The Only Begotten (3-26-06)

This Day Have I Begotten Thee
Bible Study Time 3-26-06

In Psalms, Chapter 2, verse 6, God says, “I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.” But then the Messiah-King, Himself, says:

Psalms 2:7 (NKJ)
7 "I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.

We know that these verses look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will rule the earth from Jerusalem, the holy hill of Zion, because the next verse says:

Psalms 2:8 (NKJ)
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.

This kingdom is something that God had in mind before sin and its curse come into the world, and we have looked at the fact that God hinted at this worldwide kingdom at the time the curse was pronounced. He said, “The Seed of the woman would bruise the head of Satan.”

But let’s look again for just a few minutes at the first few verses of Psalms, Chapter 2. Verses 1, 2 and 3 read this way:

Psalms 2:1-3 (NKJ)
1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us."

This is certainly a good description of the world we live in today, and it is a good description of the world as it has been since shortly after the curse was pronounced. We see the curse in Genesis, Chapter 3, and in Genesis 4 Cain killed his brother Abel and went to live to the east of Eden in the land of Nod. By the time we get to Genesis, Chapter 6, the world is in such rebellion and chaos that God elects to destroy all of the people of the earth except Noah and his family.

We might be tempted to think that there were relatively few people on the earth in Noah’s day, but if you do the math and consider the fact that people lived for eight or nine hundred years and often had multiple births, you will find that it is altogether possible that the population of the earth at that time was almost has dense as it is today with 4 to 6 billion people. If that’s true then we can safely assume that their technology was also very advanced.

But out of all of these billions of people, God saved only Noah and his family. It was not that Noah and his family were so good. On the contrary, the Bible says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and the book of Hebrews tells us that Noah became the heir of the righteousness which is of faith. God told Noah that it was going to rain and that he should build an arc. Noah simply believed what God said and did what God told him to do, and he became the heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

But the rest of the people who lived on the earth at that time had no concern for God. Whether consciously or subconsciously, they were in a rage against God, and they wanted to break loose from any connection with God. Genesis 6:5 says:

Genesis 6:5,11,12 (NKJ)
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
11 The earth . . . was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Therefore, God sent the flood to destroy everyone on the earth except Noah and his family. How different life must have been after the flood. Noah and his family went from a high tech world filled with billions of people to a world with 8 people who simply depended on God and His wisdom to survive. This may well be the way the world will be when Jesus Christ establishes His kingdom after the tribulation period. There may be very few people on the earth at the beginning of the kingdom.

But after the flood, it wasn’t long before man set his heart against God again. Genesis 11 says that the people all got together and decided to build a great tower which was probably a great temple dedicated to the worship of the heavens. The Bible says that the people wanted to make a name for themselves by building this tower which would reach up into the heavens. The people were taking counsel together against the Lord and plotting a vain thing so the Lord stepped in and confounded their language, and they were scattered abroad over the face of the earth.

As mankind followed his vain imagination, he grew continually worse and worse and farther and farther from God. One day God called out a man named Abraham and told him to leave his family and friends and go to a new land where God would bless him with great blessings. Now why did He chose Abraham? For the same reason that God chose Noah. Abraham believed what God said and did what God told him to do. The Bible says that Abraham believed God, and God counted it to him for righteousness. God’s purpose was to pour out His blessings upon Abraham and his descendants and make them an example to all other nations of what it’s really like to walk in fellowship with the true and the living God.

All the nation of Israel had to do was live by the righteous laws of God. All they had to do was love God and love one another for, in fact, all of the laws of God hang upon these two commandments, love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. But the children of Israel were still under the curse of sin, and it is impossible for those who live under the influence of the old sin nature to please God. The old sin nature loves pleasure, and it loves self glorification. The children of Israel were in no position to love God or their neighbors.

As a result, the nation of Israel joined the other nations of the earth in their rebellion against God. They took counsel against the Lord, and they specifically took counsel against the Lord’s Anointed. When the Lord Jesus walked and talked among them, they witnessed His miracles. They saw Him give sight to the blind and heal the lepers. They saw Him cast out demons and raise the dead.

However, on two different occasions the Pharisees and other religious leaders came to Jesus and asked Him to give them a sign from heaven. Can you image? After all of these miracles, they ask for a sign from heaven. Well, this was Jesus’ answer:

Matthew 12:39-40 (NKJ)
39 . . . "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

He said that the Son of man would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, but then like Jonah He would rise again. This would be the sign that would prove who Jesus really was and is.

The religious leaders plotted against the Lord’s Anointed. They nailed Him to the cross, but death could not hold Him. It may be that it took more power to bring the Lord Jesus back from the dead than it did to create the universe, but come back from the dead He did. And when Jesus Christ came back from the dead and conquered death, hell and the grave, that is when God the Father declared before all the hosts of heaven and earth, “Thou art my Son. This day have I begotten Thee.”

David predicted the resurrection of Christ, and He foresaw the day when the Father would say, “Thou art my Son. This day have I begotten Thee.” But it was the Apostle Paul who put the two together. In Acts, Chapter 13, we read that when Paul and Barnabas arrived in Antioch of Pisidia, they went on the Sabbath day to the Jewish synagogue where they were asked to speak.

When Paul stood up to speak, he demonstrated his enthusiasm by motioning with his hands, and he reminded the Jews that they were God’s chosen people and that God had demonstrated His mighty power to them over and over again. Then Paul told them about the Lord Jesus, saying:

Acts 13:26-30,33 (NKJ)
26 "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.
27 "For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know (Jesus), nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, (they) have fulfilled them in condemning Him.
28 "And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that (Jesus) should be put to death.
29 "Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning (Jesus), they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
30 "But God raised Him from the dead.
33 " . . . As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.'

In this passage the Apostle Paul reveals for the first time that the statement in Psalms, Chapter 2, finds its fulfillment in the resurrection of Christ. It was in the through the resurrection of Christ that God made the proclamation, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” Jesus Christ was always the only begotten of the Father, but it was the power of the resurrection that declared Him to be the Son of God before all of creation. Paul said in Romans, Chapter 1, that the gospel of God concerns:

Romans 1:3-4 (NKJ)
3 . . . Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4 and (was) declared to be the Son of God . . . by the resurrection from the dead.

Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead.

In Psalms, Chapter 2, immediately after declaring the Christ to be His Son, the Father says:

Psalms 2:8 (NKJ)
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.

It was only after Christ’s resurrection from the dead that Jesus told his disciples:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJ)
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Before the resurrection, Jesus had emphasized that they should go to no one except the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were not to go to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans. But now, after the resurrection, He tells them to go and make disciples of all the nations. The resurrection had set the stage for the kingdom in which Christ would be given all of the nations of the earth for His inheritance just as David predicted in Psalms, Chapter 2.

However, the book of Acts is a record of Israel’s rejection of Christ and His kingdom. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jews, “You with wicked hands have crucified the Messiah, but the good news is, God has raised Him from the dead, and His resurrection proves that He is the Christ, the Son of God.”

Peter said, “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins for the promise is to you and to your children and to those who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” What promise? The promise of the kingdom. Peter was offering them the earthly kingdom even as Jesus had taught them.

