Good morning and welcome in today today we’re going to talk about some scripture from James chapter 1 verse five but before we do that…

Wisdom is the application of the knowledge that you have been taught. Wisdom is taking the information that you’ve been given through knowledge and then making a proper decision based on that knowledge.

First of all God wants to give us wisdom liberally. When you do something liberally it means large or generous amounts. Have you ever had a large turkey dinner and your mom kept bringing you piles and piles of potatoes on your plate with lots of gravy? If so she was being very liberal with the portions. God wants to give us large portions of wisdom.

Did you know that God wants to give us wisdom? It teaches that he gives wisdom to all men liberally. God does not scold us or rebuke us when we come seeking wisdom from him. Whenever the disciples came up to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked that he would increase their faith he helped them grow in the word.

James 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

I’ve always liked this word (shall) in the scriptures.

The word shall is used to express what is inevitable and means it’s going to happen or seems likely to happen in the future.

God wants to give us wisdom and he shall give us wisdom. It is inevitable because his wisdom is the best thing for us.

Psalms 111:10 – The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

God wants us to have wisdom and to know his holy word.

1 Timothy 2:4 – Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

He wants to help us understand the fear and respect for the Lord Christ

Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Ecclesiastes 7:12 – For wisdom [is] a defence, [and] money [is] a defence: but the excellency of knowledge [is, that] wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

God doesn’t want us to be deceived by the wisdom that comes from this world.

Colossians 2:8 – Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:19-20 – 

¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

²⁰ And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Wisdom is defined as having experience knowledge and good judgment. True wisdom is making your decisions based on the teachings of the Holy scriptures.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Whatever you ask in prayer before God you have to believe that you’re going to receive it.

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

Matthew 21:22 – And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

James 1:7

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord

Whenever you ask in prayer you need to believe that you’re going to receive it otherwise you’re not going to receive anything. That’s called faith and trust in the Lord Jesus that he will deliver.

So again God will give wisdom to you men liberally, but you have to ask in faith. Do you truly want to become a wise man? Trust Jesus and Watch What Happens.

That’s it for today in Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow everybody till then bye-bye everybody

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to look at some scripture from 1st Timothy Chapter 1 but before we do that…

I wanted to tell you that I’ve been pretty much self-employed almost my entire life. In regards to the scripture that we are going to be talking about today, I wanted to tell you a little bit about my past.

One time many years ago somebody approached me and wanted me to sell water purifiers. These are the purifiers that you hook up to your sink and the water runs all the way through them and then it comes out of the purifier and then you drink it.

Well this man who showed me the purifiers pulled out a glass full of muddy water and he hooked it up to the purifier and ran it through it. This water was terrible-looking and I’m sure that there’s no one who would have ever wanted to attempt to drink it, but after it went through the purifier he took a drink of that glass. It has been completely purified. In many cases they claim that the water that comes out of the purifier is purer than the stuff that comes out of your tap.

I really enjoy a cold glass of pure water. More than that, I like somebody who has a pure heart.

1 tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Jesus Christ wants us to become pure in our hearts. That means you’ve got to filter off all those things that are displeasing to him. We learn what displeases him through the teachings of Holy Scripture. The holy scriptures are like a water purifier.

We are all a bunch of wretched sinners who come to the church and we put ourselves through that purifier, God’s Word. Everything that is disobedient and sinful in our hearts is being filtered out by the truth.

Impure water doesn’t taste very good does it. Many people hookup a filter onto their vacuum or put one on their furnace in their home to filter the air because they like the smell of that fresh Chrisp oxygen as it permeates their home. When you’re filtering something your cleansing it from impurities.

An impurity is something that defiles you. Defile means to corrupt the purity or perfection of. Defilement goes against love.

Titus 1:15

¹⁵ Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

Notice that someone who is defiled their mind and conscience has turned against the love for Christ and the things that he taught.

The conscience is defined as the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action and to follow the dictates of conscience.

The more that you have been taught and instructed in God’s holy word the greater your conscience will be. The reason why is you know what is right and wrong according to God and His will and purpose for you. Someone who is defiled is turning away from what they know they should be doing.

To be honest with you all, it is never ever good to go against your conscience and what you know that you’re supposed to be doing.

Hebrews 12:15

¹⁵ Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

When someone confesses and admits their sin the Bible teaches as Christ forgives us we’re supposed to forgive them. Bitterness does not forgive. It is a very cold hard unmerciful feeling that one really does not want to possess if they claim to be a Christian.

Jesus teaches that if a brother says I repent to forgive him. If you can’t do that, you yourselves you will not be forgiven by God. In that state I believe prople partake of Holy Communion to their own damnation because they don’t understand how much Christ loved them and died to take their sins away.

The Apostle warned that there would be those who partook of communion to their own damnation.

