#2 The Family of God: Are You In or Out? Pt. 1

The Family of God: Are You In or Out?
 

Ephesians Chapter 1: Part 1

Before the ages of human history or the pages of His word, God planned 
a harvest of humanity from this earth. The communication from the beginning 
in Genesis speaks of seed and harvest. The seeds of the herbs and the trees 
had built within them the directive to replicate after their own kind.

God expects a harvest when seed is planted into the soil; and the concept 
of seed and harvest extend past the thought of vegetation even to the animal 
kingdom, but much more specifically the essence of God’s purpose is found in 
the seed and harvest of humanity. Pervasive throughout the scriptures is the 
promise of the coming seed from Abraham, who would be Messiah, the anointed 
one to save the world, and through Him, the New Testament teaches that He 
would be planted as a seed in the ground, through the cross, resulting 
in a great harvest of souls (John 12:24). But the genesis or beginning of that 
promised seed is introduced to us as the seed of the woman, and within the context 
of this introduction is great turmoil strife and disarray for the seed God 
planted in the garden, a man named Adam has rebelled, and now a predestinated 
plan written before in the mind of God is set into motion; in this plan, 
there would be war between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, 
which is Jesus; and at just the right time, Jesus, the obedient one would crush 
the serpent's head.

Not only is seedtime and harvest a pervasive theme upon the pages of Scripture, 
but the family of God is repeatedly brought to the attention of the Bible reader's
mind; for the seed was the Son, the Son had a Father, and in the Son children are 
born into the family of God.

But not only are they children; they are also the bride given in marriage to the 
bridegroom, who is the eternal Son, even the eternal lamb of God who consummated 
the contractual portion of this marriage through the shedding of his blood on the 
cross, and once again, children are born from this act of love called Calvary's cross. 

I believe the theme of this first chapter of Ephesians is exactly that: language 
concerning the contractual agreement God has arranged with humanity: God has been 
for thousands of years creating: The Eternal Family of God and the question that 
must be asked is: are you in or are you out?

Eph. 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which 
are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, 
from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, there is a lot of history behind the fact that his name is no longer Saul. We probably shouldn't spend too much time here but name changes in the Bible are always significant:
 
Abram – Abraham
Sarai - Sarah
Jacob – Israel
Saul – Paul
Simon – Peter
 
The name change always represents an identity change. One's identity is changed when they move from being a follower of the world to a follower of God, or it can denote a movement from rebellion towards obedience. The whole theme of what we are speaking of in this first chapter with reference to the eternal family of God surrounds this truth that we have been born again from the death that has plagued the human race in Adam "… into a lively hope…" in Christ. The name change represents a break from the old life to the new; the born again believer, introduced into the family of God, through his association with Jesus’ cross, burial and resurrection, becomes a new creation, and the ways of the “old man” begin to die. Saul was a murderer and a persecutor of Christians. Matt was consumed with the party and the gratification of flesh, but these days are gone, these names are changed. The past is that, it’s the past. Who was your past? Do you still see glimpses of his failing heartbeat flutter in your life? Does he still try to manipulate and control, deceive or lie in order to get his way? Does his anger still dominate your behavior when no one else is around to see? I’m not talking about while you’re at bible study, most Christians put on the hupokritos, the hypocrite’s mask, and like an actor on a stage, they play their part, saying the right words and responding the right way, but when no one’s looking, Saul of Tarsus remains alive. The seed of God’s kingdom, the Spirit of God has been planted in you, you’ve received a name change, a new identity—it’s time to start living it for real.

Also, the word apostle is rich with meaning, literally denoting an ambassador of the gospel. In common language, the word describes a representative of a sovereign state that is temporarily dispatched for the cause of their country or kingdom; they travel to a foreign land and bring their country or kingdom with them. While none of us in this room would entitle ourselves an apostle, we should understand that God has certainly called us to be ambassadors of His kingdom; we are asked by Him to embark upon this journey of life as a representative of the kingdom of God, a herald or public crier of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How did God save you? What did He save you from? What’s your story? People out there are dying and in need of you to represent God’s kingdom, to represent the family of God, so that they too can be born anew.
 
Eph. 1:2. …Grace be to you, and peace… The definition of peace: quietness and rest.
 
How different are the majority of people's lives in the midst of the world today? To be truthful, in many cases, the world and believers alike, find themselves overwhelmed in chaos. There is turmoil everywhere they turn: relationship strife, the kids don't act right, drama at work…
 
We won't be separated from the effects of this fallen Earth until Jesus takes us out of here, whether we go by way of the air (rapture) or through the grave, there is hope on the horizon, but there's also hope right now because where there is grace there is peace.
 
I don't think it's an accident that Paul nearly always starts his epistles with, grace and peace unto you. It must be understood that where there is no grace, there is no peace, and where grace abides, there is peace.
 
So how does one have access to Grace?
 
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
 
Whether we know it or not, the peace our souls are craving is peace with God. We may think in our minds, I just wish I wouldn't have all these relationship problems in my life, but if your relationship in the earthly realm is contrary to God, it opens a door for chaos and confusion for your relationship with god in the heavenly realm. It opens a door for the enemy to gain a foothold in your life.
 
Why are my kids crazy? Well, hold on a second to some extent… No let's be real, a big part of a child's behavior is learned in their environment.
 
I don't understand why I have all the strife in my life… What are you talking about? You've been living a life of witchcraft! You're engaging in New Testament pharmakeia: pain pills, alcohol, and drugs that manipulate your neurotransmitters…

In this sense, we’re letting Saul stay alive instead of letting the new man Paul be resurrected.
 
Where there is Grace, there is peace. Romans 5:1,2 teaches us that justification – a declaration by God that we are righteous, made possible because of Jesus' payment for the penalty of our sin, puts us in a place where we're at peace with God. Once we’re in a position of peace, we have access to grace; when grace is flowing in our lives, there is peace in our surrounding atmosphere.
 
In this place of right standing (justified), we have access to Grace. Grace is more than just forgiveness. Grace is power from God, and where there is grace, there is peace. So when I'm justified, I'm at peace with God; and when I'm at peace with God, I have access to grace.
 
Access – the act of bringing to.
 
It's like the scenario of a locked door. On the other side is grace and peace. I need grace and peace, but I can't get there because the door is locked, and I have no access. Jesus is the key! Our sinful state, born in Adam, is the lock preventing access, but Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and our resulting faith, allows the door to the presence of God to be open, allowing access to Grace, allowing peace in our lives to flourish; however, it must also be understood that we have to choose to live in this place on a daily basis.
 
What place? The place where daily faith in the forgiving work of Jesus on the cross gives me continued access to grace where I'm empowered by God to stand, and where there is grace, there is peace.
 
But you can't be double minded (James 1:8, 4:8) and think you will remain in the place of grace. You can't talk like a Christian, live like the world, and expect grace and peace from God.
 
Eph. 1:3–6 A Family has a Home, and Grace has a place.
 
3a. "all spiritual blessings…"
 
While we have a tendency to consider our daily lives as physical and practical, the truth is: we need spiritual blessings from God. The word blessings right here speaks of a spoken word. In other words, the Holy Spirit wants to speak blessings over the life of the new man, who has been born into the family of God. He wants to speak hope, marital healing, obedience to children, and freedom from addiction, manipulation, control, anger, financial woes….
 
Okay, if you want peace in the physical, you need a spiritual blessing. You need the Holy Spirit to minister to your marriage; you need the Holy Spirit to minister to your children, and you need the Holy Spirit to minister to you, so you will be a better parent, helping you to make better decisions on how to raise and discipline your children. You need the Holy Spirit to give you grace at work, so you can do a great job, be productive, and be in a place where God can bless you.
 
"I need help with my finances." I can use myself as an example here: what I needed was a spiritual blessing from God to break the power of sin in my life that was driving me to overspend my money on frivolous stupidity. Once that happened, stress and crying over not having enough started to stop.
 
3b. "… Blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ…"
 
The place of Grace is in Christ! We must constantly be reminded of these basic biblical truths that are needed to renew our minds and transform our thinking:

(1) the Holy Spirit is the person of God on earth dispensing grace and spiritual blessings from God to man.
 
(2). The Holy Spirit is able to dispense grace and spiritual blessings to man based upon the place where "man lives."
 
(3). The man or woman that receives grace and spiritual blessings from the Holy Spirit can receive that blessing because they live in a place called "in Christ."
 
(4). A man or woman in Christ that receives spiritual blessings from the Holy Spirit received their new home "in Christ" when faith was placed in Jesus Christ and him crucified.
 
(5). When faith was placed in Jesus Christ and him crucified, a translation occurred, where the old man was baptized and placed "in Christ," where the old man died, and the new man was resurrected to newness of life.
 
(6). If the new man wants to abide in grace, where spiritual blessings flow, he will have to abide in Christ where the branch receives strength from the vine; simply because, the connection point between sinful man and holy God resides in one place alone, "in Christ," where the righteous one removed our guilt and sin.
 
(4) a. "… As he has chosen us in him…"
 
Before we move forward with this portion of scripture, let's note the fact that some form of the prepositional phrase,… In Christ… is used six times in these first 12 verses of Ephesians chapter 1.
 
(1) v 1… To the faithful in Christ…
 
(2) v3… Spiritual blessings in Christ…
 
(3) v4… Chosen us in him…
 
(4) v6… accepted in the beloved
 
(5) v10… gathered together in one all things in Christ
 
(6) v10... which are on earth, even in him
 
The title I gave to part 1 of Ephesians chapter 1 is: Just as the family has a home, Grace has a place.
 
These prepositional phrases: "in Christ," "in him," "in the beloved," speak of both the home (when I use the word home, I speak metaphorically, as in, "we've been translated from darkness into light, and this is the new place where we are to live"), so these phrases speak of the home where the family of God lives and the place where grace abides. This place is known as "in Christ."
 
We (believers) are the chosen of God. It should be noted that the word chosen here is very similar to the word Elect in first Peter 1:2. Both of these words have the Greek preposition "Ek" as a prefix connected to two different Greek words that are from the root of chosen, so the idea for both "chosen and "elect" is that these verses are speaking about the "chosen out" ones of God. Are you chosen out? Are you in or out of the family of God?
 
How did God choose?
 
1 Peter 1:2-4
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
 
Ephesians 1:4
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
 
1 Peter 1:18-20
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
 
God has chosen in advance the people through the plan. That group of people who would be willing to believe God according to his plan of righteousness would be chosen in Christ and found without blame in him.
 
The terminology without blame speaks of no blemish. Just as in the idea of the Old Testament sacrifice, which had to be inspected thoroughly inside and out for faults or blemish before it could be offered, the believer in Christ is found without fault because he's been placed in the faultless one.
 
Salvation provides the believer with a white robe of righteousness because he's been robed with the righteousness of Christ (Revelation 3:18; Galatians 3:27). Righteousness is a gift given by God to sinful man (Romans 5:17).
 
All gifts are free to the recipient, but were purchased by someone else; and while the gift of righteousness is free to man, it was purchased by God for man through the act of love known as Calvary's cross.
 
4b. … That we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
 
Two thoughts that should be emphasize from this part of verse 4:
 
(1) holy
 
(2) without blame.
 
The word holy is the same word often used for sanctified, meaning to separate or consecrate; whereas, blameless, once again denotes the thought of without blemish. God has commanded that His people be separated and blameless in His eyes. While at first glance, these words may cause the Christian to slump in his chair, posturing defeat, he should instead sit up straight, nay, rather he should stand on the truth that he has been given holiness and blamelessness through Christ; but it doesn't end there, because the separating out in Christ provides access to the power of God, which enables man to not only be positioned in the righteous one but also emulate His behavior through the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
5a. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, ..."
 
This scripture specifically describes God producing the eternal family that I spoke of through the title of Ephesians chapter 1:
 
The Eternal Family of God: are you in or out?
 
Here, the terminology adoption is used. In 1 Peter 1:2-4, the word begotten, which describes the process of giving birth is used.
 
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
 
The essence of both of these ideas is that God has been redeeming (purchasing back) and creating an eternal family for himself throughout the ages of human history. He has given man a free will to make a choice. The choices are:
 
(1) obedience to his word resulting in eternal life and
 

(2) disobedience to God and an embracing of deception resulting in eternal damnation.
 
The two trees in the garden preach the gospel of God. One tree looks good, tastes good, and seems good when first taken into the mouth; however, its finality is disastrous. The other tree is life! The other tree is Christ, which is God's way of eternal life, and for thousands of years millions of souls have made daily decisions regarding which fruit they will eat – will they meet God at Abel's altar – the cross, or will man build his own altar like Cain and obstinately choose another way for himself whatever way that may be?
 
Just as a matter of clarity, according to the first Peter 1:3 passage, God is giving birth to this family through the sprinkling of Jesus' blood  v2 and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead  v3. In this sense, I can envision the old man dying at the cross with Christ, and like a newborn baby released from its mother's womb, the new creation in Christ springs forth from the tomb with Him (in Christ) filled with his resurrection power.
 
I don't want to spend a lot of time on this part of the passage "Having predestinated us…, but I think it should be mentioned. The word predestinated has caused a lot of controversy since the Reformation.
 
The meaning of the word itself describes something prearranged or preordained. From this, came two sides of a contentious debate. John Calvin and Jacob Arminian saw predestination completely different.
 
Calvin focused on the sovereignty of God, and in its extreme, this thought produced a belief that it is the believer who is predestined or chosen beforehand. In other words, it's as though God went through the crowd picking certain ones He wanted on His team beforehand and the others would never make it anyway.
 
Arminian, on the other hand, concluded that a position such as this completely nullifies the free will of man.
 
To be truthful, the Bible contains a healthy flow of God's sovereignty working within the free will of man. God will never transgress the free will of an individual; yet, like only God can do, He still accomplishes His sovereign plan, even when the free will of man rebels. The most important concept we should understand about this word is that it's not the individual that is chosen or predestined; instead, it’s the plan of God that was chosen before hand and predestined.
 
We are predestined and chosen in him. In other words, the chosen one's are those who respond through faith to God's plan, are translated from darkness to light, and find themselves in Christ. Yes, God is omniscient and through His foreknowledge sees those who will and won't choose him; nevertheless, he allows man to make that choice.
 
5b. "… According to the good pleasure of his will."
 
It was the pleasure of God's will that there would be a remnant of people "harvested" from this earth. God's plan, as communicated in the title of this teaching, is to create an eternal family.
 
He has accomplished this through the adoption of the saints in Christ. The idea of adoption is the placing of a son. We are placed in Christ, through salvation, which places upon us His righteousness, allowing us to be the children of God, and all this is "… According to the good pleasure of his will." In other words, all these words, and all these years of salvation history have commenced so you could be in the family of God!
 
6. "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
 
What a beautiful plan God has created in Christ! When we only stop to think about how far away we had traveled, how contrary to the will of God we had lived, yet, even then, His mercy provided a plan of grace, producing a place, where humanity could be saved.
 
In this place called Christ, we are "accepted in the beloved."
 
The word accepted here is a variant of the word Grace, but it describes honor being bestowed upon someone. I don't know how far away from God's will you have traveled. There is a good possibility that you feel as though, in a spiritual sense, you're wearing clothes that are tattered and torn. You may feel that your disobedience has brought you so far away from God that you could never be accepted by him.
 
This passage says otherwise child of God. This verse says that the plan of God, in Christ, has clothed us as a gracious honor in the beloved one. You're in him, you're clothed in him, and it's your position in Him that makes you acceptable to God. So rest in your acceptance and enjoy the life-changing power of God's grace.
 
"… In the beloved."
 
This word beloved is from the Greek word for God's kind of love agape. Essentially, the verse is telling us that Jesus is the manifestation of God's love, and our acceptance of Jesus and his sacrifice through faith has clothed us in the agape of God, which is Jesus, who is the beloved of God and never failed.
 
I don't know what that thought does for you, but it makes me want to stop and cry from a thankful heart when I think that Jesus persevered for my restoration, and it brought him joy
 
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
There are three specific times that a form of agape is used as a name of Jesus in the New Testament.
 
Colossians 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
 
Matthew 3:17
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
 
Matthew 17:5
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
 
The world and self-righteous religion will never tolerate a statement like this, but outside of Jesus the "beloved" God's not pleased with man. Man left to himself, standing outside of Christ, clothed in his own righteous rags is offensive to God, but in Christ, you’ve become a vessel of honor, clothed in the righteousness of the beloved, clothed in a swathe of the love of God known as Jesus.
 

Here's a video of my father-in-law playing an old medley of songs he used to play at Twin City Gospel Temple back in the day for us at  #Agnoeo! "Saints Go Marching In / I'll Fly Away / Jesus on The Mainline Medley"

#1 Intro to Ephesians: A Prison Epistle

Intro to Ephesians: A Prison Epistle

The Apostle Paul wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. His writings include: Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and the early church attributed the book of Hebrews to him also. Hebrews is one book in the New Testament, which doesn't specifically state who the author is.

Of his 13, more likely 14, epistles, four of them were written while he was a prisoner in Rome. The four prison epistles are: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

Internal evidence that Ephesians is a prison letter:

Ephesians 3:1: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles –

Ephesians 4:1: I urge you, therefore, I the prisoner in the Lord, to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called.

Ephesians 6:20: ...for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may speak it boldly as I must.

Date: The date Ephesians was written is likely AD 60-62, during his Roman imprisonment.

Genre: just as music has various types of genre, the Bible does also. Various biblical literary genres include: narrative literature, prophetic, apocalyptic (Daniel & Revelation), and epistles.

