Many people have a monthly set of bills that they must pay each month. Housing rent, car payments, food bills, cell phone plans, and so on. All of these things can add up, and to pay for everything a person will usually need to have some kind of a job to bring in that income. But what if someone went to their job, and upon the completion of two weeks of work when they should have received their paycheck they instead were told, This is a volunteer position, we aren’t going to pay you. What do you think will happen? Obviously they will likely be a bit upset, but then they will probably quit that job, because what would be the point of working there if they weren’t going to receive payment for their time? That was the entire purpose of working there in the first place.

Well in much the same line of thinking, as believers in the teachings of Christ we know that we are in debt because of our sins, and this knowledge causes us to know that we need a way to receive forgiveness that is found in Christ, as well as the gift of eternal life that Jesus will bestow as a reward to those who diligently serve Him. But what if there really wasn’t life after death? What if someone lived their entire life serving Christ, faithfully studying scripture, attending service, and even enduring suffering and persecution because of their faith– what would have been the purpose? Why would someone live for Jesus if there was no hope of eternal life after death? It would really be purposeless, wouldn’t it?

1 Corinthians 15:12-22  Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Paul said it best, if there is no resurrection after death, meaning life after death, then Jesus didn’t actually rise from the tomb on the third day. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the entire foundation of the New Testament would be a complete lie, and our faith in the scriptures is completely purposeless. There would be no point in getting up each day and living according to the teachings of Christ if we do not have the ability to live after death. 

All of the sufferings that Paul went through, the beatings, the stonings, the imprisonment, would all have been for nothing of Jesus didn’t rise from the grave. But it wasn’t in vain, because there is life after death. Jesus did rise up from the grave, and eternal salvation is definitely a real reward. Because of sin we die, but through Christ we may live.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Eternal life is real, and it is waiting for you.

In Christ

Andrew

I happened upon a video a while ago, which was actually a collection of videos of people who had begun to celebrate too early before they had finished something. In some of the videos a runner would be at the very end of a marathon, and when the finish line was about a hundred feet away they would lift up their hands above their head in celebration, believing that they had won. When they did this they would begin to slow down a bit, but what they didn’t see was another runner right behind them running as fast as they could and eventually pass them to win the race. That moment of slowing down cost them the win.

In another video, someone would be playing a game such as soccer, and they would have blocked a shot from going into the net, immediately celebrating, but what they failed to notice is that the ball had bounced off of something else and was rolling back towards the net once again. By the time that they realized what had happened it was too late to stop the goal from scoring. They celebrated way too early, and it cost them.

People can “celebrate” too early in regards to their Christian faith as well. What I mean is that some people may begin to think that they have salvation “all locked up” and that they are guaranteed to go to Heaven, but when they feel this way they may not continue to live their faith to the fullest that they can. They may start to slack off, because to them they have already attained salvation. They feel that they have done all that they need to do, and that they have nothing else that requires more improvement.

But the Apostle Paul didn’t feel this way. He was a man who had accomplished many things over the course of his life, but he never let those things slow him down so that he stopped trying to improve even more.

Philippians 3:4-15  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

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

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Look at all of the merits and achievements that Paul had accomplished in his life. A Pharisee. A member of the Jewish tribe of Benjamin. A keeper of the Law.  All things which someone as a Jew might have felt made them accomplished, but not Paul. All of those things he considered “dung.” Meaningless. Unimportant. He was certainly very zealous as a Pharisee, but when he became a Christian he then turned that zealousness towards the things of Christ. He started churches everywhere, preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ. He did many wonderful things for the name of Jesus, but he never once got to a point where he stopped. He never allowed himself to think that he had attained perfection and salvation, but he continued to press on each day.

If a beaver stopped building it’s dam before it was actually complete then it would eventually just fall apart. The water would eventually just wear it down until it broke apartment, but they continuously build and make it better. Adding some mud here, some branches there, always improving.

We need to treat our faith as a race, and every day we need to act like we are in that race to win. Never looking back behind us at what we have accomplished, but always looking forward to what still lies in front of us. We aren’t in the Kingdom of Heaven yet. We haven’t received eyer life yet. We still have more that we can do. The race isn’t over until it is over, and we haven’t crossed that finish line yet. So run, run that you may obtain!

In Christ

Andrew

What are some of the laws in your area? Normal laws are things such as speed limits, drug enforcement, and so on. These laws are put in place by the legislature for everyone to adhere to and abide by. 

