Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to look at some scripture from the book of Hebrews but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.

Would you consider yourself a needy person? There are certain mornings when I get up out of bed that I find someone who is very needy standing by my pillow. When I get up, I can feel my cat doing a figure 8 through my legs. He begins to purr so loud that I think that he’s going to wake somebody up. He will continue doing this even to the point of almost tripping me over in order to get the thing that he needs. I walk over to check his food dish and it is completely empty.

Each of us have certain needs that we require in this life. We may find ourselves in need of groceries so we go down to the grocery store. We may have a need for gasoline because our vehicle is on empty, so we go to the gas station. When we sin or make a mistake and need forgiveness, we can go to Gods Son Jesus Christ who is the propitiation and atonement for our misdeeds. Some of us need more grace than others but no matter how much you require, God has provided us with His Son for that very purpose.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

A need is a requirement because it is essential and very important. It is something that a person must have. How needy are you for God’s forgiveness?

Ps 70:5 But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.

God extends to each of us a portion of grace in order to help us in time of need.

Think about driving down the highway but then you run out of gas. You pull onto the shoulder and you’re not really sure what you’re going to do. Somebody driving by sees your predicament and pulls up next to you. They open up the trunk of their car and pull out a large gas can. They are there to help you in your time of need.

God has innumerable amounts of grace so that we can have forgiveness in our time of need. When you help somebody, it means that you are making something easier for them.

God makes the path to heaven easier for us because he takes upon himself our sinful burdens when He forgives us.

Think of a young child who is trying to carry a 50 lb bag of potatoes out of the grocery store but then their dad takes it from them and carries it for him to the truck. What he did is lifted his child’s heavy burden and made it easier for him. That’s what God does for each of us through Christ Jesus. The Lord carries our burdens and lightens our loads.

Matt 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

God wants to help each of us in our time of need.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

John 14:14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Ps 54:4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.

So again, God wants to help us. The help that we need is found in His Son Jesus Christ. However needy you may be for God’s forgiveness, God is there to help us in those times. We have all come short of the glory of God and make mistakes at times, but what matters is getting forgiven for what you have done. This is so that we can get back on the narrow road of Christ once again. Ultimately God gives us forgiveness so that we will eventually become what he wants us to be.

The word obtain means to get something. God wants us to come and get mercy. Mercy is compassion and forgiveness that is shown towards somebody whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. A merciful person shows compassionate treatment towards an offender along with a capacity to forgive and show kindness. At its very core, mercy is forgiveness. God cares for each of us and he wants all men to come to repentance.

Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful

Matt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

God wants us to obtain mercy in our time of need.

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.

When we confess our sins, it’s simply admitting that we have done the wrong thing. It’s saying I’m sorry and apologizing to God or to others that you have wronged. The Lord Jesus simplified it by requiring two words, I repent.

In order to receive the forgiveness that God has for us, you have to be capable of saying I’m sorry. In those two simple words you’re admitting that what you did was wrong. That is a confession and admission of the truth in your heart. God already knows the sins that you have committed. All you have to do is admit them and apologize. After that is done, God can cleanse us from our sins.

Lam 3:22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Our God wants to forgive us. Our God wants to cleanse us from our sinful condition. Our God wants us to be reconciled and begin a renewed relationship with Himself. What is required in order for that to happen is confession. It’s admitting your faults.

I have taught for many years that the beginning of the christian life is the admission of one simple truth, I am a sinner. When we are capable of doing that, and admitting fault not only to God but to others that we have sinned against, forgiveness can happen. God wants us to obtain mercy to help in our time of need. Instead of being fearful and afraid, the Apostle teaches us to come boldly unto the throne of grace.

When you do something boldly, you do it fearlessly. The dictionary says that boldly means doing something without hesitation or fear in the face of risk or danger. It’s doing something in a brave or confident way without being afraid.

Have you ever been too afraid to apologize to somebody because you feared that they would punish you? Have you ever been afraid to admit something to your dad because you were fearful of repercussions because of what you did? That is completely different than the way that our God is. Many people today do not want to confess sin because they’re afraid that they are going to be punished. Our God promises that if we confess our sins He is going to forgive us.

Ps 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Matt 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.

We know that because Jesus taught Peter to be this forgiving with others, God is this forgiving with us.

God wants us to come home. He wants to be in a new relationship with each of us and to wipe the past away. He withholds the punishment that is due to us because of our own transgressions when we simply confess our faults to Him. It’s the confession part that leads to forgiveness with God. It’s the admission of guilt that leads to reconcilliation.

When somebody sins against you it hurts doesn’t it? When somebody comes to you and apologizes then you need to also forgive them as Christ forgives you. Forgiveness is to forget the past and not hold a grudge anymore. All those feelings of bitterness and resentment are washed away so that you can reconcile and be in a relationship with each other once again.

Mark 11:25 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.

If somebody has actually told you I repent,… if they have told you that they’re sorry for what they have done,… if they ask you to forgive them for the wrong that they committed, then you have to forgive them. That is what God does to us and He requires that you do the same to others.

Matt 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Even though all the sins that you have committed in the past may have been forgiven already, if you do not forgive others that is another sin before God. It’s a sin that God will not forgive you for until you forgive from your heart and reconcile with others.

Remember that just one sin is enough to keep you out of heaven, and being unforgiving with others can be that one sin that prevents your salvation.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

God wants to help us. He wants us to come to Him for forgiveness knowing that rather than punishing us He is righteous and just to wash them all away in the blood of his Son.

It’s time to admit our faults so that we can get forgiven.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from Hebrews chapter 11 but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

As a child did you ever have to ride a school bus? I grew up a long way away from our school and that meant that I had to get up very early in order to catch the school bus. I would wake up and go down and take my shower and then eat my breakfast. Then I would go into my bedroom, get changed and pack my backpack. I glanced at my clock and realized that the bus was going to be there in just a few minutes. I truly believed that with all my heart so I got on my coat and my boots and said goodbye to everybody and walked out the front door to go wait in the driveway. A few minutes later the bus driver showed up to pick me up and away I went to another day of class.

When you believe something, it results in an action. If I really didn’t believe that the bus was going to show up I probably would have stayed in bed. Real faith is going to result in some kind of real action.

In order to inherit eternal life someday, the scriptures teach us that we need to believe. You can tell if somebody truly believes by the actions that follow their professed faith.

