Good morning and welcome in today today we’re going to take a look at the following thescripture.

Rom 16:17

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

When you mark something it is to take notice of it. 

We live up in northern Minnesota  and it seems like each day the loggers are cutting wood somewhere. The foresters will go out into the woods and take a spray can and mark the trees  that need to be cut down and sold. As we walk through the woods it’s pretty easy to see the ones that they have marked out.

As we live the Christian life we are supposed to take notice and mark out those who are rejecting Christian doctrine.  The ones who do so are called heretics.

I’ve always taught my family that if we make mistakes in our lives we have forgiveness with God as long as we apologize and confess. There’s one thing that we can never do and that is to reject and go completely against which scriptures teach. That is called believing a lie.  A heretic can repent but they have to come to a place where they accept the truth of scripture. There’s one thing that joins us all together in the church it’s the teachings of the Bible. To reject a love of christ and His teachings is heresy.

It’s becoming more and more like the days of Noah just as the Lord Jesus prophesied. Many people are departing from the truth of the Christian faith.  I’m a sinner who is no better than anybody else but what I do recognize is that in this world that we live in today, people are starting to turn from the truth of scriptue.  It’s a Christianity without biblical truth.  It’s spirituality without a conversion of the heart. It’s religion without any guidance and direction from God.

The Bible teaches Christians to be merciful, but these people are not. The Bible teaches us to be forgiving with others, but these people are not.  The Bible teaches us to forgive others 70 x 7 but they refuse to do this when others apologize. These are the doctrines of Christianity and for which Christ died.

The doctrines of the Christian faith are found in the teachings of the King James Bible.  A doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs that are taught and need to be obeyed.  A doctrine is a set of principles or beliefs, especially religious ones. Modern Christianity is turning into a religion without any doctrine.  They preach love but the truth is they don’t love the teachings of what Christ Jesus taught.

Can you imagine trying to fix a motor on a car without a manual? Can you imagine trying to fly a helicopter without any kind of instruction?  This is what many people who profess to be Christian today are trying to do today. They are taking God’s manual that he gave us and throwing it out the window.  In the Bible’s he lays out the doctrines and the teachings that he wants us to continue to keep in the church.

Today we are discussing people who are caught up in contrary doctrine.  These are people who really don’t believe the truth of scripture but they are caught up in a lie. They are called heretics. In the church we have grace and forgiveness with Christ but you cannot believe a lie. You cannot believe things that go in complete contravention to what Jesus taught.

Contrary means to be opposite in nature, direction and meaning.  When people are in this mindset they completely turn against the truth. In the scriptures we have an example of people who did this very thing.

2 Tim 3:8  “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”

I will repeat it again as I have for 20 years to my family, don’t reject biblical truth. It is what fixes us and shows us that we are in error. It’s a state of rebellion against God and His leading. If you turn away from it you are rejecting correction. Without correction we can never change our ways.

As I’ve said already, I’m no better than anybody else. Just like you I’m a sinner, but we all have to accept the same form of doctrine in order to inherit the kingdom of God someday. If you think that’s a joke you’re not going to think it’s a joke at judgement day. Fear Him who has the power to throw you into hellfire.

Each of us need to accept the same doctrine in order to get to heaven. We all need to accept what the scriptures teach. Direct disobedience to the commands of Christ does not honor nor please him.

To become pleasing to God we have to obey and do His will rather than our own.  This is why we need to mark those who cause divisions in the church. The Apostle did not want any divisions at all in the church. He did want us to take note of those who were causing divisions because they wouldn’t believe the truth of scripture. The truth is this.

If somebody apologizes you have to forgive them. If you don’t, you are a heretic. An unforgivable sin is not to forgive others and be reconciled to them. Jesus died so that we could have forgiveness with God and be reconciled to him.

Forgiveness is the basis of the christian life. If you cannot forgive and forget when somebody confesses fault then you are a heretic. That goes completely against the reason why Jesus came to the Earth and died on the cross for our sins. That is why the scriptures teach if you do not forgive others, God is not going to forgive you. This is why the apostles preached forgiveness to the church. It is everything that Christ stands for. The people we are supposed to take note of today are those who were caught up in contrary doctrine which is heresy.  Heresy goes completely against the teachings of Jesus Christ

Again, I’m no better than any of you. I do believe the teachings of the scriptures. Heresy is having an opinion or a doctrine that is at variance with established Christian belief. Something that is in variance is not in agreement.

