One of the reasons World War II started was because of hatred towards the Jews. It didn’t matter if the Jewish person was from Germany, Holland, Belgium, etc. Man, woman or child, it didn’t matter, if they were Jewish they were all in danger of being captured and sent to concentration camps enroute to being exterminated. They were hated not because they had necessarily done anything wrong, but simply because they were Jewish. 

Well, Jesus taught that the world will hate those who follow Him. The world will hate Christians, not because of anything wrong that they have done, but because of the world’s hatred towards Jesus, that is why they will hate Christians. 

John 15:18-23  “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

He that hateth me hateth my Father also.”

This is nothing new. The Old Testament prophets were hated, persecuted, and killed for their faith in God. Similarly, the disciples of Jesus were persecuted, hated, and killed because they served Christ. 

Persecution is going to happen when a person becomes a Christian. The Apostle Paul found this out very soon after his conversion. Days after becoming a Christian, the Jews sought opportunity to put him to death because he was out talking to people about Jesus. And this didn’t just happen to Paul, it happened to all of the Apostles. They were thrown into prison, beaten, stoned and killed, all because of their faith in Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:12  “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

But we do not need to be afraid when these persecutions happen. Instead, we can be glad, knowing that when we suffer at the hands of others for Christ we are going through the exact same thing that Jesus went through. 

1 Peter 4:12-14  “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”

Remember, if and when you are persecuted for the name of Christ, don’t be ashamed or troubled, but be filled with joy that you are counted worthy to suffer for Him. 

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

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in.  Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 2nd Corinthians, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.  

Have you ever been driving down the highway and gotten a flat tire?   After pulling over on the shoulder you reached for the bumper jack in the trunk and began to slowly jack up the car to remove the blown tire.  How many of you have gotten the car completely lifted off the ground only to realize that you didn’t have a lug wrench to take the nuts off the tire?  

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

The job never came to fruition because one of the tools was missing.  To complete the task it takes two things.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Today we are going to focus on what it means to be reconciled. The dictionary defines reconciliation as to reestablish a close relationship between people, such as in a marriage.  For reconciliation to happen a few things must first take place, confession and forgiveness.  They are the roots that water the seed of reconciliation.  Just like a strong two-part epoxy glue, you need both parts mixed together in order for it to work.  One part confession, one part forgiveness.

Of all the teachings in scripture, confession of faults is by far the very first step to be in a renewed relationship with God and with others.  Confession is to humbly apologize and admit your error or fault to the person who feels that you have wronged them.  In order for forgiveness to be granted to another, there must first be confession by the offender.  If one doesn’t ask, how can it be given?  All of us have sinned in the sight of God, but in order to find forgiveness with Him, we need to come to grips with what we truly are, sinners who need forgiveness.  To obtain mercy, we need to admit the truth of our own shortcomings, confessing and admitting sins to God and each other.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confession is to acknowledge sin to God and others, in order to obtain divine forgiveness.  It means to admit a weakness, fault or sin.

Psalms 32:5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

People admitted their sins to John the baptist.

Matthew 3:4-6  And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Acts 19:18  And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The Apostle Paul admitted publicly that he was the chief of sinners, a humble statement that pride could never make.

Psalms 51:2-3  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

So the first step towards reconciliation is to confess and apologize to others you have hurt.  The incapability to reach out to the wounded party with an apology is caused by an arrogant, proud heart.  It shows you really don’t care about them at all.

Matthew 5:23-24  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Reconciliation with a brother you have wronged is more important to God than any offering you might give. Reconciliation is required before making an attempt to support Gods Work because the work of God is reconciliation.  Imagine a pastor telling the church that if a brother is upset with you, go take care of them first.  Reconciliation is what Christ died for at the cross and refusal to reconcile is one of the snares of the devil. Those who profess to follow Christ and refuse the path of reconciliation are caught up in the bitter bond of iniquity.  One part confession, one part forgiveness.  In order to obtain forgiveness, apologies and admissions of fault need to happen first.  At that point the offender must be forgiven so reconciliation can take place.  Refusing to do this can result in a forfeiture of your own salvation and incur Gods wrath.

Matthew 18:32-35  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Matthew 6:14-15  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

The world’s concept of forgiveness is very shallow and bitter and isn’t led from the heart.  Heartfelt forgiveness shows an extreme joy, rejoicing at the thoughts of being together with the forgiven offender once again.  A simple apology is a repentant admission of fault.  