Think about some children at school. At lunchtime one of the children says that they are going to play kickball after school at the park. They invite you and tell you that you’re more than welcome to come. If you truly believe that they are going to be there, you will be at the park waiting patiently for them. When you really believe something in your heart, there is going to be some kind of action involved. It is the evidence of your faith.

Evidence is something that proves or disproves something. The Christian Life should have evidence or an outward sign unto others of what is going on inside of your heart.

Evidence shows that something exists or is true. That’s why I said in another study I can remember seeing a bumper sticker on a car that said,…

” Would there be enough evidence in a courtroom to convict you of being a Christian? “

All around us each day people are watching to see what you really believe. There are people who claim to believe in Jesus but there is no actual evidence to prove that statement. True faith in Christ is going to result in a change in your life. It’s going to result in an obedient heart. It’s going to result in becoming a doer of God’s Word. That’s truly what it means to believe, it means to become a person of action. That’s what I refer to as an active faith.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

People cannot read our hearts and our minds but they can see your works and the things that you do.

When we hear the word of God preached and taught, it is an obedient heart towards God’s will that is evidence of something that is going on inside.

In a courtroom evidence is required to prove a case. When you prove something it means to demonstrate the truth or the existence of something by evidence. Do you remember the old saying that the proof is in the pudding? Somebody may claim to be a great cook but the evidence that shows that statement to be true is by producing something that tastes great out of the kitchen.

1 Thess 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In order to prove something, you’ve got to have evidence. It is an outward sign that makes evident or an indication of something.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. If there is no evidence on the exterior then where is true faith in a person’s heart? Faith is having a strong belief in God or the doctrines and teachings of Christ. Faith is loyalty to duty or to a person. Loyalty is faithful adherence to a leader.

When a person claims to believe in Jesus Christ, that is just a statement. It’s just words. What a person needs to possess is evidence to support those words and their professed faith in Jesus Christ. You do that by proving to others what you really believe.

True faith will result in loyalty to Jesus and the things that he taught. That’s why I’ve taught for many years if somebody truly believes in Christ they should have a desire on the interior to do God’s will and to obey Him. If there is no desire, then it’s just words. True love for Jesus is to obey what he commanded.

People should be able to see what you believe. They should be able to see that you want to do God’s will. That is called evidence.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of faith in action found in the book of Hebrews chapter 11.

It teaches that by faith Abel offered up to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Why did Abel offer a better sacrifice? The reason why is he truly believed in God in his heart. It resulted in his actions when he gave God a good sacrifice. That is what we refer to as Faith righteousness.

It teaches that Noah truly believed in God insomuch that he spent many years of his life constructing a huge ship to save his family from the flood. The ark was the evidence to the world of what he believed was coming in the future.

The parents of Moses had evidence of their faith in God when they hid Moses for 3 months. They were not afraid of the king’s commandment.

Moses had evidence that he truly believed in God. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He forsook Egypt and all of its earthly treasure.

Real faith will result in activities and a changed life. People will be able to see it happening. It’s going to result in a changed person as you become obedient to Christ.

When you claim to believe in Jesus, it’s the evidence on the exterior that shows and proves that statement to be true.

We cannot see the unseen things of God right now, but people can see how much you believe in God by your obedience to the things Jesus taught.

If you were to go into a courtroom, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian?

James 1:22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

If you truly want to be blessed, it’s required to do God’s will. It’s required to serve him instead of serving yourself. When you are trying to serve Christ faithfully, people are going to see that in your life. It is the evidence of what he is doing inside of you.

Saul had gone out and tried to prevent Christian churches from springing up. At one time of his life he was persecuting Christians but then he became a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ with all of his heart. He got forgiven for his sins and his life underwent a radical change.

The apostles percieved the grace that was working inside of his heart. God was causing a change to happen and the outward evidence of that change where the works that he was doing through Christ. He started to preach God’s word and help people to grow in their faith day by day.

These works were the evidence of things that God was doing inside of him. He was completely different than the person that he used to be. People were talking about him and saying that the man who was trying to destroy the Christian faith was now preaching Jesus. They were glorifying what God was doing inside of him.

Before we go today I just want you to think about a few things. Where are the works in your life that prove you are a follower of Jesus? What is the outward evidence in your life that people can see?

The life of Moses went through a complete change and he had evidence to prove it. The Apostle Pauls life went through a complete change and he had evidence to prove it. What is the evidence that you possess in your life that shows that you believe in Jesus? Obedience to the will of God and the teachings of scriptures show that you truly believe.

I think that’s we’re going to stop for right now but Lord willing will talk to you some more tomorrow. till then, bye-bye everybody.♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from the book of Luke but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

Do you have any children or teenagers? Have you ever tried to explain to them how to do something, expecting that they would listen to you? How many of you dads have taken your children fishing before? Maybe you tried to explain to them the right way to bait their hook. Sadly there are some teenagers out there who simply do not want to listen. You truly want to help them out and show them the proper way to do it but instead they decide to do it their own way.

You might show them how to tie a hook but they decide to do it their own way and then lose a nice fish. It can be very frustrating for a parent when their children would not listen. As a parent we are trying to show them the proper way to do something. You’re trying to help them and guide them but they decide they want to do it their way instead. They refer to you as Dad, but they really don’t treat you as a dad.

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

There are many people who profess to be Christian today but a lot of them have no desire in their hearts to do the will of God. If Jesus is truly the Lord of their life, they should have the desire to listen and to obey Him. When you obey it means to comply with the commands directions or request of a person or to submit to their authority. It’s to behave in accordance to what they tell you to do. Another definition says to follow the commands or guidance of.

In the church we have the teachings of the New Testament to guide us and to lead us into what God wants us to become. When it really comes down to it, why would you call Jesus your Lord but you won’t obey him? Why would you refer to somebody as your dad but you never listen to a thing he says? A dad is somebody that God has placed in your life for your guidance and direction.

Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

To place yourself in subjection is to be under the control of somebody else. It means to obey them completely. There are lots of examples in the scriptures about putting yourself in subjection to authority.

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

Children are supposed to be in subjection to their dad.