Imagine telling your dad that you are going to go rob a bank and he tells you, don’t you ever do that my son, that is variance. Something that is at variance is not in an agreement.

Today you can show many people the scriptures who profess to be Christian but they completely turn away from what it teaches. It’s like trying to teach them the English language but they completely reject it. I don’t say this to condemn others. God knows my heart. My desire is that they turn and believe His Word. These things are definitely happening in the world today.

You can take people to the scripture today and they completely turn away from what it says.  That is heresy.

Think about the days of the old pirate ships. They certainly appeared like decent merchants but they were there to rob you. Christianity is evolving into the same thing. It is changing and very different than people who believe in God’s Word. It is filled up with deceivers and Liars.

Today there are pirates who profess to be Christians whose sole purpose is to turn people from Christ and the things that he taught.  They appear Christian, they look like a Christian, but they do not believe the things that Christ taught.  It is because there are a heretic.

Most of you understand what a mirage is.  It appears from far off that it will quench your thirst while you are out in the desert. The truth is that it deceives the the eyes.

There are many people today who profess to be Christian, but when you look closely it’s a mirage. When you really take a look at them closely they really don’t believe the things that are taught in Scripture.

When I was a young child I used to tumble rocks and agates.  Sometimes I would find rocks that looked like gold but they weren’t because they were called fool’s Gold. Welcome to today’s contemporary modern Christianity. If the truth offends people so be it, but I guarantee you, this is what is going on right now. It’s Christianity without Christ and what he taught.

Just because it looks like gold on the exterior doesn’t mean that it is gold on the interior.  Welcome to today’s modern form of Christianity. They have a form of Christianity but reject what Christ taught. How can they even claim Christianity as their religion?  I may be a sinner but I do believe in the things that Jesus taught.

Have you ever avoided something before? Up here in Northern Minnesota sometimes when you are down by the lake in the spring you’re going to run into a snappping turtle. My wife and my children have run into some fairly big ones on our walk to the lake who could take care of one of your fingers is a big hurry. We keep away from them. We keep separate from things that might hurt us. God wants us to do the same thing. To come out and be separate from the world.

Don’t allow yourself to be deceived by a mirage. Believe the truth of God’s word which will expose fact from fiction.

That’s where I’m going to stop for right now but Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody. ♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

One time, many years ago, I got a bag of potato chips from the groccery store. The dill flavored, ripple style chips, with the green seasoning flecks on them. Well when we got home from the store, I opened up the bag, reached inside and grabbed a handful and started munching away. However, something immediately seemed different. These chips did not taste like dill pickle chips. So I looked into the bag and discovered that instead of being filled with the flavored chips, they were just plain. 

So we went back to the store and showed the worker the chips. Apologizing, she gave us another bag for free. Before we left for home again, though, we decided to open the bag right there to check, and do you know what we found? Another bag of plain chips. We then proceeded to open several more bags, all of them containing plain chips instead of the advertised “dill pickle” chips. Eventually we did find a bag containing the right ones. 

We bought those chips expecting to receive what was advertised. We didn’t want the plain chips, we wanted the seasoned ones.

That is kind of similar to what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5:13.

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be trodden under foot of men.”

So what if you put some salt on your french fries, but when you took a bite, instead of tasting the saltiness that should be there, it instead tasted like sand on your fries? It would be gross, and you would probably throw them all away. 

That is also like a lightbulb, which on the outside seems fine, but when you screw it into the socket and flip the switch nothing happens because it’s burnt out. What is that light good for then?  It doesn’t serve a purpose and it is thrown away into the garbage.

If someone claims to be a Christian, but doesn’t “taste” like a Christian, or act in accordance to the ways that Christ teaches, then are they truly one in their heart? Just as salt is used to enhance the flavor of something, Christians are used to bring glory and honor to Christ. If they remain “salty” for Christ, they will receive the reward of everlasting life. But if they lost their “saltiness”, or don’t serve, obey, and bring honor to Christ, they will be cast out. 

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable of the talents. The man had three servants, to one he have 5 talents, to one 2, and to the third servant he gave 1 talent. The servant who received the 5 talents went out and traded and made another 5 talents beside the ones he had been given. Likewise the servant with 2 talents went out and made another 2. But what did the third seravnt do with his 1 talent? He went and buried it in the ground and didn’t do anything with it.