Luke 17:3-4  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

True forgiveness is benevolent, understanding that each of us need grace at times too.  Forgiveness will cease to remember the wrongs that were committed, and completely release any feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you.  It’s no longer feeling resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake.  Forgiveness is never deserved, otherwise it wouldn’t be forgiveness.  It cannot be earned, but must be received or granted as a GIFT.  When someone apologizes and admits faults, Jesus commands that thou shalt forgive them.  Reconciliation is the evidence of divine forgiveness that springs from the unseen depths of a merciful heart. Blessed are the merciful, because this is what they will obtain from God.

So are friendships rekindled?  Are close relations re-established?  Are you a part of Gods ministry of reconciliation?  Always remember that if the prodigal son had never come home, reconciliation couldn’t happen.  If the father refused to forgive, reconciliation couldn’t happen either.  Reconciliation will take place if both of these criteria come to pass. Both parts are required because like a jack and a lug wrench,…..

….It Takes Two.

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

How many times have you been driving though the country when you notice a sign on the side of the road? On this sign, it shows an arrow in the form of a right angle, warning you that there is a very sharp corner just ahead and that you should begin slowing down in preparation to turn.

Or sometimes you may have been walking through a store and you will notice a yellow or orange come or sign on the floor with the words, Caution, wet for floor. Maybe the floor has just been mopped so someone placed that sign there to alert people to be careful.

That is the purpose of signs, to either warn or alert. Now it is up to the person if they are going to do anything about it or not. Someone can approach that sharp corner on the highway and heed that sign that they had just seen by slowing down their car, or they can ignore it and continue on with their current speed. The latter option will almost assuredly result in costly consequences, but they were warned. 

In the Bible, a sign is a miracle, or wonder. If we go to John 6, Jesus had just fed an incredible multitude of people with five loaves and two fish, and had then taken a ship across the sea of Galilee. Well, some of the people that Jesus had just fed came searching for Jesus, “And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”John 6:25-33

Jesus had just fed over five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fish, yet they still sought for a sign! They had just seen an incredible miracle performed before them, but they still didn’t believe yet. 

The Jews in John 10 wanted Jesus to tell them if He was the Christ or not.

John 10:23-25  “And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.”

Jesus had already told them yet they didn’t believe Him. He had done many miracles: healing the lame, giving sight to the blind, raised the dead back to life, yet they still didn’t believe Him. They sought for a sign, but they didn’t heed the ones they already had seen.

The works of Christ clearly show what He is, the Son of God. He doesn’t need to”prove” Himself anymore. If somebody doesn’t believe the works which He has already done, then there is nothing left to do. They have already been shown the signs, the only sign left for them now is the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Luke 11:29-32  “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.”

Do you remember what happened between Jonah and Ninevah? Jonah had been sent by God to warn them that unless they repented, they would all be destroyed. They would perish.

Jesus is the Son of God. He has already shown that by everything that He did. We have the account of these signs and miracles in the Bible. People have already been given a sign. Some of them just choose to ignore it, so to them is given the sign that Jonah gave to Ninevah.

Repent. Or perish. Either believe the signs that Jesus is the Christ and follow Him, and live in eternity. Or, ignore those signs, and prepare for life in eternal damnation. 

The signs are there. What are you going to do?

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in.  Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1 Peter but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

When I was a very young boy I grew up on a dirt road that got very muddy in the springtime.  When we got home after school we would run into the house, put on our rubber boots, and run out to the garage to grab some hoes.  We would make little rivers in the dirt so the mud would drain into the ditch.  Sometimes we would throw a big boulder across the river and completely block off the flow of the water.

Before forgiveness can take place in a person’s heart, the rock of pride needs to be removed so forgiveness can flow.

I have always felt that God’s graces are like a giant lake that is being held back by a huge dam that can only be released by opening up the valve of your heart through your humility.

It’s like a huge gymnasium that is filled to the brim with God’s forgiveness, but the door is locked and the only way that you can access it is by turning the key of humility.

When we humble ourselves in God’s sight, He can lift us up.  

Think of a barge entering into a canal lock, and the gates of God’s forgiveness begin to flow in all around our vessel. It slowly surrounds us as He fills us with water of mercy, and raises us up to the place that He intends us to be.

God wants all men to come to a place of repentance but the thing that can hinder that process from happening is a lack of humility, before God and others.

1 Peter 5:5-7  ….Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

First of all, to be in subjection means to submit and to allow yourself to be controlled by someone who has authority over you.  For example, a man is head over his wife in all things as Jesus is head over the entire church.  Submitting to Christ and His Word shows meekness and humility and will eventually result in a lasting conversion in someone’s life.