If they cannot forgive then they will not be forgiven by God. In order to get forgiven one must confess and admit their faults to God and others. Defilement is the result of an unforgiving and unmerciful heart.

Hebrews 13:4

“Marriage is honourable in all, and .the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

Whatever happens in the bedroom is undefiled before God because it is sanctioned by God through holy matrimony. In a marriage your body becomes the property of your wife and the wife becomes the property of the husband. What happens in the bedroom is a private matter between the two of you and is completely undefiled.

Purify from one dictionary means to remove contaminants from. In another dictionary means to clear from material defilement or imperfection or to free from guilt or moral blemishes or too free from undesirable elements. The last dictionary says to purify something is to remove dirt, chemicals or anything else that it is contaminated with.

Think about all the military personal that are out on the oceans every day. Water is very heavy and there’s too much weight involved to carry fresh water with them on their trips so they have to filter the water from the ocean. Before it’s drinkable it has to be cleansed. God desires our heart to be cleansed. To be pure and undefiled.

Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

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.

Imagine washing your socks at the laundromat and they come out nice and clean. In a sense they’ve been cleaned and purified. What you certainly don’t want to do is to wear those clean socks outside without your shoes on and get them all full of mud all over again.

1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

As I’ve always said sin is the opposite of love and love is the opposite of sin. God wants to cleanse our hearts from sin and the things that defile us so that we can walk in perfect charity towards him.

2 Corinthians 7:1 – Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Cleanse means to rid of impurities.

Each of our hearts need to go through a purification process every day.

To love God perfectly we need to become perfectly obedient to him in the things that he teaches us and commands us in the Holy scriptures. We have to cleanse ourselves from disloyalty, unkindness, unthankfulness, a lack of mercy, and ultimately a lack of charity. We must learn to love God perfectly out of a pure heart and pure mind. We must learn to love the brethren perfectly with a pure heart fervently. It is that love that forgives, confesses and reconciles.

1 Peter 1:22 – Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:

When you love others fervently you will be quick to forgive others and to confess your own faults as Jesus does for us. This is what truly defines a disciple of Christ.

John 13:35 – By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

1 Peter 4:8 – And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

For a moment let’s talk about what it means to have unfeigned love.

Unfeigned means genuine or sincere. It isn’t artificial or false.

There are people who were coming out to hear Jesus preach who were feigning themselves to be just men. They really didn’t care or love Jesus they just wanted to hear something out of his mouth so they could get rid of him.

On the exterior they appeared righteous and loving and kind but the truth was on the insides of their hearts there was coldness, blackness and dark.

Unfeigned means heartfelt and sincere.

Sincere means wholehearted, heartfelt, hearty.

Sincerity is the virtue of one who communicates and acts in accordance with the entirety of their feelings, beliefs, thoughts, and desires in a manner that is honest and genuine.

Unfeigned means genuine in feeling.

Once again let’s look at this verse .

1 Peter 1:22 – Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren….

James 4:7

 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Here is another passage of scripture that deals with the purifying of your hearts. You have to cleanse your hearts and rid your hearts of the things that are displeasing and disobedient to Christ. If you are incapable of doing that you remain in the state of defilement before God. We can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need but God wants us to walk in the truth. As I’ve always taught in my household he wants us to love and to obey and to serve him. That is the essence of the Christian faith.

⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Heb 10:22

²² 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.

God wants to cleanse our consciences, but are you willing to walk in the new life that he gives us through his grace?

1 john 3:3

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Anybody who claims to be a Christian and expects that they’re going to be in Heaven someday with the Lord Jesus Christ it’s going to purify themselves. A pure-hearted person is a person who loves God perfectly. A pure-hearted person is a person who is perfectly obedient. That is something that anybody who professes Christianity should be striving towards in their life.

2 cor 7:1

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The simplistic definition for the word holiness is charity. If you are walking in perfect love then you are holy. Remember that we are supposed to love God first and our neighbors second. This is because God wants us to love our neighbors in truth that comes from the scriptures.

Remember that sinners love other sinners but that doesn’t mean they’re going to heaven. Love in and of itself does not mean that somebody is going to inherit eternal life. In order to enter in through the Gates of Heaven We Must Love Christ to become obedient to the things he taught and gave the church. To love our neighbor means to speak the truth with them the things that you have been taught by Christ. And we need to purify our hearts in the same way that a water purifier cleanses the water from any kind of impurities.

To obtain eternal life we need to love Christ and to become obedient to the things he’s teaching and give that same exact love that you’ve been instructed in to other people. In order to do this we need to cleanse our hearts.

Ps 51:10

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

ps 24:3

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

Today I’m going to ask you are you truly sincere about your faith in Jesus? The reason why I asked that is because the end of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure heart. Is the love that you have for Christ true and real that leads to obedience and submission? That is a love that lasts forever!