Now what if someone that you know was actively breaking those laws and ordinances? Would you continue to treat them as though nothing was different, and ignore the fact that they were breaking the law, or would you try to convince them that they were doing what was wrong? Would you continue to associate with this person, even if it was your friend who was committing illegal acts, or would you distance yourself from them and tell them that they need to change?

With this explained, what are the laws or commands that we have in the Christian faith? The first two are obviously to love the Lord and to love your neighbor, but included in those commands are such things as abstaining from earthly lusts, refraining from lying, keeping ourselves free from covetousness, and so on. These are commands that every believer in the teachings of the Lord should keep and obey if they truly love Him. But suppose that someone you know who claims to be a Christian is not abiding in those teachings; what do you do? 

2 Thessalonians 3:14-15  And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

According to the passage of scripture above, a Christian is commanded to have no company with those who also claim Christianity, but do not obey the teachings of the Bible. But what does it mean to keep company with someone?

The definition for “company” is quite simple. It means companionship. It also means to associate with.  It is also interesting to note that some companies refer to their employees as associates. And what do companies do to employees/associates who do not follow the company rules? They are warned, and if the problem persists and no change happens, they will be fired. They will be removed from the rest of the other employees, not just as an example to the others, but hopefully it brings about a change to the person’s actions so they don’t do it again.

In the church it should be clearly obvious that sin goes completely against the teachings that are found in the Word of God. It just does not belong in the life of a believer of Christ, and we are commanded to have no company with those who refuse to obey His teachings.

Romans 16:17  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

1 Corinthians 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

If we are to keep the teachings of Christ ourselves we must obey these verses above. Hopefully it will bring about the necessary change needed in the other person’s life, but until that change happens we must obey the scriptures, and keep ourselves separate from them. The Lord is filled with grace, and hopefully they will realize their need to change before it is to late.

In Christ

Andrew

Romans 5:6-8  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.

The entire world is filled with sinners. This is a point that we stress often, because it is the simple truth. No one is exempt from being a sinner. Now what each person does next is entirely up to them. Will they recognize that they need help to rescue them from the punishment for their sin, or will they refuse the help that has been made available through Jesus Christ?

If you think of the entire world as a large, deep hole in the ground, all of the Earth’s inhabitants are stuck down inside of it, with no way to escape. This hole represents our sins, and if we want to get out all that we need to do is look up and we will see the Lord’s hand extending down towards us, just waiting for us to grab ahold so He may pull is out.

The amazing thing is that Jesus loved us so much that He did this for us even before we had repented yet. He died for our sins and offered His forgiveness to people who hadn’t even changed yet! It is like He was at the top of that hole saying, “If you want to get out and receive forgiveness, I’ll be here for you.” That is truly incredible. That is love.

John 3:13-18  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

It is not Jesus’ will that people perish because of their sins. He wants to save sinners, not condemn them. This is made evident by His death for us on the cross. He loves sinners and wants to save them, but He will leave the choice up to the individual what they want to do. Do they want to remain down in the hole of their sins and refuse to change and turn away from their sins, or will they be like Peter, who looked up at the outstretched hand of the Lord, grabbed it, and say, “Lord, save me!”

Matthew 14:25-31  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Jesus immediately stretched out His hand to save Peter when he cried out for help, and he will do the same for anyone who calls on His name. So will you make the decision to reach up and take His hand? Will you accept the love that Jesus has for you and come on up out of that hole?

In Christ

Andrew

Ephesians 5:1-2  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Why is it that when we are children we often try to mimic a specific person? It may be a character from a cartoon or movie. It may be a superhero or famous person from history. It may even be a family member such as your dad. Who it is that we may have tried to mimic might vary, but the reason why we mimicked them will mostly be the same, in that we wanted to act just like they did/do.

In order to be able to be like someone, you need to do everything that they did. If they walk a certain way then you need to walk that way. If their voice sounds a certain way then your voice needs to sound like theirs as well. You are trying to be just like someone else in every way possible, which is exactly like everyone who claims to be a Christian should do, by imitating Christ.

John 13:34-35  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

If a child says a line that a popular cartoon character might say, then you know who it is that they are trying to imitate. By the way that they act you can tell what a person is, and this applies to our faith in Jesus as well. If we love one another as Jesus has loved us, then others who see our actions will know that we serve Christ. 

