jesus is the secret to godliness. A godly person reflects the character of God.

The great secret the devil wants to hide from mankind is that faith in Jesus Christ is the secret to godliness. This is why Jesus stated this fact: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by me.”

Does this mean these people had no chance to be saved? No. Because God made the light shine into their hearts. He gave two witnesses: creation and conscience. So man is without excuse. The light has come into the world, but as we quoted earlier, John 3: 19, Jesus said, this is the verdict light has come into the world but men loved darkness instead (rather than) of light, because their deeds were evil.

For these reasons Paul says they are without excuse. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became as fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. “ “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things, rather than the Creator.” The words instead and rather both used interchangeably are words of deliberate choice. Which means they chose even though they knew God as creator and their conscience bearing witness to the truth.

The enemy, the devil veils the mind- so even though the facts of creation and the reality of conscience bear witness their minds are deceived.

When we speak the truth we shine the light into the darkness of the hearts of those who are perishing. Mankind cannot remove the veil himself. Many look to find significance and meaning to life through the accomplishments of power, prestige, money, relationships and popularity. These are all things mankind seeks to in order to make them feel like they have become something worthy. If these accomplishments cannot remove it – how can it be removed? Only when they turn to Christ who can remove it.

Paul tells us how: “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake. For it is God who said, ‘ Let light shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

The key is to preach Jesus Christ is Lord. If you confess with your mouth Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Romans 10)

The Lord over all things who is in complete control of everything is the One who saves you. He is the only One who can take away the veil.

When we speak of a person being lost, it means they cannot find their way in life; cannot discern the truth, and are in the dark, in need of light and their life is a mess. This is why Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by me. Jesus is the Light of the World and in Him is life. Satan is the father of all lies and tells the lost he knows the way to make them happy and feel worthwhile. People are born looking for meaning to life. And only the author of life can explain the meaning of life. We are born into God’s story and when we recognize Him as the Author of Life, we can find the plans He has for us.

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” We are to preach the Gospel, the good news for ‘faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” The message is heard through the word of Christ.

Now do you realize the enemy who is called the god of this world’s strategy? He wants to blind the mind of the lost by keeping them from believing the truth of God’s Word. The enemy knows the power of God’s Word. He is working hard to keep them blinded to the glorious gospel of light and salvation in Jesus. He wants people to think less and learn less and use their minds less. In this age of technology, with Google, Smart Phones and personal computers, mankind has to think less, all they have to do is push a button. God has chosen the Word to transmit the Gospel. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. The Word touches our mind, convicts our conscience of right and wrong and the enemy does not want it broadcast. The enemy does not want us to think, read or hear the Word of God spoken so clearly and plainly. The devil knows the Word of God is alive and powerful.

Now when the Bible says Satan is the ruler of this world it means he is the popularly elected ruler of this age. But ‘the earth is the LORD’s and all of its fullness. (Psalm 24) Jesus called Satan the ‘prince of this world’. A prince is always under a king, and Jesus is the King of Kings, the King of all ages. The book of Job reveals God is in control over Satan.

It comes down to something pretty simple: Satan is directing all his energy into blinding us from ever seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.

“In Him (Jesus Christ) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John (John the Baptist). He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe. He, himself, was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. “

How does the Lord Jesus give light to every man? Through creation and conscience. (Romans 1 and 2) All of mankind knows there is a God through these two witnesses. “The heavens declare His glory; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” And their conscience bears witness to right and wrong.

What have we heard in these latter days? WE have heard God did not create the sun, the stars, the heavens, the earth and all that dwells within them? You see what the enemy doing- is putting a veil over the mind of the lost- when they read Moses.

“ Yet to all who received Him to those who believe in his name, He gave the right( power and authority) to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will- but born of God.” John 1.

You must be born again. For flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God, nor can they see it. John 3.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. “(Matthew 5)

When I put my light, the Light of the Glory of Jesus Christ on a stand, I lift Him up. And when we lift Him, the Lord Jesus up, God the Father will draw men to Him.

This is our job, and this is what we should pray. If the enemy’s strategy is to keep unbelievers from seeing the light of the gospel of the Glory of Christ we should pray: God shine Your Light, my light, our light to bind the blinding of Satan, and give the gift of faith to overcome the unbelief which blinds them.

Paul knew what it was from personal experience to be blinded to the truth. As Saul of Tarsus, on the road to Damascus he was struck physically blind and was healed so his eyes both physically and spiritually were opened to see the glory of the Lord.

Like Paul, I was blind but now I see! I was lost but found the way. I was dead but now I am alive. I found the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I found the Light.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 2 & 3: Is Truth Dead?

April 18, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 2&3: Is Truth Dead?

Is Truth Dead? This was the cover of the April 3^rd edition of Time Magazine. According to Time magazine it provoked a massive response. The NY Times had recently called President Trump “delusional.” It reminded many of the provocative cover in 1966 which asked: Is God Dead? It also reminded others in 1969, another Time cover which asked: Is God Coming Back to Life?’ Here are a couple of comments from readers: this one comes from Homewood Alabama, which caught my eye, because this is the location of Southern Living Corporate headquarters in Birmingham Al. This reader blamed the media both liberal and conservative alike for mixing news and opinion. Another wrote: ‘concepts once seen as absolute are now something to be defined by each individual.” This reminds me of the oft repeated statement in Judges, ‘there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.’

Remember what Jesus said as Pilate confronted Him: “For this reason, I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Paul’s first visit to the church at Corinth was so painful, he believed it would be best if he did not visit them the second time. His change in plans had caused those who were enemies of Paul to question his motives. They accused Paul of worldly, selfish motives. Paul is trying to explain as best he can why he did what he did. Listen to Paul’s heart: “For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.”

Paul’s instructions to expel the man involved in sexual immorality with his stepmother was not to punish the man, but to take the drastic steps to restore him to fellowship. Evidently this had caused grief among the church. “The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. “(2Cor. 2:6, 7)

Now Paul goes on to say, ‘anyone you forgive, I forgive.’ Remember what Jesus taught us in prayer in Matthew 6, ‘we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us.’ Unforgiveness is not only a sin; it is like a cancer which will consume you. Paul says the punishment was sufficient for this man, so evidently it had accomplished its purpose which was repentance and now it was up to the church to complete his restoration and reaffirm their love for him. Paul says we not only do this for Christ’s sake; but also in order that the devil does not outwit us. We must remember our enemy is very subtle. He will take advantage of unforgiveness to create bitterness, anger and resentment in our lives. The church at Corinth and the man whom they expelled had a common enemy, the devil. We must remember this when we are harsh in our judgment of a brother or sister who has fallen in sin. As we often say, ‘ there except for the grace of God go I.’ Meaning any of us can fall at any time which is why the Lord said ‘ watch and pray lest you fall into temptation.’ Paul reminds us of who our enemy is and that he is out to outwit us. “For we are not unaware of his schemes.” Yet in the times we live in, we have allowed our battle to be against flesh and blood, not spiritual wickedness. Our enemy is the father of lies, a deceiver who has deceived many in our culture there is no such thing as absolute truth, there is no all- knowing God, and there is no literal devil. He has blinded many around us to the truth, a veil is put over their mind when they read the Bible, believing it to be an ancient book written by men who were homophobic male chauvinists and point to the fact all these books credit men as authors. The truth is God is the Author. Is Truth Dead? Remember Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Here Paul tells us this truth: ‘God always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life.” The Word of God, which we believe is absolute truth, condemns those who do not believe it. No wonder it is the aroma of death to those it condemns in their unbelief, and calls their lifestyle sinful. So they literally drown out the truth with their cries of intolerance, not being politically correct, and all the venomous words they can hurl at us, including homophobic, racists, and hateful, cruel people. They do not want to hear it and the enemy has blinded them and placed a veil over their minds.

As believers we can easily forget who the enemy is and find ourselves in the shouting matches and arguments until we realize we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but spiritual wickedness in high places. This is why our progressive sanctification is so critical at this time. We have a message of hope which much be spoken in love with gentleness and respect.

God uses three disciplines to transform us and carry out the process of sanctification. He uses people for we are told ‘iron sharpens iron.’ Sometimes the people God uses in our lives are loved ones and sometimes He uses our enemies. God uses circumstances. And these can involve health, finances and relationships. Stormy times and times of peace are both used by our all-wise God who administers both with love which always has our best interests at heart. God also uses the Word of God. What is interesting is the first two disciplines work from the outside to the inside. They also are not something we really have control over. The third discipline is different in two key areas: the Word of God works from the inside out to transform and we do have control over how much time we spend with the Lord in His Word. This is why daily time spent in meditation on the Word of God is so important to each of us. *Today’s lesson will remind us how important this disciple of daily Bible intake is in our lives. For truth has never been more important than it is here in the 21^st century.

Notice Paul has a word for the prosperity preachers, those who corrupt the Word of God for profit. In the NIV, the word ‘peddlers’ is used to describe them. Think about those who preach the ‘believe it and receive it’ gospel, which is no gospel at all. Paul wrote most of the New Testament which they peddle for their own good. Yet look at Paul’s resume. Paul spent most of his time in jail or prison. When he came to town he started either a revival or a riot, usually both. He had no large salary; he had no huge home; he never built a church building; he had not big budget; and by his own admission, he was a poor speaker and we read he had an unimpressive appearance. Have you ever seen a church hire an ugly, poor preacher, who was an ex-convict?

Now as we move into the third chapter, Paul says do we need like some people do, letters of recommendation? Paul is accused of not being a real apostle by his enemies. It is as if Paul saying to them, do I really need to have a letter of recommendation from Peter or John that I am an apostle of Jesus Christ? You, the believers of Corinth, are my letter of recommendation. You are a letter or recommendation from Jesus Christ that the message I brought to you, the Gospel has saved you and made you a new creature. The result of this ministry of the Lord’s is written not on stones as with Moses and the first covenant, nor is it written on paper from men, it is written on the tablets of your heart, the Holy Spirit being the very ink with which it is written.

The Law written on those stone tables on Mount Sinai was broken no sooner than they had been written. The old covenant could not save you; it was the Law of Sin and Death. You could not keep the law, no one could. Jesus came to establish the New Covenant, the Law of Spirit of Life which set us free from the Law of sin and death. So each one of us are a letter to others, to our community. We are a letter from Christ Jesus. And they may never have opened the Bible, God’s letter to mankind, but we who have been changed can be a living letter from the Lord. Those who knew me before I was saved knew what a sinner I was, a drunk, and an alcoholic who could not stay sober. As Paul would say as ‘such were some of you.’ I went down on my knees that day almost 40 years ago a sot, I arose from them a saint. All of this has happened because Christ had changed my life. My changed life became a letter to others. You are the only letter from the Lord some people will ever read. Our church is the only letter some in the community will ever read. What are they reading? Or do they read us and see nothing to attract them? Is the radiance of God’s Glory being reflected? Or have we put our lights which come from the Glory of God under a bushel or behind a veil or maybe basked in His Glory as if it was our glory? Do we have a veil, a mask of hypocrisy others see when the observe us?

THE GLORY OF THE NEW CONVENANT

Paul makes an interesting analogy here in these verses. Speaking of the old covenant that brought death which was engraved on stone tablets, Paul says “ if this came with glory so that the Israelites could not look steadily on the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was , will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? “ The book of Hebrews tells us of the greater and even greatest glory of the New Covenant and the Great High Priest who is above all. Paul would refer to the Old Covenant as ‘the law was our school master whose purpose was to bring us to Christ to be justified by faith. But after faith comes, we are not under the schoolmaster (the law), for you are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. And as many of you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Christ is our righteousness, which we are all in need of- it is in fact our greatest need.