That’s it for today but Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more later on till then bye-bye everybody

1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

² Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

The apostle is teaching here that in the latter times people were going to depart from the faith. Take a good look around you today at all the people who profess to believe in Jesus Christ but they reject the teachings of Jesus.

The Lord Jesus taught that he that hath my Commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. In order to obtain salvation we need to love the Lord Jesus Christ because that’s the first commandment: to love God with all your heart and soul and mind. The Bible teaches that those who don’t love the Lord let them be anathema.

If you truly love the Lord Jesus you’re going to forgive those who say I repent. If you truly love the Lord Jesus you’re going to confess your sins and apologize to others that you have wronged in the church so that you can be reconciled. If you truly love the Lord Jesus Christ you’re going to care and love others and you’re going to want them to repent and obtain salvation.

As I’ve taught for many years and I’ll say it again that out there in the world there is a large form of false Christianity that is not based on faith in what Jesus taught from the scriptures.

As I’ve said for many many years it’s a false form of Christianity that is not based on faith in Jesus and what he taught. It is a form of Christianity that has assimilated into all kinds of false religions, untruths, philosophy and worldly teachings. Is this a shock to me? No because it’s prophecy being fulfilled.

There are two forms of Christianity prevalent today. Those who accept and believe the teachings of scripture and those who want to be Christian but reject passages of what Jesus taught. Remember we have the promise of eternal life in the scriptures but I want you to think about this for a moment.

Imagine when your in 9th grade and your dad promises that he’s going to buy you a car when you graduate from high school. He gives you a promise that that’s what he’s going to do if you complete your education. What happens if you get to the 11th grade and decide to quit or give up or skip school and you never pass any of your classes? You don’t want to be like that in the Christian Life. You don’t want to be the person to whom the promise was left of entering in to eternal rest but you came up short of it.

We are given a promise of eternal life. God wants to be with us in heaven forever. But there are also requirements that you need to do in order to attain that final resting place. That is why he tells the young minister….

1 Tim 4:16 “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

In this passage we are learning that Timothy did play a part in his own salvation. Many people who profess to be Christian today have what I call a lazy Faith where it’s not required to do anything for God but yes I’m going to heaven. There are so many people like that who are deceived out there in the world today.

That kind of belief goes contrary to what Paul taught Timothy. God has come half way and died on the cross for our sins now he expects you to come the other half to become obedient and faithful to the teachings of his only begotten Son who laid down his life for you.

Imagine being someone who would quit their job. They completely turned away from it and left. Later on they repented and got forgiven by their boss and he gave them their job back. Do you really believe that you’re going to get a paycheck someday unless you repent and come back to work? The Apostle Paul taught that he had kept the faith. Keeping the Faith means to do what the scriptures teach. With that in mind let’s take a look at our study scriptures for today.

1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Depart is the action of leaving  or a deviation from an accepted, prescribed, or traditional course of action or thought.

There are people in the church who have spent many years growing in the Holy scriptures. My wife and my children have had the scriptures taught to them twice a day for almost 20 years. With strong biblical education comes very high convictions and a moral standard to differentiate between what is right and wrong. Out there in the world there are people who only know a few verses of the Bible. They’re ignorant to Biblical truth.

The more that you know and that you have been taught the more you are accountable for before God. We can come boldly to the throne throne of grace in time of need but we can never and I repeat NEVER depart from what we have been taught. The scriptures say what they mean and mean what they say.

If somebody is going to go away or to leave the faith it means to depart from the things that they have been educated in from the scriptures. They know what they’re doing is wrong but they depart from it anyway. That is a very grave sin and some people call it apostasy. To those who know what they’re supposed to be doing and then they don’t do it to them it is sin.

Imagine going to a church somewhere and you know what the scriptures teach about a certain topic yet you completely turn against it and willfully reject it. That is the group that we are speaking about today. Think about it, what did your parents used to say, you know better than that!

I’m not saying this because I think I’m better than other people. I’m a sinner too and I’ve made my own mistakes along the way. What I’m trying to do here today is lead people back to the truth. You have to turn away from all the lies that other people are teaching you. You have to turn away from all the lies that you are believing in your own mind and turn back to Christ. We’re talking about salvation and eternal life.

Beware about willfully abandoning what you been taught.

Heb 3:12

¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Have you ever left something?

Faith is a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion. It is something that is believed especially with strong conviction especially : a system of religious beliefs.

Remember we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need . There is forgiveness available with God. It matters that you admit your sins and get back up and follow the faith that you have been taught.

Proverbs 24:16 – For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Even a just man makes mistakes. What matters is that you get back up and keep trying.