This offer of the kingdom went out to the Jews all the way through the book of Acts, but in Acts 28, the Apostle Paul called for a meeting with the Jews of Rome. He showed them from the books of the Old Testament that Jesus had to be the Christ. He had fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesies. When the Jewish leaders of Rome refused to accept Christ, Paul proclaimed,

Acts 28:28 (NKJ)
28 " . . . let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"

From that time on, the Apostle Paul spoke no more about the promised earthly kingdom. Instead, he revealed a body of believers who have a heavenly hope. He called them the Church which is the Body of Christ. If you want to know how to be saved today, you need to look at what Paul revealed for the Church the Body of Christ.

Paul says that for us to be saved and accepted into this church, we have to do what Noah did and what Abraham did. We have to believe what God has said. For us that means believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. We have nothing to add to what Christ has already done. All we have to do is accept it by faith.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Jesus, The King (3-19-06)

Jesus, The King
Bible Study Time 3-19-06

The prophet Zechariah was speaking of the Lord Jesus when he said:

Zechariah 6:12-13 (NKJ)
12 . . . "Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the LORD;

Zechariah saw the day when Jesus Christ would leave the glory of heaven to come to the earth and rebuild the Jewish temple. The faithful Jews had been looking for a kingdom since the time of Abraham. When God first called Abraham, God said:

Genesis 12:1-2 (NKJ)
1 . . . "Get out of your country . . . to a land that I will show you.
2 (And) I will make you a great nation . . .

Later, God spoke to Abraham again and said:

Genesis 22:17-18 (NKJ)
17 " . . . I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed . . .

From this statement the faithful Jews knew that they should look for one man who would come as the Messiah, or the Savior as we would say, and King David was one of those faithful Jews who was looking for this Messiah. He was, of coarse, overwhelmed when God told him that the Messiah would not only be the Seed of Abraham, but He would be of the house and lineage of David. In 2 Samuel 7, God said, David:

2 Samuel 7:12-13 (NKJ)
12 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Do you see how the Bible is a progressive revelation? God reveals a little bit here, and then He reveals a little bit more as time goes on, and then later He reveals even more. Well, that’s the way the Bible is. If we study it all, and compare scripture with scripture, we start to get the whole picture of what God wants us to know.

The Messiah was going to be a descendant of Abraham, and He was going to be a descendant of David, and He was going to build a house for God. Now what does this mean, that He was going to build a house for God. Well, it means two things. First, it means that the Messiah will build the Jewish temple as Zechariah would later confirm. Second, it means that the Messiah would build a family of believers.

Mankind was kidnapped by Satan in the Garden of Eden, and it was God’s plan to provide a way for people to come back home to God. Those who are willing to come home to God become a part of the house of God or the family of God. God told David, “the Messiah will come from your house, but the Messiah will build a house for Me.”

Jesus Christ came as the Son of David to build a house for God. At one point, when Jesus was on the earth, He was told that His mother and brothers were waiting for Him outside. When Jesus heard this He looked around and said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Those of us who hear the word of God and do it are welcomed as members of the house of Jesus Christ. We become a part of the family of God.

In Psalms, Chapter 2, David looked into the future and saw the time when the Lord Jesus will rule the earth in an earthly kingdom. He said:

Psalms 2:1-12 (NKJ)
1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us."
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion."
7 "I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'"
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

David saw the day when Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, would sit upon His earthly throne and rule for a thousand years. At that time, God the Father will declare from heaven, “I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion . . . You are My Son, today I have begotten You.”

When we look at Jerusalem today, it’s hard to imagine that someday it will be the most powerful city on the face of the earth. People from all over the world will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Zechariah says that:

Zechariah 8:23 (NKJ)
23 In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'"

Ezekiel described the vast dimensions of this future city of Jerusalem and then said, “the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

But as strange as it may seem, the Bible is clear that some of the nations that are on the earth during the kingdom will not be pleased to have Jesus as their king. Of coarse, these people are people who do not know the Lord. They do not believe in Jesus and therefore they still have a sin nature.

Obviously, the sin nature is never satisfied. Jesus Christ will establish a kingdom in which the entire population of the earth will be provided with food and shelter. The air will be clean and the water will be pure. They won’t need hospitals on every street corner because people won’t need them. The people will be healthy. So David asks the question:

Psalms 2:1-3 (NKJ)
1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves . . . against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us."

David asks, why? Why do these kings of the earth want to rebel against Jesus? But then he says:
Psalms 2:4-5 (NKJ)
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision.
5 . . . He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:

The Apostle John tells us in the Book of the Revelation that at the end of the tribulation period Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit where he will be bound for a thousand years. He will not be able to go out and deceive the nations as he does today. He will not be able to stir up the envy and greed and distrust which is so prevalent among the nations of the world today. But at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ, Satan will be loosed once again. Revelation 20, verse 7 says:

Revelation 20:7-10 (NKJ)
7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth . . . to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
9 (And) They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Those rebellious nations who are on the earth during the thousand year reign of Christ will not have the foolish courage to openly attack the Son of God, but when the devil is turned loose, he is going to be able to give these nations a false sense of confidence, and they will decide to overthrow Jesus Christ.

Well, they have no idea who they’re up against. They don’t believe in Jesus. They don’t know that He is the God of creation. So when they come up against Him, He sends down fire from heaven, and they are devoured.

Zechariah also predicted that this would happen, saying:

Zechariah 12:3 (NKJ)
3 "And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

In Psalms 2, the Father says to His Son, who is the King of Zion:

Psalms 2:8-9 (NKJ)
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'"

Then God adds a word of warning for the kings of the earth and particularly for those kings who will be on the earth during the kingdom. Verse 10 says:

Psalms 2:10-12 (NKJ)
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

This is a warning for all of the kings of the earth, but it’s also a warning for all of us as individuals. Today, God is offering salvation, eternal life, as a free gift to all who will receive it by faith. When Jesus Christ was dying upon the cross of Calvary, He said, “It is finished.” He had done all that was necessary to provide for our salvation. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Romans 5:6-8 (NKJ)
6 . . . when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 . . . scarcely for a righteous man will one die . . .
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus Christ is God, the Son, and He was willing to take upon Himself a body of flesh so that He could die and offer His blood as the payment for sin. When he arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, He took some of that blood which He shed on the cross, and He placed it on the mercyseat in the temple in heaven. Because that blood was the blood of the spotless Lamb of God, God accepted it as the payment for all sin. It fulfilled all of the righteous requirements of God.

Today, God is offering salvation to anyone and everyone. It does not matter how good you’ve been or how bad you’ve been. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in church all of your life or if you’ve lived on skid row. All that matters is whether or not you have accepted by faith God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Those who refuse to accept God’s salvation, however, will be like the unbelieving nations of the kingdom. They will face the judgment of God. The other day I was preaching in Mineral Wells, Texas, and afterward a lady came up to me and said that she appreciated the message. She said she liked the fact that I spoke with in a nonjudgmental way with compassion and love, but then she said, “Although, when I got saved, it was because I was afraid of going to hell.”

Well, I thanked her for the compliment and for the thought because we should never forget the fact that there is judgment ahead for those who refuse the salvation of God. David said:

Psalms 2:11 (NKJ)
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way . . .

