Luke 22:54

Luke 22:54

Luke 22:54 “Then took they him, and led him, and brought him unto the high priest’s house.  And Peter followed afar off.”

“And Peter followed afar off.”

Following afar off//Backsliding

If we will look honestly at this portion of scripture and consider it well, we can see ourselves in it, we must look at it honestly, though.  In truth, this verse is a picture which resembles too well what we see in the typical Christian in our day.  It is a shame, and well it should be, but we must examine ourselves honestly and admit it.  We are talking about saved folks here; those of  us who do belong to Jesus.  What we see of ourselves upon examination should shock us into realization of how utterly and absolutely worthless we truly are without Him.

Peter is no different than the rest of us in his following afar off, and we need to keep this in mind.  This is a picture of one who is back- slidden: Still following, but at a distance so as not to be perceived by lookers on that we are following.

It is good to have an understanding about just what back sliding is.  In Hosea 4:16 we read “For Israel slideth back as a back-sliding heifer:” According to Matthew Henry this term is misunderstood in our day. There are many men in many pulpits who preach backsliding in many a different way. Matthew Henry, though, is one of the only reasonable commentators on this term.  He taught that it pictured a young heifer which was under the yoke.  When a young ox was being broken to the yoke it was placed in the yoke with an older, stronger, more experienced ox.  The yoke was adjusted in such a way that most of the burden was placed upon the stronger and more experienced beast.  The picture of this back-sliding heifer is of one who is under the yoke and trying to hold back while being dragged by the other, hooves sliding.  She is under the yoke.  Only when under the yoke can one back slide; and backsliding is a choice, a conscious and deliberate choice, as is well pictured in this.

When we personally fail our Saviour we are backsliding.  Our times of voluntary, deliberate resistance are just that, voluntary and deliberate.  Back sliding is nothing short of rebellion against God’s will.

Jesus has already promised us that He won’t overload us.  “For my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

Look at Peter’s situation.  He was just with the Lord in the garden when they took Him prisoner.  He has just shown all about him that he would gladly lay down his life for the Lord.  He drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus.  He was ready to fight and die for Jesus. This is that same Peter who walked on water, that same Peter!  He who would have died a short while ago was now backslidden and he was trying to conceal just who he was.  With this in mind we should note that, if Peter was capable of backsliding, any one of us is just as capable of  doing it.  No child of God is immune to this condition.

Look at Abraham.  He took Hagar to bring children into the world because he was tempted by his own lack of faith in the promise of seed.  He took matters into his own hands and his descendants have been paying the price ever since.

Moses was tempted by his own pride and lack of faith and he smote the rock the second time.  Because he feared what the people might think of him, he sinned and back slid.  He did not get to go in with Israel  into the promised land because of  this.

David, because of his own lust took the wife of another man to himself and suffered greatly because of it.

Balaam sought reward instead of honest service to God.

And here we are studying Peter, denying Christ 3 times.

And you and I are just as guilty sometimes.  We are just as likely to back slide as they were.  And it is usually about the time that we are ready to snap our spiritual suspenders over some victory or success that we are most likely to fall into this rut.

1Cor.  10:12 “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

How does this happen?  Backsliding is nothing less than sin and sin is a result of falling to temptation.  Though it is a conscious and deliberate it is a yielding of ourselves to temptation.  That temptation may be of ourselves, or the devil,  or another person, yet it is there and we fall  to it.

And the result is  misery.

Proverbs 13:15  “Good  understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.”

In verse 62 Peter went out and wept bitterly.  We should learn from his example that, even though we feel that it is hard sometimes to obey, repentance is much more painful and we are left scarred by failure to obey.  Obedience is easier to live with in the end.  We may tell ourselves that we are too weak to do the right thing.  We may say that the temptation is too great, but it is  always easier on us if we will just do right.

We also find that there seems to be no lasting joy, peace, relief or pleasure in sin, that it is only for a short season, and how short the season.

I believe that we see in this passage, one fine bible example of the truth in Psalm 1 and the first couple of verses.  “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of  the scornful,” Peter, had he not walked in the wrong counsel, would have prepared himself and stayed faithful, he was warned by Jesus that he would deny Him.  In our text, however, we see him walking according to the counsel of another, was it all his own heart, was it of temptation of the devil, or a little of both that Peter did what he did?  Either way,  he followed it,  and it cost him.

(Hear the audio message…)

Genesis Lesson 3

Genesis

Lesson 3

Day Two

Intro: Brief review of previous studies

In looking at day two, let’s look at some things about the number two in scripture.

The number two is the number of division or separation. It affirms that there is a difference. Exodus 8:23 reads “I will put a division between my people and they people.”

We see that the light was divided from the darkness, (the night from the day); the waters from the waters, (the saved from the lost). The first Adam and the Last Adam.

Jesus sent the seventy out by two’s, two is the number of witness (Luke 10:1; (1Timothy 5:19).

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.”

The physical miracle that took place here is enormous. God formed the sky and separated the waters above from the waters beneath. The water vapor which continually remains above us in our atmosphere is estimated to be 54 trillion 460 billion tons. Water is 773 times the weight of air, imagine the power it took to lift it.

The amount of rain and snow that falls every year is the equivalent of 186,000 cubic miles. The supply of water above the earth is constantly maintained by evaporation, by the power of the sun.

Thus far in our study we have looked at the original creation, & the gap theory. Next we looked at the condition of the world in Genesis 1:2 and how it corresponds with the condition of the soul of a lost man. It was empty, confused, and in darkness. Being all of these makes it a fitting picture of a lost soul. Then we looked at the fact that God’s Spirit moved upon the face of the waters and God did not make a full end. Next we looked at Genesis 1:3 “And God said, let there be light, and there was light.” And we looked at how this pictured the work of the Holy Spirit in enlightening a lost soul to it’s lost condition. Day one is also a picture of Christ being born into the world. Into a world which had again become dark, confused and empty; Light came by way of a little virgin girl in the town of Bethlehem. We looked at the fact that John bore witness of that Light in John 1; and we noted how the Holy Spirit shines the light of the gospel in the heart of a darkened soul.

In the first day we see pictured:

1. The incarnation of Christ

2. The first work of the Holy Spirit in a lost soul

3. The condition of the lost soul revealed

We looked at how some people accept the truth and come to repentance, and some will deny the truth and fight against the convicting power of the Holy Ghost. We also looked at why many refuse to accept the truth;

1. pride

2. shame

Isaiah 58:3 says “We hid, as it were, our faces from him.”

We also noted that the light and the darkness can not get together. They are separate, they do not mix.

Day Two

The first thing God dealt with was the darkness in day one. The next thing that God dealt with is here in Day Two. Here God deals with disorder. We see a dead planet, overflowed with water. There is nothing in sight but water. As yet there is no atmosphere either.

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.”

Let’s look first at the fact that this is the second day. The number two, as we study, we will see is very significant here. A serious bible student should always consider any numbers, colors, seasons, names, etc. in the text of great importance. All things in scripture are of the utmost importance for us in seeking to know God better.

In the sacrifices there are two birds, one slain and the other set free; two goats, one slain, the other set free. There are two masters which are the two covenants, old and new. The woman and her seed – Satan and his seed. There is clean and unclean, righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness, law and grace, Christ and anti-Christ, physical and spiritual; and many more illustrations of the fact that two is the number of division.

The number two is also the number of witness, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses ever word may be established.”

Our Lord sent His disciples out by two’s. Also in illustration of this are Caleb and Joshua spying out the promised land.

Moses and Aaron,

Elijah and Elisha,

Paul and Barnabas,

Peter and John,

Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration,

The two angels at Christ’s resurrection,

Two men at His ascension,

Two angels were sent to get Lot out of Sodom,

And the word of God itself with the two witnesses, the Old and New Testaments.

Much more could be observed but for the sake of being short we will stop there.

Now looking at day two and the physical act which was in itself infinitely miraculous. God formed the sky by separating the waters which were above from the waters which were beneath. The physical miracle which took place on this day is passed over unnoticed. In considering the statistics that we already mentioned think of the sheer power that it took to do this. On day two there was no sun yet, just the Power of Almighty God. Step back and look at what a miracle working God, a powerful God, we serve. Imagine the power of God if you can.

In the second day’s work, the making of the firmament, we have pictured before us the cross on which our Lord was crucified. We have already noted that day one was a picture of the incarnation of Christ. The first step in God’s plan to redeem fallen man was the incarnation of Christ or His birth here on earth. I have said many times that Jesus Christ was the Love of God personified. The Son given in John 3:16.

The firmament is a picture of Calvary or of Christ’s death. It is in looking back to Calvary that we see man at his worst and God at His best. We see…

1. The cost of sin

2. The price of redemption

3. The law executed

4. Judgment administered

5. And the Justice of a Holy God satisfied

AT CALVARY

Notice three things on this second day

1. Division – Jesus was suspended between heaven and earth, between God and man, between the two thieves.

(Both the thieves were condemned men, dying for their transgressions but notice them. One was still mocking Jesus while the other recognizes Him as Lord and calls on Him for Salvation. All men are in the shape that those thieves were in. Dying, without hope until they look to Jesus, and cry out to Him.)

