“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:”

Many people live with the misconception that our Lord is telling a parable here.  This is far from true.  No part of this story is parable or symbolic in any way.  Jesus tells us that there “was” a “certain” rich man.  That means that this particular man did live on this earth.  Jesus could have named him if he had chosen, but he did not choose to do so.  The fact is, though, that the man lived, that he was, and that is just plain and simple fact of the word of God, “there was a certain rich man,”

We see also that he had the best that the world had to offer.  He was clothed in purple and fine linen, which were very expensive and not just anybody could afford such luxury.  He also fared sumptuously every day.  He had the best of food on his table and could take his pick of the best of that.  What a blessing that he could take the best of the best, and what a pity that he was stingy with the rest.  Isn’t that the way that many of us are? We often find ourselves with over and abundantly more than we need; instead of giving of our leftovers to someone in need, we will hoard them away to just look at and gloat over.  God help us that when we get full we don’t forget those who don’t have all that we have.  I can’t stand to see someone who has plenty of money selling something they don’t need and don’t use.  They could give it to someone in need.

This rich man was obviously like a lot of us; used what was needed and wasted the rest.

“And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus,”

Wherever you see the rich, you’re almost certain to see the poor.  Here was a poor old crippled beggar.  He couldn’t work, he couldn’t even walk.  “Which was laid at his gate full of sores,” obviously this poor old beggar was in very bad shape.

I have nothing against a man being rich, nor frugal, but to be selfish is wicked!  How much money does one man need?  Jesus said, “take no thought, saying, what shall we eat?  Or, what shall we drink?  Or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?”  God will take care of those needs if we will seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.

We have one man enjoying great wealth and another enduring great hardship.  What a contrast!  Many wealthy church members are viewed by the world as being good Christians enjoying the blessings of God.  Many poor Christians are thought to be suffering judgment of God.  Realistically, the opposite is more often the truth.  Wealth, more often than not, will come between man and God.  Wealth brings with it a great many pleasures which can get Christians distracted, sidetracked and away from God.  Poverty, sickness and persecution, more often than not, would draw a Christian closer to God and into fellowship with God.  What better way for God to bring an erring one back into line, than to allow hardship and suffering to bring us to our knees.  Maybe we have misunderstood things a little in the past.  Let us be more thoughtful and observant.

We see in verse 21, of the 16th chapter of Luke that Lazarus was desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.  Nowhere, however, do we see a charitable response from the rich man.  Isn’t it fitting that God never mentioned the rich man’s name.  How fitting, since one day God will tell him.  “I never knew you!”  It is notable that God never gives us this man’s name.  What a terrible thought to be a stranger to God.  We are until we are saved by his marvelous grace.  Though he was clothed in purple and fine linen; though he fared sumptuously every day, he was a lost man.

Lazarus, on the other hand, is mentioned by name.  God knew this poor helpless beggar and makes it plain to us that the poor man was not a bum or a freeloader.  He begged not for money, not for recognition, but for mercy, food, life.  The rich man had it in his power to help this poor, starving, invalid, but he greedily refused.  And we see that, as all men do, they both died.  We all die.  I remember hearing of a preacher counseling a lady who told him, “I’m worried about dying.”  He simply told her, “Don’t worry about it, you will one day.”  That sounds a bit humorous, but it is very true.  We will all die one day, and it doesn’t matter what we have when we die.  What does matter is Who we know when we die.  Do you know Jesus?  You will die one day.  What a precious thought that the Lord knows His own by name.

Zechariah 9:12

“Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee;”

Zechariah 9:12

If there has ever been a time that men have needed hope it is the time in which we are living.  With disasters occurring all over the world; Morality at an all-time low; and almost complete world wide apostacy, it is hard sometimes to feel just a little hope.  Whether you cast your gaze abroad or closer to home, it looks rather hopeless.  Don’t know how much worse it could get when I look at the world these days, just look at…

1.  The White House…

2.   The Court House…

3.   The School House and…

4.   The Church House…

…they all seem to be overrun with a corruption such as never seen by our forefathers.  Most of the leaders in all of these are money-grubbing, power hungry thieves and are bent on having their own way regardless of the needs and desires of the people they are supposed to be there to serve.  And the only way for there to ever come a change is for it to start at our house.  And when we look at ourselves it still seems hopeless.  We live our pitiful hurry and scurry lives full of distractions and new temptations in such a way that we fail God; it seems, more and more often.

But there is still help, there is still hope.  Even when we fall into sin and are chastised of God, according to 1Corinthians 13:13 faith, hope, and charity now abide, they are here to stay.  And because we know according to Lamentations 3:31-32 God will not cast us off forever.

In looking at Zechariah 9:12 would like us to notice first of all, its context.  In verse number nine we see that God has had Zechariah tell them about the coming of Christ which was fulfilled in Christ’s entry into Jerusalem when He was received with praise and Hosannahs by the people.  The Lord says nothing here about the rejection of Christ by the Jews.  Nor does there appear anything here about the church or the coming church age.  Yet we do see that the heathen are going to be spoken too.  Notice the words in verse 10.  “and he shall speak peace to the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” We clearly see here a reference to the bringing of the gentile nations unto God; And the offer of forgiveness.  Look again at verse 12.

“Turn you to the strong hold” speaks of invitation.  We see here invitation that is spoken to God’s chosen people, Israel, and is also available to those who are not.  It still rings forth today to all the world that will hear and heed the precious word of God and yield their hearts to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  All men are included in this invitation.  It does go out to all and to whosoever will.  Notice that it is a call to turn.  This invitation is for those that are lost and undone without God, as well as those that have come to God and are presently turned away from Him.  God calls to all.  There is no doubt that there are many who are saved by God’s marvelous Grace and headed for a home in Heaven, and yet they are turned away, facing the wrong direction.  This is a call to return to that fellowship that they once had with God.  At the same time it is a call to those who have never tasted the grace of God and have not yet known salvation.  “Turn you to the strong hold.”   Again, looking at the word turn, it simply means to change direction, to return or to repent.  That is exactly what God commands all men everywhere to do.

Notice now the time that this invitation occurs.  It is after the coming of Christ.  God does not come out and say that they are going to crucify the King when He comes, nor is there mention made here of the burial and resurrection.  But we do see the need for repentance immediately following the coming of the King.