If you should die without ever accepting Christ as your personal Savior, without ever believing that He died on the cross for your sins, you will have nothing to look forward to in eternity except the fires of hell. Now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation, and blessed are all those who put their trust in Jesus Christ. John said:

I John 5:11-12 (NKJ)
11 . . . this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

If you don’t know Christ today, and you have not accepted His salvation, ask you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened unto you.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure being with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

In His Image (3-12-06)

In His Image
Bible Study Time 3-12-06

Last week we saw that the Lord Jesus is like a tree planted by the river of waters. He is prosperous in all that He does, and He is fruitful. The Lord not only bears good fruit, but He bears it in abundance. He spoke the light into being, and the light was good. He created the heavens and the earth, and the sun, the moon and the stars, and they were good. He made all of the plants and all of the animals, and they were all good.

But when it came to man, the members of the Godhead took counsel together and said:

Genesis 1:26 (NKJ)
26 "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; . . .

Genesis 2:7 (NKJ)
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 1:27 (NKJ)
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

According to Colossians, Chapter 1, Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God so that it was in the image of Christ that man was made. Man was made in the image of Christ in every aspect, spiritually, physically, intellectually and emotionally.

However, when Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the image of Christ. Their bodies converted into bodies of flesh which were susceptible to death and were, in fact, doomed to die. Adam and Eve also lost the divine nature which is characterized by love and peace and joy. Instead, they were given over to a fleshly nature which is characterized by greed and selfishness.

This body of corruption with its fleshly nature was passed along from Adam to Cain and Abel, his first two sons. As we all know, when they became adults, Cain became so jealous of Abel that he killed Abel. Cain had refused to bring the sacrifice that God had told them to bring, and when God rejected Cain’s offering but accepted Abel’s offering, Cain went into a jealous rage and killed his own brother, Abel. This whole scenario demonstrates the power of the curse. Cain was full of pride and envy because he had a fleshly nature. Abel’s body was subject to death because it was a body of flesh.

When Adam and Eve were blessed with their third son, the Bible says that Adam begot a son in his own likeness, after his own image, and named him Seth. Again, we see that the children of Adam and Eve did not inherit the image of Christ. Seth was born in the image of his father, Adam.

The Apostle Paul tells us that all men since the time of Adam have been born with Adam’s corrupt image. Romans 5 says:

Romans 5:12 (NKJ)
12 Therefore, . . . through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men . . .

Paul says in Romans 8 that the fleshly mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God, nor indeed can it be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

When Adam and Eve sinned, the Lord Jesus spoke of the day when the Son of God would come into the world as the Seed of the woman to rescue man from Satan, the father of sin, and from corruption, the curse of sin. The Lord spoke to Satan and said that Satan would bruise the heel of the Seed of the woman, while the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of Satan.

Jesus Christ came in a body of flesh as the Seed of the woman. Satan bruised His heel by nailing Him to the cross. This was not a mortal wound, spiritually speaking, because Christ overcame this wound by means of His resurrection from the dead. However, Christ’s resurrection from the dead proved to be a mortal wound to the head of Satan. Since the time of Christ’s resurrection, Satan has known that all of his evil scheming and plotting will come to nothing. His attempts to overthrow the plan and purpose of God will fail. Even today, Satan’s goal is simply to take as many people as possible with him to the lake of fire.

Those of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ can rest assured that our eternal peace and our eternal fellowship with the Father have been made secure by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It is the resurrection power that sets believers free from the corruption of sin. Paul said in I Corinthians 15 that:

1 Corinthians 15:49-51,53-54 (NKJ)
49 . . . as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

Someday, Christ will appear in the glory of heaven and then, in an instant, believers will appear with Him in glory. He will transform our lowly bodies and fashion them like unto His glorious body. However, even now we are already citizens of heaven, and we have been given the power to overcome the fleshly nature. Paul said in Romans 6:

Romans 6:3-4 (NKJ)
3 . . . do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

To the Corinthians Paul said:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJ)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Unfortunately though, this is not the whole story. As believers today, we still have a big problem to deal with, and that big problem is our body of flesh. Romans 7 says that the body of flesh is the force behind the old sin nature. Paul says:

Romans 7:22-24 (NKJ)
22 . . . I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

But Paul goes on Chapter 8 to say:

Romans 8:1 (NKJ)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

The very day that Adam and Eve sinned the curse of sin fell upon the body and the spirit, but now that we have access to the Spirit of God through faith in Christ, we can have victory over the fleshly nature. The Spirit of God is stronger, He’s more powerful than the impulses of the body of flesh. Paul says that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

How do we walk according to the Spirit? We set out minds on the things of the Spirit. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he said:

Philippians 4:8-9 (KJV)
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

In Romans 12, we read that we should not be conformed to this world, but we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we might be able to prove what is the good and acceptable and prefect will of God. We need the renewing of our minds to walk according to the Spirit.

God’s ultimate goal for believers is that we might be conformed, not to the world, but to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Man lost the image of Christ in the Garden, but now through faith in Christ we have access to His image once again. Romans 8:29 says:

Romans 8:29
29 For whom (God) foreknew, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Even before Adam and Eve sinned, God had already planned for the consequences of sin, He had already planned the remedy for sin, and He knew exactly who would accept His remedy for sin. Whom He foreknew, He did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. His plan provided the way for man to be brought back to the image of Christ.

When Jesus Christ was on the earth, some of the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus with great wisdom took a coin and asked whose image was on the coin. When they replied that it was Caesar’s image, Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and render to God the things that are God’s.”

The question for believers today is, whose image is stamped upon our lives? Is it the image of Christ, or is it the image of the world? Jesus Christ offered His blood upon the cross so that He might deliver us from the condemnation into which we were born. It is His will, and He has determined it to be so, that all who believe in Christ should be conformed to the image of Christ. Colossians 3:8 says:

Colossians 3:8-10
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of (Christ) . . .

The glorious image of Christ was presented in the Old Testament Law. As the psalmist said, the Law of the Lord is perfect. But man in his sinful state can not behold the glory of that image. His fleshly mind could not comprehend it. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the Law, his face shone so brightly from being in the presence of the Lord that he had to put a veil over his face. The brightness of his face was so intense that the people could not look upon him.

II Corinthians 3 explains that Moses’ veil represents the inability of the fleshly mind to comprehend the glory of Christ as it is pictured in the Law. The glory of Christ can only be seen through the power of the Spirit of Christ. II Corinthians 3 goes on to say:

II Corinthians 3:16-18 (NKJ)
16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image . . .

If you are listening today and have not put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, then you are still living in a world of corruption. Someday your body will die, and it will never be transformed into the glorious image of Christ. Even now, as you live upon this earth, you will never be able to comprehend the glorious nature of Christ without the Spirit of Christ. But if you accept Christ and believe that He died for your sins, the Spirit of Lord will come to live within your heart. The veil will be lifted, and you will be set free from the bondage of the flesh. The Spirit of God will start the process of transforming you into the image of Christ.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

The Fruitful Branch (3-5-06)

The Fruitful Branch
Bible Study Time 3-5-06

The past couple of weeks we have been looking at Psalms, Chapter 1. First, we saw that the man who delights in the Law of the Lord and shuns the counsel of the ungodly will be prosperous in all he does. He will be able to withstand the various on slots of the devil. God will supply all that is needed for him to accomplish God’s plan and purpose.