2. We also see SEPERATION, Only He could do this, only Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice. Separate man because He was sinless and perfect, separate from the Father because He was made to be sin for us. (Greatest of all is this beautiful truth; This was a voluntary separation. Jesus separated Himself for us. “Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.”)

3. And ISOLATION, Pushed back toward heaven on a rugged cross by a humanity that was saying, “we will not have this man to rule over us,” and rejected by heaven because He had become sin for us. The Father turned away His face from His precious Son. For the only brief time in eternity, the fellowship of the Trinity was broken, that we might be brought back into fellowship with the God of Heaven. Oh, praise God for His wonderful sacrifice.

“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and it divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so.”

The firmament here is a picture of the cross, it was on the cross that God’s precious Son, Jesus, was for a moment, separated from God and man. Our Lord cried out on the cross “My God My God why has thou forsaken me?” And the Father in heaven turned away from His only begotten Son. We can not understand it, I can not explain it, but the Blessed Trinity was broken for a brief moment in time. This is one of those mysteries, one of the awesome truths of God’s word which we as men can not understand, but we accept it in faith though we can’t understand. The fact before us is that God turned away from His only Son. Jesus is, and has always been God, we see this in John chapter 1. Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Jesus could not be killed, but chose to die.

“No man taketh my life from me but I lay it down,” John 10:14-18

Jesus chose to die,

“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46

Jesus chose when to die.

We as men can not understand this but the word of God tells us these things. He said that He would lay His life down and that He would take it up again. He was never out of control, nor did He ever lose power. He proved it on the third and Glorious day when He arose. He got up from the grave and showed heaven and earth and all creation that He is still God and He is still in control.

Oh, friend, all of this is true and we stand in awe and we look at Calvary and wonder at what Jesus suffered for us on the Cross. This is just truth, to be believed and accepted. On the cross Jesus was separated from man, rejected by a God hating world which hung our precious Saviour on a cross, then shoved Him back toward heaven, not realizing that one day He will rule. He is the Lord of all creation. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

(Notice His Thirst)

His thirst was much deeper than a thirst for water, it was much greater than any physical need. He suffered a thirst for,

1. Partnership – fellowship with the Father and the Spirit was broken

2. Citizenship – no place to call home, neither world would have Him

3. For Fellowship – no communion (there was none to relate too, He was all alone)

Notice also that the firmament is a picture of the cross in that it was purposed by God before it was made. God commanded it to be so and He was very careful to let us see that it was of Great importance because it did not simply come to be at His command. Other times things were commanded and “it was so”. Here it reads, “And God made the firmament”.

By the same token, Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God purposed it and God did it Himself. Abraham understood this when he was walking up the mountain to offer up Isaac. That is why he said that God would provide “Himself” a sacrifice and not “for Himself”.

Next, notice where the firmament is, “in the midst of the waters.” It is a well known fact among bible students that water is a type or a picture of the word of God in bible study. Still waters, as in Psalm 23 is also a type of the word of God. And again when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3. But here the word is plural and in a plural sense the word refers to or is a picture of the people or nations of the world. We will see later that the sea or seas are also a type of peoples or nations. In this verse this word is a type of people. The place where our Lord was crucified, I have heard it said, was the geographical center of the world. I really don’t understand the statement. If you look at the map it is around 33degrees North by 35degrees But the bible “the midst of the waters,” in describing the firmament’s position. I believe there can be no more simple or beautiful comparison. Jesus was crucified in the midst of humanity. This great gift to the world from God was not given in secret, but for all to see. He was crucified on the pass-over which would mean that Jews of every nation would be present in the city of Jerusalem. Hence we see that He was in the midst of the waters.

“And let it divide the waters from the waters,” And so we all know that the cross is a dividing line for the people of the world. Even then it divided the believing thief from the unbelieving thief. And today the preaching of the cross is still foolishness to the lost world.

The firmament is also a picture of the cross in that it was purposed, designed, and fore-ordained of God. “Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” (Acts 2:23)

If you will also notice, the second days work is the only one which the word of God does not say that God saw that it was good. Because it pointed to the cross and there God had to deal with sin. It was there that the Precious Son of God willingly gave Himself to die for sinners like us. This is the cup of which Christ spoke when he prayed, becoming sin and enduring the broken fellowship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Many fail to see this. The physical suffering Jesus endured and never complained, the beatings, the scourging, the mockery, the cursing that He endured were nothing to Him compared to what lay ahead. This is why the bible tells us the He endured the cross despising the shame. To despise it meant that He thought little of it. Why? For the joy that was set before Him. He was willing to lay down His life in anticipation of all the souls that would be saved as a result, and He focused on the joy ahead instead of the current circumstances. The bitter cup that was the great difficulty was the thought of being made sin and suffering that horrible separation. Jesus went to the cross and hung there for us. In all the things that He suffered, he never once cried out until,

“My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?”

Oh, how little we think of that fellowship today. We lapse into sin at nothing. Let’s take a fresh look at day two, at the firmament, at Calvary.

Genesis Lesson 2: God’s Work of Redemption Pictured in Creation

Genesis

Lesson 2

God’s Work of Redemption Pictured in Creation

Now we will look at one of my favorite studies, and that is the picture of God’s redemptive work shown to us in the creation epic of Genesis. We will look at some of the truths that we may never have considered before which are displayed for us in these wonderful days of creation. If you will recall we have already seen how that God created the Heaven and the Earth in the beginning. We noted that this took place some where in eternity past.

We know that God is a perfect God and that He does all things well. Everything God does is beautiful. And it will stay that way unless or until some outside force comes along and destroys it. Sin is a force that can and does mar and pervert some beautiful works of God’s hands.

The human body is a wonderful thing, yet it grows old and wears out. Many times we hear of people being sick or suffering injury. All of this is a result of sin. Every time one of God’s creatures dies, it is because of sin. When you are driving, every animal that you see on the road, killed by an automobile it is another reminder that there is sin in the world. We await the day that all of that will change. All of creation is waiting for the curse to be lifted off this earth and off man.

Rom 8:18-23 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Throughout the word of God we find picture after picture of the Redeeming work of Jesus Christ and it lies there just for us to seek, ask after, and find. Study will help us to more fully understand…

God,

God’s love for man, and

God’s provision for fallen man.

Now, look at verse one of Genesis again…

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

This is the beginning, all things are at this time beautiful, untouched by sin and death. It must have been a sight to see God’s Glorious creation, untouched, unaltered, unmarred by sin. And then there came darkness, confusion and emptiness.

This is a picture of man in the Garden of Eden. He was in innocence, in a perfect environment. Life was good. There was no sin, no corruption, no death. And one day the serpent beguiled Eve, Adam sinned, and man was fallen. Man fell in the garden and his soul became a living picture of Genesis 1:2. (without form, void—meaning confused and empty) And a darkness settled into the heart and soul of man. Suddenly innocence vanished into chaos. Man’s fellowship with God was broken and he had died spiritually.

If you are saved by the Grace of God then you were in just this shape when God found you; A heart full of darkness, blind to the truth and not even caring about it. Lost in sin and going to a devil’s hell without even knowing it. You can look back and remember the time that darkness overshadowed your soul, you knew that something was missing.

That is why so many people will take a gun and end their own life. That is why many will take an overdose in order to hasten their own death. Darkness is across their souls and sometimes it seems to them that life is just not worth living. Suicide is rampant in our day and it is not at all limited to any particular social group. It plagues all, educated as well as uneducated, young as well as old, rich as well as poor. Nothing the world has to offer can fill the void of a darkened heart.

Neither is it limited to lost people. Some who have been saved by the Grace of God believe that they have too great a burden to bear, or they suffer to the point that they think it would be better for them to go on to heaven than to stay here. The valley they may be in seems too wide to cross, and they end their own life. But don’t be too quick to judge until you have walked a mile in their shoes. A saved man can not go back into the darkness and lose his salvation; but he can turn his back on the light.

That darkness in the heart of a lost man is the great darkness of one already dead; Dead in trespasses and sins: A creature of God that is in rebellion and sin within his own heart, lost and undone, with no hope at all.

When a person reaches the age of the knowledge of accountability there is a choice to be made. Adam came to a place where he had to choose.

Obedience or dis-obedience

Life or death

Losing or keeping Eve

Adam loved Eve and ate of the fruit, and sinned, making himself like her so that they could be together.

When a man finds himself in this darkness he has to make a choice. In order to choose, however, one must know his options.

“And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

If you notice the word moved in this verse it is translated from a Hebrew word “rachaph”(raw-khaf), and it means to brood, to be relaxed, flutter, move, or shake. This tells us that God did not make a full end. He did not stop there. The world was dead, useless; nothing could be done with it because it was a confused empty mess cloaked in darkness. No hope was in sight. That is exactly the shape you find yourself in when you realize that you are lost. When I realized that I was lost, in darkness, in need of something that was missing; I did not know what to do. That is the shape that Adam found himself in when he fell, LOST! And with no hope in sight.