James 1:21  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

Women who profess to follow Jesus must submit and obey male leadership, for He was created first.

1 Timothy 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

1 Peter 3:5-6  For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

Whoever your authority may be, you must learn to obey them.  Children need to submit to a dad, a wife needs to submit to her husband, the husband is accountable to the Lord, and the Lord Jesus to the Heavenly Father. God is a God of order.  Biblical submission is to obey those who are over you in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Submission shows that you have Godly fear and reverence.

Ephesians 5:21 – Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Hebrews 13:17 – Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Submitting to Christ and His teachings are the path to salvation.

Hebrews 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

The Philippians were very submissive and obedient.

Philippians 2:12. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Humility is a quality that you want to wear each day of your life, like a shirt.  Humility is the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others.  It’s a complete lack of pride:

Colossians 3:12 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

You will find great favor with God when you walk in meekness.  

Matthew 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

1 Peter 3:3-4 – Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Meekness is a divine quality that Moses was filled with and he was considered the meekest of all men.  Only a meek person will walk in submission, otherwise they only resist and rebel. Jesus is perfectly meek.

Matthew 11:29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

When you are clothed with humility, it’s something that you wear in your personality each day.  You can easily discern the difference between a humble person and an arrogant one. An arrogant person is somebody who refuses to listen to instruction like a child who rebels against their dad, or a wife who rebels against the husband.  These are rebellion issues and shows a complete lack of respect and humility for those who God has placed in your path as your authority.  God in heaven is watching and will not reward that behavior.

James 4:6 – But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Proverbs 3:34 – Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

God revives and lifts up the humble hearted.

Isaiah 57:15 – For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Listen to the warnings given to Capernaum who were filled with spiritual pride.

Matthew 11:23  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Matthew 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Before forgiveness we must steer our vessels slowly, steadily and humbly into the place where we will most certainly find forgiveness with our God and be lifted back up….

…The Canal lock

Let’s think about these things for right now and Lord willing we can talk some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.💟

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

If you knew that you could get something far better if you if you gave up what you currently had, would you do it?

What if someone came up to you, asking to borrow your car for a few days, and in return they would give you a brand new car when they come back? Would you do it? That sounds like it would be a pretty good deal.

I guess in a way it is similar to a bank loan. The bank loans out a certain amount of money to an individual, and in return that individual pays back all of the money that they borrowed, plus interest. While the bank may have given up their money, they will eventually get back more than they had in the first place. 

In this passage of scripture below, Jesus gives an offer that is just like the examples you just read.

Luke 9:23-26  “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

The word “Christian” means a follower of Christ and His teachings. If we claim to be followers of Jesus, Jesus tells us that we need to deny ourselves and daily take up our cross. If we deny ourselves, it means that we do not allow ourselves to do something. We do not permit it. So what Jesus is teaching is that we need to not allow ourselves to do what we, as carnal creatures, want to do. We need to not permit ourselves to sin, but to do His will instead. 

It really is a small price to pay. Wouldn’t you trade 1 dollar today if you knew that a year or two from now you would receive 1 million? Wouldn’t you trade the rest of your life that you have left, whether it be 10 years or 80, to know that you could live forever?

Some people spend their entire lives working, trying to become rich and acquire as many things as they can. Homes, cars, gold and other possessions, and as soon as they can retire they plan to live the rest of their lives in luxury, while forgetting what really is important. They forget about God. Blinded by a dollar sign, they push God to the back of their minds and focus on what they can get right now. 

You know, many of the old Egyptian Pharaohs would be buried with all kinds of gold and jewels with the belief that they would be able to have it in the after life, but as just as we are born with nothing, we will leave with nothing.

1 Timothy 6:7  “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

True riches are not found in zeros in a bank account. They are not found in gold and silver. They are found in God’s Son, Jesus. He holds the true riches, eternal life. 

In the parable in Matthew 25 about the three stewards, each steward received received a certain amount of talents, one received 5, the second received 2, and the third received 1. When we read this parable we see that the first two stewards each doubled their talents thru trading and where summarily rewarded, while the third instead hid his lord’s money in the ground and did nothing; likewise, he received the reward for his unprofitableness and was “cast into outer darkness.” 