1 Timothy 3:4 ….having his children in subjection with all gravity

1 Peter 3:5 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:

2 Cor 9:13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ,….

God wants us to be in subjection to the teachings of His Son Jesus Christ. Why would you call him Lord but have no desire in your heart to do the things he taught. It’s like somebody who professes to have studied under one of the world’s greatest pianists but you can’t play at all. The reason why is you never did what he taught you.

There are many people today who do the same thing in regards to the Christian faith. They claim to be his followers but they don’t follow. All it is is lip service Christianity.

Matt 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

If you follow Jesus it means to act in accordance with his direction and guidance. The word follow means to obey and to act as ordered by somebody. It’s following His instructions.

For instance, It’s like purchasing a product that you needed to assemble so you followed the instructions that are on the back of the box. The Lord Jesus Christ has given us an instruction manual show us the way to eternal life. We need to follow it and do what it says if we truly want to get there someday.

Why call him Lord but not do the things that he wants? It reminds me of the following verse.

John 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:

Christianity is more than a profession of faith. It is more than just saying Lord Lord but it’s becoming a door of the word and not just a hearer only. When you hear the word of God and you become obedient to Christ you will be blessed in your deed. God sees that obedience any rewards it.

Matt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

It’s more than just saying that you believe something, it’s becoming a person of action and acting on that belief. It’s becoming a door of what Christ wants us to do.

Matthew 21:28-32 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Here is a passage where one son said he would do it but he never got it done. That is what you refer to in the scriptures as lip service. He never really completed the task at hand. Just because you have good intentions doesn’t mean a good finish. It comes down to getting it done. It comes down to becoming obedient to the will of God.

God wants us to become obedient children. People will see our faith day by day in our obedience to Christ and his teachings.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Doing the will of God and becoming obedient shows God how much we love him. When a wife obeys her husband and does what she’s told by him, she shows him her love. When children obey their parents and do what they are told, they show love towards a parent.

In order to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven someday, it’s more than just saying Lord Lord, it’s doing the will of the Lord. That’s why we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, thy will be done. His will, not ours. That requires that we change the way that we think to the way God wants us to think.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

The Apostle teaches us that if we’re not going to do what the scriptures teach then you’re lying to yourself. You’re really feel like you’re a Christian but the truth is you’re completely going contrary to what the Christian faith teaches. To me, that’s the worst lie of all because you’re doing it to yourself.

In the past we lived according to our own will and followed the ways of the world. We were doing the things that we wanted to do with our lives. Now as a Christian we are called according to His purpose rather than our own.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

If somebody professes to be a believer of Jesus Christ but they really have no desire to follow the things that Jesus taught, how can the love of God possibly be in them?

James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

True faith in the teachings of Christ is going to result in a changed life. We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need so that we can get forgiven and undergo that change. He turns us from disobedience to obedience. That is the ultimate goal. It only happens when you do what you’re told.

John 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Many many years ago I heard somebody say that you can’t get to Heaven by keeping commandments. I have never forgotten that statement because it is one of the most heretical things that I have ever heard come out of the mouth of a person who was professing to follow Christ. The New Testament is filled with Commandments.

A commandment is a rule that needs to be observed. It’s a rule that must be obeyed. A command is an authoritative order. If you were in the military and somebody gave you a command or an order that you completely rejected, they would probably throw you in the brig. Disobedience is not rewarded. God is not mocked. Whatever you sow is what you’re going to reap.

Think about the children out there who have to get sent to their bedroom for a timeout because they won’t obey their parent. You can be obedient or disobedient, it’s one or the other. God does not bless disobedience.

Before we go today, listen to the words of the apostle.

2 Cor 2:9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

God wants us to obey. To those who really don’t believe that, they are deceiving themselves. Why would you call him Lord but have no desire to do what he commands? Doesn’t make sense does it.

All it is is lip service Christianity.

I think that’s we’re going to stop for today, but Lord willing we will talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody. ♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from the book of Romans. But before we do that, I want to tell you a little story.

Many years ago, I was inbetween two jobs and I needed something to fill in the gap for a short while, so I applied for a job at a manufacturing plant. It seemed like they had overtime every week for anybody who wanted it. For those who really needed some extra cash, it was a good job to have for awhile.

I remember coming to the factory at about 6:45 each morning. I would put my clothes and my lunch in my locker, and then walk up by the office where there was a clock hanging on the wall.

I would take a little card that was in a slot by the machine and then put that card into the clock where it stamped the time that I had arrived. This was so they could keep track of the hours that I was putting in each week. Each day when I was done I would punch out on that clock and finally go home.

At the end of the week, all the employees would gather by the office in order to receive their paychecks. Their paychecks were the reward for all the work that they had done that week.

There are many people who are doing the very same thing today. The only difference is that they are trying to attain salvation by their own works.

Instead of trying to enter into heaven through God’s mercy and forgiveness, they’re trying to attain it by their own deeds.

Rom 4:4-7 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

When you go to a job each week, a reward from the employer is expected by you because you have put in many hours. Although the Christian faith teaches us to be filled with good works, your deeds are not in themselves, enough to get you to heaven. The apostle Paul understood what it meant to try to earn your way to heaven. At one time in his life he had placed complete trust and confidence that his works we’re going to get him there.

Phil 3:4-9 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:

At one time, the apostle was trying to earn his salvation. When you earn something or work for it, then you feel that somebody owes you something. For example, how many kids out there will go out to their neighbor’s place and cut their lawn for them. Afterwards they expect that they’re going to get paid for doing the job for their neighbor. You did the work, and your neighbor owes you something.

Many people today are trying to earn their own salvation. They feel that they’ve been a good person and done many wonderful works. They feel like they’re an upstanding person in the community and have helped the poor. The problem is, that all of these deeds are not motivated by God’s grace. It’s motivated by a form of self-righteousness. These are the things that Paul counted as dung in his own life. He completely turned away from all the achievements and works that he had done that made him feel like he was righteous in his own heart in mind. Later on he wrote to the church and referred to himself as the chief of sinners.

To attain the kingdom of heaven someday, Paul eventually placed his trust in the grace found in Christ Jesus. God extends to each of us a gift of forgiveness by which is the only way that any of us could ever be saved. Don’t get me wrong, good works are a great thing to do, but they are not supposed to be self-motivated. They need to be motivated by God’s grace so that He gets the Glory.