Look again at that verse: “And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,” Yes Adam fell, yes all are sinners as a result of his fall, yes we find the hearts of unregenerate man dark, confused and empty, and YES! GOD CAN STILL SAVE SOULS! And because God love the work of His hand, He did not make a full end. “The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Man was fallen, the spirit of man became without form and void and dark. But, GLORY TO GOD!!! The Lord did not make a full end. He did not just wipe it all away. Instead, He waited for a time that He had predetermined. He had already planned a way for fallen man to get back into fellowship with Him. To restore that precious fellowship that had been broken.

Aren’t you glad that when God saw you lost and on your way to hell, when you couldn’t have known Him if you had met Him in the street. Maybe all you once knew of God was how to use His name in a curse word. But God foreknew. Thanks be unto God, according to Romans 8:28-29 He knew that there would come a day that you would choose to put your faith in Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus is the Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world. Because God knew what you would do long before you were ever born.

I am glad, thank God, that when God could have cut me down in darkness and cast me aside, Instead He loved me. Not only did He love me but He sent His precious Son to die for me. He loves you friend. So much so that Jesus died for you. He died in our place so that we might obtain everlasting life. And once we have it He won’t take it away. Even when we were lost God had everything worked out in our favor.

“And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Looking now at verse 3

“And God said, let there be light: and there was light.”

We see the beginning of the first day. In looking at day 1 let us note that the number 1 in the number of God. It is the first or beginning of all numbers. God is The Light so it is fitting that the first day would see the creation of light. God is before all things and is the beginning of all things.

We have already discussed how that the condition of the earth in verse 2 is a picture of the condition of a lost soul. Without form, void, dark; This is a soul lost in sin, in chaos, but also in darkness. Dead in sin, blinded by the darkness that they are in until the day that the Holy Spirit of God speaks in their heart, “Let there be light.” Then the light of the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ shone in for the first time. Until that day a soul can not see the shape that they are in.

If you are a Christian, you remember when you first realized that you were lost and going to hell. Do you remember when you realized at last that you were in need of help? Oh, the trembling soul that has realized his lost condition and his utter helplessness; For the first time realizing that state of being lost, without God.

Illumination is only part of the work of the Holy Spirit. There is where we begin, (not end) the beautiful picture of God’s work of redemption for a fallen mankind. God’s plan for bringing us back unto fellowship with Himself.

Look now at John 16:7-15

Joh 16:7-15 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Looking at verse 8 we see the work of the Holy Spirit.

will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

The word world in verse 8 is translated from a Greek word (“kosmos”) which has two uses. In this verse it means “mankind”. This first step in the work of the Holy Ghost takes place and it enlightens us to the fact that we are lost in sin. The word reprove means to confute, admonish, convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke or reprove. In short it means to show someone that something is wrong. “let there be light”. In other words, we see in Genesis 1:3 the picture of a soul that has just been admonished, convicted, convinced, and reproved of sin. As we already saw, the word world means all mankind. This tells us that everyone shall be presented with an opportunity at some time in life to make a choice. And a choice must be made.

Some will reject conviction, they will fight against the truth as it is revealed to them, they will literally, knowingly refuse to repent. (I have seen this with my own eyes in the hospital room of a dying man who admitted that he was going to hell and yet refused to pray.) Others will break under the burden and call on God for help. Those who refuse may never have another chance. God may never deal with a rebellious heart again. Every time a person hardens their heart, it gets easier to do it the next time. And the time may come that God gives that person over to their sin. It happened in Romans chapter 1 to lost folks, and it happened to Balaam in the book of Numbers. And it happened to Pharoah.

Homosexuals, pagans, religious, and demon possessed people all around us are in just this shape today.

We can rejoice for the few who will allow the Holy Spirit to break them and in their hearts will raise a cry for mercy that reaches all the way to the throne room of Almighty God in Heaven.

Friends, this is when the Glorious Light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached by the Holy Spirit for the first time to the immortal soul of a lost man. A man may hear the gospel a million times and it do nothing for him; but when the Holy Spirit preaches it to him that will get the job done.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t show a man that he is lost and just leave him there. He wants to save sinners. He shows us our helpless case so that we can see the light of the Good News more clearly. It is only when we see the darkness that we can see the light.

Light is also a picture of Jesus’ incarnation. Light came to a dark world and the darkened world would not grasp it. The world did not want Him, and His own rejected Him. Things have not changed today, many still reject Him. They may have seen the truth but they choose the darkness rather than the light. Just as His own people did when they cried, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” They said “Give us Barabas.” And they still cry that today. Oh, friend, so many people stop just short of salvation. Why? Many rebel but many refuse because of shame. Many can not bear to look at the truth when it is right in front of them. What do you do when you have been in the darkness for a long time, or when you first wake up in the morning and someone turns the light on? You hide your face because the light hurts your eyes. Isaiah said “We hid as it were, our faces from Him.”

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the word of God is quick an powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints of the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This is not changed. The word of God is still a divider of light and darkness. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:34 that He came to send a sword…Not peace. And today men are divided by the word of God. There are families, communities, even nations which are divided by God’s word: Even our great nation of America was born of division over the word of God

Genesis Intro and Lesson 1

Introduction to Genesis

According to Dr. John Phillips, the book of Genesis is a book of

(1) facts (2) firsts (3) faith (4) forecasts (5) funerals.

Matthew Henry says that the book of Genesis is the “seed-plot of the bible” because almost all the teachings and doctrines of the bible have their beginning there. It is said to give us the beginning of everything except God.

In the book of Genesis God is revealed

1. As Creator

2. As the Covenant God

3. As Almighty God

4. As the Most High God, Possessor of Heaven and Earth

We have the first hint of the Blessed Trinity in Genesis 1:1. The Hebrew word for God in this verse is the plural name of God, Elohim. And also in 1:26 when God says “Let us make man in our image”

NOTE ALSO (IJohn 5:7; Matthew 3:16,17; John 1:1)

We see man exhibited as the creature of God’s hands (2:7) then as fallen and sinful l(3:9)

Then brought back to God (3:21) finding Grace (6:8) again walking with God (6:9) and made the friend of God (James 2:23).

Satan is exposed for what he is…

His desires

1. To disobey the Word of God

2. To dishonor the Will of God

3. To divert the worship of God

He calls into question the word of God in questioning Eve, “yea hath God said?” (3:1) Thereby questioning truth.

He casts doubt on the integrity of God’s Word “ye shall not surely die” (3:4). Thereby casting doubt on the intent of or purpose of the command.

He denies it’s veracity, “ye shall be as gods” (3:5). Thereby questioning it’s authority.

We see sovereign election exhibited in God’s singling out of Abraham (12:1-3). Issac over Ishmael (21:12). Jacob over Esau (25:23) and Joseph above his brethren.

Salvation is displayed when God clothes Adam and Eve with coats of skins. Death came in, blood was shed and the innocent died for the guilty.

Justification by faith is made known, “And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness.” It does not say that he obeyed, loved, or served, but that he believed and that it was counted to him for righteousness, not instead of, but for righteousness.

The list goes on and on as to the many truths which are revealed in this precious book of beginnings, the book of Genesis.

Because Genesis is the “seed-plot” of the bible, it is the best place to begin a systematic study of the word of God. The best way to learn is in proper order, and that would be to start at the beginning.

In study there are some things that are needed

1. Salvation— a lost man can not understand the things of God

2. Faith – an unbeliever can not believe, and one who is weak in the faith may not believe

3. A desire to know God better

4. A good bible.

In order to study the word of God successfully, we, as students must be prepared with an unshakable faith that the bible is the perfect Word of God, the whole bible. It is written down for our learning.

There are those who deny that the Pentateuch was written by Moses and thereby is unreliable. If we were to abandon any part of the Word of God as unreliable, then none of it can be trusted. If we can not trust the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:1 then we can not trust Him in John 3:16.

Genesis

Lesson 1

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

It is notable how short and to the point this opening statement of God’s word is. In looking at it you would think that it would seem almost inappropriate. Should there not be more said concerning creation of the world that we live in and see thriving all around us?

In his book on Biblical Preaching, Haddon Robinson tells the story of a young journalist who went to his editor with an article that he thought was one of his finest pieces of work. With little more than a glance at the article the editor handed it back and said, “cut it in half”. The young man was disappointed but he did has he was told. When he took the article back the editor said “now cut it down to a half page” and the young journalist protested. His editor replied “young man, you fail to realize that the whole story of original creation is told in just ten words.”

There is a great deal of information that we can glean from this first verse of God’s word. There is a great deal of work accomplished by these few words.

Notice first of all that it destroys atheism by declaring that there is a God. No attempt is made to explain God, or where He came from. It simply takes the fact of God’s existence as self-evident and declares “In the beginning God”.

It does away with materialism because it tells us that God was before His material creation and was not Himself created.

It does away with pantheism which teaches that God is merely a state of being or an attitude. We see in this verse that God is a personal God, a being: not a thought or a state.