We see the invitation to those who are God’s people in the words, “ye prisoners of hope”. A prisoner is one who is captive, contained, restrained and supposedly unable to escape.  Men can not understand or comprehend this part of salvation because men can not build a prison that is perfect and with no way to escape.  If a man can be contained hopelessly he will one day have the escape of death.  God, on the other hand does not leave this option open. All points are  covered when God saves a soul.  He is very thorough in giving everlasting life.  No question about this.  We as the children of God are exactly that, prisoners of hope.  We have been apprehended by the Grace and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption, bound for all eternity by chords of Divine Love into the heart of the Father. We are prisoners with no desire of escape, and even greater truth, no means of escape if we had the desire.  That same God who saved us will love us and never cast us aside.  He will deal with us as a father with his children, but He will never dis-inherit us.  Note what we read in Lamentations 3:31&32… “For the Lord will not cast off forever: But though He cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.” Praise God, He may chastise us as a father with a child, but He will also forgive us and take us back into fellowship.  What precious hope, for “whosoever hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure.”  It is a hope that keeps us trying to live a life pleasing unto Him.  And when we fall into sin, we are chastised and brought back.  There are those that will say, “If I believed that way I would sin all I wanted too.”  Well, I do, and then some, for I do not want to sin.  I try and live a life pleasing to God because of what He has done for me, not to try and win everlasting life, but in gratitude for everlasting life.  We also live in a fearful respect of a Father who will chastise us and bring us back in line when we sin.  We know that He will do so because Christians are warned in Hebrews 12 not to despise the chastening of God.  The writer tells us there that all that are sons are partakers, and if not partakers then are they bastards and not sons.  Those who are able to continue living a lifestyle of sin and reproach to the name of God have never experienced the saving Grace of God.

If you will remember the prodigal son…he knew that he could go back home again.  He had shamed his father, wasted all that his father had given him.  What’s more, he had nothing left to offer, no way to repay.  All he had was what was left of him self.  His pride was gone, look at him.  Living as an urchin searching for any kind of sustenance that he could simply to keep him alive; and one day he came to himself.  His first thoughts when he came to himself were to go back to the father in repentance.  He knew that his father would not turn him away.

Are you a child of God who has gotten away from where you ought to be?  Have you found yourself in some kind of trouble and finally realized that you have gotten away from God?  Then why not try something else?

“Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee;”

When the Lord speaks here of rendering double unto thee, He is not speaking of material possessions.  Look at this passage in context.  This is a spiritual message, not a carnal.  He is not speaking of carnal things and worldly possessions.  When a man was in such debt that he could not pay there would be a notice posted to outside of his house at the door or on the door.  It would declare his inability to pay his debt and that he was in debtor’s prison until his belongings could be sold and the debt paid.  If a wealthy individual had mercy and would see the man freed then he could pay the debt and the notice would be taken down and folded, then given to the man to show that his debt had been paid.

We had a debt that we could not pay, and we still sin.  There is no way for us to make up for our own weakness and failures.  Yet God, in His mercy, has promised that if we will confess our sins that He is just and faithful to forgive us our sins.  He has and will continue to render double unto us.  He reminds us that the debt has been paid, all we need to do is turn back.  He loves us and will not cast us off.  A father is a father for life.  As long as He lives, we are his if we are saved.

Acts 26:28

“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Amost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”

Paul has already stood before the Sanhedrin and was almost killed, but for the intervention of the Roman garrison at Jerusalem.  Then he was brought before Felix by the soldiers after the discovery of the plot to kill him by the number of men who had bound themselves under an oath to do so.  After  hearing Paul we know that Felix trembled and resisted the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, saying to Paul, “When I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee.”  Then Paul stood before Festus where he made his appeal to Ceaser.  And then Agrippa was told of Paul and his response was, “I would also hear the man myself,” whereupon Paul was brought before king Agrippa to be heard.

Keep in mind that Agrippa had a different outlook than did Felix, or Festus, for he was a Jew. Felix and Festus were Romans.  Agrippa was taught the scriptures and as he spoke,  Paul could sense and see the recognition of the things that he quoted of the Law and the Prophets, and he could see the understanding in the eyes of the king upon hearing the truth concerning Christ. Yet, his response was, “Almost thou persuadest me …”

That means that Agrippa was an unsaved believer.  There are multitudes of them in our churches today.  You may say, “Preacher, I thought that to believe was to be saved.”

No, friend.  You must believe to be saved, to be sure, but simple belief does not do the trick. 

Acts 8:12-23 tells us of Simon believed and was baptized into the church, yet he was not saved.

James 2:19 tells us that the devils believe and tremble.

Romans 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

It is “By Grace” and “Through Faith” that we are saved.

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.”

Hebrews 11:6 “…But without faith it is impossible to please him…”

We see also in King Agrippa another example that it is possible to resist the Holy Spirit.  Paul’s words were inspired by God and they reached deep into the heart of the king. Notice the charges that Paul made…

“For  the king knoweth…”     “…none of these things are hidden from him…”  “I know that thou believest…”

Even in our day people are just as much without excuse as Agrippa was  then.  America has a lot to answer for.

I have been told many times how many in America have never heard the gospel message.  And I still say that there are very few who have not heard in America.  The problem is that our citizens are told of it from the most negative type of controversy, but all have heard of Christmas and Easter.  I do know the origin of the two holidays and will not be drawn into an argument over these things and destroy the truth that I am trying to convey.  The truth is that almost everyone in America understands that most Christians celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas time and the Death, Burial and Resurrection at Easter. The press has made it very clear over and over that they don’t like the way that Christians seem to use these holidays to celebrate Christ.  The general public hears little more than the hostile objections of the associated press against the Christian significance of these days.  Yet it is told and that leaves all who hear without excuse.

Oh, you may say, “Preacher, show me bible to back that up, you can’t find anything in the word of God to place guilt on those that hear what the press says concerning Christianity.”

Let’s notice Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi…

Philippians 1:14-18  “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”

Most of our behavior is learned behavior.  We are taught from our youth to resist truth, honesty, fairness, and conviction! 

We see conviction  in Agrippa’s words, and still he turned away!

And we see in Paul, a heartbroken man of God, willing to suffer if need be in order to see another soul saved.

