Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago, when I became a Christian, and was baptized by submersion, I found a fluffy cat that I decided to bring home. For some reason, I named him Zoe. He was was a long-haired and extremely furry cat who really enjoyed when you would run your fingers through his hair. Each morning when my alarm went off, reminding me to get out of bed, Zoe would crawl up in between my wife and I. From what I remember, my wife explained that Zoe would constantly try to wake her up by pounding her on the head with his paw, or licking her until he eventually aroused her from her sleep. He was relentless and would continue this behavior until she eventually got out of bed, and got up to make breakfast. When she finally left, Zoe would come up to me and curl up in my arms, in an attempt to show me that his love for me was greater than any other, even greater than my own wife. He only wanted to be near me.
This reminds me of the Christian life.
Although I love my wife dearly, and we have laughed about this story, the love from this cat was unprecedented, reminding me that our love for God needs to be greater than any other relationship in our lives. This cat was willing to push my own wife out of the way in order to attain access unto me, which is the same way we all should feel towards Christ Jesus. I learned that our love for God has to be greater than anything else in this world. Very similar to my cat’s love for me, each of us need to love the Lord Jesus more than any other relationship that we could ever possess. It must be greater than your wife, greater than your children, greater than your neighbor, greater than your own mother. Obedience to the will of God is the proof of our love towards Him.
Matthew 10:34-37 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
To make oneself unworthy of eternal life, all one needs to do is to love relatives and family members more than the truth of scripture. As we grow up in an earthly family, there are going to be close daily relationships that develop each day, because of your close proximity to them. These relationships can never hold a candle to our loving obedience and faithfulness to Christ our Lord. It isn’t your wife, your brothers or sisters, or even your children who were nailed to a cross in Jerusalem. Although we love and care deeply for family members, we must understand that some of them are simply not going to have what it takes to inherit eternal life. This is because they don’t love the commands of Christ, because of which, without repentance, they will be damned.
Matthew 8:21-22 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
People will eventually die upon this earth, but while they were here, some never became converted and born again through the truth of scripture. They never truly repented and walked according to God’s will, while they had the opportunity to do so. They really didn’t love Christ and humbly submit to His commands and teachings. Such will be raised up at judgment day, only to be damned to a lake of fire, along with the false prophets that some off them choose to follow.
Such are ear-ticklers, who advise the simple-minded that they are on their way to heaven, while the truth is, both they and those who follow them are on the wide road to hell. Ear ticklers don’t preach the truth, although many of them claim to. They want your money. They want your possessions. They want your children and your family. They are thieves, stealing what belongs to you and will receive the greater damnation. They are agents of the devil. They claim to preach the truth, but God is watching them and their lying hearts. Sudden destruction will come upon them, both here upon the earth, and then they are raised up to damnation at judgment day.
Blood relatives don’t matter a hill of beans in the Christian life. It doesn’t matter if your dad was a famous preacher. It doesn’t matter if your dad was a pastor. We do not inherit eternal life because of the lives of others, but because of our own own obedience and eventual submission to the will of God in Christ. If you don’t submit to the will of God, it doesn’t matter who you were related to. Scripture clearly teaches that we are supposed to be completely unconcerned with genealogies and family trees. The thing that matters at judgment day, is if you served God’s purpose and became a part of His family through faith in His Word. It doesn’t matter who you are related to, or the life that others have lived, what matters is what you do, and how you lived your own life. Some people worship their mommy rather than God.
Matthew 12:46-50 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
As children grow up in a home, they are required by Christ to obey their parents. God has placed a dad in the house as the head over the entire home. If a wife departs and takes the children from the dad, she violates the command of Christ. To depart your husband is the same as murder in the eyes of God. She also defiles the hearts of the children because they cannot possibly fulfill the will of God by obeying their own dad, because of the malicious behavior and treachery of a wife. People who exhibit this kind of behavior and those who support them are completely worthless in God’s sight. They cause children to offend God’s commandments.
Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Christian discipleship is something that cannot be dictated by the opinions of your wife or your own children. Although we are called to love one another, none of these relationships can provide you with what Jesus did for us at the cross, eternal life. As I have always taught, genuine love for Christ will result in obedience to His will. Many times the desire to please Jesus will be in direct opposition with the desires of family and relatives. Today in society, many people actually worship women. They serve and worship a wife more than Christ. In many homes that profess to be Christian, male leadership has gone out the window. By their own actions they prove themselves unworthy of God and becoming a disciple of Christ, although out of their own lips they claim to be.
Luke 14:25-26 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
A man who chooses love for Christ over all other relationships in his life, will inherit eternal life. Be careful of the distinction between love and worship. Worship is to love something more than anything else. Men need to worship God, not women, not children, not money, and not the world. Those who are capable of doing this shall inherit eternal life.
Matthew 19:27,29 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Zoe, although he was just a fluffy cat, loved me even more than my own wife, which is a lesson in my own life of how we are to love God. If you have ever had a pet that cared about you, maybe you can relate with the things that I’m talking about today. In our relationship towards God, each of us need to develop…..
…….The Heart of Zoe
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching tlkjbc, or by going to hipcast, buzzsprout or amazon, or by getting our entire podcast feeds directly at tlkjbc.com, or I suppose, you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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