It tells us that He is omnipotent, or all powerful because only an omnipotent being could create anything. ( the word “ created” in this verse is translated from the Hebrew word “bara” which means to suddenly and instantaneously call something into existence from nothing.”)

In John 1:1 we read three times that in the beginning God “Was”. That tells us that in the beginning God was already past-tense.

As a child of God I don’t understand a lot of things but I am glad by the Grace of God through faith I can believe, even though I might not understand.

So, in the first verse of Genesis we see God is Creator, pre-existent, and personal.

This short verse is the foundation of all real theology. God is the beginning of all things. True theology begins with God And works down to man. In false theology an attempt is made to start with man and work up to God. As is displayed at the tower of Babel, and by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

We must, in all our thinking, begin with God and work our way down to man.

This is also true in the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. By faith we know that the scriptures came from God Himself, Though we know that they are written in human language, by human hands. Still, “In the beginning God.”

No creature possesses this power of creation. God is the only one Being who possesses this power. There are those who believe that the devil created demons. He did not, he has no such power. The devil can only pervert or destroy that which God creates. That is why he had to enter the serpent in the garden. He could no create a body for himself, and there were no other human bodies to enter. Therefore, here in Genesis 1:1 we have God identified as The Creator and therefore All-Powerful. A fact to be believed and accepted.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

“And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2)

We have already noted that God pre-existed all things. And that He created all things. We see here the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters and darkness is upon the face of the deep. Day one has not yet come to pass and we see the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters. There was no light until we see in verse 3, God said, “Let there be Light”. Looking again at verse two we see that the earth was without form and void. The creation of light on the first day showed all of heaven just what shape the earth was in.

As we study let us consider a question. If on the first day of creation, as we see in the scriptures before us, God said, “Let there be light,” and thereby exposed the confused, chaotic mess that the earth was in, where did it all come from? When God said “let there be light.” There was something here. Look again at Genesis 1:1.

We find before us a subject which has proven to be a very controversial one in some circles, but if you will study the Word of God, compare scripture with scripture, pray, read, and follow God, you will find that there really is no controversy at all.

The subject that we must examine is known by many as the gap theory. We shall refer to it simply as the gap.

Many do not believe in the gap but it is usually because they have never had the opportunity to study or ask questions about it. Many are just turned off by the word “Theory”, and choose not to listen. To tell the truth, any and every body has a theory about most anything.

Modern science has taken such precedence in our lives that our children are bombarded in public school with many theories which are unscriptural, and most definitely impossible. They hear about the “Big Bang”. If anything were true other than the creation that we read of in Genesis 1 and 2, then the bible is a fabrication of some man’s imagination. If the “Big Bang” were true, Genesis could not be true. In Genesis there was not sun, no moon, and there were no stars, until the fourth day.

Children today are also taught the theory of evolution. They are led to believe that life is the result of a bolt of lightning in a dead sea, on a dead planet. They are taught Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Note: Even Darwin had doubts about his theory and gave instruction that if it were found to be unreliable that it should be discarded.

The gap is not something which was just dreamed up to argue with modern science. It is, in fact, the result of prayerful meditation, and much study. Then careful consideration of scripture compared with scripture.

We must realize that science which contradicts the bible is not science at all, it is false. For science and the bible are the best of friends. True science serves to affirm that God is who He says He is, and His word is true. False science casts doubt on the word of God.

Some things that science has discovered in recent history have affirmed for us that God is who He says He is.

1. Circumcision (Genesis 17:11,12) Abraham had no way of knowing that a child’s blood does not clot until the eighth day of life and that if he had not waited eight days, Isaac would have bled to death. Only God could have known that and thus we have the command.

2. The earth is round (Isaiah 40:22)

3. That there are currents in the seas (Psalm 8:8)

4. That the earth hangs on nothing in space (Job 26:7)

These recent scientific discoveries were written down in God’s word thousands of years ago.

Let’s look again at verse two. “And the earth was without form and void:” The word “was” in this phrase is translated from a Hebrew word which also means “became”.

The words “without form” in this verse are translated from the Hebrew word “tohu” and this word means “confusion”.

The word “void” in this verse is translated from the Hebrew word “bohu” which means “emptiness”.

Now we know that sometime after verse number one and before verse number two the earth “became confused and empty”.

In turning to Isaiah 45:18 we will find the same Hebrew word here for “created” as we find in Genesis 1:1. The Hebrew word “bara” which means to suddenly and instantly call something into existence where nothing previously was, and to do it with nothing. This speaks of course, of the original creation of Genesis 1:1, or, before the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

The words “in vain” here in Isaiah 45:18 are translated from the same Hebrew word as “without form” in Genesis 1:2.

Comparing scripture with scripture we see that Genesis 1:2 is not what was here in Genesis 1:1.

Looking at Genesis 1:1 we have no way of knowing how long the heaven and earth were what we see them to be in 1:2. This is the first place that modern science attacks the word of God and every theory that they present falls short of truth.

There are those who will say, “I don’t believe that there was anything beyond Adam.” If you pay attention, Adam and Eve were the last two things created in Genesis. Furthermore, until God created light in Genesis 1:3 and set the boundaries of day and night there was no such thing as time for the first day is not even recorded until verse 5. That tells us that everything which took place up to that point was in eternity.

Before God said, “Let there be light”, it also tells us that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

When modern science tells us that the bible is wrong and that it only goes back about six thousand years; We can assure our children that beyond that day in Genesis 1:5 there was no such thing as time, all things were, as yet, in eternity. There is no way to know a date when there was none.

Some say they just don’t believe there was something else before Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Well, we all know that Adam and Eve were in the garden when Satan tempted the woman. So we know that the devil was the devil before then. Where did the devil come from?

(ISAIAH 14:12-17) (EZEKIEL 28:122-19)

These passages tell us of the fall of Satan which obviously had to take place before the garden and the fall. He was the devil in the garden. But he was perfect when he was created. Not until iniquity was found in him.

I have no problem at all with modern science telling me that there were dinosaurs. No problem at all. I believe that they were here. I do not believe they were here with Adam in the garden because they would still be around.

According to the word of God, in Genesis 6:19-22, Noah had, at least, two of every creature on the ark, except of course, for fish. The only explanation for the absence of dinosaurs in the world today is that they perished in the gap that hangs heavily between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.

I do have a problem with scientists on a couple of points though.

1. Science tries to put a date and time on something that existed in eternity past, you can not date something that existed when there were no dates.

2. Scientists in some circles also say that the dinosaurs perished when a meteor (or comet) hit the earth. There were no meteors, no heavenly bodies until the fourth day of creation. Where could a meteor have come from?

I do firmly believe that something struck the earth with such force as to annihilate life and destroy the world. I believe we find it in Luke 10:18. Jesus said, “I beheld Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven.” Where did Satan fall too? When he fell there were only two places,

1. Heaven and

2. Earth

Satan’s fall took place somewhere in the gap, and God’s withdrew His Glory from the world that was in the beginning. That left the world that then was in darkness and it died, becoming confused and empty. But God did not make a full end. We see the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Isaiah 45:18 tells us plainly that He did not create it that way. God is not the author of confusion and did not make a confused mess. God created it beautiful and perfect and capable of sustaining life according to that verse. Satan’s fall was the destruction of what was.

Genesis 11:1-4

Genesis 11:1-4

“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of  Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” This is a statement of very powerful significance. It is often overlooked in our day because the Old Testament is held in such low esteem by the majority of bible scholars today. Upon close examination we find that nothing in the bible should be taken lightly. Disregarding the Old Testament is to show a complete disregard for God and His word. Jesus Himself said that the law would not pass until all scripture should be fulfilled. He said Moses and the prophets would be first fulfilled. Till heaven and earth pass it is the law which condemns and Jesus that saves. It has ever been and shall ever be so. Using a little common sense, the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets are by no means all fulfilled.

Mat 5:17-19 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Let us begin our study with language. The bible tells us here in our text that the whole earth was of one language. Just what is the significance of this and how does it affect us in our day? According to Mr. Noah Webster, language is the “expression of ideas by words or written symbols; mode of speech peculiar to a nation, a class, a profession etc.”

It is, in other words, the manner of communication used to express yourself to another. One of the things which separates man from the animals is his God given ability to communicate in a sophisticated manner, by use of language. As Mr. Webster says, there is one language which is peculiar to a nation. I am an American and I have a language which is to some nations a rude, barbaric manner of communication. I am from Mississippi, which tells of the fact that my language is peculiar in America to the area in which I live. Most of us in the south central U.S. have a somewhat slow and simple manner of communication considered by some to be unsophisticated and almost vulgar, due to much of our slang and slurring of words. I am a band saw operator which means that I have a language peculiar to my profession.

It all adds up to this. I am a mud between the toes, hillbilly, saw mill, Mississippi man. Put me with an educated surgeon from New York City. Buy us a cup of coffee and listen to the conversation. We may be able to enjoy one another’s company. We may become friends. We will first have to break through the cultural, and professional barriers to find a common language to share. I believe you can see the importance of language.

We must also consider this. Language is acquired, taught, and learned. You are not born with a language all your own. You must learn to communicate. As man learns he keeps in his mind what he considers to be important and discards the rest. Your language is only what you know, what you have learned.