When the time came for the servants to report what they had done, the first two servants were rewarded. But when the man came and asked the last servant what he had to show with what he had been given, he didn’t have anything. He did nothing. He was an unprofitable servant, and he was cast out.

“And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30

That is what is going to happen to those who don’t use the time and grace they have been given for Christ, and doing His will. We have only a short time on the earth, and our “mission” is to honor and serve Christ. Our purpose is to bring glory to His name and to get others to do the same. 

We are the salt of the earth; don’t lose your flavor!

In Christ,

Andrew

Have any of you ever bought a set of Legos? Like most people I enjoyed building what I wanted to, but when I first got a brand new set, I always built according to the instructions and made what was shown on the picture. I once got a lego set of a town, with cars and a gas station, and other buildings. Step by step, I built each piece, until each lego was used, and once I was finished, it looked exactly like the pictures. I followed the instructions, and I acheived the end result.

On a much larger scale, some building centers will sell a complete house in a kit, with all of the materials needed and a blueprint showing where everything goes and how to build it. You start with the foundation, and then you start building the floor, the walls, the roof, and so on. Once the main frame is constructed, you can then begin to refine the inside by adding sheetrock or wall paneling, you add moulding around the windows and doors, you start painting, until you get to the point where the house is completely finished, and looks just like the picture. This happened because you followed the instructions.

Likewise, when a person makes the decision to become a Christian, the need to follow the instructions. In order to go from an unbeliever to a Christian firmly founded in the faith, they need to read the instructions left for us by Jesus and His apostles. 

Just as a house isn’t completely built and finished in one day, or a few days, a person doesn’t become perfect overnight. They aren’t complete immediately. It will take some time to complete a person’s transformation from a sinner in the world into a servant of Christ. They just need to read the scriptures, and follow the instructions. 

A synonym for the word follow is obey, and obey is defined as “to act according to the commands of; to adhere to; comply; conform.”

Even those who have been a Christian for many, many years still have things that they can learn. They have things that they can overcome, temptations to resist. We are all a work in progress, studying the map that has been left for us. 

Jesus is the perfect example that all of us can look up to to try to become. Although Jesus was and is completely perfect and faultess, and we are not, that should not stop up from trying to perfect our lives every day. A pitcher in baseball might start out the game by walking the first batter, and then proceed to record 27 straight outs to win the game, which means that they had thrown a “no-hitter”, instead of a “perfect game.” But just because they no longer would be able to attain a “perfect game,” that didn’t stop them from trying to be perfect the rest of the game. 

Our time on earth is limited. We don’t have an infinite amount of time, and we don’t know which day God chooses to take us. We need to follow the instructions and teachings found in the Bible, now, today. Keep progressing farther and farther each day in your faith. 

The instructions and commandments found in the Bible are not difficult.(1 John 5:3) In fact, they can be summed up in a few verses. 

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these to commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

When you love someone as you would yourself, then you will be doing all that was contained in the Law. 

So what have we been instructed to do? Love one another. 

In Christ, 

Andrew

Years ago, I was cleaning up and picking up some things around a building on our property. We had a bunch of scrap pieces of wood, newspaper, and cardboard scattered throughout it so we decided to throw it all into a barrel stove and burn it. Well, one time when I was walking by the stove and I tripped over something. And you know how when you trip and start to fall that you instinctively reach out in front of you to grab something to stop your fall? That is what I did, only the thing that I reached out to stop myself from falling happened to be the still-hot barrel stove. 

Immediately I went and plunged my hand into cold water to ease the pain. About 10 minutes later, I had a huge blister covering most of my palm, as my body started to heal itself. About 7 to 10 days later, the blister broke, and the old dead skin from the burn blister fell off, revealing the brand new, pink skin underneath.

That is kind of what the verse we are studying today is about. Getting rid of the old sinner, and becoming new in Christ.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Here is another example:

The growing season in Minnesota is short and when the frost comes it will destroy any non-cold resistant plants, especially tomato plants. So sometimes some of the tomatoes that were left unpicked when the frost came fall off, and they will get buried under the dirt when I till the garden. They are “dead.” But every spring I will find new small tomato plants that sprout back up where they were the year before. The old plant was dead, and something new rose back up in it’s place.

That is what happens when someone becomes a Christian. When someone accepts Christ as their Savior and is baptized, the old person and the carnal deeds that goes along with it “dies”, and they are raised back up a new person in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit. 