So liberty comes from a loving relationship with God through faith in the finished work which the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus provided. Each believer is clothed in Christ’s righteousness. The law is our standard. But we need strength to live Spirit-controlled lives. We do not have the strength to keep the law, no one does. We are to walk in the Spirit. Holiness is not the way to Christ. Christ is the way to holiness. We are to be led by the Spirit, for where the Spirit is there is liberty. We will never become sinless, however when we believe, our sins past, present and future are forgiven. From that moment we have two natures. The old nature is as incorrigible as always. The new nature cannot sin. The old nature is viewed by God as having been crucified. We are to reckon ourselves dead to sin and no longer a slave to sin. I was a slave to alcohol. I know exactly how Paul felt when he said the thing I do not want to do, I do, and the thing I want to do, I do not. I was miserable and so was Paul. Now as a Christian I will still sin, not habitually, but there will be digressions. However we must all keep in mind, if you are a child of God and sin, you have not lost your salvation, but communion is interrupted and joy is lost, but the relationship remains untouched. God will chasten you and the punishment will be in accordance with the seriousness of the sin. But it is always for the purpose of restoration. (Read Hebrews 12 for a more complete explanation of God’s disciple for those He loves.)

Now I want to make it clear- the Old Testament is not bad and the New Testament good. The law of the Old Testament, the 10 Commandments are our standard. But it was given by God as Paul explains not as a means of salvation that is being saved by works. For the Old Covenant was a school master who taught us none us could keep the law, no not one. And from the very beginning when the first law was broken in the Garden, God revealed it was only in the shedding of blood that sins would be forgiven, for the wages of sin is death. A lamb without defect would be sacrificed. The blood which was posted on the door posts in Egypt was memorialized by God into the Passover. And was a picture of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

Now back to Moses and his veiled face. Moses put a veil over his face after being in God’s presence for the glory of God shining through him made the Israelites afraid. In other words, God’s Glory shining on Moses’ face the Israelites uncomfortable. We can expect our sharing of the Gospel to make some uncomfortable. We read this account in Exodus 34. We also read when Moses entered into the presence of the Lord, he took off the veil. Moses entered into the presence of God with unveiled face. This is the privilege we have to enter behind the curtain into the most holy of holies into the very presence of God. Do you believe this? Because if you do, what could ever keep you from not wanting to enter there?

Paul says we are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at his fading glory. Paul says their minds were blinded and even to this day when they read Moses the veil remains. How is this veil removed? When we turn to Christ, He takes away the veil. Just like the bridegroom does when he and his wife have entered into marriage, he removes her veil and kisses her.

“Now the Lord is Spirit and where the Spirit is there is liberty. But we all with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, ( ever-increasing glory ,NIV) even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “

Do you see the veil interferes with the work of the Spirit in obeying the law? The veil can deceive us into thinking we are pleasing the Lord. But if it is of works and not faith – it is not of grace. But more than that- the veil keeps us from putting to death that which is needed in order to have new life. We all have areas which we try to control or pet sins which we have rationalized are not that serious. These are veils which keep us from beholding the glory of God in those areas of our lives. Listen to what James says: “But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word , and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass; for he beholds his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away immediately and forgets what manner of man he was. But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues to do this, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed indeed.” (James 1)

Paul is talking about an ongoing, progressive work of sanctification in our lives. He is talking about removing all veils by yielding all our lives to God, every area. Glory comes from God, but it only comes through a life yielded to Him.

The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God. This is accomplished through the spiritual discipline of beholding. The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind and soul. As a result it is a reasonable act of worship to yield your body to His service also. Why does God want us to worship Him? Because God knows what we worship we become like. For where our treasure is our heart is also. God knows He is the only One we can worship that will not lead us into destruction, degeneration. The law of worship says by beholding we can become changed, transformed. Therefore the devil has always wanted to be worshipped and he wants you to worship him and the things of the world of which he is ruler. Therefore what we worship and aspire to be like is what will influence our thought process. And remember as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. So guard your heart with all diligence for out it come the issues of life. Our will is designed as a faculty of the mind and is to function in the direction of reason and conscience. God beckons us to come reason together with Him. God does not want your worship because HE has an ego which demands worship. God made you to worship Him and He knows this is what will bring you the most enjoyment.

For the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

“If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1 Part 2: The Role of Conscience

April 12, 2017 Benny Page

2 Corinthians 1 Part 2: The Role of Conscience

A change of mind led Paul to change his plans. This caused others to say Paul had not kept his promises. Remember Proverbs 16: 9 says: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” And Proverbs 19: 21 tells us: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Do you remember the night George Bailey’s father had a stroke in the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”? George had just told Mary all the grand plans he had in his heart to travel the world, and build great buildings and projects and get out of Bedford Falls, his small hometown. But all his plans changed in a moment because circumstances changed. George Bailey had many plans in his heart, but the Lord’s purpose prevailed.

Now with this change of plans Paul’s enemies and critics are accusing Paul of deception; of breaking his promise because he changed his plans. Yet if we look back at Paul’s first letter in I Cor. 16, Paul said he would spend the winter in Corinth ‘if the Lord permits.’ Paul’s optional plan was to have two short visits going and coming, but even that plan had to be scrapped. He would only make one visit.

His critics, who question Paul’s authenticity as an apostle of Jesus Christ, accuse him of worldly wisdom in verse 12. After all if he was an apostle of Jesus Christ, surely he would know what the will of God was for him regarding his relationship with the church in Corinth.

A misunderstanding between God’s people can be difficult to untangle sometimes. In fact sometimes in trying to untangle it, it gets worse and more misunderstanding occurs and walls go up between believers and even loved ones. And Paul loves these Corinthians. The accuser is at work and loves to cause such quarreling among the believers. The enemy can cause division over the simplest things. As often is said, the enemy can cause the splitting of a church over the choosing the color of the carpet.

So these plans were tentatively made as we read in I Corinthians 16. Paul did not make these plans carelessly as he sought the leading of the Lord. I don’t know about you, but there are many times in my life as a Christian I have made decisions which later appeared to be the wrong decision, but seemed like the right ones at the time. Sometimes I waited on the Lord and sometimes I moved ahead believing what I was doing was in the will of God.

Here is what is important: your motive. Is your motive to please God and not men, or self? What can we learn from this letter of Paul’s to the church at Corinth and his altered plans? Let us look at Paul’s prayerful decision making process and also how he responds when one is misunderstood.

CAN OUR CONSCIENCE BE OUR GUIDE?

This is not the first time Paul has referred to conscience. Conscience is a God-given capacity we humans have by which we evaluate right from wrong and thus self-critique ourselves. Your conscience can be a reliable guide if it has a value system based on the Word of God and is enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The Word of God transforms our mind and we are told we can have the mind of Christ. Our conscience can be a witness which in concert with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit can testify to the evidence. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 9: 1: “I speak the truth in Christ- I am not lying; my conscience bears witness in the Holy Spirit.” My footnote in the NIV says conscience is a reliable witness and guide only when enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings to mind the truth of God’s Word and therefore can create that voice in our minds, which says this is wrong, don’t do it. Or when we choose to do it and the Spirit convicts us and creates guilt. Today’s culture is ‘hell-bound’ to conform our thinking and alter our moral value system. We refer to the world’s culture value system as one which has relative values rather than absolute. This sliding scale of right and wrong re-defines truth as relative and my truth is a good as your truth. We live in a society whose conscience has become seared and everyone does what is right in their own eyes.

Paul described our conscience as a witness. What does a witness do in court? They do not create evidence but testify to the evidence. Matthew Henry calls conscience- ‘a deputy to God’s command.’ His description reminded me of an episode of Andy Griffin, when Gomer sees Barney make an illegal u-turn and begins to yell, “citizen’s arrest!” Our conscience convicts us when we violate the moral value system which God’s Word makes clear to us. Our conscience’s internal voice cries out to us we have broken the law and should be punished.

Paul addressed the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols in I Corinthians 8 by referring to a conscience of a believer which was weak. Paul said the believer with a weak conscience does not have adequate knowledge in regard to idols and the meat sacrificed to them. However, Paul tells those with the stronger conscience to be careful that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. So those with the stronger conscience do not exercise their freedom, even though they know it is not a sin. Paul is giving us a principle here which is to seek the good of others rather than our own good, when it can cause others to stumble. The law of love seeks to build up not tear down; to set free, not imprison and above all else to glorify God.

We are going to see how Paul deals with this situation where he is falsely accused of wrong motives and duplicity, in other words not being sincere in his motives and truthful. Paul has obviously considered the situation and evaluated his motives, and his conscience bears witness to himself that his motives were pure and sincere and from God, which is to say they aligned with God’s Word.

I believe at the Bema, where works are are tested for rewards, the test will be for motive. Did I spend all that time preparing lessons, so others would think I was smart and gifted or to build others up.? John the Baptist had a short term, phenomenal ministry. Huge crowds were coming out to hear him and responding to his message of repentance. But John the Baptist knew he must decrease in order that Christ increase. The Holy Spirit always wants to magnify the Lord Jesus. Paul says what he had done, the decision he had made was not according to ‘worldly wisdom, but according to God’s grace.’

People misunderstood his motive and the enemy is quick to rush in and accuse God’s person of false motives, insincere, selfish actions. We are to be transparent. Paul wants them to understand, as much as possible, his motives are for their good and not his own. They are accusing Paul of manipulation of saying one thing and meaning another.

The first thing we must do is what Paul had obviously and prayerfully done, he has searched his heart to make sure his motives were pure. You have to ask yourself when there is a misunderstanding, ‘is there anything I did or said which was wrong according to God’s Word? Does my conscience bother me? Did I speak in anger? Did I hurt or damage relationships? Was I harsh or unkind? Now when we ask the Holy Spirit to search our heart in accordance with God’s will and ‘see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.’ Our hearts in Scripture are the center of the human spirit from which flow emotions, thoughts, motivation, courage and action.

Paul has obviously searched his heart and found his motivations to be ‘in holiness and sincerity and from God.’ He wants them to understand fully- so he has written plainly. (Writing a letter is a good way to approach someone, for you can carefully choose your words to best convey your motives.)

Paul says I was planning to visit you to benefit you. Now Paul wants to clear this misunderstanding up between him and the church at Corinth which he loves. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly. “

When we look at our society today, we see the two parties of our government locked in strife, arguing, divided, saying all manner of harmful and hateful things against one another and as a result our country is paralyzed in this constant bickering and accusations.

Paul’s enemies have seized upon his cancellation of his plans to visit as a worldly, selfish action saying he was never sincere in his plan to visit them and bringing up every charge they can from the fact he is a false teacher, not a real apostle of Jesus Christ, and even the suggestion of financial impropriety and embezzlement. All of this comes from a change in travel plans. It seems to us a trivial matter. Especially, in a time and place where travel and communication were difficult. Wherever there are those who oppose you and your beliefs they are always ready to accuse you of wrong motives in matters both trivial and major.

Paul said when I was planning this; I did not do so lightly, according to the flesh. Let’s see if we can figure out this Yes and No matter.