Just like a mimicking child, we should desire to mimick the actions of the Lord, in everything that we do. If Jesus would have done it then we need to as well. If we are uncertain about how to do something all we need to do is take a look in the Holy Scriptures and we will find the answer of what we need to do. The Bible is our answer book to the questions that we have, and it will tell us all that we need to do for us to be a follower of Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” Because Paul was a faithful servant of the Lord who kept the teachings that Jesus taught, to follow the things that Paul taught is really following Christ. Paul is an excellent role model that every Christian can look to, because he modeled himself after Christ.

So how did Jesus live, and how did He act? What important quality did He show? Jesus showed love. Love your neighbor as yourself, He taught. That’s really not that hard when you think about it, is it? If you can do that then you will truly be doing the will of the Lord. Show love, not hate. Bless, not curse. Obey, not rebel. 

So to want to be like Jesus? Then hear His words: 

John 15:12-17  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Be like Him. Be like Christ.

In Christ

Andrew

1 John 2:1-2  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Have you ever realized how much a parent takes care of problems when their child does something wrong? A child may be walking through one of their neighbor’s houses while visiting and may accidentally knock over something fragile, causing it to break. The parent, even though they themselves didn’t do it, will then take the responsibility to make amends with the neighbor by replacing the broken item. What they have done is smooth things over, and make it as though nothing had ever happened. This type of action is called propitiation.

To propitiate means “to conciliate, appease, or make peace with someone. To make atonement.”

There was a situation that the Apostle Paul took care of between two men that would be considered an act of atonement, or propitiation. In his letter of Philemon, Paul had written to Philemon, who was a land owner and a “master” over a servant who it appeared had left his duty as a servant. This servant, called Onesimus, had come to learn about the truth of the Lord Jesus, and had become a Christian. So what Paul was doing through his letter was trying to bring about a peaceful reconciliation between the two men, and even desired to take any blame or repayment upon himself, just so that Philemon and Onesimus would be once again in a place of friendship.

Philemon 1:10-20  “I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:

Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:

But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.

For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;

Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?

If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.

If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;

I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.

Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.”

What Paul was willing to do for Onesimus is what Jesus offers to do for the sins of the entire world, because just like Onesimus we have done something wrong. What Jesus does is takes the sins that we have committed and makes an atonement between us and the Heavenly Father, so that we may no longer have to remain in a place of God’s wrath. Instead of facing the consequences for our actions, Jesus makes it so that we can have forgiveness.

Romans 8:34  “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

1 Timothy 2:5-6  “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

Hebrews 9:24  “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”

Without the love of Christ we would all have to reap the consequences for our sins before God, but thankfully we have a loving and merciful Savior Who is willing to take our sins from us and make an atonement before the Father. This is the kind of a Lord that we have, One Who was willing to die for the souls of His creation. It truly is amazing.

I hope the next time that you have to take care of a situation like what happened between Philemon and Onesimus that you remember how Paul took care of the situation, how he was willing to take the blame upon himself. And then remember what Jesus does each time that you ask Him for forgiveness. Jesus is our propitiation to the Father, our Lord and blessed Savior.

In Christ

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everybody  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the Book of 1st Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 7:1-5, 10  Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.  Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.  And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

In a Christian marriage, your body and the sexual rights to it, belong to your spouse.  I’ve always taught that if you have no desire sexually for someone, then there is really no need for marriage because you can remain close friends. Marriage is about the physical union between a man and his wife, and when you marry each other, your spouse is expecting to have sexual relations with you. You are required to render to your spouse the sexual gratification that happens between married couples. Upon marriage, you are no longer in control of your body,  because your spouse has sexual rights to enjoy God’s benevolence. It is a way to alleviate the burning sexual desires that certain people may experience, and avoid fornication or other behaviors that are outside of our faith. Remember that God created sexuality, and the bed is completely undefiled during marriage, and marriage is a union that can only be dissolved through death.

When the two of you are wed, the spouse becomes your own property. They belong to you, as much as anything else you may possess.  They must render, (which means to provide or to give,) their body in a sexual nature to their spouse. A husband may come home from work and desire supper, and a faithful wife provides for his hunger.  A wife may ask her husband for certain things for their home, and he provides for her physical needs.  The same is true in the bedroom.  To deny your spouse sexual relationships with yourself, denies the purpose and function of marriage. As a professing Christian, it reveals not only a state of rebellion against the will of God, but a complete lack of divine charity within the heart.  In that act, you are defrauding your spouse of their marital rights that are granted to them by God.  To defraud is to withhold wrongfully from another what is due to them, or to prevent one wrongfully from obtaining what he may justly claim.