Exodus 24:1-11

And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

Exo 24:1-11

Looking at these verses, let us note just a few points of interest.  We must take note of the fact that we see a picture of the requirement of consecration concerning the things of God.  We are human, imperfect, sinful by nature, and therefore all that we touch is defiled by our own impurity.  We can not even serve God ourselves.  Jesus told his disciples that without Him they could do nothing.  The same is still true of us today.  The truth is not changed and all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags before a thrice Holy God.  Any touch of humanity serves only to defile.  Our very presence before God would be a defilement but for the consecration by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.

Note that Moses first consecrated the altar (verse 6).  He knew that there had to be a suitable place for the worship of God, for the service of God, and for the instruction of God’s people.  Except the place that we worship be sanctified, consecrated by God, then we do waste our time and our energy worshipping in the flesh and worshipping, we know not what.  Except the place of our worship be consecrated, then our worship, our service, our study is all in vain, and for self.  Only God knows best where to feed His own sheep.  We must follow Him and make sure that we are in the place of His choosing.

Next you will notice that Moses consecrated the people (verse 8).  There must be consecration of and by God within the hearts of men before they will be able to fitly and acceptably worship the wonderful God of heaven.  Still, there was a consecrated place of worship before the people were consecrated.  Yet, the people, if not prepared for this  place, would still not be able to fitly worship God. Our only approach to  God is by the Blood of Jesus Christ.  Only a saved person can truly worship, serve, or learn of Him.  Those who are not consecrated are filling our churches across our land.  Churches are becoming meeting halls for the dead and damned all across our nation.  Preachers need to get back to seeking to see people saved, rather than adding numbers to their congregation.  Where are we? Let’s consider.

Most preachers today will talk something like this.  Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?  Do you believe that He died and rose again?  Do you believe that He can save you?  Then just ask Him and He will.  Then they are shown a verse of scripture and told, well there you have it.  God said that whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  You are a Christian then.  Congratulations, we will put your name on the roll and see you Sunday morning.

These days, preachers teach that you can just answer yes to a few question, and read the prayer on the back of a card to get to heaven.  Whether they know it or not, that is what is going on all around us.  God help us to wake up.

And on the other hand we have those who go to the extreme that they will teach a person that if they have lived a good moral life, been kind to their neighbor, loved their families, been good parents, attended church regularly, read the bible, then they MUST be saved.  Oh friend.  We need to quit doing God’s work and stay out of the way of spiritual things.  We are to carry the message, and let the Holy Spirit reach the heart.  Men need to know that no matter how good they live, if the blood has never been applied, they are yet in their sins and damned to an eternity in a literal burning hell.  There must be consecration of the heart or all the good that a person can do, all the worship that they can muster, all the praise that they can give, all the bible study they can conduct, is unacceptable to God.  They will be among the many in that day that shall say “Lord, Lord,”.  They may have done many wonderful works, and cast out devils and prophesied in His name, and yet they will hear the horrible words, “Depart from me.”  If there has never been a work of consecration in the heart of the person it will end with, “I never knew you.”

We must be under a covenant relationship with God in order to worship, serve or learn of Him acceptably.

Looking at this covenant I want us to notice some things about it.  A wonderful and precious thing it is when we truly look at it as it is.  Do you remember when God made covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15?  A deep sleep fell upon Abraham and God passed through those pieces of those slain animals alone.  God and only God is responsible for this covenant.  The keeping of it rests on Him alone. I am reminded of one of my favorite verses of scripture when I read this passage about God’s covenant with Abraham.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Rom 5:8

We had absolutely nothing to do with what God did for us.  We had no input into the action that God took on our behalf.  God Himself came to this earth as a man so that He could die in our place. He gave Himself the sacrifice for our sins and then 2000 years later, He showed me what He had done.  Oh, praise  His name.  He commended His love toward me.  That means that whether I accepted it or not He was willing to do it for me.  Oh, friend, what a precious truth that is for us to grasp after.  What a precious thought that He loved us this much.  Praise be to God for His Love wherewith He loved us.  God made the promise, all Abraham had to do was accept it.  God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves and He has promised us eternity if we will accept His precious gift of Love.  He did it all and He will not take it back, and we cannot lose it once we have accepted it.

Before I get ahead of myself, let us notice the order of things in the passage that we are studying.

FIRST: Moses went and made  intercession for  the people.  He appeared before God with sacrifice and in prayer for the people.

Jesus Christ did this very thing for us.  It was impossible for us to get to God except one first appear in our behalf.  Notice Jesus prayer of intercession on our behalf in John 17.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Joh 17:20

And look at another one of my favorite passages of scripture,

Eph 2

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by (grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.

Those of us who are not Jews had no hope of ever being able to approach God.  We were without God in the world, without hope.  Read that chapter again, “Having no hope!”  Then the blessed Saviour made intercession and sacrifice for us and we are now made nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Hallelujah.  Now look at John 14:1-6.  He went to prepare a place for us.  He didn’t go just in case, but to prepare a place.  And a place is not prepared of God without someone to belong to it.  We have a place in heaven and He is coming back to receive us that we may be there with Him forever, Amen!

SECOND: After the work intercession and sacrifice were done, then there was the publishing of the word that it was provided for us freely to accept and be forever His adoring beneficiaries.  He told His disciples to go unto all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  The GOSPEL!!!  The good news!  A lamb was slain, the Innocent for the guilty, PRAISE GOD!!!  What a joy to proclaim this precious truth for all the world to hear.

Jesus

Sweet, sweet rose of Sharon, and hopeful dew of Spring.

The sweetest name ere known to man

Compels my heart to sing.

Oh, let me sing thy praises loud, and sound abroad the call.

God has sent His precious Son

To die for one and all.

Though not in debt to us at all, and with naught of us to gain,

Jesus came from heaven’s throne,

The Lamb of God was slain.

Oh, Jesus, let me speak thy name.  Tis sweet to speak of thee.

And thank you for your promise

That you’re coming back for me.

by:

Pastor James H. Knight

And THIRD:  We see the gift freely given.  Moses consecrated them because they were willing.  The gift is freely given to men who, upon receipt of it are consecrated and made able to meet with and commune with God.  Look at those next verses.  These people met God!