Paul is saying I planned with pure motives to visit you to benefit you. Now Paul, like us, sought the leading of the Lord, but sometimes he was not sure, just as we are not sure sometimes, what God wants us to do. He was sure he was to stay in Ephesus because he was seeing his work was effective. In Acts 16, Paul was trying to figure out where to go and after being stopped twice, he knew he needed to wait on the Lord. Do you see by his actions, Paul was motivated to please God not men or self? Jesus said you should not take oaths. You should just say yes I will or no I won’t. Let your word be your bond.

Paul is saying when I said yes, I intended to visit you; I did it with the purest of motives in my desire to please God and to benefit you. In other words, his motive was to build them up. By the same reasoning and motives, when Paul said no, it was for their sake also. Paul’s motive to please God and benefit the Corinthians did not change, his motive was pure. What changed was how he could accomplish pleasing God and benefitting the Corinthians changed. The method to achieve the motive changed. He came to believe his visit would harm them rather than benefit them.

Again let us conjure up an example of motive which can appear harmful, but actually is not what it appears to be. An 80 year old woman is knocked to the ground by a strong, young teenage boy. Her hands are skinned, her knees bruised and the breath knocked out of her. Was this the careless horseplay of a mindless, teenager? Or worse was it the willful action of a mugger? Either would be considered wrong and one punishable by law. However, what if the quick thinking of this young man kept this elderly lady from stepping out into traffic of an oncoming car? Motive makes all the difference, doesn’t it?

Paul is saying when I said yes I planned to come to benefit you, I was sincere. But the Holy Spirit convinced Paul to come would cause more harm than good as he is about to explain.

Now we need to understand this as best we can, for it is important. Paul says, ‘as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “yes and no”. Paul is saying we do not mean no when we say yes or yes when we say no. It is wrong to say yes, when we have no intention of doing what we say or to say no, when we do not mean to keep our word.

Paul the appeals to the believers by taking them back to the faithfulness of God who always keeps His word. God’s promises are always Yes in Christ to which we say Amen. This ‘amen’ means we agree and accept and take God at His Word. Whatever God promises they are positive promises. And when we come to Him in the name of Jesus these promises are ours.

Let’s look at God’s motives, His intentions, and His purpose. “For God sent His Son into the world, NOT to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3: 17) Notice God’s motive: was not condemnation, but salvation. There is going to be condemnation to those who do not accept God’s gift or believe His Word, but that was and is not His motive. His promises deal with salvation, restoration, forgiveness and delivery. Jesus said the enemy comes to steal and kill and destroy, but He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Even the Old Testament tells us: God’s motive is to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. ‘(Isaiah 61)

Yet God gets accused of wrong, harmful motives and falsely accused, doesn’t He?

WHY PAUL CHANGED HIS PLANS

Paul explains God opened his eyes to see the situation from God’s perspective. Paul says ‘as God is my witness, I did not come (in order) to spare you. Not lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. (2 Cor. 1: 23) This is one of the reasons Paul did not come. Paul is saying I am not the LORD over your faith. I am not your Holy Spirit. I am a fellow worker who wants God’s best for you.

In chapter 2, we read the second reason Paul did not come. “So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy. For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.” (2 Cor. 2: 1-4) Paul says I have already caused you pain, a second visit will only increase the pain, you need a time of healing as you recover from the pain which the truth caused. I do not need to come at this time, for you need not be caused anymore pain at this time, but need time to mend. The surgeon does not need to cut you up anymore; one visit is usually all you get from the surgeon. After that the healing must take place.

Paul realized he had caused hurt by what he had written to them. He wanted them to know he wrote what he wrote out of love for them, not to cause them pain.

We should correct our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus because of our love for them, not out of frustration and anger. The purpose, motive and intent of discipline is always restoration and renewal, not retribution and rejection. Our correction has no value if it does not build up and move someone to obey God and repent of their sins and enjoy full fellowship with God and one another.

Interesting when you consider the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Shepherd went after the lost sheep; the woman searched for the lost coin and used all means and methods until she found it. But the father did not go after the Prodigal Son, because the son had to come to his senses. And the Holy Spirit has to lead the carnal Christian or the unbeliever through the process of conviction and the actions which must be taken to correct the guilt He has stirred in their conscience.

One other truth we need to appropriate which Paul reminded the believers at Corinth to remember: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Cor. 1: 21, 22) Jesus is our role model. Remember He told us we would do what He is doing, and even greater things. In Luke 4 Jesus tells us what He will be doing as He starts His ministry. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of the sight for the blind, to release the oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. “

This is the work we are anointed to do. The Spirit is not just on us- He is in us, sealing us and indwelling us and empowering us.

Paul said I am not lording my position over your faith that is the role of the Holy Spirit within you. I am just a fellow worker helping you.

To fulfill the role God has given us, God has given each of us His Spirit. Our motives must be pure and have only one desire: to glorify God by building others up and freeing them from their sin. Our consciences are being enlightened by the Spirit of God in accord with the Word of God and thus lead us with proper motives when we are to say yes and when we are to say no.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1: Don’t Get Too Comfortable

April 5, 2017 Benny Page 2 Comments

2 Corinthians 1: Don’t Get Too Comfortable

Comfort has two distinct definitions: ‘a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.’ And –‘to ease or lesson another’s sadness, sorrow or pain. One is a noun the other a verb, an action taken.

Ever been getting ready to sit down and as we say, “take a load off your feet”, when your spouse, mother or someone else says, “Don’t get too comfortable, I have something for you to do.”

In America we live in a land of plenty, a land of comfort. We find comfort in our circumstances and well-being. We want: physical health, all our family doing well, financial security, and a ‘quality of life’, few in the world enjoy. Which also means if these circumstances change – our comfort level changes. We know when we are saddened by the changes in our lives which cause sadness, pain and loss, we want the pain to ease and we look for those things which can do it: some turn to alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, eating, travel or amusement and entertainment to take our mind off our troubles. Some of these are innocent, others are dangerous, but they are all potentially addictive. And collectively they begin to define success and comfort in America. “I want to live in America, OK by me in America, everything is free in America. I like the shores of America, comfort is yours in America…” (West Side Story)

BACKGROUND

False teachers were stirring up the church at Corinth against Paul saying, his teaching was not God’s truth. They implied Paul was not a true apostle of Jesus Christ. This letter is unlike any of Paul’s other letters in that it was the most personal letter he wrote. Paul tells us of some his personal experiences such as his vision of the third heaven and his ‘thorn in the flesh.’

Paul will recount how much he had suffered already. He will list the number of times he was beaten, in prison, lashed, stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked. In his book, the Road Less Traveled, author and physician, M. Scott Peck, begins his book with this opening sentence. “Life is difficult.” I don’t have to explain that to you by now, you have learned this personally.

GRACE AND PEACE

Paul begins with a familiar greeting: “To the Church of God in Corinth together with all the saints throughout Achaia. (Achaia was the ancient name for Greece.) Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “

Grace and peace. Understand these foundational truths. God’s Grace is the source of all our supply. Grace is the word which gathers up all that God has done and is doing and is ready to do for us and give us all. God loves to give. God loves to bless. All His supplies come via His Grace and obtained by faith.

The result of this grace, this amazing, marvelous grace is peace. “You (God) keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts you.” (Isaiah 26) The key element to peace is trust which creates an ever conscious awareness of God’s presence at all time. A mind must be transformed by the Word of God in order to have this awareness. When we got saved, (justified,) we had peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. But we also have the peace of God, which Jesus gave to us. We received it by grace through faith. This peace is what cuts off anxiety as soon as it arises, when it first strikes. We are told not to worry or be anxious for anything. We are told to keep from worrying we should pray always. (Now we must be able to discern between the destructive force of worry and productive concern.) Worry accomplishes nothing and is in fact destructive. Concern prayerfully discerns the constructive steps to be taken to deal with the trouble or a specific problem. Because life is difficult and we will have trouble in this world, we must learn how to deal with difficulties and troubles for God has a purpose in allowing these to come into our lives.

Remember fear is the opposite of faith- it is the opponent of faith. This is why one of the Lord’s most often repeated commands is and was: Fear Not.

A PEACEFUL HEART IN THE STORMS OF LIFE

Peace is what we desire and God wants us to find the peace which passes understanding by trusting Him. Here are five essential beliefs for a peaceful heart: especially in times of trouble:

God is absolutely sovereign. Psalm 91 is a testimony to God’s Sovereignty and of the security of those who trust in the Lord. He is our refuge and our fortress. The Psalm closes with a promise which Gina claimed when I was diagnosed with cancer in 1998, she personalized these verses and placed my name in place of the pronouns: “Because he (Tim) has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He (Tim) shall call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Winds obey Him, He speaks and billowing waves cease. Fish bring Him a coin he needs, or swim into nets. The dead hear his voice and come to life, blind see, lame walk, deaf hear. He is in complete control. God is before all things, He created all things, He upholds all things, He is above all things, He knows all things, He accomplishes all things, and He rules all things and is control of all things. Nothing is impossible for Him. God is absolutely sovereign! If God is for you- who or what can be against you?
God is your Provider. He provided a lamb for the sacrifice for Isaac on the mount. And He provided the Lamb of God Himself for me and you. Psalm 34: 10 tells us: “…but those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing.” Paul writes in Philippians “My God shall supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” I don’t know about you, but sometimes I forget God is in control of my material resources, my income, everything I have is a gift from Him, coming down from my Heavenly Father. Peter said God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him. Do you know and believe this truth?
God made each of us just the way He wanted us to be. We are what we are and who we are for a purpose. I exist and you exist because God willed for us to exist. We exist for one purpose- for God to give Himself to us. He chose my parents. He chose my birth order. He chose my gender. He chose the time and place I was to be born.(Acts 17) He chose my physical traits as well as the talents and abilities I would be born with naturally. He then gave me the spiritual gifts He chose for me when I was born again spiritually. He is the Potter, I am the clay. He shapes me for His purpose. (S.H.A.P.E.= Spiritual gift; Heart or desire He has worked in me to use my gift; Abilities, natural talents I was born with which He selected for each of us; Personality, the outward expression of our temperament we were born with; and the Experiences He has allowed me to experience- all to shape each of us for His specific purpose.
God made us in His image and remember God is love. We were created to be lovers. To love the Lord God with our all, to love our neighbors as ourselves. God has a place for each of us where we belong. He knows we need someone to love and someone to love us. Everyone wants to be needed. And everyone needs to be wanted. God has a place for each one of us to belong- it is the in the Body of Christ, the true church. “ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all.” ( Ephesians 4: 4-6) We are part of the same Body. The Holy Spirit connects you to believers in fellowship. God said from the beginning: “it is not good for man to be alone.” We need to have a place we truly belong.
God has a plan for your fulfillment. When you ask, it will be given; when you seek, you will find; and when you knock, it will be opened to you.” God knows the plans He has for you. Listen to God as He shares His thoughts with you: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me, and you will find Me, when you search for me with all your heart.” ( Jeremiah 29: 11-13) *Half-hearted efforts will never work.

God is absolutely sovereign. God is your provider. God made you the way you are for a purpose. God has a place just for you. God has a plan for you- the only plan in which you will find lasting fulfillment.

The New Testament is not just about how to get to heaven, it is also about how to live life on this earth as a Christian, as God’s child.