Speech is something altogether different. According to the dictionary speech is “the faculty of expressing thoughts in words; enunciation; remarks; conversation, language; formal address; an oration.”

Now let’s look at our text once again. “And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.” What a fantastic thought. No matter how far from home you may be in a world like this, everybody speaks the same language. You would have no trouble communicating. There would be no reason for a missionary to learn a second language. There would be no searching for a way to express yourself to strangers. Everyone would think and know the same things. Everyone would say and do things in the same way. All would be the same in conversation. All would know and think alike.

That sounds like it would be great doesn’t it? It sounds like it would be a real blessing to be able to communicate with anyone and everyone in the world. We could all unite, we could get together. We could find some common ground upon which we could all stand together. United in the Lord.

Let us look again. In our text the word language is translated from the Hebrew word “saw-faw”. This Hebrew word means to scrape, to shave, to accumulate, increase, scatter, remove, ruin, perish.

That sheds a whole new light on our text. The fact that the whole earth was of one language and of one speech tells us that they had done just what men are doing today. Shaving, or scraping at the word of God to get it to say just what they want it too. Adding a little something here; taking away a little something there: Destroying the bible, and the teachings of the word of God.

Maybe being of one language and of one speech is not all that it is cracked up to be. You know what you have to do to reach that “Satanic Utopia?” You have to agree with people who say things like….

“I don’t believe in the virgin birth, but I believe that Jesus is God.”

“I believe Jesus is God’s son but He is not God.”

“We’re all going to the same place.”

“I don’t believe in a triune Godhead.”

“We shouldn’t preach against sin.”

“The miracles didn’t really happen, it is all just figurative language.”

“I believe in heaven but not hell.”

“God is love, He won’t send anybody to hell.”

It kind of makes you wonder how some of the brethren can say some of the things they say doesn’t it. It makes me look at some people sometimes and ask, “do we really speak the same language?” Food for thought.

“And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.”

We can see the obvious fact that all the earth being of one language tells us that they whole world had gotten to the place that they believed they had outgrown God. This is exactly the place that the greater part of the religious world has gotten too in our day. Before all the religious education began to fall to Satan’s question “yea hath God said?” Before everyone who claimed to have the call of God on them to preach thought they needed a degree in theology; Before men began to question the Holy Scriptures and argue about doctrine, religion was not a dirty word. People today say that God hates religion. That my friend is a lie of the devil. God, on the contrary, loves religion! Am I crazy? Let’s look at the word of God and see what He has to say.

Jas 1:26-27 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James tells that pure religion and undefiled before God is to exercise self control in verse 26; to love our neighbor and separate ourselves unto the Lord in verse 27. GOD LOVES RELIGION! PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION! If religion can be pure and undefiled, it is not a bad thing.

Here in Genesis 11 we find the earth populated with men much like today. They all knew there was a God. They all knew what God wanted from them and they were traveling West (from the east) which tells us that they had started out on their journey trying to get to God or seeking Him. Traveling from the east to the west; seeking to stay in the light. If you turn east to seek light, you wind up in the darkness all over again. You travel west to get to the light, to stay in the light, that pictures seeking God’s presence.

These people started out right but look what happened to them. While following the sun they found a place where the ground was level, a plain. No strain in traveling on the plain. No hills or mountains to overcome on the plain. The travel was easier, the burden seemed lighter. Why not settle here on the plain?

Many start on the road of Christianity and seem to be burning with desire to live Godly and be what God would have them to be. They seem to truly Christian. Most of the time, as hard as this may sound, people claim to be saved and they are not. They deceive themselves into thinking they are genuinely saved. Most who claim to be Christian are not. May are they that hear the word, “and anon with great joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” (Matthew 13:20-21)

Notice that these have no root in them. The root is that from which the plant grows. These people have no root, or indwelling of the Holy Spirit, nor faith. They simply follow a routine or an outward work to look like they have religion. They travel along fine until they see the mountains in the distance. That is when they want to settle in the plain. I have seen many people come forward, make a profession, call themselves Christians and then seek a church and a “religion” that suits their fleshly lusts and desires. Then they will settle on the plain; a place where you can take a drink of liquor and not be bothered. There won’t be anything spoken against being absent from the fellowship for the race track or the super bowl. No one minds if the church house and choir loft is full of ladies (so-called) dressed as if they just left the brothel. It doesn’t even bother the pastor or deacons if the world drives by to see the men enjoying a smoke on the front porch. Maybe that beer joint crowd will draw some of the world to the door.

People will call that crowd religious, HOGWASH! That is not unspotted from the world!

Well, in our text we see a picture of compromising God’s word in order to enjoy a lifestyle of ease, settling on the plain. And next, the inevitable result “they dwelt there.”

That is a terrible thing. When people seek to be comfortable in sin it is terrible. When they have sinful habits and can practice them without shame it is terrible. When a preacher won’t point out sin and call it what it is that is terrible. That is bad enough. Still, there is something even worse. To live in sin and never suffer for it is to be lost. God will judge you for your sin. If your are saved, God will straighten you out or He will take you out. “If ye be without chastisemen, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons.”

My friends it is a terrible thing that a bunch of lost folks can hire a lost, man to stand in the pulpit and put up a sign claiming to be a church. But even worse, they will draw a crowd. The greatest shame in all of the world is a person dying without Jesus and going to hell from a church pew. Most of our liberals today are being led by those who have heard good preaching. They have heard men of God preach against sin and by and by, because of the word, they were offended. Because of preaching, they left and sought a place of comfort. They find a plain and dwell there.

“And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.”

The worst thing about false religion is that it takes men in by multitudes. Notice the “let us”. God has been excluded. He requires too much. He has too many rules and guidelines. We want our folks to be liberated from this. We have a better way. God doesn’t want anything man-made in His house. He doesn’t build with brick. Brick in scripture is a picture of lost man, it is hardened clay. Here they have plotted to proselyte or make more just like them. Today men seek to harden the hearts of others to the point of hating. They want to build a religion and a church. In order to do this you must have people. In order to have people you must reach them and they must have a desire to be with you, to be like you. That is how you build a church these days. You just recruit and offer them something they want. The most effective is freedom to live any way they want too without fear of hearing it preached about. Don’t stand for or against anything. Let people believe that if it feels good it is ok to do it. Most churches today are simply products of a very business minded pastor. They are comfortable, hardened to the truth about sin and God’s hatred of it. Members are merely bricks in an earthly building.

These churches are also pictured in this verse in the way that they are held together. Slime for mortar. Mortar, with age, becomes stronger, more solid, it is a permanent bond. Slime, on the other hand, is just a sticky mess which will wash away over time, leaving nothing but a filthy stain. Water makes mortar able to grip and hold even in the tightest spots and smallest recesses of the stones used in construction. Slime is weakened by water. Water is a picture of the word of God in scripture. The word of God will strengthen, bond and keep a church together. Yet the water of the word of God will eventually wash the slime away from false religion and it will crumble. Slime in itself tells us something. The slime spoken of here is tar. Science tells us that tar is the decayed, aged remains of things that once had life. In other words, it is dead.

Look at this picture of a modern church.

Liberal (of one language, everyone agreeing with everyone);

unsanctified (of one speech, everyone doing that which is right in his own eyes);

Hateful to anyone who won’t “agree” with them, (brick, burned thoroughly, hardened clay);

slime for mortar (held together by something dead that can’t stand against the water of the word).

Many churches today are held together by a live and let live philosophy; A dead philosophy.

By contrast, God does not work this way. God uses the gospel to break the stony hearts of men. He uses the water of the word to make us clean and bond us together, forming the church. Jesus being the Chief cornerstone we are all to be like Him, to line up with Him; Conformed to His image.

The most striking resemblance to our modern day movements is finding their own way. Men want to build themselves a tower to heaven. Everyone seeks to have it all their own way. That liberal idea that we all have our own interpretation of God’s word and we are all going to the same place just on a different path. It is a lie of the devil which creates a thirst in a man to worship as he pleases. But God commands all men everywhere to repent. God will put a thirst in a man for truth. That old time religion that was good enough for the men who wrote it down by inspiration of God. The only way to satisfy that thirst is to drink from the well that never runs dry. We who are saved seek to drink of that water of life, the word of God. We look to Jesus, as did Peter, and ask where else we could go for, “thou has the words of life.”

Failure to yield to God’s word is what makes men want to rewrite it. They have their own interpretation of it and want to put it in their own words.

God’s word if perfect and needs not to be changed. You must seek God for understanding. If you are a child of God you will accept God’s word whether you understand it or not. You will obey. You will walk by faith. Or you will suffer for it.

Does God exist? Check this out, this is great.