A lot of religious leaders we’re simply doing things to be seen by men. In the church we are supposed to be filled up with good works, but in and of themselves, they are not enough for us to get to heaven. You cannot earn salvation by your works. Even the things that the Apostle Paul was doing in the church he credited to God’s grace in his life as the motivating factor.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Do you remember the passage of The proud pharisee who boasted before God about all of his works and deeds. In his own self-righteousness, he was trying to earn his way to heaven. What he needed to do was accept the simple fact that he was a sinner just like the rest of us who need God’s forgiveness.

Paul had lots of wonderful works that he did when he became a Christian, but he gave the credit to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul understood the incredible wonders of God’s amazing grace. He knew it and believed it in his heart and was compelled to tell others about God’s mercy. It was God’s grace that was causing him to do the things he did. He refers to himself as the chief of sinners, but look at how God used him. Only a very meek person could make a statement like that.

He didn’t even feel it was right that people called him an apostle because he was persecuting the church at one time. A saint is simply a sinner, who at some point in their life, truly believed with all of their heart in God’s forgiveness. It is found through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Through God’s mercy is the only way that we could ever become something new. All of our past is washed away. Whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving glory to Him. You can’t work yourself to heaven. Salvation is a gift through God’s grace. It’s the most precious gift that you could ever attain and certainly one that you don’t ever want to neglect.

2 Cor 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Have you ever gone to a wedding and afterwards brought a gift to the bride and groom? A gift is something that is freely given. Can you imagine giving a gift to the groom and saying, here’s your gift, but you need to come over and cut my lawn this summer.

If you feel somebody owes you something then it’s really not a gift.

There are numerous people in the world today who are still trying to earn their way to heaven when the truth is they need to get forgiven for their sins. Jesus taught, if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins. It’s the unforgiven sin issue in our lives that is the problem. There’s only one way to access Heaven, through God’s grace. No matter how many works you’ve ever attained while you’ve been here on the earth, without grace found in Christ, you are going to come up short.

It’s simply trying to punch the clock so that at the end of your life, your paycheck of eternal life will have been earned by your deeds. That’s not the way it works.

…..Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

That simply means that you feel like God owes you something, while the truth is we owe Him everything for what He has done for us.

Roman’s 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Remember the Apostle Paul was filled with good works but they were led by God’s grace that was working inside of his heart. He gave the glory to God for the things that he was doing.

We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God wants us to be involved with. These are works that are done by Christ through our hearts. He is the one who is doing the work through us, not us.

The Lord taught it was the humble publican who went down to his house justified. He came to God and asked forgiveness for his misdeeds. There is no other way to get to heaven but through God’s grace. To try to attempt to do so is like trying to cross the ocean without a boat. It’s like attempting to go to the Moon without a ship.

Many years ago, I was in scouting and each week, it seemed like you could earn another kind of merit badge for certain good deeds that you were doing.

After years of being involved with that, your shirt was full of badges and pins and stripes. That was really deceiving because it made you feel like you were really a good person. What each of us need to do is simply take off that shirt and go throw it on a campfire somewhere. In a manner of speaking that’s what Paul did. We are all a bunch of sinners here on planet Earth who all need forgiveness with God if we want to live forever in heaven.

Salvation is not by our own works, but by the works of Christ that He completed when he died on the cross for our sins. We cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try.

Instead of trying to earn salvation by punching the clock each day, we need to understand that each of us are sinners who need to get forgiven with God. Truly the only path to salvation is found in God’s mercy that He gives freely to all of us through faith in His precious Son Jesus Christ .

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow Till then bye Bye, everybody. ♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at some scripture from the book of Ephesians but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

A man was just finishing his shift at work one day. He looked at the clock and it was about 5 minutes to 5 and he couldn’t wait to get back home. It was Friday night and he had the entire weekend off. He was excited to sit down with his family for supper and enjoy their company. When he got home, he came through the front door and could smell the aroma of turkey, potatoes and gravy which was one of his favorite meals. The entire family was sitting around the dining room table but he noticed that his twelve-year-old year old son was sitting in his spot at the head of the table. After he put his jacket away and took his shoes off, he walked up to his son and stood right next to him. He smiled and looked at him. After 5 or 10 seconds the son slowly stood up and surrendered the chair to his dad. The dad sat down at the head of the table and they began to make merry and enjoy their meal together.

In a home the man is the head of his household. He has been ordained by God to that position. He is the place of authority that God has placed in that family. What the son did is he surrendered to his dad’s authority when he gave up his dad’s chair. That is called submission.

Have you ever read about people who are continually running from the authorities because of some crime that they have committed, but eventually they give up and surrender? That is called submission. When you submit it means to accept or yield to a superior force or to The authority or will of somebody else.

In the military there are many different places of authority that you need to submit yourself to. Today, we are going to discuss how a woman is suppose to surrender and submit to the husband’s authority in the home because it is the will of God.

Eph 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

First of all, in a home, the entire family can ask their dad for something that they need or want to do. You can petition him for things the same way that we ask God for things in our prayers. Ultimately, the dad is the one who makes the final decision. He has been placed over that family for a reason and a purpose by God. He has been charged with the responsibility of taking care of them and of protecting them.

As a Christian dad, he is responsible to educate them in God’s holy word and bring them up in the teachings and admonitions of Jesus Christ. The children are supposed to submit and surrender to his authority just as the son gave up the chair at dinner time.

They learn respect for authority by obeying the head of the household.

Over the years I’ve learned that there’s either black or there is white. There is either truth or there is a lie. You either obey or you disobey. The holy scriptures teach us obedience.

When you obey it means to do the wish or the will of somebody else. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray thy will be done. If you actually pray that prayer with a true and sincere heart, you should feel an obligation to obey what Jesus teaches us. The word submit actually means to yield.

Imagine driving down the highway and you can see a couple miles down the road that some lights are flashing. They keep coming closer to you. You eventually realize that it’s a state patrolman who is in pursuit of somebody who has committed a crime. As he gets closer and closer what do you do? You yield to his authority and pull over to the side of the road. What you are doing is submitting to his authority on the highway and the process that he is involved with.

Children are supposed to submit in everything and to obey. That pleases the Lord Jesus Christ completely. God wants us to believe and submit to his son and the things that he taught. When you work at a job somewhere you need to submit to your boss and the things that he tells you. If you go into a classroom at school you need to submit to the teachers authority otherwise you might get sent down to the principal’s office or the disciplinary officer.