GOD’S DESIRE

God is not willing that any should perish but all would come to repentance. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (This tells us God does not will anyone to go to hell. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said how he longed to gather her as a mother hen does her chicks, but they would not. Notice Jesus says they would not, not they could not. God has revealed Himself through His creation and through the conscience, so man has an external witness and an internal witness. Therefore, man is without excuse.) God‘s desire for each of us who are believers is to find our place and purpose. To find the peace of God which passes understanding. He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

He wants us to become skilled using the natural talents we were born with, and the spiritual gifts we received when we were born again.

This turning of gifts and talents into a skill is our responsibility. This means we must acquire specific knowledge and how to apply it in order to become competent. Trust God to help you learn and develop.

WHY WE HAVE TROUBLES

Here are the facts:

We all have troubles.

God comforts us in our troubles.

God does not remove the trouble and suffering because He has allowed them for a purpose. Here are some of the multiple purposes of trouble and suffering:

Conforms us to the image of the Lord Jesus.
Allows us to experience the comfort of God in our times of suffering.
Equips us to comfort others.
Churches become comfort stations, rest stops,
Churches also become a place of restoration.
Suffering and troubles teach us to trust and rely on God- not self.

The word comfort also involves strengthening. The Holy Spirit is the power and source of strength within each of us; He also happens to be called The Comforter.

God’s comfort and strength is always more than adequate and available to hold you up no matter how difficult the suffering and trouble is. Remember His Grace is the source of everything we ever need. And His grace is always sufficient.

What is your response to suffering and trouble? Did you notice how Paul started this section? “ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion( mercy) and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in an trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

Do you praise God for the trouble? Or do you try to get out of it as soon as you can? God – Help me get out of this? Or God help me get through this?

God allows trouble, crisis, pain and suffering in order that we may learn how to depend on Him for mercy, comfort and strength. It is the only way we can discover what God can do to comfort and strengthen us during these times of testing. He is teaching us how to live the Christian life. This is how we learn to patiently endure. Unfortunately there are no short cuts to gaining patience, except to be put in situations where you must wait on the Lord.

Saul of Tarsus was a very intelligent, talented, educated, a proud, self-reliant Jew who also possessed the highly prized Roman citizenship and the backing of the Sanhedrin. God had to break him of his self-reliance on his own abilities and strengths. Paul will share his personal setbacks and suffering in this letter like none of his others. He allows us to hear his despair, depression and pressure he felt. He does not deny his feelings.

Suffering can come as a result of our own sin, rebellion or impulsive decisions. Suffering can come to keep us from sin. Suffering refines, enlarges, and purifies our faith. Suffering breaks us of the habit of self reliance. But suffering can also come to prepare us as it did for Joseph in his 13 year trial from being sold as a slave and imprisoned on a false charge to the second highest place of power in Egypt. And of course the Lord Jesus, God in flesh suffered for our sakes.

Paul describes his situation: “I do not want you to be uninformed about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answers to the prayers of many.” Intercessory prayer is powerful.

Notice the tenses of the verbs: He has delivered (past tense); he will deliver (present tense): He will continue to deliver (future tense).

Troubles/ trials and suffering? God has sent them. God has allowed them to come as opportunities that you might learn the amazing secret of inner strength, inner comfort, inner peace which keep your heart quiet, though you are going through tough times.

Remember this truth: God has to work in us before He can work through us.

And remember when it comes to this world, John said to not love the things of the world. In other words, John is saying, ‘don’t get too comfortable in this world, the Lord has things for you to do!

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 16: Practical Matters – Matter

March 28, 2017 Benny Page

I Corinthians 16: Practical Matters- Matter

Paul’s last section of his letter seems to be taking care of some plans and practical matters. Which reminds us in our daily lives, practical matters- matter.

Paul will deal with three areas of responsibilities of which we are to be stewards:

Money- Paul explains how to give
Opportunities- how to plan and schedule
People- how to work with others

These three areas are vital to the life of the church body. We need each other. We must invest our lives in other people. We will see in this last section of Paul’s letter – Paul was not just a preacher, evangelists, writer and soul winner; Paul was a friend maker.

Remember this: people are prepared by other people who love the Lord and people enough to invest their time in making disciples and training them to serve. God will supply the money and the opportunities. My high school football coach invested his life in training young men to play football. But he taught us life lessons and one of his favorite quotes was: Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

The occasion for this letter of Paul’s to the church at Corinth was in reply to a letter delivered to him from the church in Corinth asking his advice about how to deal with some problems. Here in the close of the letter, it is obvious the church had also asked Paul about what to do with the money being collected for the church at Jerusalem.

Therefore Paul begins this last section addressing the matter of the money: “Now about the collection for God’s people….” The collection was for the church in Jerusalem which had undergone not only persecution, but had also been hit with a famine in the region. Paul was collecting monies from the Gentile churches to give to a church which was predominantly Jewish. We all face needs in our lives from time to time. These needs come for two reasons, or a combination of these two reasons: circumstances, which we had nothing to do with causing, i.e. a famine, or storm; and consequences- things we have caused by wrong decisions or sin in our lives. *Don’t miss the big picture- which we often tend to do: the church is one body of which Christ is the head. And what happens to our brothers and sisters in the Lord all over the world are our concern also. Remember what concerns us, concerns God. And what concerns God should concern us.

GIVING

Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8) We sing- “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.’ Paul tells us how we are to give:

Weekly- systematically on a regular basis. Giving is an act of worship.
Individually- each one of us should give individually.
Proportionally- set aside an amount as God has prospered you.
Always to remember the poor- this is the church’s role in society and our culture. Yet we have let the government take the role of the church.

Paul says this should be done before he arrives, so he does not have to make collections when he comes. Paul is not some television evangelist exhorting and encouraging you to give the money to him. Also you want to make sure your money is going for the purpose for which it was given.

OPPORTUNITIES- HOW TO PLAN AND SCHEDULE

Charles Stanley says one of the most often asked questions by believers is how to know the will of God. Certainly George Mueller had an amazing prayer life and what many would consider miraculous answers to his prayers. Mueller tells us his method for determining the will of God:

I seek to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in a given matter. When you are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be, 9/10ths of the difficulties are overcome.
Having done this, I don’t leave the result to feeling or simply impression. If I do so, I leave myself liable to great delusion.
I seek the will of the Spirit of God through or in connection with God’s Word. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to delusions. If the Spirit guides us, He will do it according to Scripture, not contrary to them.
Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me.
Thus, through prayer, the study of the Word, and reflections, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge. If my mind is thus at peace and continues to be so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.

I have found this method always effective in trivial and important issues.

Notice the first priority- a neutral heart. A heart which wants to know the will of God with the intention of doing the will of God.

Now notice how Paul’s planning and schedule is flexible and indefinite allowing for direction from God as he does the next thing. Paul wants to do the will of God, so he plans as best he can and moves forward.

Look at the areas of which Paul is tentative and uncertain and the areas of which he is certain.

“If “it seems advisable, Paul says in verse 4, he will go to Rome with them to take the collection. But notice he also has prepared to give letters of introduction to those taking the collection if he decides his time is better spent elsewhere.

Paul says in verse 7: “I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits….” Paul also addressed the possibility that Timothy might come, and instructs them: “If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear…” Paul has also asked Apollos to come to the church at Corinth, but Apollos was unwilling to go now but he will go when he has the opportunity.

Paul is sure of one thing and it is what he is currently doing at that time, he is ministering in Ephesus. “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” Paul would write in Ephesians 5: “Make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.” Jesus told us;” My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. I tell you the truth the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees the Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son does also. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all He does. “(John 5)

Paul’s plans are tentative, he plans but is willing for God to direct and alter his plans. As George Mueller stated, the most important thing was to get your heart into such a state it has no will of its won in a given matter. This is simple to understand, but quite often difficult to do in life. Paul is stating what his plans are- but he will allow the Lord to direct him. This is why you see each, “if” and “hope” and “if the Lord permits”.

Proverbs 3: 5, 6 tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” This does not mean we do not do our part of due diligence and consider all the opportunities and obstacles. Paul in looking for where he should next take the Gospel in Acts 16, found himself kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in Asia. He also tried to enter Bithynia; the Spirit of God would not allow Paul to enter. So they kept traveling and then through a dream Paul entered Macedonia. Paul’s main goal was to do the will of God. When we are willing to do the will of God, sometimes it is necessary to keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking.

Matthew Henry said: “ When we cannot do as we will, we must do as we can.” And I would add- do what you can with what you have where you are. And make sure you do all you can with all you have.

Two extremes we must avoid:

Being so afraid of making a mistake or the wrong decision, we do nothing- make no decision at all.
Making impulsive decisions without waiting on the Lord. As per George Mueller’s method.

Remember this: It is God’s responsibility to lead us.

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thy rod and staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23)

Do you see how personal this wonderful Psalm is? He is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. I have a personal relationship with Him. He knows my name, He knows me personally and I – Him. He wants me to trust Him with all my heart. He makes me lie down in green pastures- the time of quiet heart comes from a trusting heart. Don’t be anxious he tells me. Is it not the Shepherds responsibility to guide me? It is! He guides me for His reputation is at stake as the great Shepherd. He guides. He guards. He leads. He gives. He has made me righteous and will lead me. If I stray, He will come get me. He gives me a courageous heart. He gives me a grateful heart. I remember so well the day He found me. I had wandered off and was lost from God and the flock. I was so afraid. I was so distraught. I was so desperate. Then came the great and wonderful Shepherd. He never once thought about giving up on me. What rejoicing there was in heaven when He brought me home.

*IMPORTANT POINT TO NOTE: Paul tells us: “Because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” Expect opposition when you are doing an effective work for the kingdom of God.

PEOPLE

Paul mentions several people who have worked alongside him in the ministry. He wants to make sure they receive the recognition they deserve. Money and opportunities are of no value without people.

People are the greatest asset of the church, the body of Christ. We are to invest our time and talents in other people. For we know our command is the same as it was to Adam and Eve and Noah. We are to rule and reign with Him and reproduce and fill the earth.

Paul then advises all of us: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.

I do not know what circumstances in your life are discouraging you but I know the enemies who want to discourage you; they are three- the world, the flesh and the devil. And on any given day or night, one of those three is trying to discourage you. The Scriptures are full of stories of downcast souls and fearful men and women of God. Discouragement is a loss of courage. This is why Paul is encouraging us to be vigilant. I do not know what is keeping you awake, but I do know what is it to be discouraged, fearful and feel like you are never going to get out of whatever it is that is holding you down and back.

The reason Paul told us to be on guard, is when we are in this weak condition, the enemy wants to attack us. He preys on the weak and vulnerable.

Do you fear that God will not be faithful? That God will not deliver you? Has fear weakened you to the point of collapse? “Therefore strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may be disabled but rather healed.

Satan loves to confront us in our discouragement. He wants to intimidate us and overwhelm us. It is difficult to walk by faith in a fiery trial. This is why it is called striving, fighting and training. It is hard- but God will never place more on you than you can bear. Put your finger on the promises and pray them back to God. Tell Him, His reputation is at stake for you are His. He has promised to guard, guide and lead you. Remember when you are doing an effective work for the Lord, expect opposition. Expect the enemy to try and discourage you.

Remember what He has already done in your life. Overcome your fears with faith in His promises. And you will see the power of God.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what He has promised. For in just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”

Don’t give up- hold on- He is coming!

Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. Do everything in love.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15: Part Two

March 21, 2017 Benny Page

I Corinthians 15: Part Two

Keep in mind during the time of Jesus, the Roman Empire crucified many people. But only one person arose from the dead to eternal life in a glorified body. And only one person died for the ‘sins of the world.’ As we studied last week the first four verses in which Paul shared the three most important elements of the Gospel on which the Corinthians and us have taken our stand. Paul said of first importance was that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. His burial was proof of His death and this was the 2^nd element of the gospel message. And the 3^rd element was Jesus was raised from the dead according to the scriptures.

PROOF: LIVES CHANGED.

The first proof was the salvation of the Corinthians. This is our proof also. That the truth of the gospel is Almighty God devised a plan of salvation whereby He could save mankind from their sins and maintain His Holiness. And in every generation since the first generation of believers, we have the proof of His death, burial and resurrection recorded for us complete with lists of eyewitnesses, and the fact that in each generation there are millions to whom Jesus had made Himself known and reproduced His character and changed our lives is proof to each believer. It is like the hymn says: “You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart. “ And so 2000 years later the gospel is what we stand firm upon. When we believed, we received and became the children of God. The Holy Spirit completed this adoption and witnesses to us God is our Father.

Last week we looked also at some key scriptures from the Old Testament which foretold of His death, the manner of his death, the details of his death, burial and resurrection. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” is simply the theological explanation of an actual historical event which took place over 2000 years ago. This is why Paul says if Christ be not risen, our faith is in vain, for a dead Savior cannot save anyone. Yet we are gathered today in His name to worship the one and only living Christ who loved us and gave his life for us.

EYEWITNESS PROOF.

Recorded history has always depended on eye witness proof when it could be provided. It also looked for consistent manuscript evidence which reflected accuracy and then any subsequent archaeology which verified these stories. In this the Bible has given overwhelming proof after proof. So we have proof any historian would tell you is verified. But even more so, today, as they did 2000 years ago, our lives have been changed and Jesus Christ the living Savior has revealed Himself to us. Thomas, who had not been with the group when Jesus appeared, stated he would not believe until he had seen him with his own eyes and placed his finger in the wound of Jesus’ side. When Jesus then appeared to Thomas, Jesus said to Thomas, ‘because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.’ Remember what Jesus said to Mary at the tomb of Lazarus? “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of the Lord?” I have believed, and I have seen the glory of the Lord. Have you?

Now Paul recounts the witnesses who saw the resurrected Lord. You will notice Paul omits the sightings by the women. Luke records the women who went to the empty tomb that morning were met by two angels, whose clothes gleamed like lightning. They asked the women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen. Remember how He told you while He was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told these things to the eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the disciples. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. (Luke 24)

Paul then tells us the resurrected Jesus was seen by Peter. He probably mentioned Peter first because Peter was the most well known of the original 12 disciples. He was their leader. Paul then lists the 12 disciples as a whole group. After that the resurrected Lord appeared to more than 500. In history, the surrender of Napoleon at Waterloo is unquestioned. Yet the number of eye witnesses to this event were less than 25. We are not told when these 500 saw Him all at once; some believe it was at His ascension. For surely word had spread of these sightings of the resurrected Lord. Paul then tells us that the Lord Jesus appeared to his brother James. And finally, Paul says he had seen the resurrected Lord on the road to Damascus. Paul also said many of these over 500 eye witnesses were alive when Paul wrote this letter. This was probably 25 years after the crucifixion.

Now Paul in his logic says if you believe in the resurrection of Jesus, then you must believe in the resurrection of all the dead. God the Son became flesh and dwelt among us. He became a man, truly human in every aspect. Jesus experienced what we all experience, except He was without sin. If there is no resurrection then Christ was not raised and our faith is in vain and there is no gospel, no good news. This is why the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is of first importance, because all we believe hinges on his resurrection.

THE LAST ENEMY, DEATH, IS DESTROYED.

The Sabbath was the 7^th day of the week. The Passover was on the fourteenth day of the first month on their religious calendar, which God gave to Moses in Exodus 12 in Egypt. The lamb was slain at twilight of the 14^th day. On the 15^th day of the same month they were to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord. The Lord Jesus was the Lamb of God who was slain on Passover. He was the first fruits. In the Feasts of the Lord given to Moses by the Lord for the children of Israel, the first fruits were waived by the priests on the first day of the week after the Sabbath, a Sunday, the day the Lord arose from the grave. The waving of the sheath of the first fruits by the priest was a sign the entire harvest belonged to the Lord. (This is recorded in Leviticus 23.)

When Jesus was raised on the first day, on the Feasts of the First Fruit, God was assuring us as believers, we who are believers shall all be raised one day as a part of the future harvest. Paul says Christ has indeed been raised from the dead; the first fruits of those have fallen asleep. This is how the death of believers is described. To believers death is only sleep. The body sleeps but the soul is at home with the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 5, we are told as believers to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. At the resurrection, the body will be “awakened” and glorified. What a glorious day it will be, what a day of rejoicing when we all get to heaven!

Let’s talk for a minute about fruit. For we know this how we glorify God, which is what we were created to do. We glorify Him when we bear fruit. Paul asked a very penetrating question in Romans 6: 21-23: “What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

THE FIRST ADAM AND THE LAST ADAM

Paul then introduces these truths: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection comes through a man. The first Adam was made from the earth. But the last Adam, Jesus Christ came from heaven. The first Adam disobeyed God, and God had told him as a deterrent what the wages of sin were, death. Death came into the world to all men by the sin of the first Adam. But the last Adam, Jesus Christ, obeyed God and brought righteousness and life. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall be made alive. For each one in his order (turn): Christ, the first fruits, then when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

These verses tell us God has an order, a sequence in the resurrection. When Jesus returns in the air, He will take His church to heaven and at that time raise from the dead all that have trusted Him and have died in faith. Jesus called this the resurrection of life. When Jesus returns to the earth at the end of the 7 year tribulation period we read of in Revelation, it will be in judgment. Then the last or 2^nd resurrection will be of the lost. Nobody in the first resurrection will be lost, but nobody in the 2^nd resurrection will be saved.

Now Jesus will reign for a thousand years on earth in his millennium kingdom and believers will reign with Him . There will be one final rebellion against God, which Jesus will put down. Death itself will be cast into the eternal lake of fire.

Now there are differences of opinion of the details of this sequence. And saved, Bible-believing Christians have different opinions on how this will occur. What we can agree on is the Resurrected, Ascended Lord Jesus, the first fruits, now in a glorified body is returning one day for His bride. This has not yet occurred, but He has told us what to watch for His return and be prepared. For it can happen in the twinkling of an eye. Which means we must be ready and tell others.

Now God allowed sin to enter into the world and death through the disobedience of one man. Some may think this is not fair that because of one man’s disobedience we were born with a sinful nature. Yet Paul explains the good news this way: “Therefore as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” (Romans 5) Understand at creation God stated for plants, animals and mankind alike, they would reproduce after their own kind. After Adam sinned, he possessed a sinful nature and therefore could only reproduce after his own kind, and we were all born with a sinful nature.

This nature was condemned to death. This is why we had to be born again of the Spirit and thus have a new nature. But the old nature had to be crucified and buried.

THE RESURRECTED BODY

Paul then addresses our natural curiosity which asked: “What kind of body will we have in the resurrection. First Paul addresses the reality of why death must occur. A seed does not come to life unless it dies. Paul also explains what you sow is not what comes up, but something else. Plant a watermelon seed and what comes up is not a giant seed, but a watermelon, completely different from what was planted. “But God gives it a body He has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: men have one kind of flesh, animals, birds, fish have another. There are heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies. The body which is raised will be different. Resurrection is not reconstruction.

Paul then lists the differences:

1. Imperishable not perishable.

2. Sown in dishonor, raised in glory.

3. Sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body.

4. Sown in weakness, raised in power.

The first Adam was created from the earth; the last Adam came from heaven. The first Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life -giving Spirit. The natural man came first, the spiritual second. When we were born the first time we were bore the likeness of the natural man, when we were born again, we bore the likeness of the man from heaven, the Lord Jesus.

If you have experienced the planting of a tulip, the tulip bulb was not a very pretty sight was it? It was in ugly. But what came up was completely different and beautiful. So will it be with us, we will have a resurrected body like Jesus. In fact we are told when we see Him, we will be like Him. Paul makes it clear: Flesh and blood will not, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Paul explains, ‘the perishable or corruption does not inherit imperishable or incorruption.’ We will actually receive a body like Jesus’ resurrected body which can live in both heaven and earth.

A MYSTERY: THE RAPTURE

“We will not all sleep…” Remember Paul refers to the death of a Christian as ‘sleep.’ Now Paul says here is a mystery, we will not all sleep, die. But we will all be changed in a twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet when Jesus comes in the air. Something we have come to call the ‘rapture.’ Paul describes the order: the dead in Christ will be raised in imperishable bodies. And we who are alive will be caught up and our bodies will be changed. When this happens, death will be defeated, overcome, as the perishable will put on imperishable and the mortals will put on immortality. Death will be swallowed up in victory. This is why we sing: Victory in Jesus, My Savior forever!

“O, Death where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, He has given us victory through our Lord Jesus. Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of our Lord, because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain. “

In 2 Corinthians 5: 11 Paul urges us: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” Paul had an opportunity to give his testimony and try to persuade King Agrippa to accept Jesus Christ as Savior in Acts 26. Listen to King Agrippa’s reply to Paul: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian? Paul replied: “Short time or long- I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become as I am, except for these chains.” Paul was the only man in the crowded room in chains, a prisoner. Yet Paul was the only man in the room who was really free.

THE TWO RESURRECTIONS

The two resurrections can be confusing as to their order. The first resurrection is a resurrection to eternal life. The second resurrection is a resurrection to judgment and torment described as the ‘second death.”

The first resurrection is in a sequence, which appears to have 3 phases. The first resurrection began with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion and burial. The ‘first fruit’ celebration God gave to Moses is a guarantee to all Christians who believe will also be resurrected. This is the first phase and the beginning of the first resurrection. The second phase of the first resurrection will occur at the time of the Rapture. All those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ during the Church Age and have died before Jesus returns will be resurrected at the Rapture. Paul says, ‘the dead in Christ will rise first and then we who are alive will caught up in the air. Jesus will then take us home to heaven where we will enjoy the Lamb’s Wedding Supper. This occurs before the Great Tribulation. Now there are two views of when this will occur: before the Anti-Christ takes control as ruler of one world government at the beginning of the 7 year period described in Revelation. Or the second view is it occurs mid-tribulation at the 3.5 year mark of the reign of the Anti-Christ when the Great Wrath of God begins. The reason for this view is Paul writes in I Thessalonians how we ‘wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.’ So regardless of which time it is – at the beginning or the mid- point, we know we will not have to endure God’s wrath poured out on the earth in the last 3.5 years of the 7 year period known as the Great Tribulation. This phase of the first resurrection will be the resurrection of all who have died during the Church Age before Christ return. The Church Age began on the day of Pentecost and continues to this day 2000 years later.

The final third phase of the first resurrection will be at the end of the Great Tribulation when at Christ’s Second Coming when His feet touch down on the Mount of Olives. Then all who have been martyred during the Great Tribulation will be resurrected at Christ’s return and will rule and reign with Him during the Thousand Year Millennium.

