What is a Christian?

A Christian is defined as “one who professes belief in and adheres to the teachings of Christ.”

Belief is defined as “trust, faith, or confindence in someone or something; an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.”

If you live in America, you are called and American. As Americans, we are under the law of the United States. When the law says that the speed limit is 60 mph, the fastest we are supposed to go is 60 mph. We are under that law. 

When the law says, do not steal, we need to abide by that law. The same applies to Christianity. If we are to call ourselves Christians, we need to believe the teachings that Jesus gave us. If we are truly Christians, then we will obey His teachings.

As Christians, we need to be His representatives here on earth. We need the world to see Christ working in our lives. Too frequently, there are those who claim to be Christians, but don’t adhere to the word of God. When the world sees these so called Christians doing something that is wrong, they say, “If that’s Christianity, then I don’t want to have any part of that.” We need to make sure that we are living the way that Jesus would.

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.”

We need to be disciples of Christ. A disciple is “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another.” John 8:31 says “…If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” 

Jesus is filled with love, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, humility, and patience. As Christians we also need to be filled with these qualities towards others. If someone does evil to you, do not return that evil back. Jesus, in 1 Peter 2:23, “…when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but commited himself to him that judgeth righteously:”

Jesus taught love. We need to show others love. Jesus forgave us, so we need to forgive others. Be merciful with others, as He is merciful with us. Have patience with others when they make a mistake, because He is filled with patience towards us. Everything that Jesus is, we need to apply to our lives, because He is the perfect example of how to live.

Are you following Jesus and His teachings? When people look at your life, will they see Christ working in you?

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to take a look at some scripture from 1st Corinthians chapter 7 but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story that happened to my son and I not too many years ago.

We were working out in the woods one day cutting some firewood in the middle of the winter. After we got a good load on the old pick up we started to head for home. Eventually we got home and we started to unload that old pickup but then we realized that something was missing. We had left our chainsaw out in the woods.

After we finally got unloaded we took the ten mile trip back into the woods to our cutting spot. Andrew and I found that faithful chainsaw exactly on the snowbank where I had left it.

When you leave something it means to go away from.

Have you ever left something before?Perhaps you left your wallet or purse somewhere. Maybe you left or quit a job. When you leave it means to go away from or to choose a different direction. That is what it means to depart and that is what we are going to talk about here today.

1st Corinthians 7:10 the Apostle Paul teaches and on to the married I command not I but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband.

Obviously on the world this happens all the time but it’s not supposed to happen in the church. If she’s been baptized and she’s had Holy Communion and she’s learning from the scriptures, she is not supposed to depart from her husband for any reason, it’s absolutely wrong. Remember, others may leave you but you don’t want to ever leave them. Those who leave don’t understand the meaning of the word commitment. Commitment to those whom you married and a commitment to Christ.

A wife is to obey her husband in everything.

Eph 5:22 says 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 savior of the body therefore as the church is subject of the Christ so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Being in subjection means to obey them. There are so many sins in the scriptures that come from a woman who departs a husband. She’s no longer there for his physical needs. She’s no longer there to be a mother to the children or abandons being a homemaker because she is more concerned about a career in the world. Everybody suffers in a family when these kinds of things happen.

All the jobs that I’ve had in society, I realized one main thing. I always progressed when I obeyed those who were my superiors.

This is a simple lesson that a wife needs to learn. Obey your husband.

A Christian woman does not do these kinds of things and the reason why won’t is because love is the end of the Commandment. Marriage is an institution of God.

God is love. If a wife departs from her husband she shows in that one act that she doesn’t have love inside of her heart. She’s denying everything that Jesus teaches us in the scriptures. When somebody doesn’t love, the scriptures teach that their heart is defiled.

Whenever you commit a sin you need to remedy the situation. The Apostle Paul was once trying to prevent Christian churches from developing. Later on he tried to remedy the situation by helping to build them. There’s a cause and effect in sinful behavior.

What did my son and I do when we left our chainsaw out in the woods? We went all the way back out there. We went to get the chainsaw that we had left and the problem was remedied.

It’s a sin to depart from a husband, and there are so many things that can arise out of that disobedience.

I’ve always told our children to love and obey. If it’s not love and obedience then it’s a sin. That is the simplicity of the Gospel my friends.