There are many different places of authority in the world today but all those places have been created by and for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Without authority in the world it would be a place of complete anarchy which is defined as a state of disorder thats due to the absence or non-recognition of authority. A wife and her children need to submit to their direct authority, which is the dad who is the head of the household. A Christian dad is not only watching over their physical needs but he is watching over their souls as well, guiding them and leading them in the teachings of Christ. He is the head of the home.

Think about all the old sailing ships that sailed across all the oceans in the world. There was one person who had ultimate Authority over everybody on those ships, it was the captain. He is the one who made the final decision on everything. That is called authority.

Think about all the submarines under the water in the oceans today. There is a person on board who is in charge of all the final decisions that are to be made, it is the captain of the boat. That is no different than a dad in his own home. He may run a tight ship but you need to submit to him.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

If a wife refuses to submit to her husband, she is actually sinning against two people at one time. She’s rebelling against her husband and she is rebelling against the teachings of Jesus. God really hates rebellion. It’s just like the sin of witchcraft in God’s eyes.

Remember, the devil rebelled against God. Rebellion is an act of open resistance to an authority in your life. What you do is openly fight against them instead of submitting to them.

A synonym for the word rebellion is a mutiny which is to refuse to obey the orders of a person who is in authority.

Think about sailors who rise up against the captain of the ship. Think about a home where a wife and children try to overthrow the authority of the dad. God really hates this sin. Mutiny is an overt act of defiance.

The Apostle Paul had authority over the church. The church needed to listen to the things that he taught.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Any wife who is professing to be a Christian will obey and submit to their husbands leadership in the home, whether he is a believer or a complete unbeliever. If she doesn’t, she’s in a state of open Rebellion. God has brought the two of you together. A husbands responsibility is to guide and protect his wife but he can’t do that if she’s not going to listen and submit to his authority.

I believe rebellion is learned at a very young age. Many times it’s learned by your own parents or one of your siblings in your family. If your own mother was disobedient to her husband then the girls watch that as they grow up and they feel that it’s acceptable to do that. That’s why we need to learn the way of Christ and do the things that he taught us. We want to do his will rather than our own. When you do that you will be blessed by God. God’s way is a better way for us.

As I mentioned already, a dad is ordained by God as the authority in his home. He doesn’t need paperwork or a plaque on the wall saying that he’s been ordained by God. Neither did the Apostle Paul need paperwork showing that he was ordained by God to do what he did as an apostle.

A man is the authority of his household beginning on day one when he got married. His command and duties began that day to his wife and his future family. Wives must submit themselves to their own husbands, in the same manner that you would submit to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church and He is the savior of the body. Head means that he is the one who is in authority and makes the decisions.

In a marriage a man and a woman become one flesh through sexual relationships in the bedroom but that doesn’t change the fact that the man is the head over the wife in the household, and the woman is under his authority.

Think about a football team for just a moment. They are all part of one unified team but it is the quarterback who decides what the team is going to do. He is the one who is in charge out on the field and calls the plays. The husband is the quarterback of his home.

In the church we are listening to the word of God being taught so that ultimately we can become obedient and do what it says. This is so that we can become pleasing unto Christ. Disobedience does not please God. He wants us to obey him and show the proof of our love.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. The word “everything” means all things.

Imagine a teacher giving you ten pages of homework to do. When you return to school the next morning, he asks you if you got all your homework done. You respond with a smile and tell him, I did everything you wanted me to do! That means there is nothing left that you didn’t do.

This is the way that a wife is supposed to treat her husband. She must obey him in everything because when it’s all said and done, when you obey it pleases God.

If you are truly professing to be a Christian then you should want to obey Him and become what he wants you to be. The wife needs to do what Christ teaches her, to obey her husband in everything.

It’s time to give up that chair and surrender to the will of God.

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

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22

To abstain from something means “to deliberately not do something; to refrain, resist, or restrain ones self from something.”

If someone has a problem with eating too much food and becomes overweight, they can abstain from eating foods that are “problem foods” for them. Maybe their weakness is pizza so instead of eating pizza they can abstain from that and find something else they like that doesn’t have so many calories.

Someone could also resist or refrain from sleep if they have a project that they really want to get done. They force themselves to stay awake to finish.

“Appearance” means “the way that someone or something looks; the outward look or aspect.” For example, you can look at the appearance of a store and usually determine if it is closed if there are no lights on inside the store. 

Or imagine if someone is going to find a new car at a car lot and there are a handful of different cars there that they like. However, each car is the same year, model and price. The only difference is the color. That person will pick the car they want based on appearance. 

“Evil” is “morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked.” 

So to “abstain from all appearance of evil” is to refrain or resist from looking like something that is immoral or wicked.

An example would be as simple as Halloween. What do some of the kids (and some adults, too, I guess) dress up as? Demons, devils, witches, and other evil things. These things are wicked and completely against Christianity. 

Or imagine that you are driving through a neighborhood of a town and you see a group of people dressed up in gang colors, holding weapons, and swearing profusely. Would you let your child go out and play around this kind of neighborhood? Probably not! Why? Because these people have the appearance that they are going to be doing evil things.

Because all sin is evil, we don’t want to do those things that are contrary to what is taught in the Bible. Keep yourselves clean from the filth of sin. Let others see your love to them; don’t be filled with hate. Show humility, not pride.

So how should we appear like? All we need to do is look at Jesus. How did He live? How did He act? Was Jesus out doing evil things? No. He was out helping people, healing people. He fed others at the feeding of the 5 thousand. He had compassion on others. He forgives us of our sins. Jesus is the ultimate example of how to live a Godly appearance.

We want the world to look at Christians and say, “They sure are a nice group of people. Maybe we should go and see what Christianity is all about.” We want our lives to bring glory to God. 

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

A lot of evil happens in the dark. Put off the works of darkness and live in the light of Christ.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to begin by talking about some scripture in the book of Colossians, but before we do that….

When I get up in the wintertime and I decide that I’m going to go out and shovel snow off of my deck, I put on my winter jacket. When you put on something, it means to wear it. In the scriptures, we want to put on the new man of God by becoming what He wants us to be inside of our hearts. He’s causing a change inside each of us by His grace and we want to put on those new attributes that He has created in us just like we would put on a jacket.