The Second Resurrection, also known as the Second Death will occur at the end of the 1000 year reign. This is the resurrection of all the unbelieving dead of all ages. They will appear before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne. They will stand before the Throne and be judged and punished according to their works which are recorded in the books. These are those whose names have not been recorded in Lamb’s Book of Life. Only the names of those who have trusted the Lord Jesus are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15: The Gospel of Peace

March 15, 2017 Benny Page

I Corinthians 15: The Gospel of Peace

“Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures , that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . (I Corinthians 15: 1-4)

Here in these simple words is the heart, key and foundation of Christian faith. Gospel, as we know, means good news. The good news is about a real, historical person and what He has done and what it means.

We will spend this lesson investigating these verses, like Peter and John investigated the empty tomb. We want to understand what the gospel does and what it is. For every time everyone in the world writes down the year 2017, they are referring to how many years ago this God-Man Jesus Christ of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem. He is and will always be, in spite of those who do not believe, the most important and influential person who ever lived.

There are three elements, three facts of the gospel according to Paul. We need to understand these three elements. Paul says ‘what I received I passed on to you as of first importance’. Paul is saying this is the foundational fact to our understanding of what we have received. Who did Paul receive this from? In Galatians 1, Paul tells us: “I want you to know the gospel is not something man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”

The Corinthians, to whom Paul preached this gospel, received it, believed it and were saved. This is how we all become Christians. For by grace are saved through faith in the gospel. By this gospel we are saved. And Jesus said no one comes to the Father except by Him.

FIRST ELEMENT

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” Paul does not go into detail about the life of Jesus, about His teaching, ministry, or miracles, but goes immediately to His death. The end of His earthly life is the beginning of the message of the gospel. What is of first importance is the reason Christ died. In fact this is the good news. Christ died for our sins according to Scriptures. His death changed my life completely and radically. This single death over 2000 years ago is the beginning of the gospel and the most significant event in all of history. His death, in the eyes of Almighty God, allowed a Holy God to forgive me of my sins- past, present and future.

Peter writes: “ He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep gone astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”(I Peter 2: 24, 25) Isaiah told us we all, like sheep have gone astray, gone our own way. Isaiah also wrote: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

This is the good news. God did something for us at the cross. Jesus died in our place which when we believe and receive, God can then treat us in the way we do not deserve. For grace is truly God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. We are now holy and blameless in His sight. We have been adopted as His very own children through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will- in the praise of His glorious grace. In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He has lavished on us with wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1)

It was at that moment we enter into hope and freedom. I still remember the day this happened to me on September 16, 1977. I can also remember the next morning, a Saturday morning when my boss who I had been avoiding for weeks called and I answered the phone and confessed I was an alcoholic and had not been able to stay sober. He told me he has suspected this was the case. Expecting to get fired, he said are you going to stay sober and work? I said I was going to try as best I could. What freedom and peace I had found and no longer lived in fear of being discovered. In the days and weeks, and months and years which have followed I have come to realize- life without God is hopeless. I would soon discover the power of God’s Word and prayer. It is a journey I have been of for almost 40 years. The first step was of the first importance. In receiving the good news, on which I have taken my stand.

THE SECOND ELEMENT

Notice Jesus Christ dies for our sins in accordance to the Scriptures. In other words it was predicted centuries before it happened. It was predicted with amazing details. It was anticipated and it was fulfilled. He not only died for our sins, He was buried. We must not exclude this element for it is equally important for this reason: we not only died with Him, we were buried with Him. Over the years, some have tried to explain the resurrection as simply the fact Jesus did not die on the cross, but was in a coma, a ‘swoon’, a pulse so faint, it could not be detected. But he was actually alive. Yet we know his enemies testified to his death. And those who loved him and cared for and prepared his body for burials knew Jesus was dead. Joseph of Arimathea and the women and others handled his body with great tenderness as they prepared his body with grave clothes and embalmed him in the custom of that day with spices and placed him in a grave where he lay for three days.

They were shocked and in unbelief when they heard Jesus had risen from the dead, for they had seen his dead body. It is important to note Jesus was buried. For they would not have knowingly buried a man they loved if he was still alive. They accepted his death with great sorrow, the One they loved and had spent over 3 years with was in fact, dead. It was the end of their dreams. It was the end of something which had been like nothing else they had ever experienced. They had lost all hope for the One who was the source of their hope was dead, of that they were certain or they would have never buried Him. Never leave out this fact- the proof of death. For it was the death of Jesus which paid for our sins.

THE THIRD ELEMENT

“.. that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures.” Let’s investigate this phrase which has appeared twice: ‘according to the Scriptures.’ Now remember, all Paul and the disciples had was the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures. However the promise of the Messiah is clearly given in what we call ‘messianic prophecies’ of which there were hundreds of predictions made about His coming. These were made hundreds and even thousands of years before His coming reaching all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

As mentioned earlier, Isaiah 53 made prophecies which contained specific details. These prophecies have become known as the “Suffering Servant.” Not only did Isaiah say he would be ‘ striped for our iniquities’, he accurately predicted the Messiah would be silent in front of His accusers; be buried with the rich; and be with criminals in his death. Psalm 22 was remarkable also in details predicted centuries before they occurred: his hands and feet would be pierced, his bones would not be broken, and men would cast lots for his clothing. But Psalm 16 was quoted by Peter on his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost: “Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with your joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16: 10, 11)

And in Psalm 110 we read: “The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. The Lord will extend you might your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Dr. Luke who was a very careful, meticulous historian and researcher wrote: “After His suffering, He (Jesus) showed himself to these men and gave them many convincing proofs that he was alive.: (Acts 1: 3) And John the Apostle wrote: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it and we proclaim to you eternal life.”

Jesus would say to the Jewish religious leaders of his day, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and they are they which testify to me.” (John 5: 39) Then in his 40 day ministry in his resurrected body, Jesus met with Cleopas and probably his wife, on the road to Emmaus of the very day He was resurrected.( Luke 24) And in their time together, Jesus ‘ beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. He would also do the same with his disciples and we read in the same passage, Jesus told the disciples: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. The Passover celebration the Lamb to be slain all pointed to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It was a plan created by Triune God before the foundation of the earth. First revealed in Genesis 3, and articulated by Abraham on Mount Moriah when he told Isaac, ‘God Himself will provide the Lamb for the offering.’ And in the last plague of Egypt, God went into great detail to explain to Moses how His people would be delivered from their bondage. They would slay a lamb on the 14^th day at twilight and place the blood of the lamb on the doorpost of their dwellings. And God would see the blood and pass over that household.

There is also the very words of Jesus as recorded by Matthew in Matthew 16: “But who do you say I am? He (Jesus) asked. Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Peter son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gate of Hades will not overcome it. “ Then we read, as Matthew remembers what happened and records: “ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and the he must be killed and on the third day raised to life.” (Matthew 16: 15-21)

This is what the gospel is.

DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION.

Now when you become a Christian these three elements become a pattern which shows us how God is going to work within us. The first thing that happens is there must be death. Death is a separation. Something in us has to die when we become Christians. This is why we are told in detail and numerous times, we are crucified with Christ. We are told we must put off the old man. The old man and old way of living is to be reckoned dead with Christ. The old nature must die. Not rehabilitated, not turn over a new leaf, nothing will work but death. Our old nature cannot be resurrected. It must be crucified and buried. Your old nature was your god-a selfish, self-seeking nature. And it lived by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It was like the Prodigal Son- who did not want his father to be boss over him, he wanted to be his own boss and do what was right in our own eyes. And so many of us were like the prodigal we followed after the life of pleasure. A way that seemed right to us. A broad way on which many others were traveling. Not all followed an immoral lifestyle like the younger brother the Prodigal. Some were moral like the elder brother who sought to find their way through hard work, and success in the world. They looked down on prodigals and immoral people. They like the Pharisees w had nothing to do with those people. Both sons were lost and the paths they had chosen for different reasons nevertheless, both led to destruction. The Pharisees, like the elder brother were self righteous. Both were ruled by self. This is why we must take up our cross daily. Remembering, ‘ we are crucified with Christ, ( past tense) nevertheless we live, ( present tense) but the life we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us.’

How do we do this? By taking up our cross daily and reckoning our old nature dead and buried. We were raised with Christ to walk in the newness of life. In this way we appropriate the death, burial and resurrection personally in our present lives.

THE LAST OLD TESTAMENT PROPHET

The last Old Testament prophet would appear in the New Testament, his name was John the Baptist. His mission was to preach a message of repentance to prepare for the coming of the Lord, to make straight paths of Him. God revealed to John the Baptist this Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. And John the Baptist knew his mission was accomplished. He then told Andrew and Peter the day after the baptism of the Lord Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Operation Salvation had begun and continues to this day.

Now Paul will go on to verify this fact of Jesus’s bodily resurrection from the dead by telling us He was seen by over 500 eyewitnesses and specifies who some of those witnesses are. We will go into greater detail about the significance of this abundant evidence. For they are factual. Our faith does not rest upon a philosophy, it rests on actual facts which really occurred and have changed history and the lives of untold millions and millions of people of which I am one. I can testify to the fact He saved my life. And these facts cannot be taken away, as much as the father of lies wants to convince mankind and place a veil over the hearts of men and women. A veil which can only be taken away for anyone who turns to the Lord and there the veil is taken away. This is why Jesus said, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you. For God will reward those who diligently seek Him.

TAKING YOUR STAND AND HOLDING FIRM

In the movie, “Braveheart”, facing an onrushing superior army, Mel Gibson in the role of Scottish hero, Wallace, exhorts his men to “ HOLD! “ This is what Paul is telling us to do- to HOLD FIRM. And William Wallace, at least in the movie, last word was FREEDOM! It was for freedom that Christ died for us- so that we might be free from the bondage of sin.

We are taking our stand and in this world where the very ground we stand on can become a slippery slope. It is interesting the pieces of armor we possess and the weapons which we have which are described as ‘not being weapons of the world, but on the contrary, they (our weapons) have divine power to demolish strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10)

Paul lists the weapons and armor in Ephesians 6. His model for the armor is probably a Roman solider who guarded Paul in prison. Listen to Paul’s instructions: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the GOSPEL OF PEACE. “

The Roman solider wore a sandal which had spikes which enabled him to stand his ground. To dig in and have firm footing so he could fight the good fight.

This gospel if what we hold firmly to, the gospel which Paul preached and described simply here in these few verses. His death, burial and resurrection are what we believe. It was prophesized, anticipated and fulfilled.

Believe it to be saved, wise and prepared for this life and the life to come!

“It contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding.

Christ is the grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide our feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred content. “ Gideon’s International.

I am forgiven because the Lord Jesus Christ asks His Father to forgive me as He was dying in my place. He created a way, a peace treaty ratified in His blood and when I believe and received it an eternal Peace Treaty was enacted and I had peace with God and the peace of God. The Gospel of Peace.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 14: Rules of Order

March 9, 2017 Benny Page

I Corinthians 14: Rules of Order

Before we delve into this chapter on gifts of prophecy and tongues, let us review three cases of tongues, language and hearing.

In Genesis 11, we have the account of the Tower of Babel, which leads us to a time after the flood when man spoke with one language: “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.” Remember after the flood, Noah and his sons were told to ‘be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’ Instead of obeying God, the people settled in the plains in the land of Shinar. There they build a tower to the heavens and said ‘let us make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’ What we see is what sin is always about, man wanting to decide for himself what is right and wrong and not what God says. We want to go where we want to go and stay where we want to stay.

“Lord came down to the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “ Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do ; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them .Come let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.”