We have Grace to help us out in time of need. If we do sin we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous, but just like a brother who you have wronged in the church or sinned against, God requires you to go and to be reconciled unto them.

Things need to be remedied if you truly love others in your heart. If a wife truly loves Christ and her husband, what she will do is return to him.

If you truly care about a brother what you will do is to confess your sin and apologize to them.

That act shows that you love them. It shows that you care about them. Those who can’t do that, certainly do not have the love of God in their hearts.

I might sound corny but I’m the kind of guy who probably says that I’m sorry five times a day. The reason why is because I don’t want to offend other people. I’m quick to apologize.

Being incapable of apologizing shows that you are really not a Christian in your heart.

When a woman departs from her husband she’s simply showing that she does not love him. She is displaying disloyalty and unfaithfulness. No woman in the Christian church is supposed to treat her husband this way whether he’s a believer or an unbeliever. That is absolutely wrong in the eyes of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To really believe that this is acceptable behavior from a wife is to believe a lie.

If she departs she enters into a perpetual state of sin. The sin continues on each and every day. When you are married the husband becomes the property of the wife and the wife becomes the property of the husband. You belong to each other.

In the church we are not our own but we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, so much a wife to her own husband.

When she departs from her husband she takes power of her own body and leaves. He’s no longer in control of her body, she is. The wife is supposed to render to the husband due benevolence which has to do with relationships in the bedroom.

When she leaves she commits yet another sin against him.

In our verse today remember that this is not just the Apostle Paul speaking this this is a commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ. If someone truly professes to love the Lord Jesus Christ they’re going to keep his Commandments. In a home the man represents the Lord and the woman the church.

In the church we’re not supposed to depart from Christ Jesus! If she departs she’s sinning not only against her husband, but ultimately the commands of Jesus Christ who died on the cross to deliver us. Departing a husband is forbidden, but just because it’s forbidden doesn’t mean that a wife is going to obey if she has a rebellious streak. (A dad might tell you about your wrong behavior, but you disobey anyway.)

The obedient Christian woman will remain with her husband. If she were to depart there are numerous sins that will follow. She’s usurping over his authority, she’s rebelling against his authority, she isn’t loving him, and if there’s children involved, her sin is multiplied many times over.

This is a terrible sin that I would advise married women to keep away from! You can always work things out.

I think of the verse that I read the other day in Proverbs 14 verse 1 says every wise woman buildeth her house but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

God does not reward disobedience he is not going to reward the sin of departing from your husband. Things are not going to get better, they will get progressively worse.

It’s foolishness.

I know a lot of you out there have been in the military. What’s it mean to be a.w.o.l. ? Away without leave! What happens to somebody if they’re going to be a away without leave in the military? I guarantee you they’re going to be punished.

The Lord Jesus Christ gives a commandment to a married woman not to be AWOL from her husband It can result in numerous other sins because of her disobedience to Christ and her husband. Look at what happened to Farroh. He lost his own son because he mocked God.

I have always thought in my own heart that sin is kind of like pulling a rock or a boulder out of a dam that is on a river. What happens when you pull out one of those boulders? All of a sudden you’ve got a big leak. Then all of a sudden other boulders start to come flying out from the water pressure that is created. It’s like being in an old submarine when they go down deep into the ocean and the pressure starts popping out rivets in the boat and in the pipes. When you try to plug up the hole three or four other sins can show up next to it. That’s is why one sin can result in a hundred more sins.

It can progress into all different kinds of directions. Personally, I don’t want that to happen to anybody else that’s why I’ve always told my family obey obey obey.

We always want to make an attempt in the church to do what God wants us to do because he knows what’s best for us. Do you remember the old TV show Father Knows Best? The Lord Jesus Christ knows what’s best for each of us and we have to trust his teachings.

The Christian wife is not supposed to leave her husband. If she does it reveals the true state of her heart towards God and to her husband, a lack of love and obedience.

Love and Obey love and Obey love and obey. Love is not Grievous. If she wants to be faithful to Jesus Christ who died on the cross for her, she’s not going to rebel against his commandment.

Obviously obedience comes down to your own decision. As we talked about yesterday I can’t make your decisions for you, you have to make them for yourself. You can advise guide and lead people into the truth but only they can choose the way of Jesus.

What’s the old saying two wrongs don’t make a right. No matter what happens a woman is never to leave her husband. In that very act she’s going against everything that the Christian faith teaches about love. That my friends is the truth.