If you worked eighty hours at a certain wage, but on payday, the employer only gave you half of what was rightfully due to you, how would you feel?  You would probably be upset.  That’s why defrauding others is a sin.  The same is true in marriage. You enter into the marriage bond expecting to engage in sexuality with your spouse, but then are denied the thing for which you wed in the first place.  They withhold what is due and rightfully yours to enjoy, or go as far as to eventually divorce you. That is defrauding another, and it will be punished by God.  Let’s look at an example from the scriptures of some laborers who were defrauded of what was rightfully theirs.  They went to work expecting something, but they didn’t receive it.

James 5:1-4  Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.   Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.  Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

You are not to defraud a brother in any matter, including defrauding a spouse in the bedroom.  When someone causes another to suffer because they withhold what is rightfully theirs, God will most certainly avenge them.  God is not mocked, and as a perfect and just judge, He will quickly reward the proud doer according to their works.  

1 Thessalonians 4:6  That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

One of God’s commandments can be violated right within one’s own bedroom by defrauding their spouse.

Mark 10:19  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not,………

Unlike other sins that may only be committed one time, defrauding a spouse day by day is to commit the same sin against them over and over again. It is a perpetual state of sin unless repented of and forsaken.  This is one reason it is commanded by Christ that a wife must not depart her husband, because she would be defrauding Him of what belongs to him,…herself. The longer she is away from him, the more sins she commits.

…….And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

If she is an unbaptized unbeliever, there is the possibility that she might leave you eventually, behavior which can be expected, but certainly not from any woman who names Christ Jesus as their Lord.  Christian women are forbidden from departing their duty to their marriage and to their husbands. There is no special loophole provided that justifies this sinful behavior, because it only proves the lack of divine charity for your spouse. Fulfilling the Christian life has nothing to do about how people treat you, it has everything to do with abiding in God’s will.  Even if your husband were an unbeliever who was living in immorality and sin, the Christian wife is not to abandoned his side.  God has stationed her there to win him to the faith through her loyalty, reverence and obedience to his will in everything.  We also must remember that each of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  There are numerous sins that might be committed by either spouse during a marriage, but what keeps the marriage together is confession, remission, and reconciliation. The refusal to forgive your spouse upon the admission of their faults, will incur the wrath of God.  The next time that you ask God for forgiveness, He will refuse to grant it, which ultimately will result in the loss of one’s eternal salvation.

Men are the head of the household and they are to command their homes completely, but when it comes to sexuality with your wife, she has control over your physical body.  You must allow her to enjoy your physical nature whenever she may need it.  A wife on the other hand is to submit completely to her husband as the lord of the home, and when he has physical needs, she needs to lovingly remove his temptations by fulfilling his sexual desires. When it comes to the hours in each day, sexuality is a small part of marriage compared to other things, but it is a much needed requirement and a divine right that must never be withheld from each other.  To do so, is to sin against the commands of Christ. It is to defile the institution of love and the reason why marriage was created by God.

Love one another.  Hug one another.  Forgive one another.  Whatever you do, don’t ever give your precious bride or handsome groom…..

…. The Cold Shoulder

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

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.

On November 12 1956, something was sighted by the USS Glacier, approximately 150 miles west of Scott Island in the southern ocean.  It was huge, measuring approximately 159 by 20 nautical miles, which is roughly equivalent to the size of the island of Jamaica.  It was the largest recorded iceberg in history thus far, known as B-15, which had originally broken off of the Ross ice shelf in Antarctica.  Incredibly, over 60 years later, a large piece of the original iceberg was still moving and was located near the Falkland Islands.  It’s amazing to think that something that size can actually float in the water, but most of it we can’t even see. It has been claimed by the U.S. Geological Survey, that 90% of an iceberg lurks below the water line.  This means that we only are seeing a very small part, while a huge portion of it remains completely hidden from our view.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

The lives of some people can be very similar.  At first glance they can appear beautiful, loving and kind, and they gently float across the sea of life.  But like an iceberg, the public only gets to see a tiny glimpse of a person, the things that are above the surface. If you were to take a look a little bit deeper, just below the water line, a huge mountain of danger, duplicity, deceit and deception is completely hidden from our view. For a hypocrite, the only thing that you are allowed to see is the tip of the iceberg.