Ephesians is an epistle; the word epistle simply means that it was written as a letter to communicate biblical truths to the early church.

In the New Testament, all four gospels and the book of Acts are narrative literature. Whereas, the gospels explain the advent of Jesus, the book of Acts tells the story of the acts of the apostles, and the growth of the early church against all the odds of the mighty Roman Empire. All other books in the New Testament, except the book of Revelation are considered epistles or letters, so that includes James, John, Peter, and Jude's writings also in addition to Paul's.

The reason all this is important is because spiritual truths are communicated slightly different when comparing narrative vs. epistle literature. For instance, in narrative literature, God's story is being told, whether it be Old or New Testament. Furthermore, within the unfolding of the story, God reveals deep spiritual truths.

Just a couple we have learned recently include:

Jonah

(1). When God calls His people to do something and we write a "but" instead of an "and" into the script, in other words, we're contrary to His will, God will also write a "but," and in Jonah's case, the word says,

"Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish:so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.Jonah 1:4...

.... But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Gideon

(2). When we studied the life of Gideon out of the book of Judge's, the story unfolded that Israel had been placed under the bondage of their enemy because of their disobedience towards God: does that sound familiar?

During this time, they were ravaged by the Midianites, and we found Gideon threshing wheat in a wine press. Well, you're not supposed to thresh wheat in a wine press. You're supposed to stomp grapes, but Gideon is cowering in fear; nevertheless, his name Gideon means "great warrior," and the angel of the Lord shows up and calls him a mighty man of valor. There are a lot of spiritual truths that could be brought out of this passage, but let's just mention this one: just as Israel's disobedience brought them under bondage to their enemy, many times, our disobedience, does the same to us. But it's important that we get a revelation about something right here: God sees something in you that you can't see. Many times, we're so busy hiding in the wine press, we never look up to realize that God has a plan to restore us, a plan of deliverance, and a plan where He let's us know that the way we see ourselves isn't the way He sees us. You need to know that you're precious in His eyes. I don't care how bad you may think you've failed Him. God loves you, He's committed to you, and He proved His part by sending His only begotten Son to die in your place (John 3:16). All He's asking from you and me is that we would believe Him at His word and keep our faith in His plan.

Epistles, on the other hand, are very doctrinal (instructive) in nature. The whole purpose they were written was to combat heretical teachings, instruct the believer in truth, and bring encouragement to persecuted Christians. Whereas, truth about God is drawn out from the movement and dialogue of Biblical narrative, when studying New Testament epistles, it must be understood that close attention to the thoughts, and even the individual words, can contain great spiritual truth when unpacked within their proper context.

Some examples of the importance of specific Bible words and how they can directly affect our understanding of the Bible are:

Elect- chosen out

Church- called out

Communion- common union

Purpose of Ephesians:

In many of Paul's letters, the purpose is of the letter is obvious because he often addresses openly the problems that the church is facing. In this letter, the specific concerns are a little more difficult to ascertain within the letter itself because there doesn't appear to be an obvious problem within the letter; however, if we review other portions of scripture, we begin to gain a glimpse of the Holy Spirit's purpose through Paul for this letter. Also, I believe that as we move forward, there will be an overarching theme reminding the reader that there is an eternal God with an eternal plan who is creating an eternal family. Ultimately, Paul's purpose is to make the Ephesians aware of that plan, who those people are, what they should look like, and their purposes for God's kingdom.

Acts 20:17-23

And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound (to be fastened with chains) in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide...

(abide- to dwell or continue [its almost like he's saying, "I'm on my journey to Jerusalem to do God's will, and I don't know exactly what will happen, but I've been told by the Holy Spirit that I will be living in a new place called affliction])

Acts 20:23-27

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Acts 20:28-30

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers (he's preaching to preachers), to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

He was concerned about wolves and false doctrine affecting Ephesus.

Revelation 2:1-7

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars...

(We we're told the stars represented the "angels" of the churches in Revelation 1:20. The word aggelos is the Greek word for angel here. it can be translated as pastor or angel. The word literally means messenger. Personally, I believe that in a spiritual sense, churches have angels assigned to them; however, most people agree that the intent was that these things be written and communicated to the pastors of these churches; therefore, the idea would be that while churches probably do have angels assigned to them, the letters were physical letters John was instructed to write to these specific churches in Asia Minor, which, according to church tradition, he was the overseer or bishop of).

in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks

(other translations would use lamp stand, which is probably more accurate when you consider the way a lamp burns vs. a candle. A lamp can burn perpetually as long as it is cared for, wick trimmed and oil replenished (oil of the Holy Spirit); furthermore, both of these were duties of the high priest to keep the lamp stand (menorah) in the holy place burning brightly. A candlestick, on the other hand, would burn only for a short period of time; furthermore, we were told that the candlesticks or lamp stands represented the seven churches in Asia Minor in Revelation 1:20. The church, made up of individual born again believers are supposed to be the light of the world).

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

The commendation and correction to the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation surrounds two main thoughts: (1) they refused to tolerate false apostles and false doctrine; with this is in mind, it appears that some 30-35 years later, when the book of Revelation was written, which was approximately AD 90-95, remember Ephesians was written by Paul approximately AD 61, the church of Ephesus had stayed true to to the apostle's charge to beware of false apostles. However, the condemnation our Lord gives in Revelation two is that "they have lost their first love."

We must be careful in our endeavor to protect and preserve the truth of God's word in our hearts that we don't become so cynical of everyone else that we lose our love towards them. We must strive to love with God's love for both the world and God's people, whether they've erred in the doctrine or not. I'm not saying that we should condone error; to the contrary, we should contradict error; nevertheless, we must love with our Master's love.

Interestingly, the Bible Knowledge commentary points out that the word love, either in its noun or adverb form is used 16 times in the book of Ephesians, which is 1/6 of the times Paul uses agape love in all his writings; with this in mind, it appears the purpose of the letter is to: instruct in proper doctrine, warn against false doctrine, and remind the people of God to love with the love of Christ. Remember agape love describes God's kind of love, which recognizes the value of the object being loved. God can see past all our failures and love us with His love. Phileo love, on the other hand, is a brotherly love, a fondness, it's the type of love that humans more often exhibit. All is fine until wronged; then that type of love becomes exhausted. God's love, when found in man is there because it's produced as a fruit of God from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

The environment and occultic religion of Ephesus.

The goddess Diana can be traced all the way back to Semiramis, which, according to extra- biblical findings was Nimrod's wife. The story of Nimrod, according to the Bible's testimony:

Genesis 10:8-10

And Cush begat Nimrod:he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before (against the face) the Lord:wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Some of the things to take notice of are: (1) Nimrod was a mighty hunter, (2) the Bible says he was before The Lord, but when you study the words and the context, you realize that the word before is describing the fact that he was against and in the face of God i.e. the Tower of Babel.

I wanted you to be aware of the fact that he was a mighty hunter because archaeological finds have the goddess Diana in pictures as a huntress with command over wild animals. And the story of Semiramis connects all the way to Diana this way.

Semiramis was married to Nimrod, and they were bringing the whole world together as one in opposition and defiance against God (this same Luciferian agenda continues today under the New World Order agenda). At some point Nimrod was killed, some say he was killed by Shem, who was one of Noah's righteous sons, but we don't have biblical evidence to support that; nevertheless, Nimrod was killed and the story goes that his body was ravaged by wild animals. She searched to recover his body parts and found everything, but his male member. I'm not trying to be graphic. I'm just trying to tell you the story.

Because she couldn't find that all important part, she began to erect poles all over the land; ultimately, through some "mystical" happening because of these occult symbols, in the land, she became pregnant for her son and the story gets really weird between them afterwards, so we won't go there, but her place as a god was preserved, and she began to be revered with the same attributes Nimrod previously had as a great hunter, hence, the pictures of Diana as a hunter and tamer of wild animals.

The mystery religions, which have been in existence since Babel, will finally be destroyed in the end when Jesus comes back to exact judgment on the nations and leaders that have raged against God (Psalm 2:1-5).

But these same mystery religions, which include every false religion instituted by Satan upon the earth that pull humanity away from the real Jesus, all started at Babel and spread South and West towards Egypt, through Asia Minor, into Rome and throughout Europe, and along this routed pathway can be found a strange occurrence that physically connects and gives validity to both the story of Nimrod and definitely, in my opinion, the God of the Bible.

What I mean is that in the land of Canaan, which is now the land called Israel, the bible tells us that there were Asherah poles all over. These poles are also referred to as the "groves" in the KJV. Furthermore, they were connected to the worship of the goddess Ashtoreth, which was the Canaanite version of Semiramis, who was known as Ishtar in the more modern Babylonian Empire, which existed long after Babel, as we know she is where our word Easter comes from, and she was also known as the Queen of Heaven as we discussed in the class about Personal vs. Biblical Convictions part 1.

In Egypt she was known as Isis, and her poles were called obelisks. Let's just take a moment to realize that these poles straddle the globe as we speak. there are 12 in Rome (one stands in front of the pope when he stands on his balcony, facing the crowd); also, our Washington monument is one. In Ephesus, she was Diana, but she also had other names in other places.

Diana of Ephesus

Acts 19:24-28

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

The world and false religion hates the truth because it exposes their error!

Acts 19:34-35

But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

Have you ever noticed that when you expose false doctrine or the lies of religion to people that many times their first response is to hold tighter to the lie? Don't give up Christian there's a breakthrough on the way for the people that God is ministering to through you.

Paul's Trade as a Tentmaker

Acts 18:1-5

-- After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought:for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

Acts 20:33-35

I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

1 Corinthians 9:1-19

His Education

Acts 21:35 - 22:30

And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city:and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

Chapter 22 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence:and he saith,)

The main point that I wanted to make here was that he spoke at least two languages.

Education and Training as a Pharisee

Acts 22:3,4

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Gamaliel was a very well known teacher of the Jewish Law during his time. The idea that Paul learned under the tutelage of a teacher like Gamaliel points to the fact that he had been exposed to the highest level of education that a young Jewish man could have been exposed to-- all this was for the purpose of his preparation as a Pharisee, which was one half of the group known as the Sanhedrin, which were the religious rulers during Jesus' time, so for clarity, the Sanhedrin was comprised of both: Pharisees, which Paul was and Saducees, which didn't believe in the resurrection (Matt 3:7,16:1,16:6,16:11,16:12,22:23-34)

His Conversion

Acts 22:5-19

(actual occurrence took place in Acts 9. Here he's retelling the story) As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders:from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem:for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

Stephen the Martyr

Acts 22:20-25

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he said unto me, Depart:for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth:for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And as they bound him with throngs,

I've often wondered how Paul must have felt throughout his life, knowing that he had a big part to play in Stephen being stoned to death as a martyr for Jesus (Acts 7). When I consider what God accomplished through the Apostle Paul and the revelation God gave him about true righteousness, it makes me want to scream to the church, "Preacher! Teach your people that they're righteous through faith in Jesus and His cross. Christian! Learn who the Bible says you are in Christ. Quit walking around under a cloud of guilt because you used to be a drug addict and a fornicator. Paul was a murderer. Paul allowed a man of God to be stoned to death before his very eyes. Get over yourself already." Most scholars agree that he was probably the highest ranking Jewish leader there, and his consent allowed the stoning to commence. If Paul could be healed of that and accomplish the work he did for the kingdom of God, surely we can allow God to forgive us for our sins.

Roman Citizen

Acts 22:25-30

Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest:for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him:and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.-- On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Paul's Roman citizenship helped him in many ways. In this passage and the one below, it allowed him to be released from prison.

Acts 16:37-38

But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates:and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.

Acts 26:32

Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

"Because Paul had used his Roman right to appeal to Caesar’s tribunal, Agrippa and Festus can only refer him there with a letter specifying their own opinion. This appeal had earlier saved Paul’s life (25:3), and now it provides him free passage to Rome (19:21) and a public forum for the *gospel there." _ Bible Background Commentary.

His Trials for the Kingdom

2 Corinthians 11:22-28

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

His Pedigree

Philippians 3:2-7

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

His Love for Jesus

Philippians 3:8-10

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Philippians 3:12-14

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:but I follow after, if that I may apprehend (to seize or lay hold of) that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark (skopos-- the distant mark) for the prize (victor's award in the games) of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus: The Jubilee

From Judgment to Jubilee

Read Luke 4:18–21

Isaiah 61: trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord to bring him glory

From the beginning God had a word of deliverance for his people Israel, a promise that the Passover would bring freedom from bondage and tyranny.

A beautiful plan to bring them into the promised land, which was a land of rest, a land of provision where the milk and honey flowed and the grape clusters were so large they had to be carried by two men hanging from a pole, but the report of the 10 was contrary, only two (Joshua and Caleb) believed that God was big enough to defeat the Giants in the land.

Hebrews 3:10 God was grieved with that generation and said they do always err in their hearts because they don't know my ways.

Hebrews 3:17 he was grieved with those who did not believe. Their carcasses fell in the wilderness because of unbelief.

God tested Israel in the wilderness for those 40 years. He says in Deuteronomy 8 that he tested them to prove to them what was in their heart, to prove them (put them to the test) and to humble them.

Now he's ready to bring them into the Canaan rest, which represents for us the place of victory over our enemy.

And he gives them promises in Deuteronomy 28. The promises are contingent upon their willingness to heed or hearken to his word to the statutes and judgments, the law which is synonymous to the word of God. However, if they refuse to hearken to the word of the living God instead of promises they will receive curses. And sadly they didn't listen and instead of the blessings, they received the curses of Deuteronomy 28.

Furthermore, as we discussed last week, they came under the bondage of various nations because they didn't listen to the word of the Lord. God repeatedly sent them prophets to warn them. Nevertheless, they stiffened their necks and refused to listen to the word that God had given them.

As they began to harden their hearts towards God's word, they were moved farther away. And God knew that they would need to be set free from their bondage, so he promises that Messiah would be anointed in Isaiah chapter 61. He promises that Messiah would be anointed by the Spirit of God to preach the good news of the gospel to those that are meek. In the New Testament, the book of Luke chapter four uses the word poor instead of meek, but they both have the same meaning and are speaking of those that are poor and humble. Israel at this time has become poor and humbled and in bondage because of their refusal to hear the word of God. Once again, God repeatedly told them in Deuteronomy 28 and in Deuteronomy 15, and Deuteronomy four, if you do not hearken to my my word you will find yourself in bondage in the land.

God's promise of the Messiah is that he would be anointed to set the captives free to bring healing to those that are bruised to open the doors of the prison to them which are bound and that ultimately they would be the planting of the Lord they would be trees of righteousness that would bring him glory in the land.

As we look at Luke chapter 4, we see Jesus full of the Holy Spirit led into the wilderness to be tempted.

It is true in Deuteronomy chapter 8 that God says he led Israel in the wilderness for the purpose of proving their hearts and tempting them to show them what was in their heart and to humble them. Nevertheless, Psalm 107:4 says that they wandered. Wandering there in the original language has the description of staggering or walking while in an intoxicated state, so the children of Israel, while they were led, because of their disobedience they could not see properly, they could not walk properly, they moved further and further away from the will of God.

Whereas Israel was tempted for 40 years in the wilderness for their proving, Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the wilderness for his proving. The word of God says that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Just as Israel's temptation, testing, or proving (the test's results either produce failure or an approvedness towards God) was to point out to them who their person was, remember their name was

Israel, one who would rule with God, one who would be the prince of God, or one who would declare the name of God to the heathen nations around them that was the testing of the person, but also they were tested according to their purpose because in Deuteronomy chapter 4 it said that when he the nations see the laws in the statutes and the judgments that God had given them that they would realize that there was no other nation upon the earth that was so close to the God of glory.

And Jesus in His wilderness experience; He is also being tempted according to his purpose and his person. You see the enemy is coming at him and calling him the son of God and wanting him to act that way wanting him to perform miracles that the Father didn't speak to Jesus to perform, Jesus said that He only says and does what He receives from the Father. But Satan wants him to go his own way just as he (Satan) caused Adam to go the way of the serpent in the garden, he now wants to take the only hope that humanity will ever have of regaining this World and giving it back to God, of exchanging this sinful condition of the human heart and giving it back to God, and he wants to make a mockery of God again by causing Jesus to fail also. Furthermore, each and every day, he prowls like a lion seeking to devour God's creation. Always attempting to get humanity to go opposite of God. In this trial, Satan quotes scripture, and he quotes things that are true, but when these passages are lain beside the context of what is occurring, they're contrary to the Father's will; therefore, disastrous and sinful if embraced.

There is a similar occurrence that takes place when the child if his perceives this testing the wrong way. For instance, on the surface, it's viewed simply as, when the devil comes, quote some scripture, and put him in his place. In reality, this maneuver could produce the very disobedience that Satan is longing for; if the object of one's faith is moved from Jesus and His finished work on Calvary for victory, which comes through the fact that our faith in His sacrifice clothes is with His righteousness, and now being clothed with Him, we have access into the presence of God through the veil, which is His flesh (Hebrews 10:19,20). The efficacy (effectiveness) of His sacrifice was shown to us in Matthew 27:51 when the veil in temple was ripped from the top to the bottom, because it was that very veil, which separated God's people Israel from His presence, the place where the mercy seat was located, where God promised to meet them between the cherubim (Exodus 30:6).

Back to Jesus' trial, Satan brings Jesus upon the high mountain and shows him the kingdoms of the earth. He already knows out of Psalms chapter 2 verse six that God's king would be set up on a mountain the mountain Zion and not only that, but the God- king would also be God- Son.