In a marriage you’re supposed to stick it out through the good times and bad times in sickness and in health or whatever happens to come up.

If my girls were married and happened to depart from their husbands and came home to me with her children I would immediately turn them right around and march them right back to their husbands.

I would probably apologize to their husbands for their behavior because I wouldn’t want to offend him and I wouldn’t want the girls offending him either. Welcome to marriage counseling 101. Work it out with each other! If you profess to be a Christian, this is the way that God wants it to be.

Reconciliation shows love. If there is no reconciliation, love was not present. If you love and forgive others you are going to want to be with them again. No reconciliation, no love. He that loveth not knoweth not God because God is love.

I’ve said this many many times I’ve seen more love out in the world sometimes then people who profess to be Christian. Sometimes I think about how God turned to the Gentiles. I’ll call them beloved who weren’t beloved. Christianity is more than reading a Bible it is about believing what the Bible teaches with all your heart. It’s learning to love others, to care about them and ultimately a marriage is the definition and the example to the world of divine love. A woman needs to submit and obey her husband and everything. She is never to usurp over him.

What God has brought together let no man put asunder, that includes a woman who departs.

Paul was involved with the ministry of reconciliation. I’m sure he would tell you the same things that I’m telling you today,… be reconciled and go home.

That’s it for today everyone. Love you all. Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more later on bye-bye.

What is grace? The dictionary defines it as mercy or pardon. It’s unmerited divine assistance that is granted to us by God through faith in his son Jesus Christ. In Christian theology, grace is a state of sanctification by God and is the state of a person who is under God’s divine influence. The Apostle Paul was a man who was under such influence. He believed in God’s forgiveness.

1. ) What throne can we come boldly to in our time of need? (Heb 4:16)
2. What is one of the gifts that comes from God? (Ephesians 2:8)
3. Sin can be forgiven. We are no longer under the law of the Old Testament. What are we under now? (Rom 6:14)
4. Who does God give Grace to? (James 4:6)
5. God doesn’t want anybody to perish. What does he want them to do? (2 pet 3:9)
6. What does God take away when we believe in the precious blood of Jesus Christ? (Rom 11:27)
7. Who did Jesus come to the Earth to call and what does he want them to do? (Matt 9:13)
8. What does Jesus wash and cleanse us from? ( Ps 51: 1-2)
9. God is forgiving and merciful and will not turn away from us if we do this. (2nd Chronicles 30:9)
10. When we return to Jesus what does God abundantly do? ( Isaiah 55:7)

I was reading this morning that a loyal friend is a person who stands by their friends side through good and bad. Loyalty is something that is seen in a faithful marriage.

You decide to get married and you remain with each other no matter what you go through. What’s the old saying? For richer or poorer, through good times and bad times, through sickness or in health. A true friend is someone who is loyal and will never leave your side.

The word loyal actually means giving or showing firm and constant support and allegiance to somebody else. Loyalty is being faithful to whom faithfulness is due.

Some synonyms are being dedicated or devoted to someone, or to be steadfast and true. It means to be firm and unwavering in your friendship or commitment to another person.

I have taught for many many years that love is a two-way street. We all need to learn how to be loyal to those whom loyalty is due

Abraham was so loyal that he was called the friend of God. A friend is a person who is not an enemy or a foe. A person can turn themselves into an enemy if they so desire, but true friendship is the sense of loyalty to those who are your superior, just as Abraham was loyal to God. Sarah was loyal to Abraham, and even referred to him as lord. Not only was she loyal but showed abraham great respect. She is a perfect example for women who profess to be a Christian.

The the word loyal means faithful and true to the sovereign to whom one is subject to. It means giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to somebody who is your authority. In a home, that sovereign is your dad or husband.

You know, I’ve heard a lot of men who have been in the military talk about,… you’ve got my back and I’ve got yours I think there’s a great sense of loyalty that one can learn in the military. People who are loyal you can trust to have your back at all times . They are not going to leave and abandon you. Loyalty is virtuous. Welcome to the Christian Life!

People who are loyal you can trust to not leave you. For example, the whole squad is asleep in the middle of the night and there is one person who stays awake. Everybody trusts him to watch out for them while they are asleep. Like a watchman in the scripture they are watchmen in the military. Somebody who is loyal has got you covered and is not going to depart or abandon you.