Matthew 23:25-28  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

When somebody is filled with hypocrisy, they do not express their genuine character.  They are insincere and dishonest in the expression of their true feelings.  Hypocrisy is deceitful, displaying a false representation of what is actually going on inside the heart.  They are two-faced, showing one side in public and another in private.  They are actually a complete liar, saying things that they know are completely untrue or misleading.   Let’s look at a couple examples.

Acts 5:1-11  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 

And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

A hypocrite will disguise one’s true intentions by deceptive words or actions. For example they might call their employer on the phone and begin to cough and wheeze, explaining to them that they can’t come to work because they are very sick.  The truth is, the way that they appear on the exterior is really not what is going on inside.  They actually want to go swimming with a friend who is visiting from out of town for the weekend.

Luke 20:20-26  And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.  And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:  Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?  But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?  Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar’s.  And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.  And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

Hypocrisy is showing yourself one way to the public, but there are a lot of things going on underneath the surface, hidden from sight.  Appearances can be very deceiving.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Matthew 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

We can’t see inside of a person’s heart, but Jesus does, and He rebuked some of the religious leaders of His day for their hypocrisy. Eventually, all of the hidden things of the heart will be exposed because in the end, Truth will prevail.

Luke 12:1-2  ……Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

Mark 4:22  For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

Luke 8:17  For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Matthew 10:26  Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

Some from within the church will depart from scriptural teachings, and instead of accepting the error of their way they will choose to live lives as religious hypocrites who are destitute of the truth.

1 Timothy 4:1-2  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;…

There are some people who wear their heart on their sleeve, but for others, if you were to take a look inside, you will find things that completely contradict what they display outwardly.  They are really not the person that they seem to be, because for a hypocrite, the only thing that you are allowed to see is the…..

…..Tip of the Iceberg.

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.♥️

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Hebrews 4:13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

The standard “normal” eyesight for humans is known as 20/20 vision. What it is is the ability to see something clearly from a distance of 20 feet away. So for example of someone has 20/40 vision it means that they can see something clearly at 20 feet that another person with 20/20 vision could see clearly at 40 feet.

But did you know that it is estimated that eagles have a vision rating of 20/5 (they can see something clearly at 20 feet what a person might see at 5 feet)? They have incredible vision. It is reported that they can see a mouse from three miles away! In fact, because the eagle’s eyes are on the sides of their head they can see an astounding 340 degree visual field, while a human can only see 180 degrees of vision. It’s like they have miniature telescopes attached to their head, as they are able to see almost everything around them. Almost.

But as good as an eagle’s eyesight may be they certainly will never be able to see what our Lord God can, because He can see everything, and everyone.

Psalms 33:13-15  The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.

From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.

From the beginning of the world until this present day, God has had His eye on everyone who has ever walked this Earth. From kings to peasants, from the greatest to the least, God has seen every action that has been done, good and bad. 

There was a time when I was young that I accidentally broke something, but instead of admitting that I had done it I tried to hide it and pretend that I didn’t know what had happened. I was scared because I didn’t want to get into trouble so I never admitted my mistake. The same thing can happen when people sin as well. They may sin, and because they don’t want anyone to find out they try to hide their sins. But as the Bible teaches, their is nothing that a man can do that isn’t seen by God. 

Job 34:21-22  For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

If you do good, you are seen by God. If you do evil, God sees that too. Indoors, outdoors, day or night, spring, summer, fall, or winter– it doesn’t matter. The Lord sees all of the works of man, and nothing can be hid from Him.

Proverbs 15:3  The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Psalms 44:21  Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Your thoughts as well, are not hidden. They may be unknown to everyone else around, but He knows the thoughts of everyone. Remember when the disciples sought to ask the Lord who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? They hadn’t even asked Him yet, but He knew their thoughts. The Pharisees would be desirous to find anything that they could about Jesus so they might have something to accuse Him for, and Jesus would say to turn, Why think ye evil in your hearts? They couldn’t hide their true feelings from the Lord, even though they may have tried to hide their thoughts.