Satan knows who Jesus is he's trying to bring deception to Jesus he's trying to get Jesus to take upon himself the roll of the king now to take upon himself His deity now. But God's plan is that Jesus would operate as the Son of Man and to bring redemption to this fallen world.

In a similar fashion, we need to understand that the enemy of our soul also wants to tempt us this way. He will attempt to confuse us about our person. In other words, are you Christian or are you a "worldling?" There will also be a temptation to prove our purpose in this life. In other words, will you live for yourself or for the purposes of God to bring Him glory in the midst of these evil nations?

And just as Israel left the wilderness and entered into the Promised Land where they were supposed to find the victory of God in their lives, Jesus leaves the wilderness temptation full of the Holy Spirit and steps into the synagogue, proclaiming He is the fulfillment of rest, He is the fulfillment of Jubilee. He is the fulfillment of what the broken human heart has been waiting for as quotes Isaiah chapter 61-- this very day is being fulfilled before your very eyes.

The connection point to all this previous dialorights where Jesus sats that He's going to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, because that is a direct correlation to the date of Jubilee. JESUS IS YOUR JUBILEE!

It's for the next few minutes I want to preach a message to you about Jesus our Jubilee.

Judgment (the trial)
 
Judgment- the forming of an opinion, estimate, notion, or conclusion, as from circumstances presented to the mind.
 
So I'm using the word judgment in a little different way than usual. The judgment I'm going to discuss has to do with Jesus' trial in the wilderness. You see Satan had formed his own opinions about God and God's plan. He formed an opinion about Adam that he would fall, and in this wilderness experience of Jesus, he plans to make his opinion about Jesus a reality also-- thank God he was wrong!
 
You and I must understand that he also has an opinion about us. His opinion is that we would rather go his way and what he offers instead of God's way. Not only will he form an opinion of you, he will use others in your life to put that opinion on you and judge you with condemnation. He wants to put you in prison under guilt. But God's plan allowed our sin to be judged on Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:22). Jesus was our sin offering, because of Him, and our faith in Him, we are judged as righteous in God's eyes, but Paul warns that as we navigate this journey called life, we better judge our walk, and the way we do that is by allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts through the word of God. The word of God is a mirror through which we must judge our walk with God (James 1:22-24).
 
1 Corinthians 11:31-32
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
 
There is much to be said about Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. The main point that has been preached for years surrounds Jesus' use of the word to combat Satan's ploys. I certainly wouldn't want to refute that concept because there is obviously a battle being engaged over the word of God in this trial.
 
But maybe a couple points should be noted just for clarification purposes: (1) more than just quoting scripture, Jesus is operating in a proper understanding of scripture. Satan is quoting scripture also; he's just twisting it to serve his own purposes. We won't detour here, but be reminded that he (Satan) has ministers that do what he does (2 Corinthians 11:14); (2) there is a deep spiritual truth that I won’t expound on this time, but I will mention it; in the essence of this temptation, Jesus is being asked to operate according to His own purpose and strength. In some fashion, this is very similar to Adam's test and ours.
 
In other words, Adam was tempted to go another way, and he did. Now, Jesus, the last Adam ( ) is being tempted to go His own way. He turned water into wine. Why not turn stones into bread? Jesus said, "I do what I see my Father do, and I say what I hear my Father say." Jesus is about the Father's will.
 
Regarding our temptations, we should understand that God has a plan for our victory. Jesus destroyed the power of evil on our behalf, so we could function as vessels for God's Spirit to operate through as He produces this eternal family over thousands of years and brings evil to an end; therefore, God expects that we will trust His plan for victory, which is continued faith in Jesus’ finished work at Calvary, providing access into the grace of God, empowering with the believer with the presence of the Holy Spirit in order to produce a soldier, a warrior for God.
 
When we attempt through other methodologies to gain victory over the devil, we chart a course of flesh rather than faith; we follow the path of Adam rather than Jesus. Give me some examples preacher: (1) understanding the word of God is essential to our victory, but when we begin to place faith in our constant quoting of scripture for victory over temptation, we are changing the object of our faith from Jesus and His finished work to what we do. I could add every other sort of spiritual discipline at this point. You need to do the math and come to your own conclusion, but as you work out the problem, keep this constant in the formula for your equation: Jesus' sacrifice is what resolved the problem of sin for the human race, and our continued faith in that alone is what gives us access into the presence of God where His grace abounds, and when I use the concept of grace, I'm talking about the supernatural power of God in a situation, a power that makes devils tremble in their leathery skin.
 
The previous was lagniappe. The point I want to make about this temptation now is that the enemy is calling into question Jesus' person and His purpose. Regarding person, Satan wants Jesus to operate as the Son of God and prove Himself this way. Satan wants to see signs and wonders, but Jesus' purpose on earth was to make right what the first Adam made wrong (Romans 5). We all know that Jesus was the Son of God; He was God, and as I will point out in a minute, Satan knew it also.
 
Luke 4:3-4
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
 
Notice how he addresses Him as the Son of God, and then he entices Him to function on His own in that capacity, which is contrary to the Father’s will because the Father never told Him to do that. This is exactly what Satan did to Adam; he enticed them both to depart from God's way and to follow his choices.
 
Luke 4:5-8
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them:for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan:for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
 
We may have a hard time realizing what's going on here, but Satan is crafty, and sadly he knows God's word better than we can imagine. He's aware of this Psalm:
 
Psalms 2:6,7
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
 
Through this Psalm, Satan knows that God's fulfillment of the king will also be His Son. Look how the Psalm states that the Son- King would be placed on the hill (mountain) of Zion, and Satan also brings Jesus up on a mountain, calls Him the Son of God, and entices Him to take a crown without a cross. How many people, even Christians are looking to get their blessing today instead of faithfully following God and looking for their reward in eternity?
 
And let there be no confusion God allows the trial to ensue for the purpose of proving our faith and showing us what's in us. Through the test, we were shown what was in Jesus, which was obedience and sacrifice. Faith in the Christian isn't faith without a test. Until it’s tested, faith is just a theory.
 
Jesus was tested in this passage we're studying.
 
Job was tested as a believer in God: Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
 
Israel was tested Deuteronomy 8: Deuteronomy 8:1-7 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
 
***And I can assure you that every person who calls themselves a Christian will be tested to be proven according to their person and their purpose: are you a Christian or a “worldling?” Are you here to live for self or to serve God?
 
But hallelujah, Jesus came out of the wilderness and into the synagogue to accomplish His purpose in the power of the Holy Spirit. It's time for you and I to come out of the wilderness and enter the purpose God has for us in the power of the Holy Spirit. What I'm saying is that at this point it's been proven who Jesus is. He's come full of the Spirit of God. He's passed the test. Have you ever passed the test Christian? It's a wonderful day when you do.
 
 
The Jubilee
 
Luke 4:18-21
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
 
The whole wording of this passage is pointing to the Old Testament year of Jubilee, specifically, the last phrase, "To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
 
Leviticus 25:8-14
And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof:it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you:ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you:ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession. And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another:
 
God keeps placing the concept of the Sabbath in front of His people. We're told that when creation was finished, God rested. Certainly, we don't think that God needed rest; rather, God was setting a precedence to show His people that there was a need for rest, and a constant reminder that God does the work that results in rest.
 
There was a Sabbath for days, which was the seventh day of the week-- what we call Saturday; there was a Sabbath of years, every seventh year was a Sabbath, and there was a Sabbath of sabbath years. 7+7+7. The 49th year represented the conclusion of the seventh seven year cycle; therefore, throughout the 50th year was the year of jubilee.
 
The year of jubilee allowed the people of Israel who had become oppressed financially and sold themselves as indentured slaves, to be set free. They received their property back and their relatives back who had been sold into slavery because of financial woes, which typically was a result of their disobedience to God's word, (Deuteronomy 15:5), resulting in them having to sell themselves to a fellow brother in order to work off their debts, but there was a beautiful day to look forward to upon the horizon. On the day of Jubilee, they would be released, released from bondage and slavery, released from tyranny! Jesus is our Jubilee. His finished work on the cross has set us free. We are no longer under sin’s debt.
 
It should be understood that God kept the idea of Sabbath rest on the forefront of His people's minds because there was a future rest He was bringing, and this is the rest that Jesus is speaking of here on this day when He entered the synagogue.
 
In addition to the Sabbath's the Promised Land of Canaan was also considered a promised rest of God, but as the book of Hebrews tells us, Canaan wasn't the finality of rest either, because if (Jesus v 8) actually should have translated Joshua, had given them rest then God wouldn't have spoken of another rest to come, which is Jesus (Psalm 95:11; Hebrews 4:7-10). God ceased from His work because it was completed.
 
Many commentators believe that this day was the day of Jubilee for Israel as Jesus sat and taught in the synagogue.
 
 It is quite the common occurrence within the church today that the people of God find themselves spiritually, physically, and even financially placed under the yoke of slavery, resulting from years of refusing to hearken to God's word, but good news! Jesus is our Jubilee!
 
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
 
Luke 4:18-21
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
 
The Lord's fulfillment of Jubilee addresses:
 
The poor
The broken hearted
The captive
The blind, and
The bruised
 
As I was studying this passage, and my eyes came across the adjectives: broken hearted and captive, the Lord spoke to my spirit saying, "People's hearts are broken by friends, relatives, church family, and the world. When their hearts are broken they build walls for protection.
 
The walls in ancient cities like Jericho or Jerusalem were used to keep marauders out. In a similar fashion, when we get hurt, we build walls to protect ourselves from an outward onslaught never realizing that we are constructing a prison and encapsulating ourselves within it, preventing God from being able to use us because we are so busy protecting ourselves.
 
The Lord's jubilee will set the captive free.
 
Isaiah 61:3
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified
 
When jubilee enters your heart, you become the planting of the Lord. When a tree is planted and develops a root system it's there to stay. There is a concept about the Jubilee that reminds me of this idea of the planting that Isaiah speaks of. This Isaiah passage is the end of what Jesus quoted in Luke; it wasn’t added to what He said, but it reminded me of a certain aspect that occurred at the end of the seven year Sabbath:
 
Deuteronomy 15:12-17
And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress:of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee:therefore I command thee this thing to day. And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
 

A Man Acquainted with Grief and Sorrows

A Man Acquainted with Grief and Sorrows

The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet bearing its name approximately 700 BC, which is around 300 years after Solomon's fall and the continued decline of Israel's spiritual condition. While Hezekiah's reign had, for a period of time, brought an end to idol worship, during Isaiah’s time-frame, Israel is once again engaging in adulterous practices towards God; therefore, the purpose of this book is to bring correction, warning, and an opportunity for true repentance.

When we back away as if viewing a forest from afar, we see the overall plan of God: man is separated from God, God has a plan of restoration, and He brought forth Jesus and the New Covenant through the people He created called Israel. This is the over-arching plan of the ages—the creation of an eternal family. However, when we move up close to a tree in the forest to inspect it, while we lose some sight of the forest, we are able to see intricacies we would have previously missed; for instance, there are tiny insects moving in and out of the cracks in the bark. In a similar fashion, we are a tree in the midst of the grand forest called the human race; nevertheless, God has great concern for us; furthermore, we have specific intricacies and hurts in our lives that God desires heal. He wants to set us free, not so we can live for ourselves, but so we can spend our lives on Him as a reflection of His love.
 
Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
 
The wording in the original language for "...let us reason together...," has the idea of a discussion with the conclusion of a convincing process taking place. In other words, God wants to have a sit down with His people Israel. He wants to convince them of their downward spiral.
 
It should be pointed out that the reasoning or communication God wants to put forth isn't a question of whether what His people are doing is sin; rather, the purpose of the reasoning is that His people would recognize their condition and repent.
 
Again, God's willingness to reason isn't associated with Him considering our opinion about what is or isn't sin. His word has established these truths already: His mind won't be changed from His eternal word whether homosexuality is a sin (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:24-32) fornication is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9), whether drunkenness is a sin (Galatians 5:21). His word is clear. His reasoning is that He wants His people to see their sin and understand He has a plan of restoration, which must start for us with repentance.
 
Repentance in the life of the believer brings restoration to the presence of God and refreshing to the soul:
 
Acts 3:19
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
 
God will send Isaiah as a preacher to warn the people of their sin, giving them an opportunity to respond through repentance, but God also lets Isaiah know that there is an occurrence that takes place when the gospel is preached. While some will repent (respond to the Word of God by coming to the end of self and embracing God's ways), the hearts of many will become fat, a fattened heart could be described as a layer of hardened, congealed fat over the outside of the heart (inner man), which prevents the word of God from penetrating and performing its function; this concept can be equated to fallow (untilled) ground.
 
Furthermore, God tells Isaiah that even though they have ears, many times the ears become heavy, the hearing of the gospel becomes grievous and burdensome to the person who is not willing to submit and respond in an appropriate manner to God's calling. The heart of that man or woman begins to deafen their ears to the truth; also, they begin to close their eyes because they don't want to see what God is saying through the prophet (mouthpiece of God).
 
These truths can be found in Isaiah 6:1-11 through the vision Isaiah had when King Uzziah died, and he saw the Lord; when Isaiah experienced the presence of God, he saw his sinful condition, he repented, and he was commissioned by God to preach the gospel; when the gospel is preached, some respond through repentance, but some harden their hearts.

So what we have so far is: (1) Isaiah 1:18 God's people are living in rebellion and sin; however, God's desire is that they be restored into His presence; therefore, He wants to reason, have a sit down, where He promises them that even though the sins of the people are crimson, they can be made white as wool.
 
The world and the people of God need to hear that message: the sins of man are crimson. While we may be deceived by sin's blinders, the sinful condition of humanity's heart is "popping" red before the eyes of a holy God. But there is hope; there is forgiveness of sin; there is a plan.
 
(2) In the Isaiah six passage, we learn some more about God's plan. We learn that when our strength dies (Uzziah), we become dependent upon God, finding ourselves in the presence of God. And once in the presence of God, mankind begins to see himself for how he really is-- unclean. Once a person allows their heart to be transformed by God, a desire is birthed within them to do God’s will.
 

And this brings me to the passage that I want to preach. This passage is one of many in Isaiah, which describe what scholars call the “suffering servant.” Jesus was the suffering servant, and when we become convinced by the Holy Spirit that our purpose is to serve Him, He makes us a humble servant. The previous examples of Isaiah 1:18 and 6:1-11 certainly apply to our Christian lives today; however, in their original context, they referred to God’s overall plan of redemption beginning with Israel. As we move forward with more specificity towards the “suffering servant,” the main point I want you to get is that God is concerned about your individual life. He wants to make you whole. He wants to set you free.

Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Jesus quoted this passage out of Isaiah in Luke 4:18, 9, also, referencing the fact that this passage in Isaiah was specifically referring to Him; when He was in the synagogue teaching; therefore, we have specific proof that the suffering servant spoken of throughout Isaiah are prophecies that point to our Jesus.

Isaiah 53:1-7
Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground:
 
Promises had been given to Judah (Genesis 49) and David (2 Samuel 7), but at this time Israel's spiritual condition has taken a downward spiral. The people are serving false gods; nevertheless, the promise will never die; even though the ground is dry, the root remains. As Isaiah had already prophesied in:
 
Isaiah 11:10
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse,
which shall stand for an ensign of the people;
to it shall the Gentiles seek:
and his rest shall be glorious.

Previously, it was mentioned that the root was tender and that it would grow out of dry ground. The reference to Jesse right here is David’s dad; as most of us are aware, it was promised that Messiah would come from David. Now, during Isaiah’s time, approximately 200 years have passed since the prophecy given to David (2 Samuel 7:13); the kingdom has been split because of Solomon’s disobedience, and things will only worsen for Israel as time moves forward. King Zedekiah, who was the last King to rule from Jerusalem, was carried away to Babylon approximately 618 BC with his eyes gouged out, bound in chains, and thrown in prison. By the time Jesus was born about 600 years after Zedekiah, the Roman Empire had Israel under its power as a vassal state. The above prophecies were certainly true: the root of Jesse came forth, and He came as a tender plant out of dry ground; He was born of insignificant means when all hope for the promise appeared lost.
 

he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
 He is despised and rejected of men;
 
The majority will be repelled by the real Jesus. When you begin to tell the crowd that true Christianity isn't looking at the cross, but man, through faith in Christ, dying with Him on the cross, you lose the majority. We live in the midst of a time when everything around us appeals to our senses and convinces us what success is supposed to look like; yet, the success of our Savior was His obedience to death.

Who would have ever expected that the King of Kings would be born as a babe in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes, a king born to die. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords who deserves all glory and adoration came to this sinful world in the humility of a manger amongst not even common people but unclean animals.

He is the “suffering servant,” and He is asking us to be humble servants. It’s required of His people to learn His heart. What an arduous task this appears to be on the surface in the midst of a society where we are influenced by the world around us to be drawn towards that which is pleasing to the eyes. I think convertible Corvettes and Michael Kors watches are cool, but Jesus isn’t impressed. The King of the universe was born in a manger where animals would live. He didn’t wear silk robes. He was a lowly carpenter. He wasn’t impressed with the bank account of a man; instead, He chose to sit down to eat with sinners, tax collectors, and even lepers. And the way He handled these occurrences wasn’t like some woman wearing her diamond rings ladling Chicken a- la- king at a soup Kitchen for an hour in an attempt to feel better about herself. He sat with them, got to know them, and loved them. He knew the gospel could change their lives, so He invested the kingdom of God into them. This is not an arduous task; it is impossible for self to come to this type of conclusion. Only the gospel transforms a self seeking heart into a humble servant.