Life is a gift that each of us receives upon on our birth. It is the opportunity to do something with our lives. But if we want the greatest riches of all we need to use the gift we each have been given by giving all of our time to Jesus. We need to deny ourselves each day, and follow Jesus, where the true riches are found.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture First Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-5  For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:  But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.  For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:  But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.  For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

When something is vain, it produces no results or it is useless or is marked by futility or ineffectualness.  When the Apostle Paul was preaching the gospel, it was not in vain. Even though there were numerous struggles that he had to endure as he preached, it didn’t prevent him from doing what God had called him to do. The Apostles continued to preach God’s word boldly even when they met strong resistance.

The word bold is defined as somebody who is capable of showing an ability to take risks, and are confident and courageous. As an example, think of the struggle between David and Goliath. David fought with Goliath boldly, completely trusting in the LORD to deliver Goliath into his hands. Being bold is being willing to meet danger or take risks and not hesitating or being fearful In the face of actual or possible danger.  There are numerous examples in scripture of men of God who preached in this manner.

Acts 4:13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:29. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

Acts 4:31. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Acts 9:27. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Acts 19:8. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Eph 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Philippians 1:14  And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

So once again, even in spite of great difficulties, the Apostle Paul continued to preach God’s Word, even when he was surrounded by contentious people. Contention is a heated disagreement or a struggle in opposition. It’s a disagreement that results in opposing arguments and a difference of opinion.  Paul met people like this on numerous occasions.

2 Timothy 4:14-18  Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.

Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

When it comes to preaching, one must remember that it’s the Word of God that fights the battle for us. It is the greatest weapon that one can possess in their inventory and it is sharper than any two edged sword. It is the Sword of Truth.

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

Luke 21:15  For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

Back at our study passage it continues….

……..For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:  But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts…..

The word gospel means the truth.  The things that the Apostle was preaching were true, even though many may have claimed otherwise.  Resistance happens because of opposing opinions on a certain topic. Please remember that Paul was not a people pleaser, he wanted to please God. When you please others, it means to cause them to feel happy and satisfied with you and with the information you present them. It’s making them feel glad and contented.  Some people are going to fall away from the Christian faith because they can’t endure persecution. They want everybody to be happy which is not going to be the result when you preach Gods Truth.

Mark 4:17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

The Christian faith is about a change, and conversion from the error of our wrong beliefs to the truth that is found in Christ’s Word.  It’s about turning from the old man from the past and becoming a new man in Christ.  In order to help others to do this, you have to tell people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear.  The apostle Paul wasn’t so concerned about the negative response that he got from people, as he was knowing that he had told them the truth of the gospel. This is so that they could be in heaven some day. He cared about their salvation greatly but one thing that he wouldn’t do was flatter them.

When you flatter somebody, it means to give them excessive or insincere praise, especially to further one’s own interests. Paul wanted to further the interests of truth, not his own.  Flattery is a high school son, telling their dad how wonderful and great he is, but only doing it with the hidden motives of getting to use the car on the weekend.  When something is insincere, it’s really not expressing genuine feelings that come from the heart. It’s pretending to feel something that you do not actually feel or not meaning what you say.

The Apostles preached Gods Word, in spite of opposition, fighting boldly with the Sword of God, His Holy Word. It truly is …

……Gods Weapon.

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. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Colossians but before we do, I wanted to ask you a question.

When you are preparing to go on a trip, what do you pack with you?  What would be the single most important item in your bag that you needed above all others, so important that you could leave everything else at home?  Is it the wisdom of God?

Colossians 2:6-10  As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

When we receive Christ Jesus as Lord, we receive Him into our hearts

Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we are supposed to walk in Him. When you walk in Him, it means to live your life the same way that He did, taking on His attributes and qualities. We are supposed to walk in the truth of the Holy Scripture.  This is what Christians are called to.  

The apostle Paul corrected certain people for not walking in the truth. (Galatians 2:14)

We need to walk in the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:25)

In the past, we walked in worldliness. (Ephesians 2:2) but are not to live like that anymore.  (Eph 4:17)

We are to walk in a worthy manner. 

(Eph 4:1, 1 Thess 2:12),….as children of light.  (Ephesians 5:8), with wisdom,  (Ephesians 5:15, Colossians  4:5) so that we can please Him completely. (Colossians 1:10)

1 Thessalonians 4:1

Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

In the latter days, instead of walking in the truth of the faith, some will walk after their own lusts, deceiving themselves. 

(2 Peter 3:3, Jude 1:16, Jude 1:18))

We are to walk in the light, (1 John 1:7), as He walked.  (1 John 2:6)

Walking in biblical truth is a command from the Father.  (2 John 1:4, 2 John 1:6)

John was very happy that people were walking in truth.  (3 John 1:3-4)

Continuing on at verse 7.