We will all be judged according to our works, whether they have been good or evil. Everything that a person has done has been seen, and there is nothing hid from God’s eyes.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

In Christ

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today I’d like to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that I wanted to ask you a little question.

Have you ever been betrayed?  Maybe at one time you had a close attachment to somebody that you went to school with.  You sat together in the same seat when you rode the school bus, and even ate together at the same table in the lunchroom. The two of you were inseparable, spending every day together and sharing the intimate things that two friends talk about.  You had a camaraderie and a fellowship, a perfect union of friendship between you, loyally standing up for each other, whenever others stood against you.  

But then one day, that all began to change. Your friend completely and willingly betrays you, by joining up with the people who oppose you. They treacherously share all of your intimate discussions with the people who hate you. The person who you once shared a loving relationship with, now reflects the qualities of your rivals. Where there was once love and loyalty, they now possess the attributes of hatred, bitterness and treachery.  Instead of continuing to stand by your side, they willfully choose to stand with those who hate you.   

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Betrayal is to deliberately turn away from a close friend, and join up with their known enemy.  They turn on them, abandon the previous relationship, and befriend those who speak evil about them.  Judas did the exact same thing.  This is because the devil had filled his heart.  Jesus told him that it would have been better if he had never been born.  Look at what happened in that single act of rebellion.

He turned away from Jesus.

He turned away from the disciples.

He turned away from his duty and loyalty to God.

He turned away from the faith.

He turned away from Charity.

He turned away from obedience to Christ.

He turned away from the church.

He turned away from the truth.

In the case of Judas, we learn that betrayal can come from some of the closest friendships that you could know, people from inside the church, who once shared your faith. At one time, you were companions, united together through your religious beliefs, but then they wholeheartedly rejected them by their actions.  In that process, they turn on you.  They betray not only you, but the blessed Lord Jesus by joining up with others who are the enemies of the truth.  Just as Lot’s wife betrayed him for the world, don’t be shocked when you find out that your enemies are much closer than you think.

Luke 21:16  And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

In a spiritual sense of the word, when somebody betrays the Lord Jesus, they profess to follow Him, but then flip sides and join up with those who reject Him.  They willfully abandon their faith.  Instead of maintaining a loyal and obedient relationship with the Lord, they will develop strong friendships with people who live in direct disobedience to His purpose. At one time, they began to walk the life of a Christian, but then turned away from the Lord’s teachings and commands.  It happens because they love the world more than God. A betrayer is a traitor, which means they willfully betray the beliefs that they once used to hold.

The Apostle Peter denied the Lord Jesus but it wasn’t a betrayal.  It was caused by the weakness of his flesh.  Occasionally people make mistakes and sin against each other in the church, but what keeps the church together is confession, forgiveness and reconciliation. Love covers a multitude of sins.  Although Peter sinned, he was eventually reinstated by Christ.  Betrayal is a completely different matter.  It is a sin that is borne out of hatred, rebellion, and wilful rejection to biblical teachings.  In the church, betrayal happens when someone turns against their conscience and religious beliefs, and then joins up with enemies of their own previously held beliefs.  At one time they stood strongly against fornication and lasciviousness, but now they turn against those beliefs, and joyfully yoke up with others who willingly participate in those sinful activities.  At one time, out of loyalty to Christ, they kept separate from the world.  Now they betray their obedient friendship with Jesus by rejoining the world from which they were called out of.  Just like Judas, they betray Christ when they do this.

Romans 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

These people are not ignorant of biblical truth.  They know God’s will, they just choose to rebelliously disobey it.

2 Peter 2:20-22  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Judas turned away from Christ and separated from Him. Those who are betrayed in a like manner will receive blessings from God.

Luke 6:22-23  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Everything that had been instilled in Judas, was a complete waste.

Matthew 26:21-24  And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?  And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Remember at one time Judas was an Apostle, but he dealt treacherously with the Lord.  He departed Him, reported Him to the authorities, and united with those who hated him.  Be prepared, when those who are within your inner circle, do the exact same thing.

Jeremiah 3:20  Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

Don’t be shocked when the ones who turn against you are the ones who are the closest to you. They stealthily work behind the scenes, waiting for the opportunity to spring their trap of surprise to abandon you.  Just like Judas, it’s possible that they might smile at you, or even give you a hug. Who knows, maybe they will gently roll over in bed, and betray you with…..

……A Kiss.

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

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