Then we saw that this tree planted by the river of waters is an excellent picture of the nation of Israel in that the nation of Israel has been able, against all odds, to survive through the centuries. If you know a person who is looking for proof that the Bible is true, all you need to do is point them to the history of the nation of Israel. There is no logical explanation for their presence on the earth today except that God has personally intervened in a miraculous way to provide for and protect this tiny little nation.

With steadfast determination, God has kept Israel alive and well because it was part of His plan for this tree to bring forth the one that the Bible calls the BRANCH. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 11:1-4 (NKJ)
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

Jesse, of coarse, was the father of King David, and the Branch which was to come out of Jesse was the Lord Jesus. Obviously then, if the nation of Israel is an example of one who is planted by the river of waters, how much more is the Lord Jesus, Himself. Isaiah said that the Branch of Jesse will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will be guided, not by the ungodly, but by the counsel of the Holy Spirit. He will judge with equity on behalf of the meek, and He will not judge based on what He sees with His eyes or what He hears with His ears. He will judge according to the righteousness which comes from the Holy Spirit.

This Branch, who is Jesus Christ, is not only the Branch of Jesse, but He is the Branch of the Godhead who came to the earth to establish a kingdom of righteousness and peace. The Apostle Paul confirmed this for us in Colossians 2:9 saying that in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is similar to what Paul said in Chapter 1, where he said that Christ is the image of the invisible God. But in Chapter 1, Paul went on to say that Christ is also the firstborn of all creation.

Jesus Christ is eternal. He has always been and will always be. He is Jehovah God, the self existing One. He is not a created being for He always was. But Colossians 1:15, indicates that there was a time when He took upon Himself a body, so that He is the firstborn over all creation.

Now, why did He take a body? It would seem from scripture that He took a body in order to create all things. Let’s read in Colossians 1 again.

Colossians 1:15-17 (NKJ)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Is this Branch of the Godhead fruitful or not? You can judge for yourself. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. All things were created through Him and for Him. All of creation is the fruit of the labor of the Son of God.

This Branch from the tree of Israel bears fruit and prospers in all that He does. It was He who spoke and there was light. It was He who spoke and the heavens and earth appeared. He made the grass and the plants and the trees. He made the sun, the moon and the stars. He made the animals and the birds. But then God said:

Genesis 1:26-27 (NKJ)
26 . . . "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness . . .
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Man was the glorious crowning achievement of creation. God said, let us make man in our image. What image is that? It was the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read in Colossians 1, Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. Therefore, man was made in the image of Jesus Christ.

Oh how Adam and Eve must have enjoyed the fellowship with Him there in the Garden of Eden. I can just picture them walking and talking and planning the things that they would do. The temperature was just right. The humidity was just right. Everything grew and brought forth fruit.

There was one thing, however, from which the Lord wanted to protect them. He did not want to them to know anything about good and evil. He told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said, in the day that you eat of that tree, you shall surely die. God can have no fellowship with sin, and He knew that even if Adam and Eve had the knowledge of good and evil, it would hinder their fellowship.

We don’t know how long they were able to enjoy this beautiful fellowship which was pure and sweet, but as we all know, it ended when Eve was tempted by the devil and ate the forbidden fruit. Then Adam also ate. Immediately, their innocence was gone. They had the knowledge of sin for they had sinned.

In vain they tried to hide from God. When God found them, they confess their sin, and the Bible says that at that moment a death sentenced passed upon all men. Romans 5 says:

Romans 5:12,14
12 Therefore, . . . through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, . . .
14 . . . even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam . . .

Well, here in the Garden of Eden as the death sentence is to be pronounced, we see the love of God. In a very carefully worded statement, the Lord revealed the He, Himself, would be born into the world as the Seed of the woman and that, as the Seed of the woman, He would deliver a fatal blow to the head of Satan.

Some four thousand years later, the angel Gabriel appeared to a young woman named Mary, saying, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. This Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Mary could not have imaged at that time all that her son was really going to be, but she didn’t have to know. She just had to be willing to submit to the will of God. And so she did. She simply said, “Let it be unto me according to thy word.”

Jesus Christ was the firstborn of all creation. As God the Son, He took a body in order to do the work of creation. When He was born in Bethlehem, He left behind His glorious, immortal body and took upon Himself a body of flesh. He became the Seed of the woman so that He could conquer Satan.

Back in the garden, when the Lord told about the coming Savior, He did something that was very important. He took a lamb and sacrificed it, thus revealing that the shedding of blood would be required to provide a remedy for sin. Jesus Christ had to have a mortal body of flesh in order to die for sin, and as He was there on the cross of Calvary, He said, it is finished. He had done all that was necessary to provide atonement for sin.

We saw in Colossians 1:15 that Jesus Christ is the firstborn of all creation, but in Colossians 1:18 we see that He is the firstborn from the dead so that He might be preeminent in all things. When the Roman soldiers put Jesus’ body in the grave, that was not the end of the story. He not only died for our sins, but He rose again to provide everlasting life for all who believe.

He humbled Himself and took a body of flesh. He became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name with is above every name. We who believe have been given the opportunity to share in His glory. Hebrews 2:9 says:

Hebrews 2:9-10
9 Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
10 For it was fitting for Him . . . in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Jesus Christ is the Branch of God who came as the Branch of Israel. In His body of flesh, He was made perfect through suffering so that He, as the captain of our salvation, might bring many sons to glory. Again, we see that Christ bears much fruit, and He prospers in all that He does.

When Christ was raised from the dead, He became the firstfruits of those who have died. I Corinthians 15 says:

1 Corinthians 15:22-25 (NKJ)
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

In Adam all die. Our bodies of flesh have this death sentence upon them. But, in Christ, all will be made alive. Christ was the first to conquer death, and the next group to conquer death will be those who belong to Christ. Then unbelievers will be brought back to face the judgment of the Great White Throne.

The question that remains is this: When will you be raised from the dead? Will you be taken up with those who belong to Christ? Or will you be taken up with the unbelievers to face the Great White Throne judgment? If you don’t know Jesus Christ today, Christ is speaking to your heart, saying:

Revelation 3:20 (NKJ)
20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Won’t you open the door of heart to Him. If you do, Christ will claim you as His own, and you will have no cause to fear death any longer because there is coming a day when all those who belong to Christ will be raised from the dead to enjoy eternal life and the glory of heaven forevermore.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a blessing to share God’s word with you. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

The Branch (2-26-06)

The Branch
Bible Study Time 2-26-06

Last week we looked at Psalms, Chapter 1, and saw among other things that God has seen to it that the nation of Israel has stood through the centuries as a nation planted by the rivers of water. Israel has survived even through the most difficult of times and has prospered in spite of persecution and serious threats of annihilation.

The primary reason for Israel’s survival is God’s promise of the Savior who He said would come through the nation of Israel to establish a glorious earthly kingdom. In Genesis 3, we read about the Seed of the woman who will defeat Satan. In Genesis 22 we see that this Savior will be the Seed of Abraham. In 2 Samuel 7, God told David, “I will set up your seed after you, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

Therefore, it was preordained by God’s plan and purpose that this little nation of Israel would survive through the centuries to allow for the Savior who would become the King. The devil has often tried to destroy this nation, but try as he may, he will never succeed. The nation of Israel will survive as a tree planted by the waters.