Departing from the faith is to go completely against the things that you have been instructed in the church.

It’s exactly the way that Eve was deceived in the Garden of Eden. A person starts to believe seducing spirits who lead them away from the truth that they have been taught for years.

Jeremiah 3:22. Return, ye backsliding children, [and] I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou [art] the LORD our God.

Jeremiah 14:7

O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.

As I said already there is Grace available with God, but we have to turn away from our ways to the way of Jesus Christ.

Giving heed means to pay attention to; take notice of. To heed something is to listen to it, pay careful attention to it.

You’re supposed to give heed to the things that we’ve been taught rather than listening to the false teachings out in the world.

Heb 2:1

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Prov 2:1-6

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 

Again we are supposed to take heed to the teachings of the Holy scriptures not to seducing spirits.

The devil seduces others. That means he persuades others to be disobedient and disloyal to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

A seducer will lead people astray from God’s commands. As the devil did to Eve, a seducer will lead you astray, from a duty that you are supposed to complete.

A seducer will lead you or draw you away from your principles of your faith and your allegiance to Christ and what he taught.

1 John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

In gen 3 the devil seduced Eve to go against the command of God. He continues to do it today.

The Lord Jesus Christ was seduced and tempted in the wilderness by the devil. Matt 4:1

Why do you think it’s so important to keep separate from the world? In a state of unbelief they don’t share the teachings of our faith. Although God doesn’t want anybody to perish, He commands us to come out and be separate from the world.

These people are going to be deceived and follow the doctrines of devils. Well what does the devil appear like?

2 cor 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Are you going to trust these people because they were robes or a three piece suit? Jesus warned not to judge by the appearance.

Doctrine- a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group. Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system.

The devil doesn’t want you to obey the commands of Christ. The doctrines of devils are teachings that go against Jesus and scriptural truth. Sure these people have got nice teeth, nice smiles, they are good speakers, but I’ll ask you this, what do you think the devil looks like? Do you really think he’s going to appear with horns and a pitchfork?

The devil will manifest himself by completely denying the truth of Holy Scripture. Those are his horns. His Pitchfork is used to try to turn people away from what Jesus and the apostles taught.

How does he appear? Because the devil is the king of deception he shows up like a minister of righteousness.

Where are you going to find the devil today? You will find him in a lot of false churches out there. I mean after all, where do you think the best opportunity is to turn people away from the teachings of Jesus Christ but the church? Don’t be so naive people. The devil is trying to actively turn people away from the doctrine of Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Titus 2:1 – But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

1 John 4:1 – Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hebrews 13:9 – Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For [it is] a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

Ephesians 4:14 – That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Titus 1:9 – Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

A seducing spirit is a deceiver.

They lie and make an untrue statement with the intent to deceive. A lie is to create a false or misleading impression or a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. All liars are going to have their place in the Lake of Fire.

Matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Matt 24:11 and many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Ephesians 4:14 that we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

As I said, if we sin we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need but what a hypocrite is, is someone who is feigning.

A hypocrite is a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not. Feigning means to intentionally deceive or to pretend.

So these people are going to turn away from the Christian faith and speak lies in hypocrisy because their conscience is seared with a hot iron.✅

You know one time I burnt my arm on some hot water really bad and I don’t have any feeling there anymore because it burned the nerve endings off. The people we are talking about here sin and they don’t care because they don’t feel it in their hearts anymore. That’s how far they are from the teachings of Jesus Christ. The conscience is the faculty by which you determine what is right and wrong. These people have been educated in God’s word but they completely turn against it and then they don’t care if they sin after that. That is a very bad place to be and it’s a grave sin.

I believe sin and even backsliding can be forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ. The only thing that prevents forgiveness from happening is when people dont accept the truth of what the scriptures teach.

Receive it, believe it, and live it. The Commandments are not that grevious. Let’s decide today to walk in love towards others and most of all toward Christ Jesus our Lord. After all, today is the day of salvation!

That’s it for right now so Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more later till then bye-bye everybody.

Matthew 5:14-16, “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.”

When the sun comes up in the morning, everyone can see it. It shines down and lights up the earth. And just as everyone can see the sun in the sky, we want others to see the light of Christ in our lives.

Jesus is the light of the world. When we receive Jesus into our lives, we can have His light shine through us. With Christ in our lives, others will see the Lord’s work in the way we live. When we belive in Jesus, we no longer are in the darkness of the world, but we are now in the Light. 

“I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46

When someone has Jesus in their life, they abide in His light, and that light will lead the way to Heaven. Because we have Jesus in our life, His light will guide us on the path to Heaven. The world is like a dark room filled with traps. And unless we have a Light to guide us through, we will surely be caught and perish. We need a light to show us the way. Jesus is the light that we need. Unless an unbeliever accepts Jesus into their life, they don’t have a light and they abide in darkness. Those without the Light will fail to find everlasting life.