Philippians 2:5-9
-- Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
 
There is nothing on the surface or superficially about our Savior that draws men to Him, but when you look inside and see His heart of humility and His willingness to give Himself for you, all the pomp and circumstance begins to fade. All the things that I thought would bring me happiness begin to take a backseat to the Savior's love and will for my life.

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

The world didn’t love Him then and they sure don’t love Him now.
 
The Soldiers mocked Him
 
Matthew 27:29-51
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand:and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him
 
The world mocked Him
 
And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross
 
Religion mocked Him
 
Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him
 
The thieves mocked Him
 
The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth

He was a man acquainted with sorrows, because He became clothed in the tent called flesh:
 
Hebrews 2:14
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
 
He has felt what we feel. He has been rejected; He has been hurt; He has been made fun of; He has had people that He loved turn their backs on Him. You can rest assured Christian that no matter what you experience on this side of the eternal veil, your Jesus has been there already, He defeated it at the cross, and:
 
 Hebrews 4:15
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
 
Oftentimes, when people are hurt by family, friends, or mostly people in the church, the devil preys upon their minds, telling them, "You're alone! No one loves you. You're isolated; the church is full of hypocrites, so why go back?"

The devil is a master at convincing people they’re alone.
 
Don’t say it again Christian. He was all alone, but you’re not all alone.  You don’t have to be alone, because your Jesus took that for you:
 
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?--
 
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;...

Personal vs. Biblical Conviction - Part 2 (Music)

Personal vs. Biblical Convictions: Music

 Music was placed by God in Lucifer before he fell
 
Ezekiel 28:13-15
Thou hast been in Eden
 
 (This was obviously an Eden existing before the one that Adam & Eve were in. It shouldn’t be that difficult to consider the fact that the fall of Lucifer had already taken place before the creation of Adam and Eve. It’s as though we can see him sitting, pondering, stroking his goat like beard, while wondering, how will I introduce myself into this pristine environment He (God) has created for them? 

While we don’t have time to properly expound on this concept in this teaching, it should be noted that there is evidence in the scriptures that speaks of the concept of the earth before the fall of Satan. Here, we see one aspect of that evidence in the sense that he (Lucifer, while he was in his original state of perfection was in an Eden. Furthermore, the words in Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form (tohu) and void… describe chaos and emptiness. In the Hebrew these words are tohu bohu, and Isaiah 45:18 says, …thus saith the Lord who created the heavens…who formed the earth… He created it not in vain (tohu). The point to all this is that the scriptures declare in Genesis 1:1 that God created the heavens and the earth. Furthermore, Isaiah says that God created the heavens and the earth to be inhabited…not in vain, but Genesis 1:2 tells us that the earth was without form and void, so if God didn’t create it that way, then it became that way, and the way it happened was through the fall of Lucifer. So while it’s difficult to absolutely prove all the details surrounding this concept, it makes perfect sense. There was an Eden before Lucifer’s fall, and before the earth became without form and void, and before the Spirit hovered and the word spoke in Genesis 1:1, and before Adam and Eve fell. At this time many scholars believe that Lucifer was in same way the anointed cherub who directed worship from earth to the throne of God. Who was worshiping on earth? Some speculate angels. Why were they there? We don’t know. In my personal opinion, I have wondered whether or not Lucifer knew beforehand that God was going to create man. I’ve wondered whether there was a possibility that the angels were on this original earth, in this original Eden, preparing a place for humanity, not creating, but preparing. And this beautiful angel, full of pride, determined in his heart that God’s plan wasn’t good, and that this creation should be ruled by him and the angels helping him not by some inferior race of mortals that were somehow created in the image and likeness of God. That’s complete speculation on my part, but what is not speculation is the fact that earth was created and seems to have afterwards become tohu bohu—why should we even care? Why, because we’re in a war. God has placed us here for a purpose, and He is allowing us an opportunity to be part of something bigger than this little bit of a physical world that we’re part of now.

“The garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets (workmanship of thy tabrets from the root of a drum) and of thy pipes (some type of pipe/ flute instrument) was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created (music was in him). Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth.
 
(Exodus 25:20-22; Hebrews 9:24 the cherubim were always associated with the presence of God. It seems that with Lucifer as the anointed cherubim that covereth, had a special place associated with the presence of God);
 
And I have set thee so:thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways.
 
(Once again, this had to be an Eden before the Genesis account because the scripture speaks of the fact that this was the time when he was a perfectly created anointed Cherubim)
 
From the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
 
Isaiah 14:11-15
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols.
 
(viols- some type of a stringed instrument)
 
the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
 
Music entered the world through Cain's fallen lineage, a lineage that lived apart from God and produced the fruit of Satan.
 
Genesis 4:16-26
And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod.
 
Nod-- ("restless wandering"), any movement away from the presence of God is only restless wandering.
 
On the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch:and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
 
(dedicated is the meaning of Enoch. If we look closely Nod is in a direction "away from the presence of the Lord;" in this place, Cain's offspring are dedicated, not to God, but they’re dedicated to the building of their city and life as they restlessly wander outside of God's presence)
 
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael:and Mehujael begat Methusael:and Methusael begat Lamech.  And Lamech took unto him two wives…
 
(first to rebel against the way God ordained the family. Genesis 2:18, 23 And the Lord God said, it is not good that man be alone… Adam said, this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh… Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave unto his wife: they shall be one flesh. It should be noted once again that they're rebelling and building without God or concern for His word or structure.)
 
The name of the one (Lamech’s wives) was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal:he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ (probable a pan pipe—a breathing instrument. If anyone is honest with themselves, they would have to admit that music is very spiritual; it evokes emotion, and can quiet the soul of a man).

1 Samuel 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand:so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

(This is where music entered the world, through the fallen line of Cain, in the midst of these descendants who are building their own lives away from the presence of the Lord)
 
And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron...
 
(They began also to produce metals for weaponry and agricultural purposes, attempting to find their own comfort from the effects of the fall.)
 
This is a scriptural example of how humanity is doing their own thing excluding God in the midst of their feasts and lives, using music and wine to comfort themselves.
 
Isaiah 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe,
and wine, are in their feasts:
but they regard not the work of the Lord,
neither consider the operation of his hands.
 
Genesis : and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives,
Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice;
ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech:
For I have slain a man to my wounding,
And a young man to my hurt.
 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth:For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos:
 then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

(Finally, God's creation willing to serve Him, and allow Him to be a part of their lives).

The main point I wanted to make was music was heavenly, created by God, and placed in Lucifer. Upon Lucifer's fall, there became a fallen element to music, because music was part of his being.
 
Job 21:12-16
They take the timbrel and harp,
and rejoice at the sound of the organ.
 
(Job is the oldest book in the Bible that was written. In other words Genesis contains history of earlier times than Job, but Genesis was oral tradition written/ compiled later by Moses; whereas, Job was written by Job before Moses compiled the Penteteuch (Greek for the first 5 books of the Bible). We see an example in the oldest, written book of the Bible that there was an element to society that didn't want to have anything to do with God, but they were very connected to their music).
 
They spend their days in wealth,
and in a moment go down to the grave.
 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us;
for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
 Lo, their good is not in their hand:
the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

Google search: musician admitting to channeling spirits to produce music.
 
Article: Exposing the Works of Satan in Popular Music
 
Examples of musicians and their own admission to channeling demon spirits to produce music:
 
8 grammy award winner, Tori Amos, said "I think music comes through dimensions, it`s arrogant to think you can create music on your own, there`s a co-creation going on. I don`t know with whom, but there is this well that we all tap into". She once said "I wanted to marry Lucifer I don't consider Lucifer an evil force .I feel his presence with his music. I feel like he comes and sits on my piano". She even made a song dedicated to Lucifer....
 
Lady Gaga apparently gets her music from demons. She said herself that she has the spirit of her dead aunt living inside her (which is really a demon) and that the spirit of Alexander McQueen wrote a song for her called Judas...
 
John Lennon is believed to have "sold" his soul or made a deal with the devil, in fact he said it himself. There is even a book about it called The Lennon Prophecy. The Beatles channeled evil spirits as those in his inner circle revealed. John Lennon once said "When the real music comes to me it has nothing to do with me ‘cause I'm just a channel. It's given to me and I transcribe it like a channel." He once referred to himself as a hollow temple in which the spirits would inhabit him then leave to be inhabited by another. When asked why The Beatles were so successful he said himself "I sold my soul to the devil" (Ray Coleman, Lennon, McGraw-Hill)
 
The main reason I pointed this out is because I have repeatedly heard Christian musicians talk about how they have to listen to worldly musicians in order to improve their skills in their music play because they have better "stuff."
 
They're getting their "stuff" from another source or another spirit. Christian musicians need to wake up and ask the Holy Spirit to help them produce better lyrics and arrangements of musical notes; they definitely don't need to receive "improvement" from another source.
 
As I began to study some basic theory about music from the video ministry of EX Ministries (Pastor G. Craige Lewis), but also through some articles written by secular music theory professors, I learned a little about the way that music is layered.
 
We must remember that Satan has an extremely powerful influence over music, and he will stop at nothing in his attempt to destroy God's church and God's people; furthermore, I can assure you that the liar has and will continue attempting to destroy God's music.
 
For a moment let's consider some of the elements of what ungodly music looks like, so we can be prepared to shun its influence and cling to God's will. One main reason that I feel it’s necessary to mention much of this is because:

(1) the church is filled with people who fill themselves daily with secular music, and I think it’s necessary to educate God’s people on the dangers associated with that practice—the music industry isn’t friendly;

(2) there are many in the church that think you can take any sound, put a couple Christian lyrics to it, and presto, you have Christian music. It doesn’t work that way, and while we don’t have time to cover it here, I would like to point out that Pastor G. Craige Lewis has done some excellent work on the roots of the hip-hop industry, making the point that hip-hop is a culture not a music; furthermore, it’s a culture that can’t be redeemed.
 
This is where I often lose people. What the naysayers want to do is make a comment like, "Well, the FBI doesn't do it that way; instead, they study the real money, so they will know the fake when they see it.
 
First, anyone who knows me, knows I do my best to study the truth.
 
Second, I'm not in the FBI; you may be, but I'm not. I'm in the Army of God, and my God told me that I have an adversary who roams like a lion and wants to destroy my eternal soul.
 
Third, even the physical soldier understands the concept of becoming familiar with the tactics of his enemy, so that he won't blindly walk into his snares.
 
OCCULT DRIVEN MUSIC
 
The professor I read behind made the point that rhythm or beat driven music is more conducive to chanting rather than singing. This concept opens up a completely different problem associated with occultic ties, which we will attempt to tackle. The problem I speak of is that both drum beats and chanting are used by the occult, whether they be tribal, or western minded practitioners, in their summoning of demon spirits. This writer is not saying that drums in and of themselves are demonic. As we move forward, we will see that music theory teaches the layering of music in certain ways. Melodically driven music is conducive to lyrical accompaniment. In other words, singing coincides with the melody of music. Rhythm driven music, on the other hand, has always been associated with conjuring spirits. One last thing I would like to say about this is that I’ve had multiple conversations with people about music, specifically hip-hop, and more specifically about the lyrics; their response on multiple occasions has been, “I don’t listen to the words; I’m into the beat.”

(Article) Feeling the beat: Symposium explores the therapeutic effects of rhythmic musichttp://news.stanford.edu/news/2006/may31/brainwave-053106.html

Beats, chants, meditations, and channeling demon spirits
 
Google search: the drumbeat and the Shaman.
 
For Tibetan Buddhists, the typical representative of...the shamanist tradition is the pawo or nyen-jomo medium....
 
The pawo begins chanting, accompanying himself with a little drum or bell. He dances, first slowly, then faster and faster, and, finally, trembles convulsively. A being of another world, god, demon or spirit of a dead person, has taken possession of him. In a kind of frenzy he utters broken sentences, which are supposed to convey that which the invisible being wishes to communicate....(1931:36-37)
 
"In 1901, US ethnologist Waldemar Bogoras traveled to Siberia to visit a shaman of the Tchouktchi tribe. In a darkened room, he observed a spirit-conjuring ritual. The shaman beat a drum more and more rapidly, putting himself in a trance state. Startled, Bogoras heard strange voices filling the room. The voices seemed to come from all corners and spoke English and Russian...
 
Google search: do drum beats affect alpha beta or theta waves in meditation

om
ōm/
noun HINDUISM TIBETAN BUDDHISM
a mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra. It appears at the beginning and end of most Sanskrit recitations, prayers, and texts.

Some of the experiences practitioners reported with the meditation OM sound track:
 
“This OM beat is the BEST binaural beat I've ever listened to. I tried several paid beats but none of which has a powerful effect like this one. Especially, it magically helped ease my migraine headache to an amazing extent, almost disappear. Can you believe it? I gave it to a friend while he had a headache and he reports that night he had good sleep. Thank you. Remember: sometimes the best thing out there is not marked with highest price :-) Try it !” N. H. M.
 
"This is amazing! Your meditation track is the most effective I’ve ever experienced! It even tops Monroe’s Hemi-Sync process. The second half of the track induces a very deep state – where dimensions intersect. Rarely I experience such a state of awareness myself. I wish it was more than mere 30 min long. 60 or even 90 min, I think, would be the best. What a great Lucid Dreaming tool!" R.

Taken from the website of an occultist-

"You should first recall what I said in the introduction: “Lucid Dreaming is an incredibly 
useful skill, in that it enables one to work on the astral plane even before one has mastered 
the art of Astral projection.”….

"This brought me to a deep place on the very first listen (actually at one point it brought 
me to the edge or border of something...)" D.

"I have to tell you that my arms kept shaking as if the energy vibrations were off scale 
and my heart seems to be quite active. Also the first two minutes of sounds send several 
waves of energy down my body opening/tuning the nervous system." H. 
(Multidimensional man website: OM meditation).


Music Theory: melody- harmony- rhythm 

The book of Ephesians tells believers to make a melody in their hearts; in the occult realm, 
the layering of music is transposed from this order where the rhythm becomes the dominating or   
driving force.

According to one professor, the point was made that the melody is typically the driving force of 
a song. The melody's purpose is ultimately going to be conducive to lyrical accompaniment. In other 
words, the layering takes place in this way the melody is the way: the notes are arranged in a 
certain order, which results in musical arrangement where lyrics or words can coincide properly 
with the musical notes; ultimately producing a pleasant mix of music and lyrics. 

To the best that I can understand, harmony is produced when other voices or instruments played in a 
"chordal" structure accompany the melodic arrangement of notes and lyrics. 

Lastly, rhythm or percussion is added in order to accentuate the overall sound of the music. 

The music of the church is supposed to be melodic in nature. In other words, the driving element 
moving the song forward is supposed to be the melody because music conducive to lyrical singing is 
melodic in nature. And the whole purpose of music in the church is to worship God by praising Him 
through singing His word back to Him, causing Him to inhabit the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3).

In this Psalm, the word says that God inhabits the praises of His people Israel. The word praises 
there has the idea of a hymn; for Israel, a hymn was a Psalm, which is a song inspired by God in 
the heart of His people to be remembered and sung by His people. Most importantly, the Psalms are 
the word of God, and if we want the churches music to have power to break chains it needs to sing 
the word of God. 

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making 
melody in your heart to the Lord;... 

The word melody here is psallo; when studied contextually this word describes strumming with vocal 
accompaniment. Once again the melody is music conducive to lyrical arrangement, and church music 
should be the word of God arranged melodically. 


Old Testament Form of Worship 

Psalms 33:2
Praise the Lord with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
 
Psalms 57:8
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself will awake early.
 
Psalms 71:22
I will also praise thee with the psaltery,
even thy truth, O my God:unto thee will I sing
with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
 
Psalms 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance:
let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
 
Psalms 150:3
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
praise him with the psaltery and harp.
 
Psaltery appears to be some type of guitar or violin or lyre
 
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
 
Hebrews 2:12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
 

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
 
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
 
Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
 
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Risen with healing in his wings,
Light and life to all he brings,
Hail, the Son of Righteousness!
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
 
Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace
Hail the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lay His glory by
Born that man no more may die
 
Come Desire of Nations come,
Fix in us thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Adam's likeness now efface—to wipe outStamp thine image in its place
 

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft (Exodus 33:22) for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.
 
Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
 
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
 
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
[originally When my eye-strings break in death]
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

"O the Blood" -Gateway Worship 2014

VERSE 1
O the blood
Crimson love
Price of life's demand
Shameful sin
Placed on Him
The Hope of every man
 
CHORUS
O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory
 
VERSE 2
Savior Son
Holy One
Slain so I can live
See the Lamb
The great I Am
Who takes away my sin
 
BRIDGE
O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
The precious blood of the Lamb
What a sacrifice
That saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory
 
VERSE 3
O what love
No greater love
Grace, how can it be
That in my sin
Yes, even then
He shed His blood for me

This teaching focuses more on music. Video 1 of 2

Personal vs. Biblical Conviction - Part 1

There is unity between the testaments. God demands His people live separated and follow His word then and He still does today.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments (word), which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

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

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

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently  [to prick or pierce; to implant by repeated statement or admonition: teach repeatedly]  unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
 
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. [to be first in rank or influence; hold the first place]
 

Blessings

Deuteronomy 6:10-25

10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

12 Then beware lest thou forget [how can we His people forget His deliverance?] the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;

15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers.