Notice confusing led to their dispersing, scattering and filling the earth. Confusion scattered, which means God used confusion to accomplish His will. Confusion was used for judgment against unbelievers. When it comes to believers, the church, God is not the author of confusion as Paul makes clear in this passage in I Corinthians 14: 33 (The difference is in the audience. For example: My teacher in high school physics was my football coach, Walter Kilzer. He wanted to make things as clear as possible in the classroom and to clear up any confusion. As a coach, he developed plays and strategies on both defense and offense to ‘confuse’ the opposing team. This is what God has done- He used confusion with unbelievers, opponents, who were in rebellion, to accomplish His will. In the church, the body of Christ, true believers, God is not the author of confusion. So any confusion in the body of Christ comes from the enemy, who is a deceiver and attempting to confuse the believer. The enemy loves for the church to get out of balance and emotional as he knows this will turn the unbeliever off.) When dealing with the enemy God will use confusion and we see examples in battle with Gideon, Joshua and King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20.

Now let us observe what happened on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. “When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. “

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. (There are listed some 16 nations and languages) When then sound occurred, the multitude came together and they were astounded, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. “

Notice curiosity brought them together. They heard the sound of the mighty wind. There was no confusion as they understood what they said. The wonder was how did these Galileans speak and they hear it in their own language and dialect. Could the miracle be in the hearing? God uses language and hearing to accomplish His will. God will not use confusion to keep you away from Him, but use curiosity to draw you to Him in curiosity to seek answers. This is why Jesus spoke in parables, they were easy to remember and created curiosity as to their meaning and they sought to understand. And when you ask, you will be given; and when you seek, you will find; and when you knock, it will be opened.

Remember Moses at the burning bush, told God he was not eloquent, but slow of speech and tongue. To which God replied, who made man’s mouth? Moses insists God use his brother Aaron and God tells Moses: “And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.” If you are worried no one will listen when you speak, God says I will teach you what you should say and do.

Now what did they hear? Acts 2: 11 tells us: “… we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” They are hearing them praying and praising God.

In Acts 10 we have another incident of tongues, hearing and language. Peter has been sent by the Lord to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile to present the Gospel. “While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon those who heard the word. And those Jews with Peter were astonished, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” Magnify= praising.

Moses turned aside to investigate a burning bush which kept on burning. Do you see what led him to this bush? Curiosity which came from this bush which burned, but did not burn up, was used by God to draw Moses to Holy Ground.

The sound of the wind brought the onlookers on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came. Curiosity led them to investigate. They wondered as to how these men could speak and they hear it in their own language fascinated them. Curiosity was given to mankind by God as we were created with intellect, emotions and reason. Curiosity is how children learn. They ask question after question to learn how things work. They need teachers who can give them answers and guide them in truth.

The disciples were curious and their curiosity led them to ask Jesus questions about the parables and their meaning; about the future of the kingdom, of which Matthew 24 is all about; about what will happen in the future. We need to stay curious- because that is how we learn. When we stop learning, we will stop growing in the Lord. What we see today is the explosion of knowledge. People every learning but never coming to the truth. We also see apathy and boredom. Curiosity can also draw you to those things which God has forbidden.

Do people look at the lives of Christians and see a difference which makes them curious as to what gives us a sense of peace and comfort. Or do they look at us and see no difference in our lives or in our nation, which once used to be viewed as primarily a Christian nation.

Now let me remind you of what the gift of prophesying is and is not. It is not predicting the future. It is in fact, an explanation of what is happening in the present in light of revelation of God’s Word. It can be called ‘expository preaching’; or it can be teaching combined with exhortation- for its purpose is to edify, build up.

Paul says anyone who speaks in tongues (not known languages) does not speak to man but to God. Indeed, Paul says, no one understands him. When Paul says man speaks to God he is referring to in prayer and praise. Notice in Acts 2, what they heard was these Galileans praising God. What Peter and those with him heard at Cornelius’ house praising God.

“But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. “

Notice the contrast: men speaking in tongues speak to God. Men prophesying speak to men. Those who speak in tongues edify themselves; those who prophesy edify the church. (vs. 4)

So if speaking in tongues is man speaking to God- then this seems to be something which would be more appropriate in our private devotional time rather than in church in a public meeting.

This is why Paul says I wish you all spoke in tongues- for this is the individual speaking to God and it edifies himself. But Paul says, I wish even more you prophesied for this edifies the church. (vs. 5)

RULES OF CONDUCT AND COMMON SENSE

“So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues and some who do not understand or unbelievers come in, will they not say, are you out of your mind?” (Vs 23)

“But( here is the contrast) if an unbeliever or some who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming God is truly among you!” (vs. 24, 25)

Paul concludes: “If anyone speaks in a tongue, two-or at the most three- should speak, one at a time and someone must interpret. It there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. “(vs. 28) Just as I cannot understand a foreign language and need an interpreter, so does the unsaved person. The natural man cannot understand spiritual truths, for he lacks an interpreter, the Holy Spirit. How much more confused will he be if they enter a worship service where unknown languages are being spoken.

This is exactly what Paul says in verse 11 and it is simply common sense: “ If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker is a foreigner to me. “ Paul is telling them what to do to avoid confusing and unbeliever who enters the worship service.

Here are Paul’s Rule of Order:

1. If anyone speaks in tongues, two- or at eh most three- should speak, one at a time and someone should interpret. Notice Paul sets limits on how many should speak. And also only one at a time. Not everyone talking at once or interrupting.

2. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to God himself.

3. In regard to prophesying, Paul says two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh (judge) carefully what is said.

4. And if revelation should come to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop.

Paul wants to maintain order- so that everyone is not talking at once. That speakers yield to someone who has had a revelation. I had this happen once when I was teaching, a man interrupted me when I said something about a particular verse, the man said, “I have just received an answer to prayer regarding an argument I have been having with my son.”

Now as you have all probably discovered, sometimes there are speakers who go on to long and the mind cannot absorb what the seat cannot tolerate.

There are also those who have something to say, and those who have to say something.

Paul has told those who speak in unknown tongues must be limited to two or three at the most, speaking one at a time, and there must be an interpreter or else the speaker must be quiet.

Paul has said there are to be two or three prophesying, and the audience must weigh what they say. If someone in the audience has a revelation based on what they are hearing, they can share this and the speaker is to be quiet.

So it is in this spirit of establishing rules of order Paul says: let women remain silent in church for they are not permitted to speak, but are to be submissive as the law says. Let me remind you Paul said in I Corinthians 11 women could pray and prophesy and teach in church. Here the word ‘speak’ in original Greek is the most common word for conversational talk, its equivalent to the English word-“chatter”. This is side conversations and discussions going on during the church regarding what is taking place. We have a time in the worship service when we greet one another; it often turns into friendly visits and chats with each other. Then the music starts, which is our cue to be quiet. We do the same in class here, when we visit until I say let’s get started. I have seen speakers lose control of a meeting when individual conversations begin to take place in the audience.

In other words Paul is giving some rules for order and some common sense on how to maintain a church meeting and not get off track with discussions among the audience, people talking at once and debates taking place. Paul has told the men as well as the women when to be quiet.

No one can be edified in this environment.

Paul says let all things be done decently and in order.

A WORD ABOUT CURIOSITY- A DESIRE TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND.

In Ecclesiastes 3, we read: God has set eternity in the hearts of men. Curiosity is a desire to know more, to be more, and to find out what we are supposed to be and do. Desire can lead us to the life we were meant to live or desire can lead us into a heap of trouble.

Jesus says- ask, seek and knock- these very words invite curiosity and arouse desire. What do you want? What are you looking for? Where have you looked? What have you found?

Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.

He did not say I have come to threaten you and whip you into shape and make you toe the line… I have come that you might live life to its fullest.

Confidence in Him leads us today and He will lead us all the days of our lives. In fact this life we live in the power of the Spirit within us is just an apprenticeship for eternal living.

The Lord Jesus is God’s doorway into the life that is truly life. Will there be problems, trouble and trials? Yes and He has told us to expect this. But He also told us He would never place more on us than we could bear; that it would strengthen our faith and in the end would work it all together for good.

Keep on: learning- for the Word of God must be active and alive in your life. It will awaken desires in your life, which God wants to give you.

Keep on: loving- for you cannot give without loving.

Keep on: laboring- run with persistence and patience

Keep on: leaning on God and not your own understanding

Keep on: leaving behind the emotional baggage which is wearing you out.

Our God is alive- glorify Him. Our God is worthy- Praise Him. Our God wants to help us- Trust Him.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 13: Part 2 – Love Defined

February 28, 2017 Benny Page

I Corinthians 13: Part 2- Love Defined

The American Heritage Dictionary defines love as: “An intense affection for another person based on family ties or personal ties.” Notice the phrase- based on: this means there is a condition for this love or affection. You have an intense affection based on family ties, parents; or based on physical attraction or how another person makes you feel, etc. All are based on conditions. This love we are studying in this chapter, agape love, defined in the KJV as ‘charity’ is unconditional love. It is a love that is not based on a condition.

How does the Bible define love? “God is love.” I John 4:8. His love is unconditional, sacrificial, and never-ending. God’s love transcends all other types of love. Romans 5:8 tells us: “God demonstrated His love for us that while we were still yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We did not have to meet any requirements, standards, or conditions. In fact we were deplorable, self-centered, puffed up, rude and delighting in sin. Prodigals who wanted to do what we wanted to do.

Charles Stanley in his Life Principles Bible lists 30 Life Principles. Guess what he listed as the number one principle? “Our intimacy with God is God’s highest priority for our lives and determines the impact of our lives.” This is what God’s greatest and highest priority is. It is the first and greatest commandment and the second greatest is like the first. We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, mind, souls and strength. And secondly, we are to love our neighbors as our selves. We are in fact to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Which is exactly what Jesus, God personified, did on the cross, where He paid the great price for my sins and your sins. O, what manner of love the Father has lavished on us.

Our greatest need is to know we are loved. This is how God designed us. God created us for a personal, intimate fellowship with Him.

God did not create the universe because He needed it. He created the universe as an expression of His love for us. Read I John 4: 7-11 and 18, 19. John 3: 16, the most well known verse in the Bible speaks of this unconditional love, which is sacrificial. “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son…’ He did not withhold His only Son, but gave Him up freely for us… And since God the Father and God the Son are one- this means He gave up everything for us, while we cared not for Him. ‘Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified, knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free, Pardon there was multiplied to me, there my burdened heart found liberty- at Calvary.’

Now still speaking of this type of love Paul writes the following:

“Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” My first question is these instructions for us as to how we are to behave? Or is this a description of this agape love? I believe it is both. This is how is should reveal itself.

Bears is a word which can man protect or cover. The word of God tells us love covers a multitude of sins. It means when we learn something unpleasant about someone, something they have done, we do not scatter it about with gossip, we may go to the person individually about this problem but we do not broadcast it. God does not want to embarrass you- He wants to forgive you and love you. God is not willing that any should perish, but all come to repentance.

When Paul writes of this love believing all things, does this mean we believe all things God tells us in His word? Certainly. When dealing with others, it does not mean we are gullible, but we are ready to believe a person. We are not skeptical or cynical. Americans have such a reputation for bragging, when I was in Australia giving seminars, I asked an attendee what did he think of the seminar. He said, “It was good, but we only believe half of what you ‘yanks’ tell us!” He laughed, but I could tell this was what they believed in general about Americans, that we were boastful and exaggerated the truth. Having and exhibiting this type of love also implies we are ready to trust someone, even if they have not always been reliable. We are willing to give them a second chance. This type of love grants 2^nd and 3^rd and 4^th chances- for this is what God has done for us. This is why we are told to forgive our brother- 70 times 70.