A loyal friend will never abandon you. To abandon somebody means to leave, separate and desert or to completely give up a relationship with somebody else. Once again a marriage represents Christ and the church. Husbands are not supposed to leave your wives or vice versa. We are not supposed to separate from the Lord Jesus Christ and the things he taught either. Abraham never left Sarah and he never left God. That’s what it means to be loyal my friends.

The words abandon,, desert and forsake mean to leave without intending to return. A true friend doesn’t do that.

Not only was Abraham loyal to God but think about his servant Moses. Moses was so loyal to God that God used him in great ways to help deliver the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. Loyalty is defined as unwavering dedication and devotion to a friend or to a cause.

Loyal means being true to any person or to persons to whom one owes fidelity, especially as a wife to her husband.

One of the greatest institutions set forth by the Lord Jesus Christ on this earth is the bond of holy matrimony. Loyalty can be readily seen in this institution.

If you truly are loyal to other people you’re not going to leave them or depart. I’ve told you many times but when I used to work at the high school I worked with kids who nobody else wanted to work with. They were hated by faculty and other students.

With them I endured my own persecutions and sufferings. With them I endured much pain and sorrow each day, but I never left them. I never abandoned them. That was completely contrary to what I had learned from the Bible.

Just think about it God could have completely destroyed this world but instead Jesus chose the cross. He could have destroyed this world in the blink of an eye, but He didn’t. Jesus shows us the true meaning of friendship when he laid down his life for us on the cross. He died to take our sins away. The question today is what kind of friend are you? True friendship involves loyalty.

I’ve taught many many times that love is a two-way street. We need to learn how to be loyal and faithful to God firstly, and then to others.

The world word loyalty means faithful and true to the sovereign to whom one is subject to.

In a home the sovereign is the dad over the children and the wife and if anybody teaches otherwise they are a liar. Why do you think people get punished in the military? It’s because they do not obey their authority. Man is the head of his household whether he is nonbeliever or Christian. He runs the house!

Let’s look one more time at this word.

Loyal means giving firm, steadfast, and constant support or allegiance to a person. Allegiance means that you obey them that are your authority.

The authority in a home is the dad. If anybody tells you otherwise they are a liar. The devil is a liar. The devil usurps authority that has not been granted to them by God. Loyalty means that you are firm and do not change your friendship or support for others.

Allegiance is faithfulness to a person who is your superior.

The word allegiance means loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior.

The best and easiest way I think that I can explain it is the way a son or daughter obeys their dads commandments.

When they do what their dad tells them to do that is called allegiance.

Remember that a wife who claims to be a Christian is subordinate to the husband. Whatever the dad tells them is the final word. He is the authority over the wife, and the children in the home. She is never to usurp and leave.

I’ve said this many times wife and my children. In the church you can preach faithfulness, you can teach faithfulness, but in the end it all comes down to an individual decision.

No matter how much you want to try…. you can’t live somebody else’s faith for them. They either obey their husband in all things or they don’t. The children either obey their dad in everything or they don’t. You cannot live their life for them. It really makes a guy weak, but don’t ever forget that in our weakness we are made strong.

Do you think there were churches in Sodom and Gomorrah? Think about it!

Abraham kept to himself out in the desert. Noah kept to himself building a big Ark. Come out and be separate saith the Lord.

Abraham was called God’s friend. Are you loyal to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you really his friend or are you a friend of the world?

Are you involved with what I call (feel-good Christianity?) Feels good, but is void of biblical truth.

The truth is that you’re caught up in a lie. There’s no loyalty there’s no obedience and there’s no faithfulness to what Jesus taught.

Abraham was called the friend of God. He was a man who understood obedience and loyalty. He was obedient to Christ the same way that children or a wife need to obey their dad in their home.

Allegiance is devotion or loyalty to those who are their superior.

As I stated the other day, if there is no loyalty or obedience in a family, what it is is anarchy. The truth is, it’s rebellion against the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord himself said why do you call me Lord Lord but you not going to do the things that I say. In Christianity to Rebel against the husband in the home is to rebel against Christ himself.

Why would you refer to somebody as your dad but you don’t obey them. That sounds ridiculous doesn’t it. A dad is somebody that you would obey.

When you go downtown to see somebody who has a lot of books you call them a librarian. When you take your car into the shop to be fixed or they have an oil change, you call them a mechanic. If you really are going to listen to the instruction and the teachings of the man of the house you would call them your dad.