To put on actually means to make it part of one’s appearance and behavior. Instead of being mean or unkind as we were in the past, we now want to put on the teachings of the Christian faith. We want to walk in true love towards God and our neighbors. God is taking a sinful person and through faith and forgiveness we become different then what we used to be.

Our behavior changes from the way we used to live. The relationships that we had with others in the past changes. Just like I put on my jacket in the morning, we want to make sure that we put on the new qualities that Christ is creating in our lives.

Col 3:12-13 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

The Scriptures clearly teach us that God loves and cares for us. He wants us to be reconciled with Himself, and that is why He sent his Son, Jesus Christ to save us. He washes our sins away through faith and trust in what Jesus did for us at the cross. Now, as a converted Christian, we are supposed to put on bowels of mercies.

Bowels of mercies means the seat of pity and tenderness. It’s the deep or remote parts inside of your heart. Merciful people are pitiful and tender. Somebody who has pity feels sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortune of somebody else.

Think about watching a child as they ride their bicycle down the road and all of a sudden they fall down and get hurt. Pity is what causes you to run up to them and pick them up and give them a hug.

James 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

1 Pet 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

We are supposed to be forgiving with each other in the church, just as God forgives us. People should apologize and feel bad about what they’ve done, and own up to their mistakes. When they do, You are supposed to forgive them.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, there was a fornicator, who Paul wanted removed from the church. The reason why those measures happened is because they were puffed up. They didn’t feel bad about what was going on. They weren’t sorry about it at all and actually thought it was acceptable. They were glorying in their shame.

Have you ever heard people sit around a table and boast about the evil things that they are doing? That is not a good thing. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. God wants to show us mercy and compassion, but we need to recognize sin and admit the truth that what we’ve done is wrong.

We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need, and we should be able to do that with others within the church as well. We must be able to admit the fact that we made a mistake, so that we can get forgiven and correct the issue at hand.

Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Matt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

God wants us to be kind with each other. Someone who is kind has good or benevolent features. They are decent in their nature and disposition. Kind people are considerate and helpful in nature and are generous. They genuinely care about other people. Kindness is showing that you care about other people, and not causing harm or damage to them.

Psalm 145:8-9 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Because these are the qualities of God, we want to put them on every morning and wear them in our hearts and in our minds.

The Apostle teaches us to be humble in our mind. If you are humble you show a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance. A humble person is someone who knows that they are not perfect. They are marked by meekness in their behavior.

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

A truly meek person will always turn to God for direction. They trust in the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. Only through meekness can we submit to the things of Christ. Moses was referred to in the scriptures as one of the meekest of all men. Look at his obedience to God and how God used him.

Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

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.

Somebody who is humble in their mind will humble themselves before God. When you are humble, you are meek and submissive. Like I said, that leads to obedience to God and His teachings. The opposite will be in opposition to God. It’s being proud, haughty, and arrogant. In that state, they fight against the things of God in their own hearts and minds. That’s why the apostle teaches to humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may lift you up in due time.

The Apostle teaches us to be long suffering. Long-suffering means that you have or you show patience in spite of troubles that are caused by other people towards you. It means to patiently endure lasting offence or hardship that other people put you through. The last definition says it’s long and patient endurance of injury, trouble or provocation.

Our study verse continues at verse 13 saying….forbearing, one another and forgiving one another.

The literal meaning of forbearance is to hold back. For example, you are upset that one of your kids was misbehaving. They should be punished for what they have done. That’s called justice. But they are apologetic and truly feel bad about what they’ve done. Forbearance is not imposing a punishment that is rightly due to somebody.

Here’s a good example of forbearance and forgiveness.

Matthew 18:21-35 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.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 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.

In this passage, we see forbearance, and we see forgiveness. To forgive means to stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offensive flaw or a mistake. It’s to stop feeling angry at others because of what they’ve done wrong to you. When people do something wrong to you it hurts. It certainly makes you feel angry and resentful. These are natural feelings when you get hurt.

Think of two kids that are walking down a hallway at school. One of the children decides to trip the other so they fall down. The one that was trippped stands up quickly and yells at the other person who did it. That’s a natural response when somebody does something wrong to you. It resulted in an open rebuke. Instead of turning around and punching the child he rebuked him. That is called forbearance. In order to get forgiven for the wrong we’ve committed we have to apologize to those that we have hurt. There has to be an apology or admission of fault in order for forgiveness to take place.

Think of it like this.

Before you make a box of macaroni and cheese, you have to boil some water. Before we have forgiveness for our faults we first have to apologize and confess to others. If there were no apologies required, then everybody would be automatically forgiven, and there won’t be any need for a judgement day. That is not the case because confession is mandatory toward God and others. The reason why people don’t apologize is because of pride, which God detests.

The scriptures teach us that we first must confess sins in order to be cleansed from our sins. When we confess, we can be forgiven by God and others. True forgiveness will forget past events and reconcile with others.

When you forget what other people have done, you cease to feel resentment against them.

Verse 13 says if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

A quarrel is a heated argument and disagreement. It is an angry dispute or altercation that results in a temporary or permanent break in friendly relations.

It hurts when other people sin against you. That’s why you’re supposed to rebuke them. How can you forgive people who don’t apologize. In order to be forgiven with God we need to apologize and confess faults to Him. That is how we are supposed to do it with each other in the church.

You are supposed to forgive the person from the heart and reconcile with them. This means to forget what has gone on and return to the relationship that you had in the past. If you can’t reconcile with a brother that you have wronged, how is the love of Christ in them?

Jesus teaches us to be merciful, to confess faults, to forgive each other, and to reconcile relationships. These are the ways of Christ. These are the things that He taught and does for us. He wants us to show these qualities to the world.

Today, when you get up to put on your jacket, remember to put on the things of Christ and what he taught. Wear them in your heart and your mind for all of society to see.

I think that’s we’re going to stop right now, but Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye Bye, everybody.♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Good morning and welcome in today. Today let’s start by taking a look at some scripture from 1 John.

1 John 1:8-9. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The word sin means a transgression of God’s known will. In the church, we grow in the teachings of God’s Holy scriptures day by day. A sin is to go against what you know is right from God’s Word. It’s a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle. Sin is a state of rebellion against God. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.