It is interesting that Zechariah called this promised Seed of Abraham and David the Branch. He said:

Zechariah 6:12
12 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the LORD;

Zechariah said that the coming Savior would branch out of His place. This prophesy was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. He is called the Branch for two reasons. He is the Branch from heaven, and He is the promised Branch of Israel. He was and is fully God and fully man. Jesus said:

John 6:51 (NKJ)
51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

But then Zechariah said that the Branch would not only come out of His place but that the Branch would also build the temple. The prophets of the Old Testament did not see a long period of time between the first and second coming of Christ. Daniel knew that the Messiah would be killed, and He also knew that the Son of Man would return with the clouds of heaven to set up the kingdom. But Daniel did not see 2000 years between the two events.

We live in a mystery age which the prophets did not foresee. Therefore, Zechariah, like Daniel, went straight from Christ’s birth to the kingdom in which Christ will rebuild the temple. Then Zechariah said:

Zechariah 6:13 (NKJ)
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."

The Messiah will not only serve as the King, but He will serve as the High Priest. This is certainly something that the nation of Israel has yet to experience, and this is probably something that very few people in the Old Testament picked up on. However, it was revealed at least to King David. In Psalms, Chapter 2, verse 6, David prophesies that the Lord will speak out of heaven, saying, “I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.” Then in Psalms, Chapter 110, verse 4, he speaks of the Messiah and says:

Psalms 110:4 (NKJ)
4 The LORD has sworn and will not relent, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

The Law of Moses required the High Priest to come not only from the tribe of Levi, but he had to be a direct descendant of Aaron as well. At the same time, God had promised David that the Messiah would come from his lineage as a member of the tribe of Judah. The writer of the book of Hebrews pointed out that a New Covenant would be required for the Messiah to the King and the High Priest at the same time.

Of coarse, Jesus said that He had come to shed the blood of the New Covenant, and therefore, after His death, the stage was set for the kingdom. Jesus Christ is that Branch of Israel who came out of heaven to rebuild the temple and establish the kingdom. When Jesus was on the earth, He told his disciples:

John 15:5-6
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire to be burned.

Jesus Christ was the promised Branch of Israel, and here He plainly states that any branch of Israel which grows outside of Himself will wither and die and will ultimately be cast into the fire.

John the Baptist had a similar message for Israel. Matthew, Chapter 3, says that:

Matthew 3:7-10,12
7 . . . when (John) saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
10 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
12 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

John’s message was a message of repentance and reformation as a means of preparing for the coming kingdom. He knew about the day of wrath which would certainly come before the kingdom. Jesus, on the other hand, taught faith in the Son of Man as the means of preparing for the kingdom. He said:

John 3:36 (NKJ)
36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

God had protected the nation of Israel as a tree planted by the water all through the years, but both John and the Lord Jesus taught that unfaithful Israel is headed for a judgment of fire. Many of the Jews were not true believers. When the kingdom comes, it will not be the 12 sons of Jacob who sit upon twelve thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. These positions will belong to the believing apostles.

All through the years there were many Jews who lived by the Jewish laws as much as they could, and they were probably looked up to and well respected in the Jewish community, but they will not inherit the kingdom because only those Jews who are found in Jesus Christ, the Branch of Israel, will escape the fires of judgment.

The Apostle Paul addressed the unbelief of the nation of Israel in the book of Romans, saying in Chapter 9, verse 6:

Romans 9:6-8
6 . . . they are not all Israel who are of Israel,
7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called."
8 Those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

Romans 9:22-24
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 . . . that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Paul says that not all Jews are saved, and God has put up with the unbelieving Jews through the centuries so that He can reveal His glory to those who do believe, of the Jews and also of the Gentiles.

Then in Romans 11, Paul says:

Romans 11:1-4 (NKJ)
1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
3 "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?
4 But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

The Paul concludes in verse 5:

Romans 11:5 (NKJ)
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Paul says, there has never been a time when all the Jews were saved, but there has always been a small remnant of faithful Jews. He says that it is this small remnant of Jews who will see the salvation of the Lord. Romans 11:7 says:

Romans 11:7 (NKJ)
7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Paul rejoiced, not in Israel’s unbelief, but in the fact that Israel’s unbelief had opened to door of salvation to the Gentiles. Paul could see that all things were working together for good for those who are called according to God’s purpose. In Romans 11, Paul speaks to the Gentiles, saying that if the root of the Jewish tree is holy, then so are the branches. And if some of the Jewish branches were broken off, and you as Gentiles were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the Jewish tree, do not boast against the branches. Remember, you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Here again we see the Jewish tree which God planted by the river 2000 years before Christ at the time of Abraham’s calling. Paul says that this tree has required a lot of pruning through the years because many of the branches were dead, but the primary purpose of this tree was to bring forth the true vine, the true Branch, who is Jesus Christ.

Paul says that by God grace, God has allowed even believing Gentiles to be grafted into this Jewish tree so that they can be partakers in the promises which were made to Abraham. Now, does Paul go from here to say that the Gentiles are actually going to take over the whole tree, so that the Jewish tree will become a Gentile tree? No, just the opposite. Paul says that this tree will survive like a tree planted by the water for someday:

Romans 11:26 (NKJ)
26 . . . all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

Some theologians today say that believers of our present age are the nation of Israel in a spiritual sense. They say that the Jews have been cast off forever because of their unbelief and that we have received their promised kingdom. Let us heed the words of Paul who asked, “Has God cast away His people? Certainly not!” Someday the Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

Well, are Gentiles today still being grafted into the tree of Israel? No. Those of us who are believers today live in an age in which God has cut off the tree of Israel. He has not cast off the tree of Israel, but He has cut off the tree of Israel. All that remains is the stump which is not dead. It’s just in a dormant stage, waiting for the day when Jesus Christ will bring new growth to the nation of Israel.

Today God is not growing a tree, He’s building a house, a house which He calls the Church, the Body of Christ. Ephesians 2:19 says:

Ephesians 2:19 (NKJ)
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Gentiles today are no longer grafted into the tree of Israel. Gentiles today are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Ephesians 2:20-22 (NKJ)
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

We have seen that someday Jesus Christ will revive that stump of the tree of Israel, and He will rebuild the temple when He establishes the kingdom. But in our present age, we who are members of Christ’s Body are the holy temple of the Lord. We are the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.

If you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior, He is knocking on the door of your heart today. Won’t you open your heart to Him by believing that Christ died for your sins. If you trust Him, He will build a beautiful temple for His Spirit in your heart, and your heart will become the dwelling place of God.

I see our time is gone. Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Like a Tree by the River (2-19-06)

Like a Tree By the River
Bible Study Time 2-19-06

In Psalms, Chapter 1, David said:

Psalms 1:1-6 (NKJ)
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

These verses encourage us with the realization that if we serve the Lord faithfully, we will be able to stand tall and straight and be strengthened by the power of the Lord in any given circumstance. If we delight in the word of God and meditate in it day and night, we will be like a tree planted by the water, a tree that is fruitful and whose leaf never withers.

Jeremiah confirmed this very thought, saying:

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJ)
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Again, we see a tree by the river symbolizing those who are able to continue on in all circumstances and situations. This passage, however, does go a step further than Psalms, Chapter 1, in that it does specifically addresses the times of drought which are bound to come. Jeremiah said that the tree which is planted by the river spreads its roots by the river and has no reason for anxiety even in the year of drought.