……..Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

What’s it mean to be rooted and built up in Him? Sometimes when you stay in a certain town or community for a long time, they will say that you have grown deep roots.  You are well rooted in that area because you stay there.

Well rooted means fixed, immovable and unchanging. If somebody has deeply rooted opinions or feelings, they believe or feel something very strongly and are unlikely to change. They are well rooted in their beliefs, firmly implanted and established.  The word “stablish” is an archaic word which means to be established. The word established in the dictionary means to be settled and proven valid or true.  There were certain times when the Apostle Paul would send people to check on the churches to see if their faith was still intact. He wanted to know that they were well rooted and immovable in the things that they had been taught by the disciples of the Lord. 

……….Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

If you were to beware of something, you would be a person who is very cautious. You would be alert to the dangers of something and be very careful. Think about a postal worker going onto somebody else’s property, and on the fence is a sign that says beware of the dog. If you heed the warning, you will be cautious and careful, because of the possibility that you might get bitten. You watch out for danger, or for other bad things that might happen. The Apostle wanted them to beware of false teachings. He didn’t want their faith to become spoiled and corrupted.  If you have spoiled food, it is not edible anymore and is no longer what it originally was, but changes into something that is unusable.

Philosophy is defined in the dictionary as the study of the basic ideas about knowledge or reasoning and the value of things.  As just one example, the philosophy of evolution is a worldly teaching that does not align with the teachings of Jesus Christ. When somebody becomes a Christian they have to learn to accept the teachings and the doctrines of the Christian faith and to toss out the philosophies and the teachings of this world that are incompatible with the true faith. 

At a grocery store, they pick through cartons of food as they are received.  They keep the good, but the ones that are spoiled, they toss out.  Well, this is very much like the Christian faith. We need to keep the teachings of our faith close in our hearts, keeping them near to us, while casting away worldly and unbiblical ideologies or concepts.

There are so many things that are taught out in the world today that are completely contrary in regards to the Christian faith.  All of the knowledge that you could ever attain while here upon this Earth is not going to matter in eternity because everything on this Earth and it’s works will be burned up and forgotten.  The teachings that will remain and endure forever are found in Holy Scripture.

1 Peter 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The wisdom of God is eternal and if you possess it, you have got everything that you need because we are complete in Him. Complete means having all parts or elements and lacking nothing; whole and entire.  God’s Word will remain when this world and everything in it are dissolved.

Remember, the Lord Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen that good thing, which would not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42)

The most important knowledge that you could ever possess are the things of God’s Word, but remember, it cannot be combined with anything in the world. So, instead of listening to worldly philosophies, shun them, turn away from them, and believe what the Bible teaches over everybody else. The road of God’s wisdom is a lot quieter, and not many people are on it, but as we walk upon it, we can know that if we have God’s Word, we are…

…Packed and Ready.

Let’s think about these things for right now and Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye, everybody.❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

When you get up in the morning, how do you try to remember all of the things which you would like to accomplish that day? There are many things which we do every day and just do automatically, but sometimes we have other things that we absolutely cannot forget to do. To ensure that we do not forget we can create a “to do” list with all of these things.

It is the same as a grocery shopping list. Before you go to the store most people will sit down and write a list of all of the supplies that they need before they actually get to the store. Sometimes I will forget to write a list, though. I will try to remember everything as I enter the doors of the store, but many times I will have gotten back home with my groceries, only then to remember something very important that I needed. If I had made a list I would not have forgotten.

As Christians, we need to make certain that we do not forget what we need to do. We need to look at our list, and everything that we need to do is already written down in the pages of the Bible. We just need to look.

One if the things on this list is being born again, which Jesus explained to a man named Nicodemus in John 3. 

John 3:1-7 “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

We must be born again. The word “must” indicates that something is required, or is necessary or imperative. Being baptized in the Spirit is a requirement that every Christian needs to check off their list. It represents the death of your life to sin and the rebirth into the Spirit.

John 3:16  “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.”

Jesus said this again in Mark 16.

Mark 16:16  “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Belief in Jesus is another requirement on our list. Romans 10:9 teaches that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead we shall be saved. If we believe in Jesus we will not be ashamed to tell others about Him.

John 6:53-58  “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

Heaven is a pure, perfect place, free of sin. But because of our sins, we need a way to be freed from them. We need forgiveness and the only way to get our sins taken away is through the partaking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.