“But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.” John 11:10

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

We want everyone to see how a true Christian lives their life. We want the world to see that Christians are loving and forgiving. We want them to see that Christians are merciful and obedient. We want to be a bright beacon for Christ in a dark world. 

1 Peter 2:21, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

To follow someone means to do it in the same manner as someone else. It is to replicate an action. We need to follow Jesus to get to Heaven. He is the light of the world, and the world is full of darkness. When we have the light of Christ in us, others will be able to see it. They will see that Jesus is working in us. No longer are we doing wrong or evil to others, but instead we are living in love. 

Are you living as a bright beacon for Christ? Is Jesus evident in your life? Stoke up the fires of the Holy Spirit and make that light bright!

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from 2nd Corinthians chapter 6. We will begin at verse 14.

¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

let’s start this morning right at verse 14. It says be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

You know, a yoke is a wooden cross piece that was fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plow or a cart that they would pull together. I want to make sure that you understand what a yoke is because it was used as a device for joining two animals together. The word join in the dictionary means to put or to bring together so as to form a unit. A simple definition means to connect each other or to bring or put together or to come into contact or union with.

With that in mind I want you to think of how many things out there in the world today that you could join. You might be able to join a club. You might join some kind of organization. You might join with others in some kind of work or labor. And what I mean by that is working at a job together side by side with them. Join means to come into close contact or to build close relationships with others.

The truth is do you know who we want to be joined to and have a very close relationship with? The Lord Jesus Christ.

So when we talk about not being yoked together the yolk joins us together. Jesus teaches in Matthew Chapter 11:29

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.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So you see, Jesus says my yoke is easy. When we yoke, it means were joined together.

For example in Luke 15:15 is the story of the prodigal son who left home. In verse 15 it says, any he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

Mark 10:9 says what therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder.

1 cor 1:10 says now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

If you are yoked it means that you are joined.

1st Corinthians 6:17 says but he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

So the Apostle is teaching here not unequally yoked or unequally joined together with unbelievers.

Unequal means not the same. Another definition says not the same in any aspect. Again to join means to put or to bring into close association or relationship with others. It’s like two people who are joined in a marriage.

Now, we might go out society and meet people at the gas station or talk to people in the community but those are just casual conversations that you would have with others. Today we are speaking about close associations and relationships with other people .

These relationships can develop when you work side-by-side with other people at a job for example. When you joined two animals together with a yoke, they were working together side by side.

How many stories have you heard out there in the world today where a person is professing to be a Christian, Joins up with two or three other people who are unbelievers, and then they start a business together.

You are not supposed to be yoked together with unbelievers. Unbelievers can come to Christ and convert to the Christian faith, but that’s an entirely different issue. You are not to join with them if they are in a state of unbelief.

The next thing that the Apostle talks about is fellowship. Fellowship is defined as companionship. Its somebody that you spend a great deal of your day with. Fellowship is being part of a community of interest activity or feelings. It is having a close close friend. As I said, this goes beyond casual conversations or talking to somebody at the grocery store and visiting with them for a moment. These are people that you spend a a lot of your day with.

James 4:4

⁴ Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

As a child have you had friends at school that you got in trouble with because they were influencing you to do something that was wrong. Be careful who your influences are.

A friend is defined in the dictionary as a buddy or a pal. It’s defined as an Amigo or your comrade. It is somebody that you hang out with on a very regular basis.

John 15:15

¹⁵ Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

If you’re going to choose somebody to hang around with or you going to choose a friend choose Jesus.

remember that the disciples were with Jesus all the time. They had a close daily relationship with each other.

John 15:14

¹⁴ Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

John 15:16

¹⁶ Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:19

¹⁹ If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Rev 18:4

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

What do you think this covid-19 is ? It is a plague. We are supposed to come out of her that you are not partakers with these plagues. Separate means to keep away from.

As a Christian we are called out of the world , not to hang out with the world . We are called to come out and be separate.

There are numerous examples of men who kept separate from the world in the Holy scriptures. Noah kept separate and spent most of his life building an ark to save his family. He was called a preacher of righteousness. Let me ask you today are you keeping separate?

Moses left all the treasures of Egypt and went out and dwelt in the desert keeping away from the world. Are you doing the same?

In the scriptures we learn that Abraham kept to himself and lived out in the desert in tents. He did this to keep separate from the world to please the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus sent the disciples out into the world to preach the gospel. If they did not receive the Gospel then they moved on. They were not supposed to hang around with the world. Separation is going to happen inevitably at judgement day.

Matt 25:32

³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Once again God is going to separate things.

Matt 13:47

⁴⁷ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

⁴⁸ Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

⁴⁹ So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

⁵⁰ And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Once again in her passage for today at verse 14 it says but be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers what Fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?