By the same token, upon the accepting of God’s offer of salvation that has been bought and paid for by the sacrifice of His Precious Son, we are granted the wonderful communion of the Precious God who gave Himself for us.  And one day we will meet this Glorious God whom we serve, face to face.  What a blessed thought, to see God.

Let us notice also, how important this covenant principle is to us.  In verse 3 they committed themselves to this new covenant relationship with God.  This covenant offered to the of and by God and God alone.  We know how Israel has throughout history failed God time and again, been judged of God, repented, been blessed, and failed again.  We are familiar with the fact that they did not keep their end of the covenant.  But, wait a minute.  What was their end of this covenant?  They did not have one.  The truth is that they are still God’s chosen people and they will yet inhabit the land that God promised to Abraham.  It shall be as God promised.  Look with me at Malachi 3:6.

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Mal 3:6

GOD HAS NOT CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE.  HE SHALL YET SEE HIS PROMISE FULFILLED TO ABRAHAM.

Look now at Romans 11:25-29,

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Rom 11:25-29

The gifts and calling of God are without repentance, and all Israel shall be saved, “as it is written.”  Praise God, it shall be as He has promised.

This truth is especially precious to us if we look at Romans 5:6-9.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom 5:6-9

And in 1John 4:9-10

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1Jn 4:9

God never consulted with me whether I wanted Him to pay the price for my sin, I did not have any idea about it at all but He loved me and because He loved me He gave Himself to die for me.  Then He sent me word one day about this precious, free, wonderful, beautiful, gift and I accepted it, whereupon I was consecrated by the Blood of Jesus Christ and because of His work finished at Calvary I am saved once for all, for time and eternity.  Yahoo!! And now according to Romans 8:1 I will never again be condemned, according to John 3:16 He gave me everlasting life,(which does not end), and according to John 6:37 I will never be cast out from Him again, and in Ephesians 2:6 He already sees me there with Him in heaven.  You can’t get any more secure than that.  Praise God for this wonderful gift.  Hallelujah.

Praise be to God for His covenant for He fails not, nor does He change at all.

Now notice verses 9-18.

They saw, communed with, dined with, and spoke with God.

The same God that

1.   walked with Adam

2.   met with Abram  at Mamre

3.   wrestled with Jacob at the Ford Jabokk

4.   fought for Joshua at Jericho

Are you in consecrated, covenant relationship with God?  Are you saved?

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 thoroughly. 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 agains 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.

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.

Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations ,there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2Corinthians 12:7-10

In looking at this passage of scripture we find an issue of a great deal of controversy. It should not be such, but due to the pride of men and the foolish assumption that any one of us is any more able to interpret or understand scripture, many forbid themselves the hearing of another’s idea, no matter how realistic or honest they may be. Being a fairly young man I often run into trouble with this sort of thing. Honestly studying a scripture and presenting what could very well be the truth of a matter is looked down upon in our day. If it was not written by another “Doctor” of theology or some famous preacher then it is totally un-acceptable. It fails to occur to many preachers that some of the greatest works in Christian literature came from some men who were known to be “unlearned and ignorant men”. With this thought in mind, let us look at the verses before us.

In studying the life and ministry of the apostle Paul from the time of his conversion one would be correct in saying that he would be a man to follow as he followed Christ. Paul was one of those saints that we all can look at and say, “Wow! I wish I could be like him.” And with that in mind, I can not bring myself to believe that such a great man of God as Paul would have been greatly discouraged by a mere physical infirmity. He was willing to suffer and gladly for the sake of the carrying of the gospel. To think that he would have set down and pouted over his believed bad eye-sight or possibly a stooped back; Whatever physical infirmity he may have suffered, would be to completely destroy the character of a man so willing to suffer happily for his Lord. Paul would not have been discouraged by such a trifling thing as bad eye-sight, a limp, a fever, a stooped back. No, he would have taken it in stride and kept going for the Glory of God. What could have been that thorn in the flesh, then.

Knowing that I have already found a number of brethren who just can’t stand to hear this type of thing because they all have their idea already as to what that thorn was. I will give my own idea. And because it was not in one of their commentaries which do more for most preachers today than does the word of God, it is written off as unacceptable. If we as preachers would spend less time reading after other men, get in the word of God, read, meditate and pray we might learn some things. How did they learn I wonder? By reading? Oh! You think? Well, by reading and following God and using some common-sense in studying the word of God let us look at just a couple of things in these verses. (keeping in mind that I am not arguing that Paul had some physical infirmities such as the ones already mentioned, I believe he did myself.)

In looking at what Paul said about this thorn in the flesh, he told us some things about it that are over-looked. He said that it was the messenger of Satan. Last I understood, Satan is a spirit. The flesh, as well is not a reference to the physical body at all times. It is often a reference to human nature. In this case, and with the character of Paul in mind it would stand to reason that this would be an infirmity that went far beyond the physical body. If we look at the messenger too we will see that it is a spiritual being and it would stand to reason that it would be a spiritual attack. This attack on the flesh (human nature and emotions) could easily bring about physical symptoms. This is known as a physiological illness. It is a physical illness that results from psychological conditions. In considering these facts, it is not at all unreasonable to believe that Paul’s thorn in the flesh may have been internal.

I would like to submit, into consideration, (among the opinions of all the preachers who have willingly voiced their opinions) the theory that Paul’s thorn in the flesh could have been memory. Of course I know that they would be constantly brought up by the messenger of Satan. But it still remains a great possibility that said messenger was reminding the apostle Paul in many of the places that he preached. “There is the son of a couple that I imprisoned, there is the wife of the man that I dragged out of his house and stoned to death, and there is the husband of a woman I had scourged to death.” Oh, the anguish that this one-time persecutor of Christians must have been in when he stood to preach to familiar faces, whom he now loved so much that he would have eagerly given his life for. No wonder he besought the Lord thrice to remove it. It would do us good to think of this and remember that we do reap what we sow. Our sins do follow us. Nag at us. Haunt us. It is part of our flesh, our human nature. We know that we are forgiven if we are saved. But Satan knows our past and will try to torment us with our memories. To let this thought go by un-noticed in this passage of scripture is careless and irresponsible.