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10.

We are dead in our sins. Without Christ’s love and forgiveness we would not be able to receive everlasting life in Heaven. But because of His love, we can now be filled with the Spirit, and live. He forgives us of all of our sins, and fills us with the Holy Spirit.

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” Colossians 2:13

Just like when you have an old, broken down garage and you tear it down to the ground and get rid of it so that you can put a brand new one in its place, a person needs to tear down the old sinner that everyone without Christ is. We need to take our sinful past and get rid of it, so that we can build something new in its place. Through Christ we can become a new creature.

“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts.” Galatians 5:24

Mortify the deeds of sin. Come to Christ and be baptized, and become a new person living for Christ. Tear down that old sinner, and be raised back up, new in Christ.

In Christ,

Andrew

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Philippians 2:2

These four things are nearly identical in definition. To be like minded, having the same love, of one accord, of one mind. 

When something is “of one accord” it means that someone or something (as a group of people) does something all together or at the same time. Like an unanimous vote, all of the voters are in agreement and vote the same way.

One of the coolest things that I have seen is those birds (I believe they are starlings) that fly in a swarm through the sky. Just a big black mass of birds, maybe a couple hundred at a time. Left, right, up and down, they all are coordinated and together. You don’t see one or two pull out of the swarm and go off on their own, but they all stick together in their group and soar through the sky.

Our country is composed of 50 different states, but they are all united and together they form the United States of America. They are all together and are all under the law of the Constitution. Now if a state decided to secede, and become their own country, they would no longer be a part of the United States. 

When we are of the same Spirit, we will be at peace with each other, and filled with love and joy. 

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” Ephesians 4:13

In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote to the church because he had heard that there were divisions going on. There were some in the church that were not in agreement with each other, and Paul was writing to correct that problem. He wanted them to be of the same Spirit.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by then which are of the house of Chloe,  that there are contentions among you. 

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

Is Christ devided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Look at all of the denominations of churches. You have Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, just to name a few. And why? Because they are not united under the Word of God. If they were of the same mind in the Spirit, they wouldn’t be divided. When the New Testament was still being written by the apostles, there weren’t different denominations. There were churches in different cities, but they were all united under the teachings of Christ, and they all believed the same things.

And that is what we all need to do. When we all of one mind, there will be no division in the church. There will be no fighting and strife. 

It will be filled with love.

In Christ,

Andrew

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

“Wake up, wake up!”

John opened his eyes. The sun was just starting to creep up over the horizon. Not a cloud in the sky. The weather was expected to be in the mid to upper 60’s, and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.

He sat up on the edge of his bed. Nearing his 43rd birthday, John had finally gotten to a point in his life where he had all of his bills and loans paid off. No more worrying about where he was going to find enough money to pay the light bill. No more digging through cupholders to try to find spare change for a cup of coffee. Things were finally starting to look good. 

He had a good paying job that he enjoyed, most of the time. Near the end of the week he looked forward to the weekend like most others, but it was a good job. With all of his loans paid off, he could finally start to get a few nicer things. He recently had purchased a couple of atv’s to go out riding with his son, who had just turned 16. Work had kept him away from home a little longer than usual, so this weekend would be the first time they would get to take them out for a ride.

“Dad, wake up! Let’s get going!”

“Just a minute! I’m getting dressed, so go pack a few things to eat.”

Last night they had picked out a place to ride. It was a beautiful area with streams and hills, filled with wildlife. And it was only a short drive away, so it wouldn’t take long to get there. 

Grabbing his keys and locking the house, they were ready to go. He checked the straps holding the atv’s to the trailer to make sure they were tight and after a quick stop at the gas station to top off the gas tanks, they were on their way.

Arriving at their destination, John backed the atv’s off the trailer, stored all of their food and water into some packs, and off they went. 

After an hour, they found a nice place to take a break. The area they were in was a rather hilly area, so it was also a popular hiking area as well, so there were a couple of picnic tables for people to rest on.

“Let’s take a fifteen minute break here, and then we can go and ride some more,” John told his son. “Bring the food from your pack, and put it on the tables, OK? I lost my sunglasses just over the hill. I think a tree branch knocked them off my hat, I’ll be back in a minute. We’ll just park over there, by the edge of the hill.”