I believe that you will like this video.  It was a pleasant surprise for me.  Had a good time with it.  Maybe we should pay a little more attention to our children.  They learn and retain more than we sometimes think.  I know you may say “Well that was Albert! He was a genius!”  When in reality, what is reenacted in the video, your children can know as well as anyone, you must teach them.  What a thrill to imagine that our children too, can and should have that kind of knowledge at a young age.  Check out the link below and see it for yourself.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=155315264765

Hebrews 11:1-7

Worship, Walk, and Work

By Faith

A brief study

of Hebrews 11:1-7

By

James H. Knight

Hebrews 11:1-7…..Worship

In beginning our study of these verses it is important to realize first of all that the eleventh chapter of Hebrews is known by most bible students as the great “Faith Chapter” of the bible. We see, first of all what faith is in the first verse. This is not a definition of faith, in the sense of a complete and easy to understand statement of explanation, but a description of a couple of the elements of faith.

It is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

In looking at the word substance, you will find that substance is something tangible. And though we do not build our lives on feelings, you can feel that faith which is imparted at the moment we get saved by the Holy Spirit of God. You may not be able to grasp it in your hand, you may not be able to see it visibly with the naked eye, you may not be able to smell it, yet you can feel it. Thank God I know that there is the faith within me that I never knew before the Lord gave it to me. I know things that I never knew before because of that faith. I can see things that I never saw before because of that faith. I expect things that I never expected before because of that faith. I know that God is real, that Heaven is real, that Salvation is real, and that I am a Child of God because of that precious faith that He gave to me when I got into the family. Praise God for that faith of Jesus Christ which I have within me today! It is His and it belongs to Him according to Galatians 2:20. Paul said “…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Praise God for that faith. It is amazing to think that God, when He sealed us upon saving us, placed within us Himself, His presence, His faith. And by it leads us and teaches us things that we would otherwise be unable to grasp, believe or accept. Look at verses 2 and 3 of Hebrews 11. There is no way that we can do or know some things but by faith. The world has many foolish theories and makes many foolish assumptions concerning the natural sciences and the study of psychology because they do not know those things which God makes known only through faith. It is only possible to serve God by faith. It is only possible to please God by faith. (note verse 6) It does not matter how clean, honest, kind, generous, or good a person is, without faith the best of men are not able to please God. It is only by faith that we seek to please God. There are many who are not Christian who live good, honest, clean, respectable lives. The difference is that they are just living in such a way as to be good men. Many have moral character who do not know God. Many are lost who do good works. Many good citizens are not Christians. It is only a good life lived “by faith” that pleases God. If it is not of faith, it is not for God but for self, or for another person. And that is not what pleases God.

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” Hebrews 11:4

In looking at this verse we see that worship is by faith. True worship that pleases God is by faith. That is what God seeks. It is true that there is a great deal of worship going on these days. There are many churches and religions being built upon worship. There is a great commercial explosion of “Praise and Worship” music. It is amazing how men can capitalize on just about anything to make money or make a name for themselves. Worship is one of those things. God help us to realize that there is more than one type of worship and only that worship which is by faith will please God.

Notice that we see Abel’s sacrifice was more excellent than that of Cain’s. What was so different? Cain was offering sacrifice just as was his brother. Cain was going to the altar as was his brother. Cain was offering his gifts to God as was his brother. He seemed to be doing just what his brother was. How many times have we heard someone say, “Well, God just made me to worship him this way, this is how I do it. You worship your way because that is the way God made you. We are worshipping the same God and we are going the same way.” Not so my friend. We see in Abel’s relationship to God and his brother that there is a difference that God recognizes and so should we. It does make a difference how we worship. There is a big difference. In worshipping God, we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. This means that the works of the flesh are not what please God. I believe in old fashioned worship, shouting, raising the hands, running the aisles, but only if God is the focus of the worship, Only if Jesus is the Object of the worship. It is not worshipping God in faith if we just go to church in order to shout and run the aisles. It is not worshipping God in faith if we just go to church to sing and/or participate in or enjoy the service. We don’t just offer what we want to do and expect it to be accepted of God. We do it God’s way, in God’s time, and for God’s Glory. Then and only then is it accepted of God.

True worship and that which pleases God is a beautiful thing to behold. I have seen fine Christian people who have been in terrible crises in their lives, and suffering beyond anything that I have seen in my own life, raise their hands and praise God with tear-filled eyes. I have witnessed the adoration of a loving God in the lives of His children who were suffering. I have heard the public testimony of the goodness of God and His Grace coming from the lips of those who are heartbroken, not knowing when relief would come, yet thankful to a loving God who has promised never to leave them nor forsake them. Only by faith can people truly worship in the bad times. Yet only by faith can people truly worship in the good times. There are those who are enjoying the good times, things are going well in their lives, and yet they are broken every time they look at Calvary. Oh, God! The suffering of our Saviour that we could have such a blessed life! Oh, the Price that was paid. The price that God paid for our sins and our salvation is enough to break the heart of the strongest of men. It can soften the hardest of hearts and bring tears to the driest of eyes. This is true worship, spiritual worship. This is that worship which pleases God. Not necessarily, a shout, a song, a run down the aisle, a public display, And that is well and good if it is by faith, but a heart seeking to be pleasing to God, and offering Him His due in praise and worship. It is only by faith that we can please God in worship because it is only by faith that we truly can or do worship.

Cain offered sacrifice but not by faith. Cain offered what he wanted to offer and wanted God to bless it because He offered it. Abel faithfully offered what God required and by faith expected God to bless it. We must remember that to do something by faith means to be faithful in the doing of it. Do what is done in the way that is pleasing to God, by the leadership of God, and God will be pleased and bless.

Walk

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Hebrews 11:5-6

Here we see an example of a person’s walk being by faith. If Abel is a fitting picture of worshipping by faith then Enoch is a fine example of one who is walking, or living by faith. The image we have here is that of one who is trying to live their life in such a way as to follow God in every aspect of daily life. In our responses to the problems we face and the decisions that we are faced with we should always seek to do what God would have us to do. If we can not do something by faith, then we should not do it.

There are preachers and bible scholars that go a bit too far with this principle. One man in particular has been heard to say that he would not even eat a sandwich unless he prayed and asked God first if he could. I dare say that this is either foolish or a lie. God gave us a physical body that lets us know when it becomes hungry. Of course we are going to eat. I do say that we should eat if we hunger, but be sure to thank God for the food that we have for the nourishment of our bodies. To require a brother or sister to pray for permission to eat when they are hungry is a foolish thing indeed to do. If you have an accident and your vehicle is destroyed, you know you need another one. If you need a car, you know that you should seek to purchase one. You do not have to pray for permission to meet the need it is there and must be met. However, it would be foolish to rush out and purchase a car without giving yourself to prayer. It would be wise to seek the leadership of God in going to the right place, and choosing the right one. Many a problem can be avoided if we will follow God’s leadership in such decisions. Once again, if we cannot do this by faith, we should not do it. Only when God says to do so,should we do so.

There are those who will tell you to go ahead and get what you want, God will take care of it. That is not true. God is not obligated to get you out of debt. God will see to the needs that you encounter when you are following Him. “Where God guides, He provides.” And that is an absolute truth. God will not lead you to go where He will not enable you to go. And God will not ask anything of you that He will not enable you to do.

A lady once told me, “Well, God wants me to be happy, so I know He wants me to have this if it will make me happy. ” Of course she is still not satisfied after many years of seeking to please her self materially.

In looking at Enoch we see, as previously stated, one who walked, “By Faith”. Enoch was willing to go God’s way in the midst of a perverse generation. In the day in which we live it is not acceptable to have little or to be content with little. The whole world has the philosophy that we should get all that we can. It seems that the whole point of life to most of our generation is material wealth, and property. There is no spirit of satisfaction in these days. No one, it seems, is willing to learn with Paul that in whatsoever state they are in, therewith to be content. Looking at our example, Enoch we must remember the days in which he lived. He was taken by God just sixty nine years before Noah was born. It would be safe to assume then that Enoch walked among the same wickedness that Noah was witness too. And Enoch was a preacher of righteousness. Not only did Enoch live by faith but He was faithful to witness to that faith. That of course was the faith in God. We see this by the testimony that we have of him by God Himself in that God took him that he should not see death, and we also read of him in the book of Jude. Notice what Jude said about him in verses fourteen and fifteen of his letter…

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

…and we must realize that Enoch MUST have lived the life of faith because this tells us of the ungodly deeds and speeches that he must have heard. He was preaching to them of the coming judgment of Almighty God. In all honesty, we see here that he suffered persecution. It is no new thing that the world rejects our Lord, or the Word of God. It is no new thing that the people of God who are living by faith are persecuted. Jesus was not in this world ignorant of the treatment that He would suffer at the hands of wicked men. He knew exactly what He must suffer when He came.

We must endeavor to live the life of faith as Enoch did. In the face of scorning and mockery, we must maintain the testimony of a life lived by faith in Him, and trusting that He will reward that life in due time. We must commit ourselves to Him and follow His leadership in the face of the persecutions of this world counting ourselves blessed if we find that we must suffer for His name’s sake. There is too little of this in the world today. There is too little of the life of faith being displayed in the church.