Paul tells us this love ‘hopes all things.’ Love will find a way in what appears to be a hopeless situation to never give up hope. Abraham found this hope which does not disappoint because Abraham believed all things God told him regarding the birth of a son. Jesus quoting from Deuteronomy said, ‘man does not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Man can live without food for weeks, without water for days, but can only live minutes without oxygen. I believe hope is the oxygen of our souls. Hopelessness is one of the most devastating emotions one can experience. God is the God of all hope. It is hope that does not disappoint. God’s love found a way to forgive us of our sins and give us eternal life, while satisfying His justice. It is a love which hopes all things, and tells us all things are possible to those who believe. When our faith is in a loving God, this faith in Him who loves us unconditionally and eternally is the link to hope. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for…” You realize only faith in this type of love provides ‘sure hope’, hope that does not disappoint. Now you might say, well I have hoped for things, prayed for things, asked God for things, I hoped He would give me, but He did not give me. I understand this disappointment, but if what you hoped for was not in God’s will or timing, why would you hope He would give you something which He in His wisdom knows is something which would harm you not help you? It is like the disappointment of a child who asks his father for a loaded gun, which his father knows would be something which could be very harmful. We will discuss this childish view of God in a few verses.

Love endures all things. Love doesn’t quit. It never gives up on anyone. To be conformed to the image of Christ is to become a more loving person and all those attributes of love which are the byproduct. Jesus gave this commandment on the night before His arrest; Love one another, as I have loved you. Paul also wrote in Ephesians we are combine the truth with love. You will find this hard to do sometimes. We err in two areas- we speak the truth bluntly and cause pain. Or else we to not tell them the truth for it would hurt their feelings and we do not want to hurt them. This is as bad as the other, for because of our lack of courage, the person is not told the truth which will help them. Love must be persistent, consistent and permanent.

Verse 8 tells us this love, agape, (charity) never fails. This love keeps coming, it is never used up, the more you use it spread it, the more you have.

Paul then contrasts this type of love with three popular spiritual gifts: the gift of prophecy, which he says will fail, the gift of tongues which will cease, and the gift of knowledge which will vanish away. When do they vanish? When get to heaven, they will have no place. There will be no need, for we will now see the face of Jesus, and when we see Him, we are promised we will be like Him.

THE STORY OF GOD’S LOVE

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light and there was light.” Do you see the transforming power of God’s Word? This makes the verse which says the Word of God is alive and powerful more real to you. Understanding God spoke the universe into existence, is one of the most contested truths in the world. And it is one of the most important truths to believe. The enemy who understands how powerful the Word of God is has attacked God’s Word from the beginning. He has questioned its authorship, its authenticity and its acceptability. He continues to attack it with an all out assault to this day. The enemy knows the power of the Word of God to transform. Isaiah 45 tells us God created the earth to be inhabited. Remember, we are earthen vessels. Created by Him to be inhabited by Him. God is telling us I created all of this for you because I love you. I created you to have an intimate fellowship with me. I wanted your heart to be my home. I want to abide with you. I want to be your best friend. What a friend we have in Jesus.

I was born without form and void. My life was meaningless. My life was in darkness. I was created by Him and for Him. So we all came into life into a story which we had to discover was not about us, but about the God who created us. Rick Warren’s bestselling book, “The Purpose Driven Life” begins with this statement: “It’s not about you.” Warren goes on to tell the reader: “If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose. So the quest and the question begin – ‘what on earth am I here for?’ And so begins the journey. But all journeys must have a map and directions, which way do we go. There are two quests in life: the quest for happiness and the quest for truth. They will bring you to a crossroad. Jeremiah 6: 16 says: “This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls. But you said I will not walk in it.” In the early days, Christianity was simply known as “The Way.”

John tells us: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John tells us this is the true light that gives light to every man which came into the world. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus Christ the Son of God had become a man, born a babe in Bethlehem. “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God- children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision, or husband’s will, but born of God. When we are born again we begin the sanctification process which is ongoing. At salvation a once and forever process of justification was declared by God. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of ourselves it is a gift of God, not of works. Oh what manner of love is this the Father has bestowed (lavished) upon us, that we might be called the sons of God. This is why I interjected this information and scripture to show you what manner of love the Father has poured out on us.

Now the sanctification process which is ongoing is pictured as being on the Potter’s wheel. We are the clay, God is the Potter and He shapes us as He desires us to be. Remember what S.H.A.P.E. Stands for: Spiritual gifts: Heart, our passion and desire: Abilities, natural talents; Personality, the expression of our temperament; and the Experiences. God uses all of these to shape us to be the earthen vessels which He will inhabit. For He formed the earth to be inhabited. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

“For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ.” We are being transformed into His likeness.

CHILDISH THINGS

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. “

Now some would say is this a contradiction to what Jesus said in Matthew 18? There we read Jesus said: “Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I would submit to you, the childish things we are to put away are not this simple trust a child has for their parents. Being a child in that context of having complete trust in one’s parents completely dependent upon them is a picture of believing faith, trust without doubt or worry.

So there is being like a child and acting like a child. Ever say to an adult or teenager who should know better, ‘you are acting like a child.’

Children are selfish, inconsiderate of others, want what they want, and want it now. When the Christmas gifts are opened and there are many- they begin playing with one, and then set it aside to play with another. But when someone picks up what they have set aside, they want it back. Children are childish, and this includes at times exhibiting temper tantrums, selfishness and even hurting others. Remember we are born with sinful natures. No parent has ever had to teach their children to lie, they are natural born liars. Their childish behavior and actions reveal the sinful nature they inherited from Adam. Acting like a child is not desirable, yet being like a child in the sense of complete trust in your parents is a desirable trait.

When we become adults, mature in our faith, we are to put away those childish traits which come from a sinful, unredeemed nature. We become mature by understanding the Word of God. Scripture tells us the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. A child comes to understand what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not and will cause them to be disciplined by their parents. For if we spare the rod, we spoil the child. And God our Father disciplines those He loves.

“For now we see through a glass darkly; but then fact to face: now I now in part; but then shall I know even also as I am known.”

The night of the Last Supper, Jesus took on the role of the bond servant and took up the task of washing the disciples’ feet. When Peter balked and refused the Lord performing such a lowly task on him, Jesus tells Peter and us a great truth: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Sometimes when we look back we can understand how something happened in our lives, which we did not understand, but later we realized God was working all the time. Joseph realized this and told his brothers. Although they meant it for evil, God meant it for good.

In the movie, “You’ve Got Mail”, Meg Ryan, the heroine sees her book store shut down by a giant chain store owned by Tom Hanks. She goes on to be a successful writer and sees when looking back, it would have never happened if she had not been put out of business.

God seemingly turns His back on us for a while in our lives. This is how it appears and feels to us when something harmful or upsetting occurs in our lives. When it appears He has turned His back on you, let me tell you what the Lord Jesus tells us: “My Father (which is also your father) is always at work.” “You do not realize what He is doing now, but later on you will.” We see through a glass darkly now. Sometimes we will see later on in our life how this turned out, and sometimes we will not see until we are in heaven. There we are assured when we see Jesus face to face, we will understand in full, what now we only understand in part. This why we walk by faith and not by sight. We are to put our eyes on things above.

God is love. This love of His is perfect. And perfect love casts out fear. Ask 50 people what would make them happy- give them the most satisfaction and they will come up with a variety of answers: money, fame, power, and many other predictable answers. But beneath those wishes is someone saying these things would make my life better, even wonderful and this is what they want. They want a life free of trouble, anxiety and fear and they believe these ‘things’ would make their dreams of ideal life come true.

The Lord Jesus invites you to take hold of His Hand and assure you of His love for you and give you the gift of peace which comes from His love.

We live in an increasingly fear-filled world; people want to not be afraid. To live in peace. To have someone to love, and someone to love them and something to look forward to. Tomorrow morning, many people will wake up filled with fear, dread, anxiety and despair.

Yet within each believer is the God who controls all things, who is present in your life, who is called the God of Peace. That is one of His Names: Jehovah Shalom, God of Peace. And we can have not only peace with God but the peace of God. This peace transcends circumstances and our understanding. It is not a denial of reality. There will be problems and trouble and we must face them with productive concern as to how to best deal with these problems. I Cor. 10:13 tells me God will never place more on me than I can bear. James tells me these trials and tribulations have a very important role in refining, enlarging and strengthening our faith.

In your childlike faith in your parents, you never worried about anything for you had unshakeable faith your parents could provide all your needs.

I want to remind you what God thinks about you and me. “I know the thoughts I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon ME and go pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29) Why do we surrender? Because we must love Him with all our heart.

Do you understand why God wants you to love Him with all your heart and worship Him? Because God knows we adapt ourselves to the things we admire, and devote ourselves to the things we idealize. This is the law of worship. And we are transformed by what we worship and love. God knows, since He created us to love and worship Him, anything else we worship will lead us to destruction.

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. WE glorify Him when we bear fruit. We bear fruit by abiding in Him. We abide in Him through obedience. We obey Him because we love Him. We love Him, because we know Him. This is why Paul came to the point where knowing Jesus was the most important thing.

This love is not self-centered. It is other centered. It is a giving love. ‘Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over …”

Anne Graham Lotz tells of a time in her life when she had so many concerns to pray about- her parents health, a son with cancer, family with problems, her ministry and her husband’s health. She became so overwhelmed in asking God for so many things, she just cried out for Him to give her what she needed most, she cried out: “Just Give Me Jesus!”

Verse 13 states: So faith, hope and love abide, these thee; but the greatest of these is love. And I Cor. 14:1 says to make love your aim-pursue love. Why is love the greatest? Because God is not faith, nor is God hope, although He is the source of all hope and gives faith as a gift- but we are told this truth: GOD IS LOVE.

Tim Fortner Bible Study

Gospel of John: Chapter 4 – Come Thirsty

Gospel of John; Chapter 3, Part Two: The Lamb’s Book of Life

Gospel of John; Chapter 3 – Born of the Spirit

Gospel of John, Chapter 2: The Wedding

The Gospel of John, Chapter 1: Who Do You Think You Are?

2 Corinthians 13: BLESSED ASSURANCE

2 Corinthians 12: The Crown of Thorns

2 Corinthians 11:

2 Corinthians 10:

2 Corinthians 8: The Treasure Principle of Amazing Grace!

2 Corinthians 7: Two Types of Sorrow

2 Corinthians 6 Part 2: Followership

2 Corinthians 6: Are You Sincere?

2 Corinthians 5, Part 2: Who Wrote the Book of Love?

2 Corinthians 5: What’s In It For Me?

2 Corinthians 4, Part 2: Hungry – Homeless – Helpless

2 Corinthians 4: “The Light of the World”

2 Corinthians 2 & 3: Is Truth Dead?

2 Corinthians 1 Part 2: The Role of Conscience

2 Corinthians 1: Don’t Get Too Comfortable

1 Corinthians 16: Practical Matters – Matter

1 Corinthians 15: Part Two

1 Corinthians 15: The Gospel of Peace

1 Corinthians 14: Rules of Order

1 Corinthians 13: Part 2 – Love Defined

a small group at West Jackson Baptist Church