The Holy Spirit did not write theses verses to encourage us in any kind of Poly Anna theology, that people who trust in the Lord never have any problems. No, people who trust the Lord have problems too. The tree by the river has to go through the year of drought just like every other tree, but the point is this, the tree by the river is able to endure the time of drought. It’s able to continue on. And when all is said and done, people will look around and say, that tree made it through. That tree made it through, and its leaves stayed green the whole time. Those who trust in the Lord have no reason to become anxious when difficulties come our way.

If we take a look at David and Jeremiah, we see two men who really knew how to trust the Lord even in very difficult times. We can only imagine the pain and anguish that David went through when he received the news that one of his sons had murdered one of his other sons.

Absalom had nurtured a heart of hatred and bitterness toward his half brother, Amnon, for two years because Amnon had attacked and violated his whole sister Tamar. One day Absalom got the chance he had been waiting for. He set up the perfect scene for Amnon’s murder. After killing Amnon, Absalom had to flee for his life. He lived for three years with his maternal grandfather who was the king of Geshur. The Bible says that King David mourned for his son every single day.

After three years, David allowed Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but Absalom seemed determined to be a thorn in his father’s side. As time went on Absalom gained more and more favor with the people of Israel, and Absalom began to plant seeds of rebellion in the minds of the people. Finally, Absalom mounted a rebellion which forced David and his faithful followers from the palace and out into the wilderness.

During this time, the Lord worked on David’s behalf and confounded the counsel that was given to Absalom. The forces of Absalom were defeated and Absalom, himself, was killed. When David heard that Absalom was dead, his heart was broken. He went up into a separate chamber, saying over and over again:

2 Samuel 18:33 (NKJ)
33 . . . "O my son Absalom-- my son, my son Absalom-- if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!"

In spite of all these trials and tribulations, David was like a tree planted by the river. God sustained him through it all.

Jeremiah was one who had more than his fair share of difficulties. He lived in Jerusalem during a time when Jerusalem was under siege by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army. The Jewish leaders tried to encourage the citizens of Jerusalem, saying, do not be afraid. We are the chosen people of God, and God will deliver us from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

However, God had other plans for Jerusalem. He sent Jeremiah to tell the people that Nebuchadnezzar was the servant of God. That God had seen the many sins of Jerusalem and had sent Nebuchadnezzar to punish Jerusalem. Therefore, he said that they should surrender and save themselves and their children from the pain and misery that would surely come upon them if they continued to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar.

Needless to say, the Jewish leaders hated Jeremiah. They put him in a dungeon where he stayed for a long time. The Bible indicates that Jeremiah very nearly died in that dungeon, but the Lord sustained him. The King brought Jeremiah out of that dungeon and asked him if he had any word from the Lord. Jeremiah said, yes, you will be turned over to the king of Babylon. The king then gave orders that Jeremiah could live in the courtyard of the guards and that he was to be given bread every day as long as there was any bread in the city. Jeremiah was like a tree planted by the river. His roots had spread out along the river, and he was able to endure even through the times of drought.

Later, some of the leaders of Jews overheard Jeremiah telling people that the city was going to be taken by the Babylonians and that anyone who stayed in the city would die by the sword or famine or plague. Once again they arrested Jeremiah and this time they put him in an empty cistern. They lowered him down into the muck and mud of the cistern and left him there to die.

When the king heard what had happened, he ordered his servants to bring Jeremiah up out of that cistern. God had a job for Jeremiah to do, and there was nothing the devil could do to destroy Jeremiah or prevent the work which God had given him to do. He was like a tree planted by the waters.

Certainly, the entire nation of Israel can be seen as a tree planted by the river. When God called Abraham, Abraham responded in faith, and God promised him that some day his descendants would become a great nation and that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

Since the time of that promise, the devil has tried again and again to destroy the nation of Israel, but they have been like a tree planted by the river. In the days of Joseph, there was such a severe famine in the land of Canaan that all of the descendants of Abraham would have perished, but God had already made provisions for them by sending Joseph down into Egypt to build storehouses of food. Joseph had his brothers move to Egypt where he saw to it that they and their children had plenty to eat.

Some 400 years later, God sent Moses to bring the nation of Israel up out of Egypt. He decided not to send them through the land of the Philistines because He knew that their faith was too weak to sustain them on the battlefield. So God took the Jews up to the Red Sea where He was determined to show His mighty power not only to the Jews but also to the Egyptians who were pursuing the Jews from behind, hoping to bring them back to Egypt.

When the Jews got to the Red Sea, they looked up and saw the Egyptians not far behind. They were desperately frightened. They did not yet know that they were like a tree planted by the river which has no reason to be anxious even in the year of drought. Moses said, do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance of the Lord.

Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the waters parted. The nation of Israel walked across the bottom of the sea on dry land with the Egyptians following behind. When the last of the Jews crossed to the other side, Moses raised his hand over the sea again, and the waters came crashing down on the Egyptians. Not one Egyptian survived.

The devil has tried many times through the years to destroy the nation of Israel, but they have stood as a tree planted by the river. Their leaf has not withered, and they have prospered in all that they have done.

The other day Les Feldick said, if anyone every asked you why you believe the Bible, you can answer them with two words, the Jew. They stand as living proof that the Bible is the word of God. There is no explanation for their survival over the past 4000 years except that God has sustained them like a tree planted by the river.

As we look at the scriptures, we see that one of the reasons God protected Israel all through the years was for the sake of Abraham’s Seed, who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel, as a tree planted by the river bore fruit in its season.

One of the reasons God will continue to protect the nation of Israel is that some day all Israel will be saved, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through the nation of Israel as Jesus Christ rules the earth in righteousness and peace.

The book of Hebrews calls the Lord Jesus the Captain of our salvation. He stands as the leader of those who have been planted by the river. The Lord Jesus never sought after the things of this world, yet He prospered in all that He did. He is the only person who has ever been commended by the Father. On two different occasions the Father spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

The Lord Jesus came to offer His life as a sacrifice for sin. Even so, like a tree by the river, His leaf does not withers. He said:

John 10:17-18 (NKJ)
17 " . . . My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

Philippians 2:8-10
8 . . . (The Lord Jesus) humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 (Even so) God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

The Lord Jesus is the captain of our salvation, and all those who follow his example and walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful; all those who delight in the law of the LORD, they shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in due season, having leaves that never wither, and they shall prosper in all that they do.

David’s body returned to the dust of the ground. Jeremiah’s prophecies came to an end. Only a few of the apostles escaped a martyr’s death. But like the work of the Lord Jesus, their work will live on forever. They are still today fruitful trees, so to speak, as millions of people read and study the things that they said and did.

1 Peter 1:24-25 (NKJ)
24 . . . "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever." . . .

Are you listening this morning with the feeling that your life has no meaning or purpose. Come to Jesus. He has work for you to do. He does not promise that your task will be easy, but He promises that He will sustain you in your work, and you will be like a tree planted by the river.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure being with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Ephesians 6 Part 3 (2-12-06)

Ephesians 6 Part 3
Bible Study Time 2-12-06

We have seen in the book of Ephesians that all believers are to be involved in ministry. Each member of the Body of Christ has a job to do, and if any one of us fails to do his job, the whole Body suffers. We saw that God has given evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

But when it comes to ministry there is nothing more important to God than motivation. God is ultimately concerned not only with what we do but with why we do it. This is the true test of any ministry.