1 Pet 4:4

⁴ Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

⁵ Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

Here is an example of coming out among them and being separate. Remember what the Lord Jesus teaches.

Matthew 10:34.

³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

³⁶ And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Luke 12:51

⁵¹ Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: Division is a disagreement between two or more groups that typically produces tension or hostility.

Many many years ago I was at a mall in front of a large group of people. God had given me an opportunity to preach Jesus. When I did, you could see half of the crowd stand up from their chairs and slowly filter off and leave.

That is a true story that is an example of biblical division based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

It not only happens out in society but like I said it happens with people who are your own relatives. There is disagreement and disunity based on what you believe from the teachings of God’s holy word. In many homes during the holidays, people will start bringing up politics at the dining room table. What happens? Everybody starts fighting and yelling and so on and so forth. Politics is a source of division in people’s homes. So much more the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

You believe what the holy scriptures teach and somebody else doesn’t.

Let’s move on.

¹⁴ ….what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

The word Belial in the dictionary is a Hebrew word that is used to characterize the wicked. Concord is agreement between groups. When you agree with somebody else, you share the same opinions and feelings with them.

Another dictionary says the harmony of opinions. The scripture clearly teaches us what is right and what is wrong. How can you share agreement in harmony with someone else who is going completely against biblical truth? To do so makes you the enemy of Jesus Christ!

The truth is there’s going to be variance in that situation.

You may talk to people out in the world and try to get them to change from their wrong beliefs over to the truth in Christ, but you are definitely not supposed to hang around with them and be their buddies.

You have to understand that you are not in agreement with what they are doing.

An infidel is somebody who opposes Christianity and its teachings and doctrines. Another dictionary defines an infidel as somebody who is unfaithful to the teachings of the Christian faith.

¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

In the Old Testament they used to break up all those idols. Paul was converting those who were involved with idolatry or worshipping idols to the Christian faith. He wasn’t in agreement with what they’re doing, he was converting them to the truth. The opposite of agreement is disagreement.

Out there in the world today there is something that is known as the World Council of churches. What it really is is a giant big Melting Pot of all kinds of different false religions all thrown together into a giant stewpot. It includes a lot of people who profess to be Christian who get involved with worship with those who reject Christ. It is a very Wicked group. They’re getting involved with those of false religion. God was upset with Solomon because he burned incense to strange Gods how do you think he feels about ecumenism and the World Council of churches? This offends Christ.

This is been going on for many many years now. A true Christian cannot have anything to do with those kinds of things. They’re promoting a one-world religion claiming that all religions are one under the same God. No Christian can possibly agree with that.

The Christian understands that Jesus is Lord and that He is God and He dwells in our hearts by faith. He says I will be their God and they shall be my people.

In verse 17 is a commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ .

¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

The word separate means forming or viewed as a unit apart or by itself. You may appear to the world as a complete loner but that is the calling of Christ. Instead of living in Sodom and Gomorrah we are supposed to come out and be separate. We are supposed to separate from the world unless you are preaching to somebody else.

The Apostle Paul went out into the world but it was not for the purpose of hanging out with the world and building friendships with those who aren’t Christian or reject the tenets of the Christian faith.

Paul went out in the world not to befriend other people but to tell them the truth and preach the gospel so that they could be saved. The people you’re supposed to have close relationships with are those who believe the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ and should be obeyed.

Lot chose to come out of Sodom and Gomorrah and to come out and be separate but his wife couldn’t do that and she was destroyed.

To separate needs to cause or to move to be apart.

Think about it like this, there’s one farmer and there’s another farmer who live right next door to each other, but they put a big barrier or fence in between the two of them that neither of them or their animals can go across. That’s what it means to keep separate. To put space in between you and others.

The Lord promises that if we’re capable of doing that, He I will receive us.

If people really claim that God is their father then they need to be capable of separating themselves from the world.

The Apostle Peter and the disciples preached Christ to the world. An evangelistic mission is one thing, but remember, if you went to one house and they didn’t accept what you were preaching and teaching then you were supposed to move on to the next home and so on and so forth or to the next town.

I guarantee you that the disciples and the Apostles of the Lord we’re not hanging around with people who rejected their best friend Jesus Christ. You don’t win people to Christ by hanging around with them but by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you’re not doing that then you better come out and be separate and distance yourself from them. I’m not alone in this belief because there are millions of other conservative Christians who believe the exact same thing that I do, so I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to come out and be separate from the world. When you do this watch how God is going to reward you because I guarantee you will.

That’s it for today in Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow till then bye-bye everybody

“In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works:…” Titus 2:7

A pattern is something that repeats itself over and over again. It is the usual manner of doing something, or a custom, fashion, or habit. Once you know what the pattern is, you know what is going to come next.