Acts 16:6-11

Waiting on God

Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;

Act 16:6-11

In our midweek study we have been going through the book of Acts and tonight I want us to notice a few things in particular about the passage before us. In looking at this study tonight I want us to pay close attention to the way that these men waited for the moving of the Holy Spirit before they committed to a moving of themselves in the ministry.

Many times we hear that we should do nothing while we wait for God to give us something to do. That could not be farther from the truth. We always have something to do where we are. If we honestly could not find anything else to do there is always a great need for prayer warriors to press the battle into the devil’s territory. No one is ever at a place where there is nothing that they can do to serve God. And in looking at these great men we see that they were busy about serving God where they were. Oh, yes, we may prefer to do something else, or to be somewhere else, but until God moves us we should stay right where we are and serve God here to the best of our ability. God will move us when He gets good and ready. Notice these men, serving while they waited for the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Many a preacher will discourage himself by refusing to serve where he is. A man may prefer to be here or there, or to be doing this or that, but God doesn’t wonder what He wants us to do or where He wants us to go. He already has a plan and we must simply wait for His time to do His will in His way that we might receive His blessings. Notice verse 7, “But the Spirit suffered them not”. The word suffer used in this sense, means “permit”. This tells us that the Holy Spirit would not permit them to go where they wanted to go. God already had a place for them to go. God was not wanting them to go into Asia. So, Paul stayed in Galatia for a time. This was around 51 or 52 A.D. and Paul stayed with the church where he was. (Phrygia and Galatia were the same land. It was once occupied by the Phrygians but was now also inhabited by the Gauls, (Cauls, Celts).

Notice again that the Spirit suffered them not.

1. Sometimes we are in doubt as to what God would have us to do.

2. Sometimes it may be clear what God would have us do, even though we would rather do otherwise.

3. And sometimes it is just unclear what God would have us do and we must wait where we are.

4. Still, sometimes we may have to make a move in order to know God’s will.

It is not always clear just what God wants us to do; At least not to us. And it is in these times of wondering that God is testing us and we sometimes must simply move to know which way to go. I remember a preacher once telling me about buying a bus for the ministry. He was under the impression that the bus had power steering. When he bought the bus without test driving it, he was upset when he found it was difficult to turn the wheel. Upon returning to the man who sold him the bus and making his complaint known the man explained to him what he had. The bus was equipped with “power-assisted” steering. The man was trying to turn the wheel in the direction he wanted to travel while he sat still. The man told him that he must give it some gas and start forward, then the steering would be assisted by the power of the engine pumping the steering system. He had to get going to get the power he needed. Well, sometimes serving God is like that. Sometimes we have to just get going in order to find out exactly what God has in store. You may ask me for a good bible example of this truth. I’m glad you asked. Abraham heard God say,

“Get thee out of thy country, and from they kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:”

And Abram went. He did not know where he was going when he moved, but He knew that God wanted him to move, and he got busy.  Fully knowing God’s will was contingent upon the obedience to the command.  Abraham had to move to learn.

We do have a guideline to follow in any and all instances of our service to God and in our lives. We find this guideline in Romans 14:23b. “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Notice the simplicity of this statement.

1. Whatsoever and that means anything that is not of faith, any action we commit, any word we speak, any desire we seek to satisfy, any act of service, anything that we can not do by faith is a sin for us to do.

2. is not of faith and this means that if we can not do this or that without that inner peace that comes with knowing that this is the perfect Will of God our Father then it is sin. If you do something and you are in a turmoil over it, in doubt as to whether or not to do it, then it is sin for you to do it. Wait on God.

3. is sin it is sin! It can not be much plainer than that. If you can not do something by faith, in comfort and with the peace of God in your heart, then it is a sin for you to do that.

There is no room left for doubt as to just what this passage of scripture means. It is simple truth. Paul knew that he could not go to Asia because the Spirit would not allow him, would not permit him to go.

[NOTE] Romans 8:14

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Notice what we learn from this verse. Look at the last half of that verse. “They are the sons of God.” Who are the sons of God? As many as are led by the Spirit.

Look now at Romans 8:14-17 together…

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Rom 8:14

1. We are garunteed guidance in verse 14

2. By the same Spirit by which we know that we belong to God

3. And it is for our good, and God’s Glory

The question may be brought up as to why God would not let them go to Asia and to preach in Bythinia. God needs answer to no one as to Himself or His actions. God knows the hearts of men both as individuals and collectively. God already had a plan for Paul and it required that they go to Macedonia. (Verses 9-11)

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;

Act 16:9-11

Paul and those with him wanted to go to Asia and to preach to them the word of God. Why did God not allow them to god there as they desired? Did not God love those of Asia and want to see them receive the gospel? Of course God loves all people, yet God already had a plan for Paul and He was leading Paul in the way that He would have him to go. Notice what took place because these men were sensitive to the moving and leading of the Holy Spirit.

Verses 12-015

And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Act 16:12-15

This was Paul’s memorable trip to Philippi. There was a “certain” woman there. Notice some things here. In verse 12 we see that they arrived at Philippi and were there certain days, but when the Sabbath day came along notice, they had no synagogue to attend worship. What did they do? They went to the river where prayer was wont to be made. Here in this city with no place to worship the True and Living God there were a handful of souls getting together to pray to the God of Heaven by the river there out of the way and God had already purposed to send this great man of God Paul down there to them and let them receive of him the word of God. Here they were, the bible says, praying to God, perhaps for someone to guide them in knowing this God that they were seeking and God heard their prayer from heaven and answered that prayer by sending them what they stood in need of. And notice that “certain” woman. It was no accident that she was there, and it was no accident that Paul was there. God had this certain woman in mind the whole time. Hallelujah to God, He had us in mind when we did not know Who He was. He had us in mind before we ever knew we were lost. He had us in mind!

In looking at verses 14 and 15 we see the work of God being done, and it was all because of the leading and the working of the Holy Spirit. Now there was a church in a city where no church was before. Now there was a local congregation and the place for worship was there among them, whether it be at the river, or at the house of Lydia.