The Apostle Paul revealed the motivation of his heart when he wrote to the Corinthians, saying:

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NKJ)
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NKJ)
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is the motivation behind any true ministry within the Body of Christ. The love of Christ compels us to serve Christ and share the gift of life with those who are lost and dying. Paul followed up on this thought in Philippians, Chapter 2, saying:

Philippians 2:3-8 (NKJ)
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

What a great example we see in Christ of the purest of all motivations. His only thought was to be obedient to the Father. In the last few verses of the book of Ephesians, we see the purity of Paul’s motives as he admonishes the Ephesian believers to pray. He says:

Ephesians 6:18
18 pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

Praying for the saints is part of our personal spiritual armor so it protects us and benefits the saints as well. Paul must have been so pleased to reveal this particular piece of armor because he had such a genuine heart of love and concern for all of the saints.

Our ministry within the Body of Christ is not about numbers; it’s about people. Many people had come to know the Lord since Paul and Barnabas started out on that first missionary journey nearly twenty years earlier, and Paul had a particular burden in his heart for all of these people. Paul showed his deep concern by praying for them. He told the Roman believers:

Romans 1:9 (NKJ)
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

He told the Colossian believers:
Colossians 1:9 (NKJ)
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

He told the believers in Ephesus:
Ephesians 1:15-17 (NKJ)
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

We could go on an on, but the point is clear. Paul understood that His ministry was about people. It was about touching the hearts and lives of everyday people. He had talked to a lady named Lydia in Philippi and led her to the Lord down by the riverside. He had talked with a jailer in Philippi and led him to the Lord while the man was on guard duty.

Paul loved these people, and he showed that love by praying for them. He knew the power of prayer. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:9-11 (NKJ)
9 " . . . what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 "Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The Lord Jesus said, ask and ye shall receive, but Paul prayed knowing that God was able and willing to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

So Paul was a real prayer warrior, and when he prayed, he emphasized the spiritual needs of the people. In Ephesians 3, Paul prayed this prayer:

Ephesians 3:14-19 (NKJ)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul didn’t pray much about physical needs, and he certainly did not pray that these people would not be an embarrassment to him, but he was genuinely concerned about their relationship with the Lord. He prayed for the Philippians, saying:

Philippians 1:9-11 (NKJ)
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Because Paul knew the power of prayer, he prayed without ceasing, and he encouraged all believers to pray for one another without ceasing. But here in Ephesians 6, Paul goes on to say, when you pray, please remember to pray for me as well:

Ephesians 6:19-20 (NKJ)
19 . . . that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Even though Paul was behind locked doors, he was looking for any open door of opportunity to share the gospel. God singled out the Apostle Paul to be the man who would deliver to mankind the truth of the Church which is the Body of Christ, that anybody anywhere can be saved by simply believing that Jesus Christ died for their sins. By putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, they are automatically added to the heavenly Church which is the Body of Christ, and they are immediately given eternal life.

In the Old Testament, God never specifically revealed that people could be saved by faith. He never revealed specifically that faith in God is the means by which a man can lay hold of eternal life or that without such faith man is destined for eternal death in the lake of fire.

The gospel was, therefore, a mystery in the Old Testament. King David was a man after God’s own heart, and he loved the Law of the Lord. He meditated in the Law day and night, and the more he mediated in the Law the more precious it was to him. He said:

Psalms 19:7 (NKJ)
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

But, David knew that he could never gain eternal life by the Law. It was too perfect for anybody to keep. David said in Psalm 14:

Psalms 14:2-3 (NKJ)
2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

David knew that his only hope was in the mercy of the Lord. Psalm 51 says:

Psalms 51:1-4 (NKJ)
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight-- that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.

David asked God to blot out his transgressions so that God would be blameless when He judges. Now everybody knows that justice demands punishment for sin. How was God going to blot out David’s transgressions and still be blameless in His judgment?

This was a mystery in the Old Testament. It was the mystery of the gospel. It was not until after the resurrection of Christ that God revealed the truth of this mystery, and He chose the Apostle Paul to reveal it.

In Romans 3, Paul said, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but we can be justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God is the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus, and He is still just and blameless in doing so because the shed blood of Christ is a propitiation for sin. His blood satisfies all of God’s righteous requirements.

King David knew about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and he knew that God would blot out his transgressions and give him eternal life. He said, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Faith in God has always been the active ingredient of salvation, but it was a mystery in the Old Testament.

Paul revealed this mystery of the gospel during the Acts period as he went preaching the New Covenant Kingdom to the Jew first and also to the Greek. He said, “As it is written, the just shall live by faith.” During the Acts period, many of the aspects of the Jewish Law were still being practiced because the rituals and ceremonies of the Law are appropriate in the context of the kingdom.

However, when Israel rejected Christ and the kingdom at the end of the Acts period, God called Paul to reveal the greatest mystery of all, that mystery concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ. This Church to which believers belong today has no connection to the kingdom which was promised to Israel, and therefore, the rituals of the Law have passed away, and the fruit of the Spirit has come to stay.

Paul knew that the mystery of the gospel and the mystery concerning the Church, the Body of Christ, were both great and precious truths. When witnessing to the lost, he would share the mystery of the gospel, that whosoever believeth in Christ should not perish but have everlasting life.

After people got saved, he would pray without ceasing that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened so that they would know the hope of their calling in Christ who was raised from the dead to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body.

The truth concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ was given to Paul as a special stewardship, and Paul took this stewardship very seriously. Paul knew that someday he would face the Lord to give an accounting of his stewardship. Paul wanted the people to pray for him so that he would be found faithful in his stewardship.

Paul said to the Philippians, I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Paul’s plan was to seize every opportunity to witness to the lost and pray for the spiritual maturity of those who did accepted Christ. But then he did not forget what is probably the most important thing for any true minister of Christ. He continued on in his ardent quest to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, so that he might be made conformable unto His death (Philippians 3:10). Paul said, I realize that I have not already attained a perfect knowledge of Christ, but I am pressing on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

I see our time is gone this morning. Thank you for listening, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Ephesians 6 Part 2 (2-5-06)

Ephesians 6 Part 2
Bible Study Time 2-5-06

Last week we looked at the first nine verses of Ephesians 6 and found that God expects all of us to submit to those in authority. Children are to submit to parents. Employees are to respect their employers and work with a willing heart. But at the same time, parents are to raise their children in an atmosphere that is nurturing and instructive, while employers are to respect their employees and make decisions which reflect a genuine compassion for their employees.

To do this takes a great deal of personal, inner strength because it’s instinctive within the old sin nature to rebellion against God and those He has put in authority over us. However, Paul continues in verse 10 with a word of encouragement for us, saying:

Ephesians 6:10 (NKJ)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

We do not have the strength within ourselves to resist the devil, but we can be victorious if we learn to be strong in the Lord by using the defensive armor which God has provided for us. Paul says in verse 11:

Ephesians 6:11-18 (NKJ)
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

I remember when I was in the Army Reserve, we would practice wearing the gas mask and the protective suits which were made to protect soldiers from a biological or chemical attack. The suits were heavy, and they were hot, but there was a consolation in knowing that they might just save our lives someday.