Mark 11:25-26  “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Just as we need forgiveness to take away our sins, we too need to be forgiving with others.

Another thing that needs to be on our list is love. Charity (love) covers a multitude of sins it says in 1 Peter 4:8. Love is the end of the commandment; love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

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

All of these things above and more have already been written down. Eternal life is obtainable, you just need to read your list. Its found in the King James Bible.

In Christ, 

Andrew

During World Wars l and ll, the United States army would sometimes use a special method of communication to relay secret messages over telephone or radio. Because they knew that their English messages could sometimes be intercepted or compromised, the army employed several hundred service members who had knowledge of the Navajo and other lesser known Native American languages. Known as “code talkers,” this group was used in the encryption and decryption of these secret messages.

The enemy had no idea what was being said. They had never heard these languages before and could not decipher the messages. It would be like me trying to understand the Japanese or Thai languages for the first time. If I heard both of them being spoken I wouldn’t be able to determine which language was which, and I certainly wouldn’t know what was being spoken. 

And that is how the world, without the Spirit, views the teachings of Christ. They might hear the Word being preached, but they don’t know what it means. They don’t understand it because they are not of God.

Jesus had been to talking to the Pharisees in John 8, and they were claiming that God was their father.

John 8:42-47 “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.“

People who do not believe in Jesus will not understand His word. When they hear it preached, they do not believe it as the truth and receive it so that they can be saved. Just as only those who knew the Native American languages could understand those messages, only the true sheep of Christ will hear His voice, and follow Him.

“But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:26-27

With all of the false prophets and wolves disguised in sheep’s clothing, it sometimes is not immediately known who they are, but there is a certain way to tell. The true sheep of Christ will hear and obey God’s word, and those who don’t are not.

1 John 4:5-6  “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

The Holy Spirit is the key to unlocking the knowledge found in Christ. With it, we are able to understand the word of God and become the spiritual “code talkers.”

In Christ, 

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in.  Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Romans.

Imagine you and the neighbor boy are riding his 4-wheelers one weekend when all of a sudden you run off of the road and hit a tree.  He stops and turns around to see what you did to His machine.  He’s very upset with you because of the considerable amount of damage that you have done to the front end.  

You don’t have any money to repair it, but then approached your dad, asking for help.  He steps in and picks up the entire tab, paying for all the damages to make up for your mistake.  What he did is reconcile your friendship with each other by atoning and paying for your debts.

This is very similar to the Christian life.

Because all of us have sinned, Jesus stands in the gap In order to reconcile our relationship between us and God.  He took our sin debt upon Himself and pays off a debt that He didn’t owe. God show His great love by sending His Son Jesus to shed His blood at the cross as an atonement for our sins.  Our Life is in His precious Blood.  

Romans 5:6-11  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.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

An atonement is reparation for an offense or injury.  A reparation is the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying a price.  The price He gave was His life for the life of the world.

John 6:51, 53-56  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

When we have Holy Communion together, we partake of the physical sacrifice of Christ, washing away our sins in the blood of the lamb.  Jesus laid down His life and shed His blood as a payment to God for our misdeeds.

1 Corinthians 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

Expiation is the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing and   propitiation is the act of gaining or regaining the favor or goodwill of someone or something.

Romans 3:23-25  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Jesus is Gods perfect lamb, sent by Him as a sacrifice for us.  Through Him, we have remission for our sins.

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.

God loved this world so very much that He sent Jesus as a way to reconcile us back to Himself.

1 John 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.

Our life is found in partaking of Christ’s blood through Holy Communion.  The sacrifices of the Old Testament were temporary, a shadow of things that were coming, until God would completely deliver our consciences through the sacrifice of Himself.

Hebrews 10:4-10  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

In the Old Covenant, there were Judaic animal sacrifices, but then came the lamb of God, sent from heaven above, down to this Earth.

John 1:29 – The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Animal sacrifices could never do what Jesus did for us all.

Hebrews 10:11-12 – And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Through the blood of Jesus, our sins are washed away and forgiven so that we can serve Him and do His will from a heart that He Himself has sanctified by His good graces.

1 Peter 2:24 – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

God cleans us up, so that we can live a new clean life!

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus is sent as a Savior and sacrifice for the sins of the entire world.

Isaiah 53:5-6  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus wants to pay for your sin debts.  Will you confess and admit them?  Will you come to Him,….

 ….asking for help?

Let’s think on these things today and Lord willing we can talk some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everyone💟

tlkjbc.wordpress.com