A dad is somebody that you would obey. He is somebody that you would be loyal to and faithful to.

Everything happens because of God’s intervention. A man is placed as an authority over you in the home for God’s reason and his purpose.

God placed Moses in path of faroah h. He placed John the Baptist in the path of Herod. He places a dad in his own family to see if people are going to be obedient to him and the things he teaches. He places relatives and family in our lives for this same purpose. To see if they repent or if they will continue in their wickedness. Nothing that happens in life comes to pass without God involved.

If you truly are faithful to God you will be loyal and steadfast to the things He taught.

A faithful person is steadfast in their allegiance or their affection towards somebody else. They are loyal and constant. They are reliable and they should to be trusted and believed.

For example, if you have a faithful wife they do not have relationships with any other people. A faithful wife is a reliable wife. She is a faithful friend who continues to support you even in through difficult situations.

Someone who is faithful to their husband does not have relationships with anybody else. Sleeping around with others is a wicked sin. God is going to punish sin. Loyalty is to obey the one that you’ve chosen to spend your life with. Loyalty is shown by a strong sense of duty and responsibility to the one that you have committed yourself to. Loyalty means you don’t have a sexual relationship with anybody else.

Loyalty means that they remain steadfast in their affection towards you. That is the way Abraham was toward God.

If it’s Christian love then it’s forever. If it is really charity, then it is forever. Love is loyal. Love for others is to obey those who God has placed in control over you. Real love does not separate or cause disunity.

It’s up to you to choose what you are going to do today. Either you are going to be loyal or to be disobedient to the people that God has placed in your path.

Either you will be loyal or be disobedient to the men that God has placed in your path. Choose today.

Either you will be obedient to your husband or you will not but choose today.

Either you will obey the Commandments of your dad or you will not but choose today because today is the day of salvation.

None of us know how long that we are going to be here upon the Earth. Choose today if you’re going to serve Christ or not.

I can’t live other people’s lives for them, the choice is to obey Jesus or to disobey.

Choose today the direction that you’re going to take. Either the path of obedience and loyalty to Christ or rejecting him and those that he has placed in your life.

To me personally, I think it’s always easier to be loyal and to obey God.

That’s it for right now Lord willing we will talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody.

James 5:14-15, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

In our home, when someone isn’t feeling well, we abide by the scripture above and pray over and anoint those who are sick with oil. It is the act of asking and having faith in Christ, that we are healed. 

When you ask for healing, you need to have faith, and not doubt in your heart. Ask knowing that the Lord will hear us, and do not doubt His power. Jesus healed so many people, and He can heal you too, you just need to have faith, not doubt and unbelief. Remember James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering…” 

I recently used this passage in another study, but the centurion who had a sick servant, came to Jesus and asked Him to heal his servant. He didn’t even need Jesus to come to his house. He knew that if he just asked the Lord for healing, that the sickness would leave. It was his faith that healed his servant. 

Mark 5:25-34, “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seeth the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

This woman had faith in Jesus, that if she only touched, she knew that she would be healed. She went to so many doctors that she had spent everything that she had! Not only had she spent all her money, her sickness got worse. It was her faith in Jesus that healed her disease.

Every year, millions of people become sick. Over 500 billion dollars are spent in the U.S. each year on medicine alone! That doesn’t even include hospital and clinic fees! Faith and belief in Christ doesn’t cost a penny. The Lord is plentiful in mercy and wants to heal. It is only unbelief that prevents a person from coming and asking for healing. 

Another example in the bible is in Matthew 9:28-29. In the verses right before, two blind men were calling out to Jesus for help. It says…”Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.” Their faith drove them to Jesus, and He saw their faith and healed them.

Matthew 8:2-3, “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

There are so many verses in the bible that show that, if you have faith, you can be healed. 

Do you have faith in Christ? That He can heal you of sickness? The verses above show His power. Healing is available to those who believe. Jesus wants to heal you. What are you waiting for? 

In Christ, 

Andrew

Have you ever burned your hand on a stove, or a fire? When it happens, you immediately pull back your hand because of the pain. Now imagine not just a finger or two in pain, but instead your whole body. In hell, there is no pulling away from the source of pain. There is no escape. Hell is the eternal punishment for sin.