Its like a song. When you sing the first verse, then comes the chorus. You sing the second verse and then comes the chorus again. If there is a third verse, what comes next? The chorus. We know this because it is a pattern.

We are taught patterns as a little child. Square, circle, triangle, square, circle……triangle. A pattern is a repetition of something. 

Our faith in Christ causes us to live our life that is filled with good works everyday. We should pray and sing to the Lord everyday. Jesus gave us the start of the pattern. Love, forgive, serve God, love, forgive, serve God. It is our duty as Christians to continue on in that pattern.

Jesus was constantly helping others. He healed so many people and did so many good works that John said that the whole world couldn’t contain all the books that could be written about them. Jesus is the perfect example of how we should live. We should strive to do as many good, loving things that we can every day. And when the day ends and you get up the next morning, start over and do it again! 

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

The attending of church or devotions should not be a few times a year event. It should be a consistent habit. A seeking heart will not miss learning about the word of God. It will put the things of God first and will cause a person to actively attend either a church service or your personal time with Jesus. 

The walk of a Christian is a daily process, not once or twice a month, and then the rest of the month you get to live whatever way you want. Being a Christian is a full-time responsibility. We need to be loving and kind and forgiving everyday, not just when it is convenient. We should communicate to God through prayer everyday, and not just on Sunday. The apostles were not Sunday only preachers. They didn’t pray only on Sundays. They were continually praying and ministering the word of God.

“But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4

Hebrews 11:6 “…and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Diligently means “characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort.” It also means to be  active, bustling, busy, engaged, occupied, or working. We need to be active or engaged everyday as Christians. Our time is short here on the earth, and we need to spend the little time that we have left in the service of Christ. 

Is your life a consistant pattern of good works? Are you consistent in prayer to the Lord? Are you diligently seeking to become a better Christian everyday?

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 2nd Corinthians chapter 6.

2 cor 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

When we look in the dictionary the word vain actually means marked by futility or ineffectualness. It means unsuccessful.

First of all in this verse today he says don’t receive the grace of God in vain. The definition of Grace is unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. Another definition is a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance. The archaic definition means mercy or pardon.

When we come to the church we can confess our sins to God and admit our faults and get forgiven for them.

But after we get forgiven for sins, you don’t want to receive that grace for no purpose. God’s grace should cause you to change and to do the right thing with your life.

For an example, take a look at the life of the Apostle Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 says….

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

¹⁰ 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.

So here again it says that he labored more abundantly. See what the Apostle did? He took God’s grace and forgiveness but it wasn’t to no purpose. It changed him and caused him to be filled up with good works. He was serving the lord Jesus Christ and all the works that he did with his life he credited to God’s grace.

The forgiveness of God does amazing things in a person’s life when they believe it with all their heart.

2 Cor 6:1 teaches, we then as workers together with him beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain.

Grace will cause a person to go a completely different direction in our lives.

Isaiah 55:7

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Once again the word vain means marked by futility or ineffectual. Divine grace should have an effect on your life.

This is why the Apostle James teaches in James 1:22

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

When you go to the church and confess your sins unto God, and also realizing what Jesus went through at the cross to pay for those sins that you have committed, you should desire to become a changed person.

You should want to do what Christ teaches us from the holy scriptures. You want to be more than just a hearer, because if that’s the case you’re just lying to yourself. God wants us to change and become better people. Maybe a person out there used to rob banks but now as a Christian they changed their life around through God’s grace and they give to the church and they work hard out in the world with their own hands.

Maybe somebody used to be a constant liar but now they speak the truth to their neighbor. There’s many examples of this in the scriptures. One that I can think of readily is the life of Moses. He was a ruler in Egypt. He had all the treasures that Egypt could possibly offer him but do you know what he did? He turned away from it. He left. He went out into the desert. Later on God used him to lead the Israelites out of bondage. That is a complete change from what he had been before.

When a person becomes a Christian their lives change. Their jobs change. Their mannerisms change. They become something different than what they were in the past.

Eph 4:22

²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

That is the change that is supposed to take place if you truly believe in Jesus Christ and have gotten forgiven for your sins. You will not be the same person that you used to be. God takes a sinner and turns them into a saint. He turns a thief into a giver. It turns a man who used to destroy churches into a man who starts churches. He takes a worldly leader as Moses was and creates and makes them into a leader in the church.

That’s why he continues to say in verse 25…

²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

²⁶ Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

²⁷ Neither give place to the devil.

²⁸ Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Take a look at these verses right there. That’s taking God’s grace and running with it and becoming something new. We are supposed to put on the new man.