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

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Rom 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

The truth is that all of us are sinners. The church is a place where sinners come to confess faults and get forgiven. God grants us grace so that we can become what he wants us to be. In order to inherit eternal life someday, we have to first get forgiven with God. It’s only then that we can grow into a spiritually mature Christian. When we get forgiven by God, we want to show that same forgiveness to others in the church. God gives us lots of Grace and many chances to get things right. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. God wants us to come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need.

Would you describe yourself as a needy person? When you need something, it means that you require it because it is essential and very important to you. It’s a situation in which someone or something must do or have something.

Think about how each of us needs food in order to survive. When you sit down at the supper table there are different portions that are given to each member in the family, depending on what you require or need to eat. A child may have a little tiny serving for dinner while the dad needs a lot more. God allots to each of us a portion of His grace, depending on what we require. Some of us need more forgiveness than others, but the fact of the matter is this. If you’ve sinned one time, then you are just as guilty as a person who has sinned 1000 times.

God wants us to come boldly unto Him and get forgiven for our faults and misdeeds. When you do something boldly, it’s done in a confident and courageous way. It’s to do something without hesitation or fear. When you come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need, you are doing it in a brave and confident way without being afraid.

Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Hebrews 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

And having an high priest over the house of God;

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised

In the church, we have grace that is freely given unto us when we require or need it. We don’t have to be afraid, but simply come boldly and ask for it. In the simple act of asking for forgiveness, you’re admitting fault and you’re confessing that you did something that was wrong.

I’ve taught for many years that the very first step in the Christian life is believing the truth that we need God’s mercy and grace. That’s what Jesus did for us at the cross when He took upon himself our sins and our misdeeds. He’s the Lamb of God who was slain for the sins of the world. Sins that can’t be forgiven are sins that people won’t admit to or sins that people won’t apologize for. When you hurt God or others around you should quickly confess faults and get forgiven.

In turn, we are supposed to be very forgiving with each other in the church. It’s a tender heart that forgives other people. It’s a tender heart that lets things go. It’s a tender heart that puts everything behind you. We get forgiven because of the tender heart of love in Christ. God expects you to show that love and kindness to others in the church when they sin or make a mistake against you. That’s the Christian faith. If you cannot forgive and reconcile with others, God is not going to forgive you.

The Apostle teaches if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

The truth is, we’re all sinners.

Verse 9 teaches our response to our sinful condition. He says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

To confess means to admit that you’ve done something wrong or something that you feel guilty or bad about. It’s a simple admission of truth. It’s to admit that you were wrong.

Psalms 32:5 I acknowledge 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.

Psalms 38:18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

When we do something wrong to other people in the church, what do we do? We say I’m sorry and apologize. That’s a simple acknowledgement of the truth. It’s accepting the truth that you did something wrong to the other party.

Psalms 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

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

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Our God is a very forgiving and merciful God. What He requires is that we admit the truth so that He can forgive us. I’ve always said that the only kind of sin that cannot be forgiven, are the ones people don’t admit. To get forgiven we have to admit the truth in their own hearts and minds and own up to our own shortcomings.

God wants to forgive us because He cares for each of us. That’s why he wants us to be so forgiving with each other in the church, because He is a forgiving God.

Jeremiah 33:8  And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

Titus 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity…

God extends to us grace, so that we can change. How can you ever change without an allotment of forgiveness and mercy?

Mark 1:5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

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

Confess means to admit the truth and say I was wrong. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When you forgive somebody, it means you stop feeling anger or resentment towards somebody for an offense flaw or a mistake. It’s just to be angry when somebody wrongs you. In God’s anger he’s going to punish people to eternal damnation someday if they don’t confess fault and come to His Son Jesus Christ for forgiveness.

To get forgiven with God and others requires that you apologize. Pride is what causes a person to refuse to say that they are sorry.

The word repent means to have a change of heart. It’s to examine your own heart and mind and accept the truth of what you have done and then apologize. To forgive is to let go of anger or blame or resentment towards somebody else and return to friendly relations. In order to do that, you need to confess your faults and admit them to God and others. Again, God is gonna punish sin at judgment day. There’s a heaven and there’s hell, Hell is reserved for people who won’t admit fault and and get forgiven for their sins. It’s also reserved for those who won’t forgive others when they apologize.

When I think about confession, and the forgiveness of sins, I remember something that I had made in shop class many, many years ago. It was a cedar box for keeping things in. I bought a key and a lock for it, and used to lock up some of my valued things in my bedroom. The kingdom of heaven is kind of like that, except the box is full of grace and mercy. There is plenty of grace inside of that box to cover all of your sins but you cannot get into it because you don’t have the key. To get the key to the grace and mercy that is found inside that box, we must first apologize for our misdeeds. We need to admit our faults not only to God but to others we have sinned against. It’s not optional, it is mandatory. When we do this, the key is given to us so that we can open the box up and receive all the grace and mercy that we could possibly want or desire.

The key to forgiveness is confession. We simply need to admit the truth in our own hearts and minds and confess our faults not only to God but to others in the church.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.

Don’t ever forget, confession is the key. Admitting fault is the key, acknowledging that you’ve done something wrong and apologizing for it is the key into that cedar Box.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk to some more tommorrow. Till then, bye bye, everybody.♥️

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I like to plant a bunch of different things in my garden. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers peas, zucchini etc. But on our property we have something that is incredibly annoying: thistles. And while they have certain medicinal qualities, they are incredibly invasive, especially in the garden. Unless you somehow manage to find most of the thistle plants in the area and cut them down, they will bloom and release their seeds. Once these seeds make their way into the garden and start to grow, that results in another problem. 

See, when a thistle plant gets established in a garden, they are really hard to get out. Thistle roots are very brittle, so when you try to pull them out, they break off easily. You can try to take a shovel and dig them up, but because the roots are so brittle, they break up into small pieces. Nearly each piece, not matter how small, can become a new thistle plant and then it all starts again, only this time is is even worse because now you have several more of them. You really need to catch these plants when they are young in order to keep the roots from spreading to avoid this problem. I sometimes will spread straw around my plants to cover and block those weeds from growing. Left unchecked, thistles would completely cover my garden and I wouldn’t be able to grow anything in it.

Sin, if left unchecked, will destroy a person’s life. Like the thistles, you may start out small with one or two, but unless you remove it from your life, it will spread out into more and more parts of a person’s life.