The way we live our lives on this earth determines whether we go to heaven or hell. Those who serve Christ and follow His teachings will go to Heaven. But for those who reject God’s Son, who don’t accept and follow His teachings, those people will be sent to the lake of fire.

Revelations 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

I have read that in the last 20 years, the number of Americans who believe in hell has dropped from just over 70 percent, down to just under 60. Meanwhile, most of those people believe in Heaven. The reason why is because they don’t want to live in love towards others. They want to do what they want, instead of following the teachings of the bible. They want to feel warm and fuzzy and believe that they can do whatever they want because “hell isn’t real”. They want to be told that they are going to heaven when they die, and “hell is just a myth.” They tell themselves, “God wouldn’t punish people for eternity, the bible says He loves us.”

Yes, He does love us, but we are commanded to love Him back. We are commanded to love others, to obey the teachings of Christ. Sadly, many people don’t love Him. Instead, they love themselves, they do what they want over what He wants. It is the rejection of His Son, and refusal to obey that they will be condemned to hell.

In Luke 16, Jesus gives an example. Verse 19, “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And dersirinig to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

This is not a figurative story. The fires of hell are real. Matthew 13:50, “And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” 

Imagine you are in a burning building. There are several doors that lead out of this building. Only one door leads to safety and the others just lead to another empty room. Your time is limited, so you need to quickly find out which door leads outside. However, once you go through a door, it locks behind you. Right now you don’t know what door to choose, but others have already exited that building. How did they know which door to go through? 

You look around. Eventually you see that there is a fire escape plan showing which door leads to the outside, to safety. Unless you follow the map, unless you go through the correct door, you will be locked inside the building and burn alive.

Unless we follow Jesus’ instructions, we will suffer that fate. Hell is no myth. If hell was a myth then those who say that are calling Jesus a liar, and as we read earlier in Revelations, liars will have their place in the lake of fire.

Hell is reserved for the disobedient. If you are doing the will of God, then you don’t need to worry about, “Am I going to be in Heaven?” You can have peace in your heart knowing that Jesus will save us. It is those who are disobedient to Him that need to be afraid. Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which can kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The Lord protects those who love and honor him, who do His will. Psalm 145:20, “The Lord preserveth them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.”

Make sure you follow the map which Jesus has provided for us. It is found inside His holy word.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

The word “reveal” means to make something known that is supposed to be kept secret or hidden. There’s millions of dads and husbands all around the world that will agree with the things that I’m teaching you here today.

I have always taught my wife and my girls that they need to dress modestly in their apparel in their appearance when they’re out in the world. I explained to them that they are not supposed to be too revealing or to draw attention to themselves.

When you are married your body becomes the property of your spouse. I’ve never felt that there’s anything wrong with putting on makeup or dressing up and having a date night with your spouse and enjoying one another in the bedroom.

The bedroom is undefiled. As a married couple you enjoy each other’s physical being. In marriage the wife becomes the property of the husband and the husband becomes the property of the wife.

I really don’t believe that a wife or a husband should publicly show themselves off out in the world. If you’re going to do that it’s called vanity, not modesty.

No matter how much I have worked out or tried to get in shape, I don’t think I could ever do that to my wife. It has always felt so wrong to me to flaunt myself in public. The reason why is because I love her. As a married man that I am, my physical appearance and the way that I look all belongs to her.

Today we are talking about the modesty of a woman but I guess if we are going to treat others the way that we want to be treated, I have always tried to be modest in public because I belong to my wife. My body belongs to her.

From my eyes to my feet from my nose to my knees, its hers. I’m sure a lot of you men out there might not agree with me but the truth is we belong to our wives. They are never to usurp, but our body belongs to them.

For many many years I had a very long beard. Eventually my wife finally came forward and told me how much she couldn’t stand it. I actually really liked having a beard because I didn’t have to shave all the time. She told me that my face belonged to her. She said you need to cut that thing off. Do you know what I did husbands, I cut it off. I haven’t had a beard for 10 years.

In a marriage our bodies belong to your spouse. I don’t expect anything less for my wife to treat me the same way. She belongs to me. I also expect the women of the church to treat their husbands in the very same manner with respect and dignity.

Sexuality is fine. God created it but it is meant for the bedroom between a man and a woman. It is not to be displayed at a public beach or at a shopping mall. As I’ve always told my family, dress modestly.