No, we must not offend anyone. We must maintain a peaceful atmosphere and try not to “rock the boat”. Live and let live. Oh, but how wrong this is. It is this boat that we seek not to “rock” that our children and grandchildren are going to be living in after we are long gone. It is this world that will persecute our children after we are gone to be with the Lord. It is this world that hates our God and what we stand for in His Name. We must be willing to rock the boat. Be willing to stand and say that sin is still sin. Be willing to use just judgment and preach the truth. We must be an example of God’s children. What our Father hates we will hate. What causes our Father grief should cause us to grieve. Let the world call us what it will, do the right thing. This world cannot see the future that awaits it. We must be that light that shines in the darkness that the world can see the difference, and thereby is able to make a choice. Think of this, Enoch walked with God. If not for the fact that he would have one great- grandson who would find Grace, we would not be here. He did not know the blessing that would come of his being faithful. The upbringing that he gave Methusaleh, who must have taught his son, Lamech, as well as the grandson Noah. It all began with the faithful walk and example of Enoch who was so faithful in his walk with God that God took him home without seeing death.

Work

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Hebrews 11:7

In turning our attention to Noah, I want you to notice the strength of the faith that he had at the outset. It is good to realize that God will give you more faith if you will exercise the faith that you have already been given. Notice that Noah had a faith that would move in spite of the fact that it may sound unbelievable. He was warned of things that were “not seen as yet.” And he moved by faith because he believed God more that what had been in this world before. His was a faith which was willing to disregard the logic and wisdom of man, as well as what there was of natural history, and expect that God was able too and would do what He said that He would do. Noah not only believed but knew that there was a flood coming. He knew this by faith.

There have been times in the lives of Christians that we all have known that there seemed to be no relief in sight. As the world looked at them and watched for a wavering surrender to the fate that all about them thought might be inevitable, there came some miraculous occurrence in their lives that struck all that looked on with awe. It is awesome what God can do. It is amazing the things that God does do. That person that the whole community knows is plagued with cancer and it seems that the end is coming soon for them, and suddenly the doctors are scratching their heads in confusion at the miraculous disappearance of the disease. There are those who have prayed for a wicked and rebellious child and prayed earnestly for many years. Those about them may have given up long ago, but by faith they kept praying and seeking God’s intervention in the lives of their children until one day that child is saved by the Grace of God. Oh! God! For the faith that will not quit.

Noah was a picture of this kind of faith. He did not just believe God, he was moved by that belief. He “put feet” on the faith that he claimed to have. And he went right to work. In preparing for what he “knew” was coming.

There is a small Baptist church that we once were in and it needed a little dose of this kind of faith. The membership claimed to be trusting God and believing God. But this membership did not want to prepare for a future in faith. They had the facilities that could contain many members. They had the finances to do a great deal of work. Yet they lacked the faith or the gumption to just back their ears and get at it. Today, several years later, that congregation is still in the same boat. The same people, in the same place spiritually, and the same shape materially, unwilling to get at the work that God requires of us in seeing that the word is carried to the world. No one church can do it all, but every church can do something. No one individual can do it all, but everyone can do something.

Look at what Noah did. First of all he was attentive to the word of God. He listened. Many times, in order to hear the word of God you must first listen “for” the word of God. Too often we listen for what we want to hear and God’s word just goes right by us. We often listen too the word of God without listening for what He wants us to hear. “ Hey! I know what the preacher said but ‘I want”. It matters little in the hearts of many what is preached or what the Bible says. What matters most to people is what they want. Very often that desire is the blessings of God without the exercise of faith. But look at Noah. He was moved by his faith. He feared the outcome if he did not prepare. He feared for his family. He went to work. And because of a faith that was willing to work FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS he is one of the great examples here in the Great Faith Chapter for us to read of even now.

John 16:33

Audio:Why do God’s people suffer–Bro. James H. Knight

John 16:33 “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

In this modern age of easy believism we find a perverted gospel being preached the world over.  This false doctrine is lulling the world into a deep sleep which shall one day prove to be it’s undoing and greatest nightmare.  With one of the more popular and most widely accepted teachings being an all inclusive gospel which says that no one is going to hell.   This twisted theology teaches that we are suffering hell here and all will go to heaven when we die.  A sick twisted and perverted doctrine.  The teaching that is following on it’s heels is that of this health and wealth crowd.  They are leading people to believe that if you are a Christian all will go well with you.  They will tell you that if you are prayed up, living right, and acting right, you won’t get sick or have any kind of financial trouble.  They will say that God will bless you physically, financially, materially and socially, which is true.  Yet we all suffer loss, pain and sickness, and in spite of being Christians.

It would have been hard to convince old Bro. Paul of that in a cold, dark, damp prison, waiting to have his head cut off;  Or Jeremiah in that filthy dungeon.  Many who have lived for God and suffered great persecution for their testimony will one day stand and testify of the foolishness of this religious crowd preaching this heresy.  The apostle Paul told us the same thing that Jesus told us.  We will suffer.  “Yea,and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”  Mark it down, we are going to suffer if we truly belong to Jesus.  Let’s look at this verse carefully, in light of what is around it.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.  But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.”

John 15:18-21

“These things have I spoken unto you that ye should not be offended.  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”

John 16:1-2

Jesus warned them (his disciples) of the coming persecution, execution, and the scattering of their number.  He told them that they would suffer.  And we see it most plainly here in verse 33.  And the apostle Paul tell us that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, SHALL suffer persecution.  He warns of the perilous times in the last days in his second letter to Timothy and chapter 3 in such a way that there is no mistaking that we are going to suffer if we follow Christ.  The simple question to be answered is…

DO GOD’S PEOPLE SUFFER?

YES!

Well, this now raises other questions.  First of all we need to be ready to accept the fact of suffering.  Then we can learn the answer to some very troubling questions concerning the things that happen to us in our Christian lives.  Questions like…

1.   How do God’s people suffer?

We suffer in many ways, just as anyone else in this world does.  As members of the family of humanity we will all die one day if the Lord does not come back for us first.  That universal curse of death which passed upon us all through our father Adam as a result of his sin  will catch up with us one day and we will face our last enemy in this life,  death.  This crowd that teaches and preaches all of this health and wealth can say what they want too.  Some of them will probably get very sick and die, then be buried in the same ground that I will.  They may stay healthy for a time, as anyone can, but they will die one day.  What is healthy about that?  No matter how healthy you are, you will die one day.  That tells me that we have more proof of what we believe than they do.

Saved or not we all are going to die.  Saved or not, most of mankind has health problems, especially them that come with age.  Saved or not, if we do not die young, we will grow old.  We will suffer this deadly disease called sin till we leave here.  But those of us who are saved are being treated for this disease and will one day be ultimately cured.  All suffer health problems, heartaches, injury, poverty, fears.

I remember a man once rebuking me for being sick and missing a day of work.  He said that it was the judgment of God that I was sick and if I was really right with God I would not get sick.  I was informed that he did not get sick, and that God would not let him get sick because he was His.  Within a couple of days, this saint was sick and bed-ridden for almost three weeks.  Where was his faith?  I guess it was in his medication.

We will suffer sickness, that is why God has blessed us with the wonder of modern medicine to help us through times of illness.  We suffer financial loss and poverty at some times.  We suffer at the hands of our fellow man, the devil, and as a result of sin, as well as the causes of age and the perils and dangers of everyday life.

But…

2.   Why do God’s people suffer?

If you are a born again, blood bought child of God then you must believe the word of God.  You must believe Romans 8:28.  Then you must believe that IF and WHEN we suffer there is a reason, and it is always for our good and God’s Glory.  Nothing can come to a child of God that will ever take God by surprise.  We can also be sure that whatever does come our way will always be for a reason.

Sometimes we suffer testing: Job is a good example of this.  God will not tempt any man and we know that from the word of God. However, God may allow the devil to tempt you as a test.  God already knows what you will do, He knows just what you are made of.  What we need sometimes is to be shown just what we are made of so that we can know for ourselves.  And sometimes the Lord is showing the devil.  In the case of Job, God showed Satan that he could not get one that was His.

Sometimes it is training: Paul is a good illustration of this.  He besought the Lord three times to remove a particular thorn from his flesh, and the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee…”  Paul was sent a thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12 to learn humility and to stay humble.  He suffered to learn and to maintain the proper mindset.

The hard truth about training is this.  You train in preparation for the next test.  Just as any other aspect of life, you must build up for the next step in most anything.  One who is training with weights for strength is always preparing to move up, to increase the workout, to become stronger and increase the load.  We suffer to train, to strengthen our faith, and once our faith becomes stronger, it is time to work on it some more.  We are trained by suffering.

Sometimes it is tactics: Joseph, when he revealed himself to his brethren in the book of Genesis, told his brethren (concerning their beating him and selling him into slavery) that they meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.  God allowed this to come to Joseph and for a reason that Joseph did not know.  It was many years later that Joseph was given understanding of his situation.  God had it all under control and Joseph exercised faith and left it in God’s hands.  But, God had a plan,  He “meant it for good,” which means plainly that God allowed it all to take place.  And He allowed it to take place for His own purposes and to do His own will.