19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.

20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?

21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:

22 And the Lord shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:

23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.

24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.

Before we get started, I understand that some of the things I will discuss are going to seem foreign to many people's minds. After we start walking with God, there is a time-frame, where God renews our minds to His way of thinking. Before that, most of our thinking is tainted by the world and its lies.
 
I want to address the concepts of Biblical vs. personal convictions. When discussing this concept, there are many times that people want a specific verse in order to determine whether something is really a biblical conviction; they want to determine whether something is OK for them to do because they want to do it. But what we have to understand is that when we learn the overall counsel of the word of God, it begins to change the way our minds process our surroundings; in other words, we receive a renewed mind.
 
To be more specific, I want to point out that I'm beginning to realize that many times what we (leadership & laity alike) view as personal convictions and suggest that we shouldn't put those convictions on others are in reality issues that don't promote God, and in some ways work against our desires to help our families embrace Jesus.
 
The first concepts I want to discuss are Easter and Christmas. I don’t want you to be confused into thinking that I’m having a problem with the celebration of Jesus’ birth or His death and resurrection; instead, the problem I’m having is how these holidays are engaged by the society that we live in and how it has affected our perception on these important remembrances to our faith.

My wife and I made a decision early on that we weren't going to teach our kids to believe that Santa or the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy were real. There were several reasons for that decision:
 
(1) The main reasoning was because of the above passage. God doesn't want His people involved in magic or witchcraft. You can say man you're crazy, you're taking things too far. And that's your opinion, but I believe that God doesn't want His people messing with magic; furthermore, He desires truth not lies:

Psalms 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
 
(2)Sister Toot, our pastor, back when pastor's took a stand whether people liked it or not, told us not to.
 
(3) Danielle read a secular article that made the point that children have a hard time discerning between fantasy and reality; therefore, we felt that, as Christian parents it was our responsibility to make every effort to teach our children the ways of God, and remove every hindrance to that purpose.
 
(4) I was much less spiritual than my wife when we were first married, but I was all for it because I could still remember vividly the day I found out Santa Clause wasn't real. I was heart- broken. Let me make this clear, "It wasn't Santa I was disturbed about." I can remember thinking, my parents lied to me about this. And it made me wonder if anything else could be untrue?
 
You can think my story is dramatic if you want. But it's my story, and it's what I honestly felt. I can also tell you that there have been countless testimonies of people who were later saved who, when first approached about Jesus, thought within their self, another Santa? I have personally witnessed to people and they've made comments about Jesus, Santa, and the Easter Bunny, lumping them altogether.
 
It seems to me that we are being influenced by 2 sources: the world, under the influence of the spirit of antichrist and the church. Sadly, under the church there are two sources of influence to contend with: (1) the traditions of men and (2) the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so over the next two weeks I want to consider where we are receiving our convictions from: world or church, more specifically (Holy Spirit or men).
 
I'm sure people will disagree with much of this, but that doesn't mean it's not the truth. You will have to figure it out for yourself.
 
I would just ask that you listen and pray that God would show you whether what I say is right or wrong.
 
I believe that God expects the people He has called to preach the gospel to also care for the flock and warn them about danger.
 
He calls His preachers to rightly divide the word and present it in such a way that God's people would: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8
 
When the word of God is rightly divided, the only conclusion we can come to is that the forces of evil are real, spreading lies, and blinding the eyes of God's people,

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
 
 As I researched for my book Occult Exposure, I learned a very disturbing fact: the forces of evil have acquainted themselves with the teachings of the Bible better than the nominal, pew warming Christian; unfortunately, most Christians, including myself for most of my walk, have been oblivious to the deceptive workings of Satan upon this earth.

You can purchase a copy of Occult Exposure at:

https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781625103598

In order for a person to be sober and vigilant, he must have his spiritual eyes open and want to see what God wants him to see. He must have the heart of His Lord in Gethsemenee, "Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done."
 
I bring all this up because I want to discuss for a moment the concept of Easter and Santa Clause. I want to discuss a little bit about their origins and whether we should view these situations on whether people choose to play along with this or not is really a personal or a biblical conviction?
 
Is it possible that teaching our children to believe in these "magical," fantasies can hinder us from teaching our most precious possessions the most important thing in this life-- Jesus?
 
Genesis 18:17-19 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
 
God says that His purpose in calling and knowing Abraham is so that Abraham can teach his descendants after him about the ways of God, so that God will be able to bring about the promises He gave to Abraham. God's promises surround the salvation of man, "Through you all nations will be blessed." Genesis 12. Jesus came from Abraham.
 
1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God:which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
 

Easter: personal vs biblical conviction?

 
1 Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
 
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
 
"Then look at Easter. What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, as pronounced by the people Nineveh, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country. That name, as found by Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar. The worship of Bel and Astarte was very early introduced into Britain, along with the Druids, "the priests of the groves."
 
Astarte was also adored by our ancestors (British) and that from Astarte, whose name in Nineveh was Ishtar, the religious solemnities of April, as now practiced, are called by the name of Easter--that month, among our Pagan ancestors, having been called Easter-monath. The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter. It was called Pasch, or the Passover, and though not of Apostolic institution, * was very early observed by many professing Christians, in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ" (Hislop Two Babylons).
 
Eggs
 
...The origin of the Pasch eggs is just as clear. The ancient Druids bore an egg, as the sacred emblem of their order. In the Dionysiaca, or mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg. The Hindoo fables celebrate their mundane egg as of a golden color. The people of Japan make their sacred egg to have been brazen. In China, at this hour, dyed or painted eggs are used on sacred festivals, even as in this country. In ancient times eggs were used in the religious rites of the Egyptians and the Greeks, and were hung up for mystic purposes in their temples. From Egypt these sacred eggs can be distinctly traced to the banks of the Euphrates. The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians; and thus its tale is told by Hyginus, the Egyptian, the learned keeper of the Palatine library at Rome, in the time of Augustus, who was skilled in all the wisdom of his native country: "An egg of wondrous size is said to have fallen from heaven into the river Euphrates. The fishes rolled it to the bank, where the doves having settled upon it, and hatched it, out came Venus, who afterwards was called the Syrian Goddess"--that is, Astarte. Hence the egg became one of the symbols of Astarte or Easter; and accordingly, in Cyprus, one of the chosen seats of the worship of Venus, or Astarte, the egg of wondrous size was represented on a grand scale."
 

http://philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect32.htm-- this is the link to the document about Easter
 
I can tell you that there are many well meaning Pastors who truly desire to teach their congregation to love Jesus; furthermore, they attempt to find innovative ways to teach the children Jesus; however, they would never seem to think in a million years that the embracing of pagan practices, no matter how innocent the intent may be, could have negative effects on really putting Jesus in their children's hearts.
 
People want to pretend that what they're doing isn't that big of a deal, but the truth is that they spend numerous dollars and energy convincing their children that the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are real. But they spend very little, if any, teaching them about Jesus and the Bible.
 
Now, to worsen matters, many churches are beginning to embrace the practice of Easter festivities, where the focus for the children is Easter eggs. Yes, there may be a lesson on the resurrection, but the illustrative sermon is ending up as an Easter egg hunt. I'm just curious, "Why wouldn't we want to teach our children about the Passover and Resurrection instead?" Isn't the church's job to contradict the world's ways and embrace and teach Jesus?
 
Does the Bible even say anything about Easter? YES IT DOES!
 
Jeremiah 7:17-19 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the Lord:do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
 
Jeremiah 44:15-18 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem:for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
 
The Queen of Heaven is Ishtar also known as Astarte where we get the Easter.
 

Santa Clause: personal vs biblical conviction?
 

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
 
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
 
In a similar fashion, Santa Clause is something we've called a personal conviction also, but is it really a personal conviction, or does the teaching of Santa Clause in a young child's mind draw both the child and the Christian parent away from properly sanctifying Jesus in the heart, and properly teaching the child the importance of Jesus.
 
I know that many people will have a problem with this, but has anyone tried to raise a godly child in this wicked society? Well I have, and let me tell you that with all the work, effort, and grace of God, the spirit of antichrist still pulls and tugs on the heart of my children, so don't tell me a little lie isn't going to hurt them. I don't have time for a little lie. I don't have time to take chance with any lies. I need to give them truth every chance I get.
 

"Nicholas' existence is not attested (proven) by any historical document, so nothing certain is known of his life except that he was probably bishop of Myra in the fourth century. . ." ("Nicholas, Saint" Encyclopaedia Britannica 99)

"Nicholas, Saint (lived 4th century), Christian prelate, patron saint of Russia, traditionally associated with Christmas celebrations. The accounts of his life are confused and historically unconfirmed." ("Nicholas, Saint" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99)

"Unfortunately, very little is known about the real St. Nicholas. Countless legends have grown up around this very popular saint, but very little historical evidence is available." (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 130)
 
"In 1969, the final nail in the coffin to the feeble fable of St. Nicholas was officially hammered down. Despite the fact, St. Nicholas is among Roman Catholicism’s most popular and venerated "Saints," Pope Paul VI officially decreed the feast of Saint Nicholas removed from the Roman Catholic calendar. UPI Wire Services reported that St. Nicholas and forty other saints were deleted because "of doubt that they ever existed." ("Pope Marches 40 Saints Off Official Church Calendar." UPI Wire Services. <www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=389> )
 
"Because the saint's life is so unreliably documented, Pope Paul VI ordered the feast of Saint Nicholas dropped from the official Roman Catholic calendar in 1969." ("Santa Claus" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99)
 
"Old Nick: A well-known British name of the Devil. It seems probable that this name is derived from the Dutch Nikken, the devil..." (Shepard, Leslie A. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. New York: Gale Research Inc. 1991, p. 650)

"Nick, the devil." (Skeat, Walter W. Concise Dictionary of English Etymology. Ware: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1993, p. 304)
 
"Devil: Besides the name Satan, he is also called Beelzebub, Lucifer . . . and in popular or rustic speech by many familiar terms as Old Nick . . ." (Oxford English Dictionary)
 
"Nicholas is one of the most common devil’s names in German, a name that remains today when Satan is referred as Old Nick." (Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, p. 69)
 
Santa.
 
"You ever noticed how easy it is to transform "Satan" from "Santa"? Just move the "n" to the end. And presto! "Satan" appears. . ."  Hmmm….
 
An internet Google search on "Satan Claus" [not Santa Claus – but SATAN Claus] found over 1,700 hits! Obviously, there are many that tie the two together.
 
The rearranging of letters (called anagrams) to hide secret names or words has long been practiced in the occult. The Jewish Encyclopedia writes of the Jewish occult book called the Cabala:
 
"The golden age for anagrams began with the Cabala. The Platonists had strange notions as to the influence of anagrammatic virtues, particularly of anagrams evolved from names of persons. It is not surprising, therefore, that the cabalists, like all the Neoplatonists, pretended to discover occult qualities in proper names and in their anagrams." (www.jewishencyclopedia.com)

One of the most well known anagram in the occult world is the name of Sanat Kumara. Sanat is better known as Satan. Constance Cumbey, writes in her best-selling, new-age expose, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, ". . . they [New Agers] freely call Sanat Kumara (Satan) 'God'. And their doctrinal reference books by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Alice Ann Bailey freely cross-reference Sanat Kumara with Venus. In occult writings, Lucifer and Venus are one and the same." (Constance Cumbey, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 138)
 
Texe Marrs writes of 'Sanat' in Dark Secrets of the New Age:
 
". . . the New Age offers a being called Sanat Kumara. 'Sanat' is obviously a thinly veiled reference to Satan; nevertheless, New Age teachers evidently believe that the new spelling will alleviate the concerns of those not yet ready to confess Satan as their Lord and Messiah." (Texe Marrs, Dark Secrets of the New Age, pp. 79-80)

Interesting. . . Where does that put Lord S-A-N-T-A?
 
H.P. Blavatsky, the Satanist and new age teacher writes in The Secret Doctrine:
 
"many a mysterious sacred name. . . conveys to the profane ear no more than some ordinary, and often vulgar [common] word, because it is concealed anagrammatically or otherwise." (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol II, p. 78)

Like S-A-N-T-A?
 
Blavatsky also writes, the name is not important – but the letters.
 
"The name isn't important. It is the letters." (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol II, p. 350)

Blavatasky’s anagrams were used to disguise who her true god was. Blavatasky openly taught Satan is mankind’s true redeemer, creator and Saviour.
 
"And now it stands proven that Satan, or the Red Fiery Dragon, the ‘Lord of Phosphorus’ and Lucifer, or ‘Light Bearer’, is in us; it is our Mind — our tempter and Redeemer, our intelligent liberator and Saviour. . ." (HP Blavatasky, The Secret Doctrine p. 513)

"Satan, the Serpent of Genesis is the real creator and benefactor, the Father of Spiritual mankind. For it is he . . . who opened the eyes of the automaton (Adam) created by Jehovah. . . he still remains in Esoteric Truth the ever loving messenger . . ." (H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol 3, p. 243)
 
Gail Riplinger writes in her excellent book, New Age Versions on the use of anagrams in the occult world:
 
"Lucifer's True Identity as Satan is Revealed as the Anagram, a Transposition of Letters, To Obscure It. "Blinds," as esoterics call them, include scrambling the letters of a name to hide the true meaning of a word from the uninitiated." (Gail Riplinger, New Age Versions, p. 52)

It is interesting Mrs. Riplinger also raises a red flag about the anagram Santa:
 
"Gods of the New Age include Sanatan and Sanatsiyata, . . . New Agers say each name is 'concealed anagrammatically' 'and are aliases,' and are 'an anagram used for Occult purposes. Is Santa, the great usurper of Christ's attention at Christmas, an anagram? "Ole Nick" is listed among the fallen angels or devils in the Dictionary of Fallen Angels. Scholars concur that Christ was born in the fall on the 4th day of the feast of tabernacles. December 25 is actually "the feast in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven, later called Saturnaha by the heathen Romans." (Gail Riplinger, New Age Versions, p. 52)
 
The famous anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss writes in his popular analysis of "Father Christmas":
 
"Father Christmas is dressed in scarlet: he is a king. His white beard, his furs and his boots, the sleigh in which he travels evoke winter. He is called "Father" and he is an old man, thus he incarnates the benevolent form of the authority of the ancients."
 
Revelation 1:14
-- His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow;... [Same hair]
 
Revelation 19:13
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:and his name is called The Word of God. [Same red garment]
 
Daniel 7:9
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool... [once again same appearance]
 
What about Kris Kringle?
 
 And there is the seemingly innocent, friendly, jingle-jangle name of Kris Kringle.
 
By far, the name Kris Kringle is the most blasphemous. With Kris, Satan slowly removes the mask. There is no doubt about the intentions of "Kris Kringle".
 
Believe it or not. . . Kris Kringle is German for "little Christ Child".
 
"Kris Kringle a U.S. name for Santa Claus derived from the German Christkindl (little Christ child)."
(Brewer's Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Phrase and Fable, p. 334)

Santa Claus or Kris Kringle is the counterfeit "Christ Child"!"
 
http://www.av1611.org/othpubls/santa.html-- this is the complete link to the previous discussions about Santa Claus.
 
Once again, my purpose here was to discuss personal vs biblical convictions regarding, whether or not the embracing of these past Pagan practices are harmful to our walk or make it more difficult for us to convince our children about the truth of Jesus.
 
Ultimately, the question to be asked is whether or not the things in our lives, or our perceptions about the things of life are going to help us in our walk with God vs. understanding what the Bible says about these things.
 
Why do we spend all our time trying to be like the world. When we are His peculiar people (purchased possession). We are a chosen generation (Chosen is eklektos Ek= out; lektos= election i.e. chosen out, so we are chosen out, purchased possessions of the Lord); yet, so many times, we find ourselves spending more time getting caught up in what the world around us is doing instead of finding out what God's word says we should do.
 
God's purpose for humanity is that they would choose Him and be His people. He desires that they would live their lives in such a way that they would bring glory to Him.
 
But does God even say anything about this goddess known as Easter?
 
Colossians 2:6-8 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
 
g4492. ριζοω rhizoo; from 4491; to root (figuratively, become stable):— root.
AV (2)- root 2;  to cause to strike root, to strengthen with roots, to render firm, to fix, establish, cause a person or a thing to be thoroughly grounded
 
g2026. εποικοδομεω epoikodomeo; from 1909 to build upon, i. e. (figuratively) to rear up:— build thereon (thereupon, on, upon). AV (8)- build up 3, build thereupon 2, build 2, build thereon 1;
 to build upon, build up- To finish the structure of which the foundation has already been laid, to give constant increase in Christian knowledge and in a life: conformed thereto (Strong's)
 
Here Paul exhorts the church of Collossae to continue their walk with Jesus the same way they received Him. We receive Jesus by faith in Him and what He did for us (the cross); this gives us right standing with God because we have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus; now, Paul tells us to continue our daily walks that way-- faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the place where man is righteous and declared righteous (justified) by God, which gives the believer access to grace (Romans 5:1,2), which empowers for daily living.
 
As we do this, a root system is being produced, even a foundation for God to build upon, increasing our faith and strengthening our walk. I guess another question to be asked is whether what we just covered helps to build a root system with God for ourselves and our children, or is it even possible that it could work against it?
 

Clothing

The next area I want to cover in relation to "personal" vs Holy Spirit conviction is clothing. To be truthful, I'm really just using this as an opportunity to make a point about New Testament/ New Covenant theology, as opposed to outward religious practices.
 