I have done this while I was in public for my wife’s sake. I don’t expect her or anybody else to do any less.

30 years ago I actually attended a church service where some of the girls were dressed in mini skirts . Hopefully it was because of their ignorance and a lack of Biblical teaching. Vanity and immodesty is a sin and it’s just as bad as any other sin.

1st Timothy 2:9 says in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array.

If you look in the dictionary the word modest means shy or bashful. It’s quite different today from a woman in the world who is overly concerned about how they look or how they appear in public. Their appearance is meant for their husband in the bedroom. And the same thing goes for you men too!

Ever since I’ve been married I have tried not to dress in a manner that would attract someone to me and I don’t expect any less from my wife or others in the church.

A lot of things have changed in society. Things that were considered immodest 1000 years ago are considered modest today. That’s how far the world has changed. To be completely honest with you, it’s going to get worse and worse and worse.

The word modest actually means having or showing a moderate or a humble estimate of one’s own importance. It means to be free from vanity, egotism or ostentation.

Modesty is something that women need to learn but you men as well.

Take it from somebody who knows. I used to spend all kind of money on clothing because of vanity. I used to wear $160 boots. I used to wear $200 leather jackets and at the time I think I really felt people were going to notice me because of what I wore.

I guess there’s a lot of us in the church who would probably say the same thing, but Jesus died on the cross so a loser like me could get forgiven for his sins.

When I look back at my past life I realize that it was all vanity.

Like a woman who tries to dress up and walk around in public places thinking that everybody is going to notice her because of what she wears or the way that she puts on her makeup.

What’s the old saying,…been there done that. I recognize vanity because it was something that I was filled with as a disobedient rebellious kid. I guess, not only me, but each of us.

Really, what is the church but a place for wretched sinners to become redeemed and to restart their lives at the point when they wrecked them. Welcome to Christianity! Thank God for his mercy and Grace.

Modesty means that we need to be shy about showing off our appearance in public. It means to be shy about wearing certain clothing in public. I don’t feel modesty is just meant for wives alone . Whether a person is a man or a woman you shouldn’t want to draw attention to yourself or to your personal appearance.

I told my family and people in the church for many years that when Jesus was taken in the garden that they couldn’t even tell who he was. Judas had to give him a kiss.

Jesus did not appear in a way that would draw attention to himself. They didn’t even know who he was. That is called modesty.

1st Timothy 2:9 in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly array.

A woman is not supposed to draw attention to herself. She certainly doesn’t want to do that if she is married! This verse is being fulfilled if a woman walks down the street and a man walks by her and doesn’t even give her a second thought.

What does God want from a woman? Obedience and faithfulness.

It doesn’t matter what she appears like and it doesn’t matter the clothes she puts on. She needs to be of a meek and quiet spirit to impress God.

Does that sound corny to a lot of people in the church? Well it didn’t a thousand years ago. Beware of the times that we live in. Beware of the age that we live in.

Remember modesty is a form of humility. Humility is a trait that belongs to a true Christian. Women in the church are supposed to be meek and modest. That’s completely different than being bossy and fleshy. Meekness means to be quiet gentle, submissive and to be easily controlled.

1 Peter 3:3 who’s adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price.

Once again, in the bedroom the bed is undefiled. Whatever a man or wife do in their bedroom is between them. It’s a private personal relationship between them and them alone. But I really don’t believe that a man or wife should parade themselves out in public.

I’m not alone on this belief because there are a lot of conservative Christians who believe the same thing that I do.

I wouldn’t do that to my wife and I wouldn’t want her to do that to me either. It’s sin. The Christian woman is supposed to be meek and modest in the way she dresses. She needs to be very plain. Plain means she’s not supposed to be decorated or “dolled up” but rather simple and ordinary in public.

Proverbs 31:30 favor is deceitful and beauty is vain. But a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised.

Sadly there are some women who think that they’re going to get to heaven on their looks. Sadly they are very mistaken. The Lord Jesus teaches us that he wants women to be meek, quiet, submissive and obedient. Those qualities are more important to God than anything that one could posess in their makeup bag. God wants a beauty that goes beyond what’s on the exterior. God wants our obedient hearts. Therein lies salvation.

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching tlkjbc, or by going to hipcast, buzzsprout or amazon, or by going to our blog at tlkjbc.com, or I suppose, you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods.  Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

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