Sometimes it is discipline: This is one teaching that is avoided and almost forgotten in our day:  The reason being that preachers are afraid of the “J” word in our day.  Sin must be judged.  Sin shall be judged, and discipline shall be administered.  Oh, there are some that will tell us that we will never sin again after we get saved;  We will be sinless if we are Christians.  This is totally untrue and unfounded hogwash.  You can not live above sin.  I remember my pastor saying that if you want to live above sin, rent a room above a pool hall.  I remember a man named Peter who cursed and denied the Lord, yet he did not lose his salvation,  he was chastised, and restored.  Another man named Paul, disobeyed the Holy Spirits many warnings not to go to Jerusalem, and was chastised, he went to Jerusalem, and was a prisoner for the rest of his life.  Oh, praise God, old sinners like us can rest on the finished work of Calvary because we can not do any works of our own to get us in.  That is why Jesus came to die for us.  He came to fulfill the law because we can not.

King David was a man after God’s own heart; The only man that scripture says this about.  King David committed some horrible sins, adultery and murder, to name the two that we are all most familiar with; and he was judged and restored, however, judgment had to be administered.  Sin had to be disciplined in the life of David.  God took the child that was born to David and Bathsheba, and David had to bury four sons by the judgment of his own mouth.

There are times in our daily lives that we suffer because we have done something that we know that God did not want us to do.  By the same token, there are those things that we have not done that God wants us to do.  There are sins of omission as well as sins of commission, and we are all guilty, and suffer discipline.  The trouble in our day is that our pride is so great that we would rather lie about our suffering and deny our guilt.  No one is ever chastised of God anymore, but everyone is tested.  “Oh, I  am being tested again.”  I am perfect and sinless and this is another test to bring that out for the world to see.  WICKED PRIDE!!! How anyone can so boldly claim to be sinless is beyond me.  Well, there is enough sin in them that they will die one day.  The word tells us that death is by sin.  If we could live above it we would live forever.

Whatever reason we find ourselves suffering, it is always ultimately for one specific purpose.

To draw us closer to Him.

What is the purpose?

To be conformed to the image of His Son.

Ezekiel 47:1-5 Waters To Swim In

Audio

Waters to swim in–Bro. James H. Knight

Ezekiel 47:1-5

Waters To Swim In

Ezekiel 47:5  “Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.”

Most of us are very familiar with the teachings of this passage of scripture.  We are familiar with the comparison that has often been made of the depth of the water in this passage with the level of  maturity of one in their walk with the Lord.

Ankle deep waters are, of course, a picture of the new convert, just getting his feet wet, just beginning to learn, to walk according to the word of God.  It is a bit noisy and agitating to trudge through ankle deep water.  When we are walking in ankle deep water we wind up splashing, throwing more into the air than we see adhering to us.

Waters to the knees is a fitting picture of one who is beginning to learn some amount of self control through continuing to grow in relationship with God.  Progress is increased though the travel seems to be slower.  Not so much confusion or mess but a more calm walk that has gone from excited haste to a content stroll into a deeper relationship with God.  This is when a person is just beginning to learn to live what they are learning, until next we see…

…the waters to the loins… picturing for us one who has been walking in the word long enough, and gotten deeply enough involved in a relationship with God that now there has begun in this christian’s life to be a showing of some labor in the word.  It is more of a labor to walk in waist deep water.

And this is about as far as we get.  Men do not seem to get past the point of their own labors for God.  Though we may hear some preach of entering those waters that are deep enough to swim in and living there, it is truly a doubtful thing that they have reached that place.  This may sound hard, coarse, unfair, but it is truth nonetheless.  How can I say this and why do I believe this?  Men ARE NOT living there as they claim.

As a child of God and as a man of God I do not believe that we have reached a time that men are living lives as those in waters to swim in.  I know people who enjoy special fellowship and communion with God, and there may be a rare few who live this life but very few and far between.  I do believe that there have been those who have gotten very close.  (Men that I have read of and read after, men like Robert Murray McChayne,  George Mueller, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and a few more.)

There are many who have been great preachers, teachers, mothers, fathers, laborers in the Lord’s work in many ways, but let’s look at the waters to swim in…There are times that we may experience some brief moments of this wonderful blessing but we don’t stay there. We only get this kind of experience on a momentary basis.

The reason that I don’t believe that men are capable of staying there when they reach one of those wonderful moments of this deep water is a simple one, Trust.  The waters to swim in speak of trust and swimming is an excellent illustration of trust, and a picture of faith.  In swimming you must learn to float.  Everyone has what is known as a buoyancy point.  That is, a point in the water at which you will float.  You may float on the surface, or a little below, but you will stay at some level in the water.  You can either learn to float, or you can struggle to keep yourself up and drown when you become exhausted.  But it is only when you learn to lie back and allow the water to hold you up that you can learn to swim.

When we can learn to trust Christ enough to lie back and rest on Him, then allow Him to carry us where He wants us to go, that is when we will be in those waters to swim in,  when we are totally yielded to Him and His will.  Though there are many who claim to be at this place, most of them are just fooling themselves.  Too many deluded souls are convinced of their wonderful godliness and this is a testimony in itself against their claims.  And if you watch, most people will show you their true colors.  Time will always tell what a person is.

We will not be at this place until we find ourselves at the place we see in this chapter of Ezekiel.  Study the rest of the chapter and you find the startling truth that Ezekiel is telling us of a heavenly vision of heaven itself.  That is where and when we will finally be in those waters to swim in.  For now, we labor in the word, and we labor in our daily lives, as we look for that blessed promise.  Those waters to swim in.  When we cease from our own labors, and are totally surrendered to His.

2 Timothy 4:16-18

2Timothy 4:16-18

At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In these few verses of scripture we see some of the most wonderful principles of our Christian lives.  The sad truth, though, is that light always shines it’s brightest in the midst of darkness.  Sometimes we fail to see the light that is there for us.  Sometimes we lose focus or direction, and it takes a time of darkness to turn us again to the light.

In our lives we find that there are times that things go well for us.  The family may all be well and healthy, the job may be going good, the bills are paid and we are comfortable, relaxed and we are enjoying life.  It doesn’t take long for us to get to the place that we are too comfortable for our own good.  It is then that the devil will begin to lure us with pleasure, treasure and entertaining distractions.  We can, if we are not careful, find ourselves letting our guard down.  When we do this then we often find a situation that we carelessly let ourselves get into and we are forced to take a stand.

It is at such times as these that we find ourselves seemingly all alone.  It is true that when the “chips are down”, so to say, men will desert us and we may find ourselves standing all alone.  In all honesty, it is almost always the case that when we have to take a stand we are, by all appearances, outnumbered, if not totally alone.  It is at such times as these that you find out who your friends truly are.  There is an old saying that if you make five true friends in your lifetime, then you have accomplished much.  It is true.  As we live our lives and experience the things that life has to teach us we learn the terrible lesson that men will forsake us.  Sometimes when circumstances of our lives require that we take a stand we find that even family will forsake us and leave us standing all alone.  Even the community that we live in will sometimes label us a fanatic and mark us as troublemakers, giving us an unsavoury reputation.

Many times people have said, “I’m with you brother, whatever happens, I’m on your side.”  Then, when the heat is on, you couldn’t find them as my pastor says, “with a search warrant.”  They will most often leave you high and dry and pray that you don’t use their name so that anyone may hear.  Yes, sometimes it gets dark and intimidating.

The apostle had come upon one of these times here.  And he takes this opportunity to show us by example, a truth that should carry us through whatever may come our way.

“Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me,”

Praises be to God that, though we fail Him daily and often, though we forget Him at times, and His word and his Blessings, He is still here with us.  He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us.  It is true.  We all fail God many times, yet He has never, nor shall He ever fail us.  We disappoint Him often, yet He has never done anything that we should be disappointed over.  As unworthy as we are, God will not cast us off nor leave us alone.  Much more, God will forgive us, restore us, and strengthen us for the trials that we face.  Knowing this, why do we so often fail to realize that He is with us when we need Him.  We will often work ourselves to death to try and overcome a situation in our lives and the whole time the Lord is right beside us asking “Why don’t you just hand that burden to me?”

Is it really so simple?

Consider that we serve the same God that…

… helped a little shepherd boy to kill a lion, a bear and a giant.  And then two hundred Philistines when seeking the king’s daughter to wife…

…helped Samson to rend a lion, to carry off the gates of Gaza on his own back, to kill a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, and to pull down a pagan temple with his bare hands…

…delivered Daniel from a den of lions…

… Shadrach, Meshach and Abedneggo from a burning fiery furnace…

On and on we could go with the list of others that God has been there for.

THIS SAME GOD IS WITH US!!!

He will give us the wisdom, the courage and the ability to do whatever He has led us to do.

We find it so easy to believe that God is blessing us when things are going well for us, it is easy to give Him the Glory when we are happy.  Why do we find it so hard to believe that He is still there when things are not going so good?

Paul reminds us in these verses that God has not forsaken us and will help us to do the work that He gives us to do.  And that for His own honor and glory.

“And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.”

WHAT A THOUGHT

WHAT A BLESSING

WHAT A PROMISE

!!!