John’s legs were slightly stiff, so the short walk to get his glasses would feel good. It took a few minutes, but he eventually located them. Wiping the dust off, he turned back to his son. But when he turned around, he felt a chill go through him, because where there had been two atv’s, now there was only one. His son was still busy unpacking the snacks, so he hadn’t ridden off without him, so where was it?

He took two steps, and then he heard a noise that made him shudder inside. The sound of plastic cracking, and metal grinding against stone. His son heard the noise at the same time and turned around and looked where it was coming from, and froze.

A few moments later John stood at the edge of the hill with his son, and what he saw confirmed what he already knew in his mind. Down at the bottom the hill was the other atv, completely destroyed. 

A minute of silence ensued as it sunk in, until John quietly asked his son, “Did you put the brake on like I showed you the other day when we loaded them onto the trailer?” 

His eyes downcast, his son took a moment to answer. “No, I forgot. And I know it’s too late to reverse what happened, but I am sorry.”

Just as he opened his mouth to scold his son, John immediately closed it, and remained quiet, because it was at that moment that he remembered something that had happened to him many, many years ago when he was a young man. When he had turned 16, he got his drivers license and his dad had let him drive the family car to go get something from the store. It had been snowing the past few days, but the storm finally had passed so his dad let him go by himself. His dad just gave him a warning to watch out for spots of ice on the road. 

The thrill of driving was still new to young John, so he was excited. He carefully made it to town without incident and got the things he needed, and headed back towards home. Feeling confident in his driving skills, he took his eyes off the road for a moment to grab a snack from the backseat. It was at that moment, when he turned slightly to reach behind him, that he slightly jerked on the steering wheel and the car started to slide. Immediately panicking, he jerked the wheel the other way, and stomped on the brakes, putting the entire car into a spin, and into a telephone pole. 

John didn’t remember much else about that accident, but he did remember vividly walking home to face his dad and tell him what happened. His dad listened to what happened, remaining silent and obviously disappointed. Apologizing, John sat down on the couch, and fearfully waited to hear his punishment. 

Letting out a deep sigh, John’s dad said, “Come here.” Eyes downcast, John rose up from the couch and stood in front of his dad, eyes closed and expecting the worst. But instead what he felt was a warm, gentle embrace and the words,

“I forgive you.”

This memory flooded back to John as he looked down at the heap that was one of his atv’s. Turning to look at his son, he saw himself, many years ago. 

“Come here,” he told his son. Nervously, his son came over, not wanting to look him in the eyes and stood silently. Gently wrapping his arms around his son, John said the words,

“I forgive you.”

This story illustrates the verse that we are studying today. The word forgive means to stop feeling anger, resentment, or vengeance towards someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake. It is to pardon someone or grant remission.

If a person sins or commits an offense toward someone, and feels sorry about what they did and repents, the person who has had the wrong done to them needs to forgive the offending party. 

Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness in Matthew 18.

Matthew 18:21-22, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

The basic point of this verse is that we need to continually forgive others when they come forward and repent of their sins. They might sin against you every day, or twice a day, but if they are sorry and repentant of their actions, we are required to forgive them.

The reason why is because that is what God the Father does for us, and everyone else in the entire world. That is what He did for Paul, Peter, John, and all of the other apostles. He forgives the man in jail who used to rob banks, and that man realizes that what he did was wrong and he comes to God asking for forgiveness for his past deeds. God forgives those who were once filled up with pride and arrogance, feeling that they were better than everyone else, but now they have changed, and are filled with meekness and humility and put the needs of others before their own.

God is waiting to forgive. He wants to forgive. What needs to happen first though is a repentant heart, and a willing mind to change. 

And that brings us back to the verse at the very start of this study. Forgiving others as God has forgiven us. It may be difficult sometimes, but when someone asks to be forgiven, it is commanded that we forgive them.

Because that person who wronged you was you at one point. At some point in your life, you came to God seeking forgiveness. What if when you asked God for forgiveness He said, “No, I don’t think I will forgive you.” How would you be able to attain everlasting life in Heaven? Since there is no sin in Heaven, we need to have those sins taken away? But if God didn’t forgive us, how would we get there?

But that is not what God says to us. He has an abundance of mercy and forgiveness. And so should we. 

Forgive each other, as God has forgiven you. Don’t deny someone forgiveness, because I can guarantee you that when you stand before God at Judgement Day, you don’t want to be turned away, all because you didn’t forgive someone else. 

“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.” Matthew 5:14-15

Forgive. One. Another.

In Christ, 

Andrew