While some people may question why this even needs to be addressed, I can tell you that if you can think past the exact example I'm using in clothing, there are multiple scenarios where these concepts we will discuss apply. The scenarios I speak of are outward attempts of righteousness, which frustrate grace rather than giving access to grace.
 
I have had multiple conversations with some people who believe that the apparel they wear has something to do with holiness or separation from the world. While this may seem silly to some people, it's a reality to other people's view of righteousness. Now, let me say this, "Clothing may possibly be an outward expression of a change that has taken place in someone's heart as the Holy Spirit has dealt with them; however, the clothing, or anything outward for that matter, has nothing to do with a person's right standing or a true separation of holiness from the world.
 
I purposefully use this as an example because I was recently in a conversation with a family that was raised in an Apostolic Pentecostal denomination. At the time I spoke to them, they weren't living for God, but some of the family was still wearing the classic clothing: long dresses, long hair, no make up, and no jewelry.
 
But let's forget about them. I have seen this scenario played out time after time. I have even seen people living in a life of fornication; yet, talk to me about the clothes they wear and equate it in some way to sanctification. What?
 
I would like to say that a woman who desires to dress modestly, preferring her brother, and hoping to help him not lust is a woman of God with pure motives, so I commend her.
 
But! A woman can wear a long dress that accentuates her body in such a way that it’s just as seductive as a mini skirt.
 
The main point I'm trying to make with all of this is that separation or sanctification isn't something that's outward (unless it’s the overflow of what has happened inward); instead, sanctification, separation, or holiness is something that happens inwardly, it's something that happened spiritually when you placed faith in Jesus and His sacrifice.
 
What we need to understand is that on the day the Christian got saved, he was baptized or immersed into Christ. The sinner born of Adam became one with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. Scholars call this our "vital union" with Him.
 
Just as Israel, the natural born branch was broken off because of unbelief (Romans 11:19-21), you the wild branch were grafted in because of belief. He was pierced in His side on the cross, and you were planted as a graft in Him, through faith. He is that life giving vine, through which the Holy Spirit flows into you, the recipient branch, where fruit is produced. Hallelujah!
 
The point I'm trying to make is that, once again, in the New Covenant, when you were born again, you were translated from the darkness of the world into the light of God. At this time, you were planted into Jesus, your relationship with the sinful nature died (I didn't say that it was removed); I said that the relationship between your "new man" and the sinful nature died, and if you're not careful or aware of how to walk with God, Satan will do CPR on your "old man," and he (old man) will be revived.
 
What happens to the believer through grace is: he is clothed with the righteousness of Jesus (Galatians 3:27); because the believer is now righteous in the eyes of God, he (believer) has access to grace (Romans 5:2), and through grace, God changes the interior of a person, breaking bondages on the inside, revealing the heart of man, then applying the cross (that instrument of death) to the sin in the heart, resulting in resurrection life taking its place.
 
When you get saved, your position is righteous. God sees you and declares you this way. JUSTIFIED! I said...your position is righteous, but what about the condition of the heart?
 
If we're truthful, our condition is below our position. In other words, there are times that we've been told all this before, and we even say in our hearts this makes sense, "Jesus is my righteousness. The 'old man' died, and the 'new man' resurrected! Hallelujah, I'm free!" We get it intellectually, but then we look at what we do; we look at our actions or the conditions of our hearts, and we question what's going on. It's because we begin to look at our condition and not our position.
 
Loren Larson said once, "The fall has produced a mound of debris in our hearts, and similar to the aftermath of 911, there is an insurmountable task of cleanup ahead, but look at the bottom of the screen Christian. You can barely distinguish their movement amidst the rubble, but those are dump trucks. The dump trucks are moving in and moving out; they're slowly carrying away the debris. In a similar fashion, the Holy Spirit is everyday bringing our condition a step closer to our position, and this process will continue until the final consummation. And, 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
 
That's going to be a glorious day, and until then we're being made to look more like Him:
 
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
 
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 
How does this tie into all the things I previously spoke of? 

God wants us to sanctify a place in our hearts for Him. He also hates witchcraft and anything else that tries to take the preeminent place in our lives. When a person is taught how the covenant of grace works, which allows the Holy Spirit to reign supreme in their lives, they may not like what they hear at first, but if they're presented the truth, and they're operating the way the New Testament message is supposed to, then they will hear from God and respond appropriately. How does one respond appropriately?
 
We respond appropriately to sin or missing the mark, which is the definition of sin in the Greek, by asking God to remove it once it’s revealed. You can't get rid of the garbage in your life. The Holy Spirit is the dump truck that removes it, but faith in Jesus' sacrifice is the currency that allowed the truck to roll.
 
In addition, when we find ourselves falling under the dominion of external religion, as in the sense of outward apparel resulting in a sanctification or separation from the world, we have resulted to Law and forsaken grace. Furthermore, the woman who attempts to find holiness may still be bound with a spirit of lust herself. I already have given examples of that previously.
 
What about the real problem preacher? You're over here telling a woman she needs to dress differently for victory or sanctification and she's bound with lust? No, sir! You're a liar, and you're keeping the people sitting in your pews shackled in the bondage of religion. Shake off those shackles Christian! Jesus purchased your victory!
 
He who the Son has set free is free indeed, no more chains of slavery.
Truth has triumphed in victory!
He who the Son has set free is free indeed!
 
So she can be bound with lust wearing a long dress and exuding lust into the atmosphere; furthermore, some dude in the church is bound with a spirit of lust, and when he comes across her, do you think for one second that her long dress is going to help anything? Come on man! We don't war against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.
 
I close, once again, with one of my stories from the past.
 
Several years ago, before I finally surrendered to God and was living under the bondage of religion and sin, I was working with an attractive nurse. Unfortunately, my "old man" was trying to regain a heartbeat. I didn't know anything about the gospel, even though I had been sitting in church and reading my Bible for 12 years.
 
Anyway, I was oppressed with a spirit of lust, and in my opinion she was friendly with one (a spirit of lust) too, and familiar spirits know how to find one another. I can assure you that it was never my intention to cheat on my wife, and thank God I didn't, but there is forgiveness for that too.  I knew that was sin, but somehow I was blinded to the fact that what I was doing (flirting with sin) was also sin; furthermore, I had been bound for so long I didn't even know what freedom from lust was.
 
Anyway, one day, we both ended up in the drug closet where they keep the samples of medicine, and I made the big mistake and said, "You look good today." Now, let's clarify something. There are probably appropriate times to tell another woman she looks pretty, but I would imagine that they are very few and far between, and unfortunately my motives were far from pure, but previously everything was just a game. You know, I make a little comment; she makes a little comment; we both kind of laugh, and then that's it. It's over.
 
But this time was different. She turned around and said, "When you get serious, and you're ready call me some weekend." I don't even remember my response, but I do remember how I felt trapped and so close to danger. I thank God I backed out of that deal.
 
The Lord set me free in 2001. Last year I saw her in a public place; she hurriedly walked up to me, and with a big smile asking, "How have you been," while batting her eyes? My response was much different than previously. I said, "Great! I've been living for Jesus!"
 
I can tell you unequivocally that when you let Jesus' cross kill the "old man," so the "new man" can resurrect on the other side, changing the way you think, changing your speech, it will also begin to change the atmosphere around you.

...We will discuss Personal vs. Biblical Convictions Part 2 next week. The emphasis of that teaching will be on music.

Have You Received Since You Believed?

There are no notes for this week's message but we have uploaded the video of the powerful teaching brought by guest teacher, John Collier.

Corinth's Gifts and the Romans 7 Struggle

Romans 7 Struggle: Part 2

Last week we spoke of Corinth and the fact that while they were abounding in gifts, they were failing in fruit. The behavior of many there was carnal at best.
 
I used part of this as an opportunity to point out that we've had Pentecostals and Charismatics in the past that have spoken about the fact that they have a baptism of power or gifts; however, they're lacking fruit: still struggling with sin and still struggling also with producing Christ like behavior.
 
I can tell you that the baptism John spoke of (Matt. 3) where Jesus was the baptizer was a baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire. The Holy Spirit is an all consuming fire. When he comes in, chaff gets burnt up! That's what the word says. I don't believe this is just another comparison of goats and sheep or wheat and tares. This is a separation of flesh from Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to come in and produce His holiness in us.
 
So Corinth was in the midst of physical adultery and we transitioned last week and began discussing the struggle of Romans 7, discussing how within this chapter, we see the concept of spiritual adultery taking place, a struggle that’s incited when the believer moves his faith from Jesus to Law.
 
Romans 7:9
For I was alive without the law once:but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
 
As explained in the Romans notes, this time-frame of Paul's life seems to represent a season after he was first persecuted after his conversion in Acts 9, after he had entered the Arabian wilderness (Galatians 1:17), and before Barnabas went looking for him to do ministry (Acts 11:25).
 
Nevertheless, Paul explains that he was alive once without the Law (as Romans 7:4 explained, we die to Law and come alive to God when we get saved), but the commandment came, sin revived, and I died (the idea is that he added Law to his faith, the power of sin, which was dormant, after death in Christ, revived-- came back to life, and he died).
 
Obviously, Paul is speaking of spiritual death. Have you ever been in a spiritual condition where you had previously placed your faith in Christ, but now sin is reigning in your life and you find yourself dead to the things of God?
 
Essentially, Paul added Law of some sort to his faith and it resulted in spiritual calamity in his life.
 
There is an unquestionable process that takes place in the journey of all believers. We all fail in our walk with Him at some point. When we fail, this results in the conviction of the Holy Spirit, which should bring us to a place where we recognize we must repent: ([1] be remorseful/ broken over our sin, [2] come to the place where we realize we were wrong and God was right [a mind change], [3] and turn through God's grace in the opposite direction). Anything else isn't repentance it's just, "I'm sorry."
 
So we must repent of our sin, and because we don't want to fail again, or be righteous with God, we put trust in a plan, hoping it will result in victory.
 
Remember the context of what Paul is saying in Romans 7:9...the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
 
We would do well to remember that the Law required that Israel constantly perform in a way that was pleasing to God. In other words, they had to eat different, dress different, wear their hair and beards different. They had the covenant and the circumcision, but what allowed God's presence to dwell with them was the blood of the sacrifice applied upon the mercy seat because that alone provided a covering over the broken Law.
 
Unfortunately, Israel began to look upon their performance: eating, dressing, laws, and circumcision as what made them right with God instead of the blood of the innocent lamb, which had to be shed to pay for their guilt; this transitioning of the object of their faith resulted in self righteousness.
 
In a similar fashion, Christians also change the object of their faith for righteousness from His cross, His blood, and His work to their performance. Even beautiful ways to spend time in His presence, seek His face and grow in our understanding of Him such as: reading the Bible, prayer, church attendance, fasting and witnessing, can become hindrances when they are approached from the wrong perspective.
 
When a believer thinks that his performance, faith in what he does, pleases God and makes him righteous instead of continued faith in what Jesus has already done, he changes his faith for victory from Christ to self; he moves from trusting in the Spirit of God for power to trusting in the flesh (in this case, flesh equals, fallen man's attempt to fight evil through his power and performance instead of God's); finally, he has brought himself out from under the environment of grace back under a system of law or legalism.
 
Religion built upon law, rules and legalism is fueled by self-- resulting in defeat; whereas, biblical Christianity is built upon faith, I said FAITH in the righteous one, the victorious one, the resurrected one and His victory over evil, which results in the believer becoming more than a conqueror in Christ (Romans 8:37).
 
Paul didn't write Romans until AD 57, but he wrote Galatians much earlier in AD 48. Some sources think he was saved around AD 34, so his Arabian struggle might have occurred from AD 34-35 to maybe 3 years later when he went to see Peter in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18).
 
He wrote Galatians, once again, after his first missionary journey. While he didn't plant the churches in Galatia, he had ministered and preached Jesus very vividly there for quite some time, but now, after the trip is over, he has received correspondence, whether through the mouth of a person who was coming back, or through a letter that was delivered; the news received is that the Judaizers have made their way to Galatia and are attempting to convince the Galatians that they need to circumcise themselves in addition to faith in Jesus.
 
This is the same mistake that Paul made as an early Christian while in the Arabian wilderness. This is the same reason why he chose to write about it and tell his story of struggle when he wrote Romans. More than likely it continued to plague the church until he died, because in a way legalism for righteousness still plagues the church today.
 
So I wanted to review what happened in Galatia as an exposition to describe what happened to Paul in Romans 7. While the Galatians incident is specifically circumcision and Paul would have already been circumcised, the point I'm trying to make is that law vs. grace is a mindset of where someone keeps their faith. In other words, the believer either focuses their faith on the work of Jesus or their own performance.
 
Paul combats this thought forcefully by repeatedly pointing out they (Galatians) are moving towards a perverted false gospel that will result in bondage instead of freedom:
 
Galatians 1:4
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver [pluck out] us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
 
This is what Paul preached, and the next couple examples show he was combating heresy:
 
Galatians 1:6
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
 
Galatians 1:7-8
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
 
Galatians 2:18
For if I build again the things which I destroyed [previous life trusting in Law], I make myself a transgressor [committing sin].
 
Here, Paul is saying if I go back to the Law, which was destroyed to me when I put faith in Christ, then I'm becoming a transgressor. The idea here is very similar to what is occurring in Romans 7:9; when we change faith from Christ to works or law, we commit sin, which gives power to more sin.
 
How was the Law destroyed in Paul's life to begin with, or all of our lives for that matter?:
 
Colossians 2:14-15
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
 
The Law was contrary to us or against us because we were guilty of breaking it. But Jesus kept the Law and offered His righteousness as payment for our sin, resulting in us now being righteous, but also destroying the Law's power over our lives because He nailed it's demands to the cross. That doesn't mean we can go around being law breakers. It means because He kept the Law and satisfied its demands; our faith in Him makes us righteous in God's eyes, and gives us access to God's grace, which empowers us to live a life of obedience through Him.
 
Galatians 3:1
 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
 
The word foolish being used here is 'anontos'. Previously, I have pointed out that the prefix "a" in the Greek means "without." The word nontos comes from the word nous, meaning mind. Therefore, the meaning is just as Paul said, "foolish ones, ones without exercise of the minds, ones that can't comprehend the truth of the gospel even though it was clearly preached to them."
 
While what I'm about to say will undoubtedly be offensive to many in the modern church, it most certainly MUST be said! Starting in the 40-50's, there was a change that occurred in the theology of Charismatic Christianity. A movement called the Word of Faith came on the scene. Within this movement, there was an extreme change in the emphasis of what "faith" means. While the movement started with an emphasis on healing; I would like to remind the readers that Pharaoh's magicians also produced miraculous signs and that Satan himself will continue to produce lying wonders: 
 
2 Thessalonians 2:9
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,...
 
Ultimately, this movement was taken over by a voracious appetite for material blessings, where suddenly material blessings became the validity of a true believer's fruit. What a lie from the pit of hell! What contradiction of the scriptures! What blasphemy against the words of the one who died and shed His blood so we could live:
 
Matthew 6:24
24 No man can serve two masters:for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
 
Mammon is the god behind money it's a spirit like lust, addictions, or any other bondage that demands allegiance. Yes, Jesus spoke elsewhere of making friends of it, in the sense that we were supposed to utilize its resources for kingdom business while we journey as pilgrims on this fallen earth. Many may think, well isn't that what the Word of Faith preachers do—kingdom work? I suppose you could think that if you think they're preaching the truth.
 
Jesus also said:
 
Mark 4:19
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
 
But yet I have seen, with my own eyes, services where some of the most popular "money" preachers have their people throw all the money up on the stage and they walk through it and exalt it. They say things like, "Money cometh." God help us! If we can't see now, what will we do when deception is really unleashed, and even now is beginning? The Holy Spirit moves upon the hearts of men to preach the gospel and moves upon the hearts of the people to compel sinners to come to the cross, so their souls might not perish. The compulsion of God is not sending man to be hungry for money but souls! 
 
There is a harlot, who is riding a parallel course with God. She plans to hijack God's bride. She is full of all that glitters and is of gold:
 
Revelation 17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
 
Furthermore, one of these well known preachers, I should say his name, but then many people would start tearing their clothes, has connected himself, like many of these people to Oprah. If I have to spell out what that means, then you better do your homework Christian because your Pastor is either greatly deceived also, or he's unwilling to tell you the truth in the open for fear over losing your fanny more than fear over your eternal soul. Oprah is part of the occult for God's sake. She's teaching a doctrine of finding the god within and it ain't Jesus!
 
This is new age occultism, the very spirit of antichrist that will soon usher in the ecumenical one world religion of the lying angel of light. He's called that because of what he transforms himself into (light), but in reality is the opposite, which is (dark), hello it's deception! Now, go research the preachers that have aligned themselves with her (Oprah) and run Christian! Run in the other direction back towards faith in the finished work of Christ, or don't! But you've been warned!
 
Back to the previous thought, the shifting point of faith that occurred through the Word of Faith Movement had to do with the object of faith. It doesn't matter to me whether you agree or not I'm telling you what happened, and this can either result in freedom for you or you can go on pretending you have victory in your life when there isn't any, because I can assure you victory won't come through this garbage. But the choice is yours, whoever you are.
 
The object of faith that changed was a transition from faith in what Jesus did on Calvary as the access point to what I receive on earth from God to faith in my positive confession. What happened is that now everything I'm going to receive from God became contingent upon the positive confession that came out of my mouth.
 