Next, look at verse 16. You will see a “certain damsel”. Oh, friend, how precious a truth it is that God has the individual in mind. Salvation is not a group action, like a class action law-suit. God works with individuals. Here we see just another picture of one for whom the Lord went out of the way , and in the following verses she receives just exactly what she needs from these disciples of God who were willing to wait for the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Every step of the way, we see that Paul and the disciples with him were needed here. He may have wanted to go into Asia, but God had work for him here and now. There were many to be blessed and God was working now. Notice that the young damsel was possessed; She had a devil. As she followed these men she was mocking them and persisted in doing so publicly until Paul could take no more and He turned and cast that devil out of her. I truly believe that the young lady got saved then and there. Notice what is said in verse 19. Her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone. There was no way they would ever make money of her again. She was a new person, a different person, useless in the work of this bunch of devils. Praise God! The young woman was now a child of God.

And next we see that Paul and his company are forced to suffer for the cause of Christ; All the while maintaining the testimony of children of God, and all of this for serving God when and where God wanted them to be.

We also often fail to realize that God may lead us through hard times. Well, here they are, in God’s will and suffering persecution. Look at the outcome now in the following verses. Paul and Silas are in the stocks, in the dungeon, and singing praises to God. No doubt the jailor must have fallen asleep hearing these men singing. Imagine when he awoke and was about to take his own life until Paul called to him. This jailor came into the prison to them and fell down and begged for salvation. Oh, friend, that was a “certain jailor”. HALLELUJAH!!! They had suffered yes, but look at the reward! In verse 34 we see now that there are more added to the household of faith. Now there is a church at Philippi. Isn’t it a blessing what God will do with us and for us if we will simply follow Him?

Sometimes we need to remember that we are just servants. We have a master and our will is to be to do the will of our master. When we are willing to put our own desires and longings aside, and focus our attention upon His desires, then we can realize the great blessings that He will bestow upon them that are faithful. Sometimes we could accomplish great things if we would just learn to be faithful in the little things, like waiting on God. What if Paul had simply run to Asia? Look at what he might have missed.

1. Lydia and her family got saved.

2. A young woman was freed from a devil and saved

3. That jailor and his family got saved

4. When they moved on there was a church where there had been none before that time

5. We have the beginning of the church to which Paul wrote a beautiful letter which is still one of the books of the New Testament

Sometimes it pays to wait on God.

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Waiting on God Acts 16

Genesis

Lesson 26

Genesis 22:1

Before us is one of the most, if not the most well-known pieces of bible history in Christendom.  Even many false religions will recognize that Abraham offered up his son as a sacrifice to God.  The Catholics, Jews, and the Muslims all recognize this fact as we do.  Though the muslims claim that it was Ishmael instead of Isaac, they do still recognize this act by Abraham.  The offering up of his son to God is, therefore, a widely recognized and accepted act of obedience on the part of Abraham.

The first thing that may catch you attention is the way the verse opens.

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham.”

This was not an occasion to sin instigated by Satan, but a test, intended to prove Abraham.  We know that God does not tempt us according to James 1:13.  God does not tempt us to sin.  God does, however, test us.  He will try our faith and our obedience.

The word tempt in the verse before us is translated from the Hebrew word “naw-saw’” and it means to test.  The devil will tempt you to commit sin, will put sin before you in an attempt to cause you to fall.  God will not put sin before you.  He commands you to abstain from it.  Testing will draw you closer to God, yielding to temptation pulls you away from God.

It is also worth noting that God called Abram out of a pagan land; Has led him through years among the pagan nations all about him.  People all about him were making such sacrifices to their false gods.  God was testing Abraham to see if he loved his God as much as they loved theirs.

We need to remember that Abraham has been living in the land of the Philistines.  He is a known man in this country, it will be noticed when he sets out on his journey and inquiry will be made.  Scripture has already been careful in our study of Abraham thus far to remind us that he is being watched “the Canaanite was then in the land.”  And “the Canaanite and the Perizzite were then in the land.”  They had seen him, Philistia had seen him, and now he was on the move.

If you will notice not in verse 34 of the previous chapter, Abraham still dwelt in Philistia when God tested him in this way.  He was still in the land where he had lied to the king about Sarah his wife.  He was still not in the land that he was supposed to be in.  But we see that God moves in his life, though he is not perfect.

But let’s notice now, Abraham’s trial here.  His test by God was just that, a trial…

a.  His hope was set on Isaac as the medium through which God’s promise would be fulfilled, and he had been watching him grow to young manhood.  And now God was proving Abraham’s faith.

b.   By this trial, God was testing Abraham’s fear of God, and his faith in God.  Remember that we have already noted in the past that untried faith is not faith at all.  But after trial is sure to come blessing.  Abraham was blessed after this test

(1)   he attained attestation from heaven of his fear of and his faith in God in verse 12

(2)   he obtained a new revelation of Messiah as the atoning surety.  He saw in a figure or representation, a picture of what Jesus was going to do for us.

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” John 8:56

This tells us of the fact that God showed Abraham a picture of Calvary, in the offering up of Isaac.  Abraham understood by what he saw, exactly what God had planned concerning Christ and Calvary.  Notice Hebrews 11:17-19.

And Romans 4:20 tells us that Abraham did not have a weak, wishy-washy type of faith.  Abraham trusted God.

Many preachers speak of Abraham as tossing and turning all night, arguing with God; trying to dispute the command to offer up Isaac.  According to the word of God in Hebrews 11:19 this is absolutely not so.  The word of God clearly tells us that He knew God was able to give him back from the dead if need be.  He did not prolong things in argument or protest with the Lord but did as he was told and hastily, he rose up early to get started on the way.

Now let us look at the picture which Abraham saw.  There are those who will tell you all that things that they have researched dug out, but usually it is just a more complicated way that they prefer to tell their view in order not to be outdone.  The simplicity of God’s word is complicated enough.  No need to take matters further.  In light of scripture this is when and where Abraham saw the Lord’s day and rejoiced.

“And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” (22:5)

Here we see a picture of the fact that what took place upon the mount of sacrifice was between father and son only.  The same as Calvary, the business conducted upon the cross at Calvary was between Father and Son only.  Thus there was darkness upon the face of the earth when Jesus was upon the cross suffering judgment for us.

It is also notable that nothing is said of Sarah in this portion of scripture.  All that transpires is between father and son and they must be alone.  Abraham and Isaac must be alone.