Well, the same in true in spiritual warfare. It may be inconvenient at times to study the word of God in order to be grounded in the truth and become the instruments of God’s righteousness, but Paul says that this armor is for our protection. When Satan brings the battle to us, we will be victorious if we are able to skillfully use the armor of God.

Notice that we need the whole armor of God, not just part of it. We can not take the helmet of salvation and leave behind the shield of faith or the sword of the Spirit and expect to be victorious. Our righteousness is the righteousness of faith, and our faith comes by hearing the word of God. The individual pieces of armor are interconnected, and therefore, we need to put on the whole armor of God.

Notice also that we are to put on the armor which is of God. The armor of this world will not provide the protection we need. A college degree, a good job, a big bank account, these things are of no value when it comes to spiritual warfare. When David went out to fight Goliath, he refused the weapons which were provided for him by King Saul.

David knew what he needed. He needed the strength of the Lord to defeat Goliath. With 5 smooth stones and a sling shot, he was able to kill the mighty Goliath. By the same token, we would be wise to put on the whole armor of God and realize that the defenses provided by this world will not protect us from the devil.

The devil is real, and he is our greatest enemy. We are born with an evil sin nature which works against us, but the devil knows how to manipulate the destructive instincts of the sin nature. Satan knows human nature because he is a keen observer, and he has been around for a long time.

Satan is a formidable foe not only because he knows how to manipulate our sin nature but because he deals out misery and death without a second thought. He has no compassion. He has no mercy. The whole concept of mercy is foreign to him. The Lord Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and said:

John 8:44 (NKJ)
44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

When the devil tempted Eve in the garden, his goal was to kill her. He wanted Adam and Eve dead, and we should never forget that this is his goal for all people. He was a murderer from the beginning.

When we look around us, we can see just how much power God has given to the devil. When we turn on the evening news, how much killing and murder do we see? There is scarcely a spot on the earth where one can go to escape the satanic scourge of killing and murder. The devil has been given a great deal of power in the world today, and he is working harder than ever because he knows his time is short.

Some say that it is our job to make the world better and better until the Lord returns. I’m thankful that is not the case because, if it were, we would not be doing a very good job. In reality, we can take comfort in the fact that God has not called us to make the world better and better. Today, God simply tells us to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace and go out into a world that is lost and dying to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

There are a lot of good things we can do in this world, and we should, but we need to have a zeal for God which is according to knowledge. The Bible teaches that the devil will be given more and more authority to bring misery and destruction upon mankind through the forces of nature and through the evil desires of man. In I Timothy 4, Paul says:

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJ)
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

Then in II Timothy 3, he says:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJ)
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

When we look around us, we see many of these things already prevalent in our society. Do not be discouraged. All is well. God is working all things after the counsel of His own will. All of these things must happen to set the stage for the tribulation period and the rule of the antichrist. After the Church of our present age is taken up into heaven, God will give the devil more power than he has ever had before. He will bring tribulation and suffering upon mankind such as the world has never known before.

Will the devil have any mercy when he sees the suffering of mankind? Will the devil have any compassion for man when man is plagued by disease, natural disasters and pestilence? Not at all. Remember, the devil is a murderer to the core and has been from the beginning. His primary goal is to kill and destroy.

Some people refuse to submit to Jesus Christ thinking, hoping within themselves, that maybe hell won’t be that bad. Thinking that surely the devil is not all that bad. Make no mistake about it, the devil has the ability to transform himself into an angel of light, but his primary goal has never changed and that is to kill and destroy. Eve was certainly fooled by his subtlety. The devil said, eat this fruit and you can be like God. I’m just concerned about what’s best for you.

The truth is that the devil wanted to see Adam and Eve both dead, and that’s exactly what he wants for you and me. The only thing that is holding the devil back from destroying all of mankind is the power of God.

The only mercy that human beings will ever find is that which comes from God. God created us. God loves us, and God is holding back the devil from destroying us right now.

Some may say, if God loves us so much why doesn’t he send us some rain. Well, you can rest assured that the devil wants to do worse things than send a few months of drought. The devil would love to completely destroy us, but God won’t let him. In fact, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

During times of drought and all of the other natural disasters, we see the real fury of the devil. We get a glimpse into his real character, and we know from scripture that his real character will be revealed more and more as the time of the tribulation period draws near.

Therefore, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the forces of Satan, against the principalities, and powers and rulers of the darkness. Peter said that the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and Paul warns us to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. God is our only source of protection.

In the book of Job, when the devil sought to destroy Job, God set specific limits on the evil that the devil could do. At first, God would not allow Satan to afflict Job’s body, but later God allowed even that. Job had to trust that God knew what was best for him.

The Apostle Paul suffered from a thorn in the flesh, and Paul knew that this thorn had come from a messenger of Satan. Paul prayed three times for God to remove the thorn, knowing that Satan can do nothing without the permission of God. What did God say? My grace is sufficient for you, Paul. God had very specific reasons for allowing that thorn, and Paul too had to learn to trust the Lord.

We see the evil in our world today, and we know that this evil comes from the devil. We know that God could stop all of the evil that we see around us. But God says, no, not yet. Trust me, and you will see that my plan is good and that I know what is best for you.

How do we as believers continue to find the strength to believe that God really is still in charge? We put on the whole armor of God. We put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and we protect our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

I find it interesting that as the Apostle Paul speaks of our spiritual warfare here in Ephesians 6, he never says a word about casting out demons. Many people get excited about casting out demons, and I guess it might seem logical to some that if we are wrestling with demons there might be times when we should cast them out. But as you may recall, the Lord warned the disciples that casting out a demon may not be a cure all for those who are afflicted. He said that when a demon is cast out, that demon may not find another place to go, so he may return to the same poor soul with seven other demons who are more wicked than he.

Jesus said that the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and then immediately he said that the devil does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources for he is a liar and the father of it.

The devil is a murderer, and his greatest weapon is the lie. He can kill with the lie. Yes, what we need more than anything in our battle against the devil is the truth. Jesus emphatically stated that the truth will set you free. Here in Ephesians 6, rather than teaching us how to cast out demons, Paul tells us first of all to put on the belt of truth.

Actually, all of the different pieces of armor mentioned in Ephesians 6 relate directly or indirectly to the truth of God’s word. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God which leads us to the helmet of salvation. The shield of faith comes by hearing the word of God, and we prepare our feet with the gospel of peace, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.

The devil hates the truth of God’s word. When the word of God is taught, the devil is stripped of his power. Therefore, the devil has always tried to destroy the word of God. He told Eve that God didn’t mean what He said. He told Judas that Jesus was not the Son of God, and it was the devil who put it into Judas’ heart to betray the Lord Jesus.

Today, the devil is still working to undermine the word of God. Jesus said in the parable of the sower that when the word of truth falls on the hard ground, it is the devil who comes and snatches it away. The devil works tirelessly to keep people from studying and knowing the truth of God’s word because when we are grounded in the truth, we are no longer receptive to his lies.

If you are listening this morning, and you have not made a decision to follow the truth of Jesus Christ, then you have chosen to follow the lie of the devil. Do not be deceived. The devil does not care about you. He does not love you. He wants to destroy you. God is the One who loves you, and He is calling you today. Won’t you respond to him right now? If you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, you will be saved. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then, if you put on the whole armor of God, God will give you the victory over the temptations of the devil.

Thank you for listening this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/