There is so much heretical doctrine that came from these people's teachings that I couldn't even scratch the surface-- the main one was that Jesus died spiritually, and there is too much there to get into, but I recommend a book that could at least open your eyes to the occultic connection and roots of the Word of Faith. The book is called A Different Gospel, it's a scholarly work documented so thoroughly that anyone who tries to refute it is simply blind. It was written by a man named Hank Hanegraff.
 
Please understand that I'm in no way saying that we shouldn't have a positive confession because we should. We are children of the living God. We've been bought with a price. Jesus shed His precious blood to purchase me out of this sin riddled world. You better believe I have something to confess!
 
But I have seen this doctrine put people under fear to the point that they can't even say they have a cold without being rebuked by someone. "Man, I have a cold...," and before I can ask the brother or sister to pray for me, they're rebuking the words coming out of my mouth. Somebody has snot running out of their nose, and they can't say they have a cold because that is going to prevent them from getting their healing. Whatever that's ludicrous! The woman with the issue of blood got her healing!
 
The next thought to discuss from this Galatians passage is: "...who hath bewitched you?"
 
The word bewitched here has the idea of slander connected to it, and the Judaizers were definitely slandering Paul's apostolic anointing; nevertheless, the word explicitly speaks of a curse or even a spell being placed upon people, even within the definition is the thought of the occultic "evil eye," which is used to direct dark "energy" through the use of magic.
 
So the false doctrine of the Judaizers has resulted in a spell being cast upon the church of Galatia; more specifically, the "evil eye" has diverted their eyes away from the cross.
 
The bewitching of false doctrine has resulted in the movement of the church in Galatia's faith from the truth: "...bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth,..." The truth that had been set before them was: Jesus and His cross preached so vividly that: ....before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
 
It was as though they had a video of the spiritual victory the cross procured, but now they've been moved away from it.
 
Galatians 3:2-3
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
 
The reason that Paul can't agree or walk in unity here is that these men are perverting the gospel and corrupting people's faith. Once again, verses two and three show us that the same Spirit we received in the beginning when we got saved is the same Spirit we need (through faith) to be with us every day as we grow:
 
Colossians 2:6-7
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
 
Once again, this is a very similar occurrence to Paul adding a commandment to his faith, which allowed sin to revive and allowed him to begin a spiritual death because grace is of faith-- not of works. And the believer who transitions to law or performance for righteousness will frustrate- neutralize or annul the grace of God in his life.
 
God's answer for sinful man is: Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ:nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
 
Man's refusal to go God's way results in: Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God:for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
 
 

Corinth’s Gifts and the Romans 7 Struggle

1 Corinthians 1:1-7 "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,  Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified (hagazio) in Christ Jesus, called to be saints (hagios), with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
 
The city of Corinth was strategically located in a place connecting Asia Minor to Rome; furthermore, on a larger scale, it was a crossing place between the West (Rome) and the East (Babylon).
 
In addition, it was a very large city with two sea ports, so one can only imagine the debauchery taking place in a city such as Corinth. One can only imagine the carnal appetites of sailors from all over the world seeking their fleshly lusts in Corinth upon arrival.
 
As a matter of fact, it's well known that people who embraced an extravagant life of sin were commonly referred to by the adjective, "He's been Corianthianized."

Even though the general morality of the Graeco Roman world world was low, the condition of Corinth was worse. There were sacred temple prostitutes. Above the isthmus, towered the hill of the Acropolis. On that hill stood the great temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, connected to that temple, were 1,000 temple priestesses who served as prostitutes. Every night, they would descend the hill and apply their works upon the streets of Corinth -paraphrased (Americanize).
 
The reason I bring all this up is to make a comparison between the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit. It seems to me that in the modern church people flock to gatherings where they think the gifts might be manifest, but regarding fruit, people are laissez faire.
 
…Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,…
 
The word for saint and sanctified in this verse are variants of the same Greek word Hagios, meaning separated out ones, or to be made holy through separation.
 
Theoretically, this verse could read: "to them that are separated in Christ Jesus, called to be separated ones."
 
Immediately, it seems that he's appealing to anyone who desires to be considered separated unto God. As we move forward, it will become clear that the reason Paul did this is because there were some in Corinth that had not separated themselves; rather, they were still living the Corinthian lifestyle.
 
Furthermore, as the next verse explains:
 
That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge…
 
Paul explains that the church of Corinth was enriched (make rich with spiritual blessings); they were enriched with the gifts of the Spirit. As most Christians that study Corinthians know, there is not a better place in scripture to learn about the movement of the gifts of the Spirit, but what will also be seen if a person would take the time to study the underlying context, there were a lot of problems also going on in Corinth.
 
Paul goes on to say that you come behind in no gift: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
 
1 Corinthians 1:10 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions (split, gap, schism) among you; but that ye be perfectly joined (mended) together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
 
This is the first sign something is wrong in Corinth. Even though they're abounding in the gifts of the Spirit, they're struggling with fruit, and even more disturbing, they’re divided on a proper perception of God’s word. There are divisions amongst them. Furthermore, the divisions are related directly to what they "speak," which is referencing the gospel. When a proper understanding of the gospel is taught, understood and embraced, it changes people's mindsets and perceptions. There are many people today that are preaching about the gospel in a way that applies to their daily lives, surely there is some place for some of that, but that is not the same as when a man preaches the gospel, expounding and teaching the text, enriching believer’s lives with the living word of God. While at the same time, helping the believer to understand the Bible for the way it’s written, helping them to draw life from God’s word for themselves.
 
1 Corinthians 1:11-15 "For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions (debate/ strife) among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?  I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name."
 
So the contentions and divisions are related to the different preachers that have come through: Paul, Appollos, and Cephas (Peter). Possibly, some like the style of one over the other or the emphasis on content of one over the other: "he preaches the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the other one preaches against sin..."
 
Whatever was really going on, Paul is correcting their carnality, which is another word used for worldliness. It's a symptom of spiritual immaturity when people live in contention with one another especially over spiritual matters. While Paul definitely had contention on many occasions, it was because he was trying to correct false doctrine in the church, which I personally believe was going on in Corinth also simply because their lifestyles weren’t lining up with the scriptures.
 
1 Corinthians 1:17-18 "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel:not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."
 
This is where Paul is saying, "We must all speak the same thing; we must all be like minded." Essentially, it's imperative that we have a proper understanding of the gospel. It's not that we don't preach the whole counsel of God, because we do. God wants the gifts of the Spirit operating in the body of Christ. As Paul pointed out, the gifts were operating in Corinth, and he specifically referenced both: knowledge and utterance gifts.
 
Knowledge gifts include both (a word of wisdom and a word of knowledge); whereas, utterance gifts include (the gift of tongues, the gift of interpreting tongues, and the gift of prophecy). A word of knowledge or wisdom can become a prophetic utterance when the word isn’t just for the individual God gives it to. In other words, when that person utters (speaks) it to another or a crowd in a congregation, then it also becomes an utterance gift.
 
It has been taught by some that the gift of a word of wisdom is simply godly wisdom or the gift of prophecy is simply preaching. That isn't true. These gifts are given by the Holy Spirit at a specific time for a specific purpose. It is true that when a person gives a prophetic utterance out loud, they will probably be preaching God's word, but when a man is simply preaching the gospel, it doesn't mean he is speaking a word of prophecy.
 
Regarding a word of wisdom- revelation from God to a man or woman of God regarding something that will take place in the future, providing a warning or direction to help people walk with God (Acts 10) Peter's vision was a word of wisdom from God to Peter about God's purpose for the Gentiles. Other examples of this are: (Acts 16) the Macedonian call, (Acts 9) God sends His servant Ananias to minister to Saul of Tarsus—in these three occurrences the word of wisdom came through a vision, but many times it is a word spoken to our spirits by the Spirit of God, (Acts 8). Also, Jesus repeatedly operated in the gifts of the Spirit, and just one example of a word of knowledge would be (Luke 5:21, 22).  God gave me multiple words of knowledge and wisdom for my own walk when He was first changing my life: (1) He told me that people would not understand what He was doing in me (2) He told me that I wouldn’t always be the one to present the things He showed me.

The word of knowledge is similar, but refers to present or past events, more specifically, a word of knowledge gives revelation about the facts. Nevertheless, it's a word from the Holy Spirit, which instructs the believer and directs him towards the works of God. Many times these two gifts work together; whereas, the gift of a word of knowledge gives facts in a situation, the word of wisdom warns and gives instruction on how to navigate through or instruction on how to go God's way. A word of wisdom usually refers to something in the future: whereas, the word of knowledge has to do with the past or now.

 

It should be noted that this isn't the same as the gift of wisdom. When God gives wisdom as a gift to man, that man is given supernatural wisdom regarding the things of God; however, while its a gift, it's information or knowledge that is now resident within that man through his studies or practical walking with God; nevertheless, it's in Him, given by God and ready to be pulled out when God wants it used.
 

The word of wisdom, on the other hand is a specific word given to a man or woman by the Holy Spirit to help them in the work that God has for them. In the above instances, God spoke these words to these men, which altered their direction and ultimately resulted in God's work being done. Sometimes a word of wisdom is given to one person in order for them to share it with someone else for to help the other person's walk.
 

These previous examples are knowledge gifts; whereas, prophecy and a word of tongues with interpretation are "utterance" gifts.
 
"....That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge...So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:"
 
The point I wanted to make is that these gifts are important to the functioning of the body of Christ. But just because the gifts are operating in a body of believers doesn't mean that they are producing the fruit that God wants them to. As a matter of fact, if we study the book of 1 Corinthians in its proper context, what we will learn is that while Corinth had gifts, they were lacking fruit. Both fruit and gifts are produced by the Holy Spirit. One is a right now situation for God's work: gifts. The other is a process where the believer abides in the vine (John 15) and a healthy branch produces good fruit, because he stays connected to the tree of life, which is Jesus, and connection to Jesus, gives access to grace, allowing the Holy Spirit to "flow" and "grow" the believer's maturity.
 
Paul says we have to speak the same thing; we have to make sure we understand the gospel is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is the New Covenant! This is the place, where, when a man's faith is directed here, his position is changed, he is translated from darkness to light, he is connected and made one with the vine, and if he will live here, abide here, by keeping faith here-- where?
 
The believer must daily exhibit faith in the finished work of Christ, which is the place that the "old" is dead (cross), and the "new" (resurrection) is alive through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11)
 
1 Corinthians 3:1-9 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat:for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal:for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (lusts of the flesh), are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?  Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one:and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God:ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
 
Back to the problem
 
Paul explains that things aren't as good as they think over there in Corinth. Sadly, I have seen people in the modern church flock to places where they believe there is going to be a move of the "gifts" but when you start talking about fruit or righteousness, they turn their nose up in the air.
 
Paul's rebuke to Corinth: "You're carnal. I can't feed you meat because you're still sipping milk. You're a baby." Now, it's one thing when we have a baby Christian in the church who just got saved, but when we have pews filled with Christians who've been saved for some length of time, and are still babes in the faith, we have a problem.
 
It gets worse
 
1 Corinthians 5:1-8

 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
 
So as we can see the church which is excelling in gifts, isn't necessarily excelling in righteousness. It would be one thing if it was just the man and his sin, but as the Holy Spirit reveals the whole truth, we see that many in the church of Corinth were "puffed" up about this occurrence, meaning they were inflated or proud. If that is the case then they are very carnally minded.
 
A carnal mindset is one that thinks like the world instead of like Christ, or instead of like the Bible teaches regarding Jesus.
 
I pointed all this out because, I wanted to finish what we were previously covering regarding grace as king, in order to show the source of victory: how it is through Jesus, that grace flows into us through the Holy Spirit, and how the cross (transaction of guilt for righteousness) makes me right in the eyes of God, giving me access to the presence of God, where the Holy Spirit destroys the yoke of bondage in my life.
 
In Romans 4, we discussed righteousness vs. justification. We learned that righteousness is a standing or position known as "In Christ," because when I was born again, I was translated from the world of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son, and now I'm in Him, so when the Father sees me this way because I responded obediently through exhibiting and keeping faith in His plan; the righteous one dying in my place. Now, the Father justifies me: He declares me innocent of all charges.
 
There is a story told of Martin Luther the great reformer who nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg Germany. The story goes that one night in Luther's room, while he was still a Catholic monk, the liar of our souls, Satan himself manifested and began writing all the sins Luther had ever committed on the wall for him to see. Once he was done, it's said that Luther spoke to the liar saying, "Is that all you have?"
 
Satan's response was, "There is no more. I have no more charges to bring."
 
Luther responded with the boldness of a legion of angels, "Then now write across them all, 'cleansed by the blood of Jesus!' I'm no longer guilty."
 
Hallelujah!! Martin Luther had received a revelation directly from God, at a time when only the clergy could read the scriptures, resulting in the dark ages, Luther, a clergyman, had his eyes light upon those glorious words: Romans 1:17 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
 
When his eyes lit upon this truth, his heart was warmed and history has never been the same. If you are wondering why someone may get so excited from such simple words, then maybe you're still locked in your dungeon where Satan has written the writ of condemnation against your life. When a man is born again by faith in the blood of the righteous one, his life will never be the same.
 
In Romans 6, we discussed how this transaction actually played out. We showed how the "old man" born of Adam died in Christ, was buried in Christ, and a "new man" was resurrected again.
 
One of the points we emphasized was that through this process, the relationship between the sinful nature and the believer was broken. Just as a divorce severs a union between married couples, the cross severs a the union between the believer and the sinful nature or the old man.
 
Tonight, I want to close this message and series with the explanation on how the sinful nature can regain power in the life of believers. Many times we've been taught the way to victory is once again through our performance: how much we pray, how much we fast, how much we go to church, how much we witness, how much we pray in the Spirit....
 
But I'm here to tell you that while all these things are very spiritual and can greatly help the believer in his walk, if they are embraced from the standpoint where one believes they being righteousness or victory over sin, then that believer has now entered a system of Law. Instead, of operating under grace through faith in Jesus and what He did at the cross for victory over sin; now, the believer begins to look at his performance, bringing himself under a system of Law and frustrating grace in his life:
 
Galatians 2:20-21
I am crucified with Christ:nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God:for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
 
Think about the Old Testament Law, think about how every time the Old Testament believer failed, how he had to go through a process of sacrifice in order to be made right in the eyes of God. Now, think about yourself and when you have failed. What have you always done in order to be made right? Did you try harder? Read more? Go to church more? All this is performance based Christianity-- not faith based!
 
Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying if you desire to go to church because you love the word and fellowship with the saints, then by all means go to church. If you are reading because you desire to learn of God, then by all means read... But if you are doing those things because you're attempting to gain victory over sin through what you aren't doing right instead of believing that what Jesus did was enough, then you've changed the object of your faith from a faith based object (Jesus Christ and Him crucified), which results in grace and victory to a works based object (I'm gonna...), which results in a system of Law, which results in bondage.
 
The kingdom of God operates on spiritual laws and the trigger event causing man to operate under the right spiritual law is the object of his daily faith.
 
Romans 7:1-3
-- Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress:but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
 
The seventh chapter of Romans is probably one of the hardest chapters to teach or understand, and many preachers stay as far away from it as they can.
 
One of the first problems that people get into is the fact that the first three verses sound like he's teaching or talking about marriage and divorce, but on closer inspection, we realize that this chapter isn't about marriage or divorce between a man and a woman; rather, it's about the believer's release from his marriage to sin and Law through the "old man's" death. And it's about the "new man's" marriage to Jesus and grace.
 
And so that's the analogy, the first marriage represents marriage to law, which all men are born under the dominion of and remain under its dominion until death: ...the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
 
Romans 7:4
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
 
This scripture explicitly explains that the previous scriptures weren't referring to physical marriage; rather, they're referring to separation from the first birth and connection to the second.
 
In addition, there is a beautiful picture painted where the believer's union to Jesus is referred to as a marriage. Throughout scripture, this picture is painted. He is the bridegroom, we are the bride, and the result of this marriage/ union is fruit. When a person is in a healthy relationship with God, there will be fruit in their lives.
 
First regarding fruit, a believer should be seeing more of the fruit of the Spirit and less of the lusts of the flesh being manifest in their life (Galatians 5:19-22)
 
Also, interesting to me is the concept that a groom is supposed to prepare a place for his bride. We already know that on a grand scale, Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place in eternity (John 14:1-3), but what about today? "In Christ," through this union with Jesus, which was transacted through faith in the sacrifice of the righteous one, the bridegroom (Jesus) has prepared a spiritual place for the believer to live within today-- we have a "house" of grace in which to live, an atmosphere of power, where God's Spirit reigns, so we can do His work upon this earth.
 
In the same John passage that I referenced above, Jesus answers Judas’ question:
 
John 14:22-23
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
 
When a man or woman is truly born again, the Holy Spirit indwells his being. When the Holy Spirit lives in the heart of a person, He directs them towards obedience, as a person's faith is maintained in the finished work of Jesus, they are given grace for obedience. Jesus says that He and the Father abide, TODAY-- ON THIS EARTH, with that type of believer. This is the place that I speak of where the marriage between the believer and Jesus takes place on this side of eternity and fruit is produced between us and Jesus for the kingdom. What a privilege to be used by God for kingdom business.
 
There may be some people who would say, but I have never prayed anybody through. Are you living your life in such a way that people know you're a believer? Do you present Him in a way that He is desirable? Are you providing hope to the hopeless? If you are, then you're a person who sows seed and part of the process of a harvest.
 