In their journey to the place that Abraham can see their destination two, “young men” accompany Isaac, but as they near the scene of sacrifice they are left behind.  Two is the number of witness.  These men witnessed Isaac carrying the wood on his shoulder but what took place him and his father at the altar they were not permitted to see.

At Calvary there were two thieves who witnessed what transpired but like all else there, they were not permitted to see what transpired between the Father and the Son.  God put out the lights of heaven for three hours and hid from every human eye what took place between Himself and His precious Son.  No one was permitted to watch as Jesus paid for  our sins.

“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son.” (22:6)

“This was no half grown boy (as pictures so often represent Isaac), but a full grown man who is here brought before us, one who could, had he so wished, have easily resisted the old patriarch.  But instead of resisting, Isaac quietly follows his father.  There is no voice of protest…but he carries the wood on his own shoulder.” A.W.Pink

What a picture of what Jesus did for us on Calvary!  “Lo, I come to do thy will , O God.”  “I delight to do thy will” Christ and His Father’s will were of one accord.

Our text says “And they went both of them together.”  And of course, the wood upon Isaac was a picture of the Cross upon the shoulders of our Lord as He carried it up the hill for us.

“And he took the fire in his hand and a knife; and they went both of them together,” Here, as everywhere in the scripture, fire represents divine judgment.  It expresses the wrath of God against sin.  This pictures judgment that the Father poured out upon the sin-bearer at Calvary.  It was there that the Father took the fire and the knife and dealt with our sin in the body of His Precious Son.

Hebrews 11:17-19  tells us that the offering up of Isaac not only presents for a us a picture of Christ being offered upon the cross but also being raised from the dead.  Great commentators have said and rightly so for many years that the word of God is the best commentary upon itself.  There is no question as to accuracy when we find that scripture interprets scripture.  With men there is room to doubt but with scripture there is no argument.  Therefore we see that Abraham saw Christ’s day in the day that he offered up Isaac upon Mt. Moriah.

Genesis 22:6-13

Abraham’s Trial

The spiritual history of Abraham was marked by four great crises, each of which involved the surrender of something which was naturally dear to him.

1.   he was called upon to separate himself from his native land and his kindred (Genesis 12:1)

2.   he was called upon to give up Lot (Genesis 13:1-18)

3. he had to abandon his cherished plan about Ishmael (Genesis 17:17-18)

4.   God bade him offer up Isaac as a burnt offering.

The life of the believer is a series of tests, for only by discipline can Christian character be developed.  Frequently there is one supreme test, in view of which all others are preparatory.  So it was with Abraham.  He had been tested again and again, but never as here. God’s demand is, “Son, give me thine heart (Prov. 23:26).  It is not our intellect, our talents, our money, but our heart, God asks for first.  When we have responded to God’s requirement, He lays his hand on something especially near and dear to us, to prove the genuineness of our response, for God requireth truth in the inward parts and not merely on the lips.  Thus He dealt with Abraham.” A.W.Pink

In looking back at verse one of this chapter we see that it was “after these things” that God tested Abraham; or, in other words, after 25 years of waiting, after he had been repeatedly promised seed by God.  After Abraham had finally lived through the hope of the promised seed and was now enjoying the reality of the promise that had been fulfilled and he joyed in the presence of his son Isaac, now a young man.  Abraham may even have thought that at the birth of Isaac his trials were at an end.

Now he was told to take his son and offer him a sacrifice by his own hands.  Here Abraham is with this beloved son carrying the wood that, as far as Abraham was aware, was intended for his own sacrifice upon the altar.  And Abraham with the knife and the fire in his own hands when Isaac asked “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

Imagine what a test this was to Abraham’s faith. Not only was Isaac his son, but he was the promised seed, the one in whom all the great things concerning the seed were to be fulfilled. When Abraham was called to give up Ishmael, hew was told why (Genesis 21:12).  In the command to give up Isaac he was given no reason, no explanation, simply a command.  In doing this Abraham was offering his one and only son, the object of his faith.

We don’t see any doubt or delay, we see no reluctance or hesitation in Abraham’s response to God’s command.  There is no opposition either from natural affection or unbelief, instead we see total submission in Abraham to the will of God.  It was after this trial that Abraham came to know God as the Lord who would provide.  And it is only by passing through trials that we learn of God,  His Grace, His Faithfulness, and His Sufficiency.

Genesis

Lesson 25

 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. Gen 21:8

In our last study we looked at the birth of Isaac.  We noted how that his birth was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham of 25 years before.  So we note that this is something that they have been waiting 25 years to realize.

Imagine the joy in the camp at this feast.  Abraham was the head of this group of hundreds, possibly thousands of people by now and he had called for a celebration because his son, born of Sarah, Isaac, had come to childhood from his infancy.  The joy and the merriment of that festival was enormous.

Isn’t that the way it is when God grants us great blessing?  There is great joy in our hearts when we find ourselves so blessed of God.  There may have been a time that God has done some great thing in your life and you were enjoying it greatly and then, notice verse 9.

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Gen 21:9

Here we have a bible example  that we can be sure our sins will find us out.  Isn’t it strange that even in this joyful celebration of the blessing of God, something can happen to us in the to bring us crashing down again in the reality of our lives.

In our previous studies we looked at how Abraham had been weak in faith and sought children through Hagar, and this at the request of Sarah, his wife.  We looked at how they had sought to gain, or obtain, in the flesh, something that only God could do.  This was sin,  just as  it is for us to seek to work up blessings instead of waiting on God to do His work in His own time.

Now before us is Sarah, in a time of blessing and joy when suddenly she is reminded of sins of the past.  She looks up from the celebration feast before her and sees the result of past sin in the child Ishmael.  We have seen before that old sins are like old sores; if not dealt with properly they are apt to break out on you again.

Repentance is very important in the life of a child of God and it is often the first part of Christianity that is forgotten.  No where have we read that Sarah was repentant of this sin.  We have seen that she admitted, or confessed her wrongdoing…

And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.

Gen 16:5

…but not the slightest hint of repentance.  Instead she was spiteful, resentful, even vengeful over her own wrong-doing.  She even tried to put it off on Abraham in 16:5.  That is not the proper way to deal with sin.