Returning back to James for just a moment he says…

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

²³ 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:

²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

That is an incredible passage of scripture there because imagine taking a look in the mirror when you get up in the morning. Maybe you shave or brush your teeth or whatever you do and looking at that person in the mirror and then when you go outside you can’t remember how you look at all. That is quite the illustration that James puts forth here. It’s about forgetting what manner of man you are supposed to be. That is receiving the grace of God in vain.

We hear the teachings of the Holy scriptures we see what God wants us to become we are trying to amend our ways but the people who are spoken of here walk out the church door and they completely forget what God wants them to become. When you forget something it means to fail to remember or to inadvertently neglect to do something.

James 1:25 continues on…

²⁵ 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.

Remember God is a rewarder. He rewards those who diligently seek him. God wants to bless us but it requires that someone is not a forgetful hearer. You need to take the grace and forgiveness that you’ve been given and run with it. We are given a new life in Christ Jesus and we want to take that new life and run with it.

The church is filled with people who did the wrong thing in their past we’re trying to do what’s right now .

The church is filled with adulterers who have gotton forgiven for their sins and are now being faithful to their wedding vows and their spouse.

Before you were disobedient, but now you become obedient. That is what happens when you take God’s grace and forgiveness into your heart and mind. It changes your entire life for the better.

God wants to bless us but we have to do our part. We have to take that Sanctified forgiving heart I begin that walk as a brand new person. God has already come halfway for us and we need to come the other half of the way. We need to show him how much we love him and how thankful we are that he forgave us and that is evidenced in becoming a new creature and living a new life.

There’s numerous things that can cause unfruitfulness in a person’s life.

Matthew 13:18

¹⁸ Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

¹⁹ When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

²⁰ But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

²¹ Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

²² He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

²³ But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Remember these are examples of people who receive the seed which means they’ve been preached and taught in God’s holy word but they are examples of people who are not fruitful, like those who receive the grace of God and then it never came to fruition in their life.

What those were the seed was planted on the good ground of their heart and they were obedient and faithful, they brought forth fruit. They took God’s grace and ran with it.

Look again at the life of the Apostle Paul. He got forgiven and look what he did with his life through God’s grace.

How is God’s forgiveness and Grace affecting your life today? Do believe that you’ve been forgiven with God? If so how are you serving him now? What changes over have you done that show God that you want to please him?

When we confess our sins we’re admitting that we have done something wrong. In the Christian church we are making the attempt to do something that is right with our lives. I’ve always thought of the church as a spiritual reform school where each of us are reforming from our old ways through God’s grace and forgiveness

As we discussed the other day, to repent means to change your mind. Saul was a Pharisee who became Paul. He changed his name because he didn’t even want to be associated with a person that he had been in the past. Peter was an occupational fisherman but he turned away from that and became a fisher of men.

Are you seeing the pattern of what we’re learning here today? Through God’s forgiveness he takes us from one place and puts us into another. He takes the disobedient and makes them obedient. He takes a teacher who is teaching out in the world and makes them a teacher in the church. He does all these things through his grace. He takes a disc jockey who spent his life spreading secular music, but now he’s spreading Christian music.

He takes a musician who served the world, and through his grace turns them into someone who’s worshipping and serving Christ. God takes a woman who was ruling her household and she has changed by God’s forgiveness and Grace and then she submits to her husband as the head of the household and becomes a faithful mother and a wife.

So what I think it finally comes down to is how God will you allow God to use you for his purposes rather than the world? Does that make sense?

These are all examples of the great change that happens when you become a Christian. Once again let’s return to our main study verse for today.

2 cor 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

When you get forgiven and start living for Christ it’s going to take you off into a completely different direction in your life. Your decision for Christ is going to lead you to different places. It’s going to lead you away from people that you once knew in your past.

1 Pet 4:1

 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

² That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

³ For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

⁴ Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

Grace is going to take you in a completely different direction. It’s going to take you away from people that used to hang around with. It’s going to take you away from relatives and family members.

Remember all of Paul’s relatives were Jewish and when he became a Christian he was hated by his own family but God took him off into a completely different direction.

Please remember before we close today that Paul was a person who was charged with the responsibility of teaching Judaism. He was very high up in that religion. He was a Pharisee. He understood the teachings of Judaism and was charged with educating the people. Paul eventually believed the truth about Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins.

When Paul got forgiven, God used him in mighty ways to educate the people in the Christian church. God uses each of us in different ways. Just make sure that you don’t receive the grace of God in vain.

That’s it for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow till then bye-bye everybody ✅

³⁶ And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.

³⁷ And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

³⁸ And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

³⁹ Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

⁴¹ There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

⁴² And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

⁴³ Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

⁴⁴ And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

⁴⁵ Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

⁴⁶ My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

⁴⁷ Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

⁴⁸ And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

⁴⁹ And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Acts of love towards others show the state of your heart.