 
Romans 7:5-6
For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
 
The word motions describes movement, sin is having movement or action in the life. The concept explains that when a person is in the flesh, in this case, the flesh is speaking of a person before Christ, the movement and affliction of sin is having its way because the system the person is under is Law, and there is no victory over sin under Law: only provides knowledge of sin.
 
Essentially, once a person is born again, they've been transferred from a place where Law has dominion to a place where grace is king: therefore, ...we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
 
Romans 7:7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law:for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
 
Paul doesn't want his readers to be confused. The Law of God isn't the problem it's the sinfulness of man, which is stimulated by the Law: 1 Corinthians 15:56 -- The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
 
The Law acts like a "poultice" or a drawing salve. When the fallen eyes or even redeemed eyes that attempt to live under a performance based gospel behold its commands, there is a stirring or exciting towards sin.
 
Romans 7:8
But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
 
Previously we spoke of how the motions of sin described sin in action and movement. The word wrought means to be produced through action. When thinking of wrought iron, it has to be hammered and manipulated in order to produce the product. When sin is active, it transforms and produces within a person that which it (sin) (Satan) desires it to be.
 
An extremely important concept regarding sin is explained in this passage. The verse says that sin took an "occasion" through the commandment. The idea is that sin used the commandment or law as a base of operations from which it mounted its attack. Just as Guam was needed for victory in the Pacific, and Kuwait was necessary for a successful campaign against Iraq, sin uses the law as a starting point from which it is able to attack.
 
Now, we must be reminded that the Law isn't the problem. The Law is from God, and it's spiritual; however, the Law doesn't provide power over sin; therefore, when an unbeliever isn't saved, they are under the Law and incapable of having victory over it.
 
I thought I heard someone say, "But American sinners don't really know the Law; therefore, how can it have power like that over a person's life?"
 
First, as much as Satan has attempted to destroy the Word of God upon the earth, he hasn't been successful, and even it's residue from yesteryear will have a resounding effect upon the ages to come should the Lord tarry. While evil man will attempt one think that will never lose its luster, one thing that will never fail, one thing that will never whither is the eternal word of God:
 
Isaiah 40:8  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
 
In addition, whether man is aware of the Law of God or not is irrelevant. This earth is His:
 
Psalms 24:1 The earth is the Lord 's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
 
Furthermore, He decides how He will operate in and upon man-- not the other way around. And the first aspect we covered in Romans 7, is that the Law has dominion over a man as long as he lives, so if a man hasn't died in Christ and been resurrected anew (born again), then he is both: (1) dead in his sin and (2) under the dominion of law; interestingly, the words "dominion over" in Romans 7:1 are translated from kyrieuo from the same root as kyrios-- the word translated as Lord when speaking of Jesus.
 
Therefore, the idea is that the man who is un- redeemed (not born again) is under the lordship of sin and Law instead of Jesus and grace.
 
Again, when a man is under the lordship of Law, sin has a base of operations from which to mount its attack. Previously, I spoke of the unredeemed under Law because he hasn't died in Christ and been translated to the new kingdom (Colossians 1:13); therefore, he lives under its dominion resulting in bondage to sin.
 
It's imperative that Christians also understand that, they too, can bring themselves under the dominion of Law. While it may not be specifically the Law of Moses, it will result in the same effect. If a person is not of faith in the finished work (performance of Jesus, the cross, and its resulting resurrection power), then they are of "faith" in their own performance (what they do). This will result in the frustration of grace:
 
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God:for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
 
It saddens me that preachers don't teach their people these truths. They don't because: (1) they don't understand or (2) they don't believe their people will understand. And for fear that the people won't understand, get frustrated and leave, they hold in the truth. The result is that they preach about the gospel, rather than preaching the gospel. Let me say this clearly, "If a Christian doesn't understand the concept of how the sinful nature works and how it's power was destroyed through the victory of Jesus on the cross, and that his faith must be maintained in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, then he will not have access to the grace he needs for power to stand (Romans 5:1-3).
 
SO DON'T GIVE SIN A BASE OF OPERATIONS. KEEP YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST AND WATCH THE GRACE OF GOD TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE AND BRING POWER TO YOUR WALK!
 
Romans 7:9  For I was alive without the law once:but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
 
I'm going to stop these notes after this verse because I believe that this verse is the key to understanding the rest of the chapter. From this point forward, Paul uses present tense verbs to describe his struggle, but it must be understood that the struggle was something that took place in the past-- before he had the revelation of Romans 6. This time-frame likely describes the struggles and lessons he learned about Law and grace as he walked out his new journey with Jesus in the Arabian wilderness (Galatians 1:17).
 
I mention this because many people teach that this would describe a time-frame before Paul was saved, taking the opinion that sin was dead in Paul's life before the Law came, meaning before an in depth understanding of the Law came, which at a certain point, served as a catalyst, flaming the sinful nature.
 
In other words, as a child, he wouldn't have known the Law well enough for it to produce the knowledge of sin in his life; therefore, the sinful nature would have been dormant until he came of that age (maybe a teenager), and at that point the sinful nature flared.
 
There is much flaw in this thinking: (1) he said, "I was alive without the Law once."
 
This whole chapter started with Paul explaining that the Law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. Furthermore, the way a man does die to the Law, as we learned, is through his association with Jesus' death on the cross i.e. a born again believer
 
(2). The word revive, in the original language explicitly describes something that was alive, died and came back to life.
 
This word is used only twice in the New Testament:
 
Romans 7:9  For I was alive without the law once:but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
 
And...
 
Romans 14:9  For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
 
αναζαω anazao; to recover life, live again, revive.
AV (5)- be alive again 2, revive 2, live again.
 
In both these verses, what revived was previously alive, then died, and resurrected again, so the idea can't be that it first occurred in Paul's life when he became a certain age. Instead, the idea is that the sinful nature was alive in him from his birth of Adam as it is in all of us, think about it, even a simple logical thought would discount those other rationales. Tell a child no and what does he do? Put two toddlers in a crib with one rubber ducky, back away, and what happens? The sinful nature is already alive and well in the life of a child.
 
So in Paul's life what took place is that he was in the flesh (an unredeemed Pharisee living under Law and sin was ruling in his life). Then he became a born again believer, so he died to the Law as he said in V 4, and he was married to Christ. Then he added a commandment or a Law to his Christianity. I don't know what, but he did. Don't eat pork it'll make you more right with God, even though you're already saved, make sure you circumcise because then you'll really be holy even though you're already saved.
 
We do it too and that's the danger. I sinned; therefore, I must work my performance to be right: I read to please God, I pray to please God and make Him happy with me, so I won't sin again. NO!!! STOP IT!!!
 
Don't stop praying, reading or going to church! Stop thinking what you do is what pleases God. It's your faith in what Jesus did that pleases God.
 
Once you understand this verse, you will realize that from this point moving forward Paul's struggle is because he embraced Law as a Christian, and he was fighting sin in his own strength through his own will.
 
Please God give whoever is willing to read this revelation of this truth, so that they could be set free from the horrible bondage of both sin and Law.

Lessons from Jonah (Pt. 3): Get Over Yourself!

Jonah part 3: Get over Yourself

Jonah 3:1, 2
And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach (to summon or call with a loud voice) unto it the preaching (the proclamation) that I bid thee.
 
God never changed His mind. We might change our minds, but His plan never changes, "Summon the lost to come and repent! Proclaim the truth of My word!"
 
God told Jonah to arise. There are countless believers seated; they are MIA. We have no way of knowing how long Jonah was lying/ sitting around after he was spit upon the shore before God came unto him a second time. The word just says that God came unto him a second time and said, "Arise!" Arise child of God from your seated position and return to the place of obedience; once again, God's mind hasn't changed. He wants sinners saved.
 
Jonah 3:5-7
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing:let them not feed, nor drink water:
 
There is a lot to be said regarding this passage of scripture. The first thing that stood out to me is that the people received the word of God first, and their response resulted in a change to the king’s heart. This may be a little off the beaten path, but churches are filled with leaders that aren't living or preaching right; therefore, it makes sense that the pews would be filled with people who don't properly understand the gospel, and therefore, are incapable of walking right with God. Sadly, most people will never rise above the teaching they receive from the teacher they sit under. Furthermore, there is a mindset in the church where we are supposed to teach the Bible at an elementary level-- well you do the math. The truth is that people just hate to be challenged in anything. We like the status quo. I don't know much, but I do know this-- Jesus and His disciples were the antonym of the "status quo," and the point that I’m trying to make is that just as in the Jonah story, it doesn’t matter what the leaders are doing, God wants the people that are called by His name to humble themselves and pray and to turn from their wicked ways.
 
Besides the fact that the regular people responded to God and ultimately affected leadership, I also wanted to point out the way people in the Old Testament repented.
 
It is well known through the scriptures that Israel would repent in sackcloth and ashes when they were sorrowful for their sin. While I can't prove it, I feel certain this was a big part of Jonah's message. We know he was crying in the streets that judgment was coming, and we are told that their response was that they repented in sackcloth and ashes.
 
It should be noticed that sackcloth laid upon the body is extremely uncomfortable. Furthermore, ashes spread upon the head and body in a humid climate would be an absolute irritation. In 2 Samuel 12:20, David repented over his sin with Bathsheba and the illness of their offspring. Once the child died and he felt like it was time for his repentance to be over, he rose, washed, and anointed himself with oil. I point this out because he was making himself more comfortable. The anointing of oil was the opposite of the remorse and discomfort associated with sackcloth and ashes.
 
I fear that churches are filled with unsaved people today because the message has been purposefully softened and diluted to prevent offense. Through this, people are allowed to exist in a lifestyle of sin because they have been told a lie about what grace really means.
 
True repentance will have associated with it discomfort related to one's sin. There will be a discomfort in the fact that God was offended!
 
Jonah 4:4-5
Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
 
Jonah is displeased with God's plan and the way things are going. He's responded superficially to the request of God, but internally, he is in opposition to God's way.
 
Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said,
Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth,
and with their lips do honour me,
but have removed their heart far from me,
and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
 
I can tell you that this isn't going to work with God. There are people who walk around with an outward appearance pretending they are serving God, but inwardly, their hearts are far from Him. He loves you Christian! He loves you, and He won't let you stay comfortable in the spot you've prepared for yourself.
 
That's exactly what Jonah has done-- right? He has gone off on his own and prepared his own shelter, for his own comfort hoping to see what he wants to see. With the works and manipulation of his own hands, he prepares a place for himself, but even all his work and attempts leave him open to the elements.
 
This is a perfect picture of the flesh attempting to cover self. While this is a somewhat difficult thing to explain, and a little out of context, Christians love to prepare coverings for themselves in an attempt to prevent themselves from falling. There was a movement sometime back where everyone was going to get themselves an accountability partner and confess all their faults to them as though that was going to set them free or keep them from sinning. While on the surface it seems spiritual and even biblical, to be truthful, when someone places their faith in this instead of the finished work of Christ for victory, it's just another attempt through feeble flesh to gain victory over sin; therefore, it's just another way to say in the heart that what Jesus did wasn't enough.
 
The Lord showed me several years ago that if a person can't be accountable to Him, the one that created and peers into the human heart, then it's preposterous to think that trusting in some earthly relationship will fill that need. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying, iron sharpens iron. Brothers and sisters in The Lord are an extremely powerful source of strength as we walk together in the faith encouraging and edifying (building up) one another in the things of God.
 
Nevertheless, if a man would learn to walk in Christ through proper faith in His finished work, then that man will learn to be accountable to God as the Holy Spirit empowers towards obedience. Until a man learns to be accountable to God, that man will never, and I repeat, that man will never learn to be accountable to man.
 
While it is true that James said to confess to one another and pray, so that you would be healed, which is referring to healing of the soul, Jesus is the answer and victory for sin. The purpose here is that a stronger brother would lead the other or vice versa back to Jesus and His answer for the problem:
 
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:by whose stripes ye were healed.
 
So which would you prefer to trust in completely for your healing?
 
Ultimately, Jonah like so many of us has feebly attempted to meet his needs, and even though he's disobedient, God is going to show him mercy and provide a supernatural covering to provide for Jonah what his hands could not.
 
There is so much to be held onto here. If we could only stop in the midst of the chaos and remind ourselves that He alone can provide what we need and every attempt we make in erecting our own plans only leads to failure and more frustration.
 
 

Jonah 4:6-9
And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
 
God prepared a storm for chastisement, a form of discipline to stop his disobedience.
 
God prepared a great fish to rescue him from the turbulent chaos he had brought upon himself and to turn Jonah back to the right direction. God uses chastisement to turn us around.
 
God prepared a gourd as a covering of mercy. Jonah's feeble attempts failed, and his heart was disobedient; nevertheless, God showed mercy and protected Jonah.
 
God prepared a worm to destroy the gourd, which He had provided for Jonah to give him a covering of mercy.
 
The gourd was God's; the worm was God's; the wind, the sun, the fish, the storm, the Ninevites, and Jonah, everything belongs to God and God will do with it what He pleases. How dare you Jonah! How dare you think the Ninevites don't deserve God's mercy!
 
When you feel bitterness in your heart towards someone who has treated you wrong, just remember as fast as God raised up and destroyed Jonah's gourd, He can also remove his mercy from over your life.
 
Needless to say, Jonah is miserable with his life right now. The sun is scorching and a vehement (hot) east wind is blowing; he's miserable with his life to the point that he wants to die.
 
Jonah 4:9
And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
 
It should be noted that all of Jonah's discomfort is because of his refusal to see what God wants Him to see and respond the way God wants him to respond; essentially, God wants Jonah to be about God's business and see life His way, but Jonah wants things done his way.  Let there be no confusion, Jonah wants what he wants and he is angry because he can't get it!
 
When we demand something from God that is contrary to His will, refusing to see things His way and instead demand that it go our way, we will continue to be miserable.
 
Throughout the life of the Christian, God desires to align our hearts, minds, essentially our inner man with His heart: the way He sees things. This concept encompasses every aspect of our lives. In Jonah's scenario, the context specifically surrounds his obedience to God regarding the ministry God has asked from him. Jonah's response is undoubtedly being influenced by the world around him. What I mean by that is Israel, as a whole, is living in disobedience towards God. Idolatry stands in between them and God; therefore, they cannot properly connect to His presence, and they cannot properly perceive His ways.
 
In a similar fashion, the Christian whose mind isn't stayed upon the Lord isn't able to see God's way. We can get into specifics here. We can talk about relationships. We can talk about demanding a relationship out of wedlock or one that enters wedlock outside of God's will and then sit there under our withered gourd while the east wind scorches our head, and we are frustrated and aggravated because nothing is going our way. It's not the way God wants you to go! He wants you to surrender to His will.
 
We can talk about jobs. I've talked about this hundreds of times over the years of this bible study. People change jobs more rapidly sometimes than they do partners in today's society, thinking they're going to find happiness in the new job because somehow the boss at the new job is going to finally "get it." Don't get me wrong there are better bosses and better jobs, but the job oftentimes isn't the problem. The problem is we're looking for fulfillment elsewhere, and so we sit under the withered gourd having a pity party because nothing goes our way. Stop! Stop and be about the Father's business. Seek His will for your life and surrender to Him.
 
Sometimes, we desire to control a situation so bad that the relationships, job, church, ministry...isn't even the problem. Instead, these are just the symptoms; we have a letting go and letting God problem. We want it our way. We want to see the world our way. I don't like to read, so I don't even know what the preacher is talking about when he mentions Abraham. That works ok when you’re a newborn baby Christian, but if you refuse to change your world view through the word of God, you will remain with your miserable control issues demanding God give you what you want, sitting under your withered gourd blaming God.
 
God didn't create you so He could give you glory; He created you for you to give Him glory!
 
God didn't create you so He could spend all His time ministering to your plans; He created you for His glory, His plans, and His purpose. If you ain't on board with that, you ain't on board with Him!
 
Jonah 4:10-11
Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore (120,000) thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

As I said earlier, Jonah’s mindset has been tainted and influenced by the current condition of Israel’s spirituality: Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable will of God.

In this passage, Paul explains that we aren’t to be conformed, which means to be molded by an outward source. In this case, the outward source is the world system, in Jonah’s case he’s being molded by the spiritual condition of Israel. Paul exhorts believers to be transformed, which describes an inward change manifest outwardly. Interestingly, the word in the Greek is metamorphoo, where we get our word metamorphosis. The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is a metamorphosis that manifests outwardly what was already inherent in the butterfly’s genes. In addition the word transfigured used of Jesus is also this Greek word. On that day what was really in Jesus, His deity, shown thru. We are exhorted by Paul to have a renewed mind that understands this. All this is connected to verse 1 and all the previous teaching that spoke of the “old man” dying in Christ and the “new man” resurrecting in Him. This is the immediate context of verse 1 to make the point:

I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed

After all the previous teaching that he had offered in Romans 6, Paul is now saying that we are to live our lives as a living sacrifice (the old man dead and the new man alive). The renewed mind understands he is a new creation in Christ and he is about his Father’s business. Ultimately, he has gotten over himself and is moving forward in God.

Jonah has pity for the gourd. In other words, he's sad it withered away because it can no longer serve his (Jonah's) purpose. But here is God's creation about to be destroyed and Jonah wants to see it happen. God is also trying to teach Jonah a lesson on mercy. Mercy is God's to give; it doesn't belong to Jonah. Sadly, many Christians also act like this. How quickly we forget what God has done for us.
 
Be careful Christian, God has been known to pull back His hand of mercy in order to teach His children a lesson. He's doing it right here in this story.