But she is reminded of her sin in the mockery of the child Ishmael in verse 9 before us.  Her unrepented sin mocking her while enjoying the blessing of God.  And what did it do?  It robbed her of the present joy in her situation.  Nor did she go to God with a broken heart in repentance but she proved the truth of the old saying that “Misery loves company.”  She shared her misery with her husband, and upset him.

Have you ever noticed that you can find yourself paying the price for some wrong and you are the last person you think to blame for it?  The first thing that we do is claim that we are being attacked by the devil.  He gets the blame for a lot of things that he has nothing at all to do with.

I know a man who sustained damage to the roof of his house in a sever storm.  He suffered very minor damage while many others were left in dire straits.  In an attempt to take unfair advantage of the insurance company he climbed up on his roof and nailed plastic over his house.  Literally “nailed” the plastic down; thereby doing more damage himself than the storm did.  “Be sure your sin will find you out.”  The insurance company did not give what he had applied for.  This was clearly the result of his own sinful conduct but was he repentant?  Of course not.  He felt that he had been unfairly mistreated, though he knew that he had been dishonest all along.  He suffered for his own folly, as most of us often do.

Abraham and Sarah has unjustly tried to work out what God had promised to do for them.  Now their sin was staring them in the face.

The insurance company was willing to replace the storm damaged roof, but would not satisfy the man’s own greed for a much more expensive roof than he had before, and it cost him.  The insurance policy was just what he needed and was going to take care of it but he wanted more.  We all get that way sometimes in our business transactions with the world.  We are all guilty.

Look also at who suffered the most for the sins of Abraham and Sarah.  We have studied before how that the innocent suffer for sin.  We see this truth played out so often, and in many places, by many means.

Young children suffer abuse and neglect all around us.  We see drunkards and drug addicts feeding their habits and desires while spouses and children starve or freeze.  We see good people trying to make their way in this world by working hard and dealing justly who are victimized by thieves, vandals or gossip.  Though they may have done nothing to deserve what they suffer, yet they are the victims of sin in the lives of others.  There are refugees the world over who have lost all their worldly possessions for no wrong that they had done.  They were simply between two who were at war.  People starve in nation’s that are under the judgment of God for the rejection of Christ.  The innocent suffer for sin.

36 men died for Achan’s sin, more than 50,000 died because a few peeked into “The Ark of God,” the child of David’s adulterous affair died.  Hagar was a slave.  Abraham and Sarah received her from Pharoah when they went down into Egypt.  She had no choice in the matter of Abraham’s going in unto her in order to have children.  And, of course, Ishmael had nothing to do with it at all.  But they suffered for the sin of Abraham and Sarah.

Genesis 22:1

In our previous study we looked at the birth of Isaac and we looked at verses 1-20 briefly.  In looking then at verses 22 to the end of the chapter we see a picture of a child of God’s relationship with the world.

Notice verse 22… “God is with thee in all that thou doest.”  This is the thought of Abimelech.   We often forget that the world is watching us even when we are not watching ourselves.  The world see’s us when we forget they are there.  And amazingly enough, the world can tell the difference between a hypocrite and the real thing.

We are surrounded on all sides by this crowd who is saying, “I ain’t ‘sposed to judge nobody.”  But even the world has sense enough to use good judgment.  The only ones that won’t today are th superspirituals.

We see from the words of Abimelech  that he could see God’s blessings on the life of  Abraham.  This tells us some things…

a) even the world knows there is a God though they may deny it and refuse to accept Him or His word.

b) the world knows that there is difference between us and them.  These days it is the church that has forgotten that fact.

c) the world does not find the presence of those who are real to be undesirable.  Notice, he did not ask Abraham to leave the land.  He asked Abraham for justice. (remember that Abraham has already lied to him once about Sarah.)

d) Abimelech knew that God was with Abraham.  God Himself had told him so.  That same God will move on your behalf.  And when God does move on your behalf, the world knows this.  Abimelech knew that God was blessing Abraham and that as long as Abraham was in his land that he too would be blessed.

Something else very much worth taking note of is the working relationship between God’s people and the world.  Notice verse 24, “And Abraham said, I will swear.”  He took an oath of honesty and kindness.

This was not an expectation from Abimelech, nor an acceptance by Abraham of a requirement for conformity.  Abraham was a stranger in a strange land.  A pilgrim.  He was different.  He would continue to be different but he would dwell in the land peaceably.

These days the church has lost it’s grip on this truth of basic bible doctrine.  We are different, we think differently.  Though in the world, we are not “of” the world.  The world understands this, it is the church this day and time that does not.  The church has dropped the ball these days and is hard to recognize in the world.  It is no wonder that  the world has lost it’s respect for the church.

Matthew Henry wrote that “Religion does not make men morose and unconversabale; I am sure it ought not; We must not, under colour of shunning bad company, be sour to all company, and jealous of everybody.  An honest mind does not startle at giving assurances: If Abraham say that he will be true to Abimelech, he is not afraid to swear it.  An oath is for confirmation.”  We should be this way but not to the point of compromise.  We are different and are to appear different.

Abraham shows us a picture of this honesty and kindness that he has sworn to Abimelech in his first transaction hereafter.  Note verse 35.  First order of business was reproof.

In living a life of honesty and kindness here in this world we must remind ourselves constantly that the kindest thing we can do is tell the truth.  Reprove when we must.

This easy-believism society that we live in is neither kind, nor just.  If you have just come out of a dark alley wounded and robbed, it would be cruel to smile and allow passersby to enter that same alley with those same dangers and robbers to suffer the same fate as you have.  If would be wrong to allow anyone else to suffer this way without warning.

Religion today is teaching our youth to dress like the world, act like the world, talk like the world, in order to win the world.  That  is just the same as smiling and happily waving to the world and allowing them to go on in a life of darkness which you profess that God has delivered you from.

You can not bait a hook with the world in order to drag the world out of hell.  If they are already in the world, just throwing more worldly things to them is going to keep them happy in the world.

We are to be honest and kind.  And the kindest  thing to do is don’t give the world something that will keep them satisfied where they are.  Let your life be a reproof.  Don’t give back ground to the devil, stand up and be what God would have you to be.

1.   Abraham swore kindness and honesty

2.   was willing to work in his own life, “digged a well”

3.   was willing to stand up for what he had, “water”

4.   was willing to pay the price to keep it

Are you?