Look what happened in the Garden of Eden. Because one person sinned, the entire world is now condemned without Christ.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12

See how much that one sin spread? It started in the garden, with one person. Now people are all over the globe, and each one of them is a sinner too.

Instead of living in sin, we need to give ourselves to God and let Him reign in our lives.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Romans 6:12-13

Just like when I put straw on my garden to cove the thistles, Jesus covers our sins by His death on the cross. He covers and takes away our misdeeds and remembers them no more.

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12

Don’t let sin spread and rule your life. Turn to Jesus and let Him cover your sins, and He will remember them no more.

In Christ,

Andrew 

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from First Timothy chapter six. But before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story..

I was driving down the highway one day and was starting to notice that the front of my car had a little shimmy to it. I thought maybe that I needed a front end alignment, or maybe it was just one of the tires that was getting worn. So I decided to take my vehicle into a shop. I set an appointment the next day.

After work, I brought the vehicle in. When they put the vehicle up onto the rack, I went out into the waiting room to grab a cup of coffee. As I sat there, I looked around at the things that were up on the wall. I came across a framed quote. It said…

” …it’s hard to become rich in a small town, because everybody is watching you. “

1 Tim 6:9-10 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Love is a very strong emotion. Someone can love their new car and spend all day cleaning, washing, and waxing it. People can love their home so much that all they want to do is constantly improve it. People can love the money that’s sitting in their bank accounts, and just like Scrooge McDuck in the cartoons, all they can do is continue to check on it. Love for something is a very strong emotion but it is meant to be focused completely on God.

I’ve always taught my family that it’s probably fairly easy to become rich. Instead of helping others with the things that you’ve been given by God, just keep it all to yourself.

Our dog has a brown stuffed toy. It’s a furry fake rabbit. She is constantly walking up to me all the time and dropping her toy at my feet. She wants me to throw the toy so she can chase after it. It seems she never gets tired of chasing after it because she loves doing it so much.

In the Christian Life, we need to place our love first and foremost on the Lord Jesus Christ and the things that He taught. When that love is placed somewhere else, it can cause great problems in your life.

The Apostle teaches that they that will be rich fall into temptation, and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts.

When you love something, you greatly desire it. Desire is a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. In our scripture, it’s a craving, or a longing and yearning to be rich. The Scriptures teach that it’s not a sin to be poor, while there are numerous warnings about being rich.

When I was very young, I remember playing a game with the other children called hot potato. We would go into the gymnasium with our entire class and grab a rubber ball out of the locker room. All of us kids would stand in a circle and they would start some music. The whole object of the game was to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible when it was tossed to you. You didn’t want to be the last one with the ball when the music stopped.

That’s kind of like being rich in this world. Someday eventually the music is gonna stop, and you really don’t want to be holding on to all those riches when that happens. All your riches and wealth is going to count against you at judgement day.

Think about how many people have tried for centuries to be buried with all their wealth. Why do you think there’s been so many grave robbers over the years? That craving and desire for earthly riches is supposed to be refocused and placed upon Jesus Christ.

There are a lot of times when deer hunting starts up, that many people will completely skip out on church because a deer becomes more important to them. Jesus has to be first in our lives above everything else. The Apostle teaches us that the desire to be rich is just like getting caught in a snare. A snare actually gets tighter and tighter and tighter. It traps you and it chokes you, and eventually leads to suffocation and death.

Having a lot of money also leads to foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Many people who have a desire to be rich will go out in the world and get caught up stealing from others. They go out and rob banks or armored vehicles. It really doesn’t matter about who they hurt because their love is completely focused on obtaining money.

Have you ever noticed that you can lead a pet around by holding some food in your hands? Their eyes are completely focused on it because they want what is in your hand. That is what we’re talking about today, the desire to be rich.

In the church, we are taught to be content with the things that we have. When it comes down to it, what do we really need in this life? Some food and water, a set of clothes and a place to sleep?

The more and more and more things that you have in life, the more and more and more they consume your time. We’re supposed to redeem the time. The Lord wants us to spend time with him, but that overwhelming desire to be rich and wealthy takes away from that personal time with Jesus.

The Lord told some people to come and follow him, but they loved other things more. They loved their own relatives more. They loved their animals more. Jesus has to be our first and greatest love. The love of money is by far one of the worst things in this life, because it completely consumes your heart and your mind. The love of money is the root of all evil.

This last week or two, I was discussing caves. Many years ago, they used to explore caves, and would tie a rope off to a tree outside the cave. As they got deep into the cave, the rope served as a way to find their way back out. That eventually lead right back to that tree. Have you ever heard the old saying, follow the money trail? If you track it far enough back, evil springs forth from the love of money. The Apostle teaches that’s the love of money is the root of all evil.

You can do a lot of nice things with money and your possessions in this world. Abel gave his best sacrifice unto God.

In the movie Scrooge, gain was the one thing that he cared about more than anything else, and it ruined his relationship with others. A person who is rich has abundant possessions, and especially material wealth.

Matt 6:24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Mammon is commonly defined in the Bible, as to mean money or material wealth or the greedy pursuit of gain. The Lord Jesus teaches you cannot serve God and mammon. That’s one of the reasons why the love of money is the root of all evil, because you can’t serve both God and money.

Luke 18:18-25 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

This rich young ruler thought that he had kept all the Commandments while the truth is nobody did. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So the Lord Jesus took him a little bit further. He told him to give up his possessions and to come follow him, but he couldn’t do it. The thought of letting his possessions go made him very, very sorry. That’s what happens when you love the world rather than loving Jesus.

Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

You can be rich in possessions in this world, or you can be rich in spiritual things in Christ, but you cannot serve God and mammon both.

Before we go today. I want you to look at this entire world that God made. Think about the entire universe that he created. Why did He create it and who did he give it to? He gives it to us to freely enjoy. God provides us with water and food to eat and beautiful things in this world to look at. It didn’t cost any of us anything because God is the greatest giver that there has ever been.

The love for money and earthly gain is completely contrary to the giving heart of God. Instead of loving God and others with what you have, you keep it all to yourself because that is who you love the most.

This is why it is one of the greatest dangers in this life. When you are caught up in its snare, the only thing that you can focus on is how to get more of it, and how you can consume it upon your own earthly lusts. That is a road that will only lead to sorrow.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye Bye, everybody.