Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Women of the Bible The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly - Drama Queens

 

Gtcotr/ws102622 Pastor Ron Hammonds

We began our current mid-week series in August of this year with the intent to revisit the subject of Women in the Bible. The notes we are using and the subjects we are covering follow a series I taught here 12 years ago.

You know, God confirms Himself through His Word and His timing never ceases to amaze me. He knows the end from the beginning, and He knows every step and each decision people will make all along the way. God never fails to prepare and to protect His Church to accomplish the tasks to which He has called them. If there is anything the devil hates, it’s the work of God. And he will do anything he can to hinder, hurt, or stop it.

By now, those of us who have walked with the Lord for any length of time, should not be surprised when the devil attempts to disrupt the work of God. It usually begins with someone getting angry about someone else being healed, helped, blessed, forgiven, or accepted. The pattern is very easily recognized throughout the life of Jesus. Religious people were always condemning Jesus for loving, visiting with, forgiving, helping, or healing people they felt were undeserving. These interruptions to the work of God continued through the lives of James and John, Peter, and Paul.

This evening we pick up right where we left off in this series, following the notes to the next group of women we meet in the Bible. So far we have discovered that:

·        Women have greater influence than do men in many cases. (Eve)

·        A woman is motivated by what she believes, hopes, or wants for the future. (The Daughters of Lot)

·        Soft answers turn away wrath. (Ruth)

·        A virtuous woman will accomplish her tasks, even from the confines of her life. (Mary & Esther)

While you turn to Mark 6, allow me to share a brief history of 2 women we will find there. These two women epitomize the term, drama queens.

About the same year Jesus was born, Herod the Great was presented with a new granddaughter who was named Herodias, in honor of him. He was a very insecure emperor who, after hearing about the birth of Jesus and fearing people would one day choose Him to be their king, sent soldiers to Bethlehem and killed every male child two years old and younger. That’s the kind of aggressive, arrogant, and insecure environment Herodias was born into.

Herodias was raised enjoying the finer things of life and as a young girl worked her wiles to woo and successfully married her uncle, Herod Philip, who was slated to become the next emperor of Rome.

Philip and Herodias had one daughter born to them about AD 14; her name was Salome, named after her maternal grandmother. Soon it became clear that Philip would not be the choice to take the throne. Philip and Herodias were rather sent to live among the upper-class citizens in one of the port cities in Palestine. This would never do for the aggressively ambitious Herodias. Back-burners were for other people. She soon began looking around for a way to improve her situation.

Philip, her husband, had a half-brother, Herod Antipas, who was Tetrarch of Palestine. Tetrarch was a position equal to that of Governor over a Roman province, with complete authority over the people of that land. Herod Antipas actually held a stronger position because he had inherited the Galilee and other regions in Palestine after the death of his father, Herod the Great, in 4BC. Herod Antipas, short for Antipater, married the daughter of an Arab King for which an alliance was enjoyed with the neighboring countries along and on both sides of the Jordan River.

Herodias set her sights on winning the affection and devotion of her husband’s brother, uncle Antipas. When Philip and Herodias returned to Rome, Herod Antipas was already in love with Herodias and followed her there. In Rome Herod Antipas convinced Herodias to leave her husband, become his mistress and return to Jerusalem with him. Herodias saw her chance to take a step up and become what amounted to queen of Palestine. Believe me when I tell you, it would be more fitting to call her a drama queen than queen of the people of Palestine.

Herodias finally convinced Herod Antipas to dissolve his 30-year-old marriage and divorce his Arab wife to be with her. Love, or was it lust … struck him and willing to give Herodias anything to please her, Herod Antipas agreed, and the deal was made. Later, war would break out between Herod and his Arabian ex father-in-law over the divorce of his daughter. All the while …

Antipas and Herodias enjoyed the high life, living in their palaces in Tiberias along the Sea of Galilee, in Jerusalem, Caesarea on the Mediterranean, and in Machaerus on the Eastern side of the Dead Sea across from Jericho and in Engedi. It was most likely on their way to the latter palace, perhaps at the crossing of the Jordan River between Gilgal and Jericho, that Antipas and Herodias encountered John the Baptist.

Herod Antipas respected John the Baptist and often followed his counsel. However, after Antipas divorced his wife and took Herodias, his brother’s wife, who was also his niece, as a live in lover, Antipas was not one of John’s favorite people. In fact, John spoke about Herod Antipas and Herodias publicly for having committed this sin.

Herod feared John, but Herodias hated him!

Machiavelli wrote in his work, The Prince, that leaders should make their men fear them, but never make them hate them. Fear gives you respect from and power over your followers and among your enemies … hatred, however, is unpredictable. People who hate you are willing to destroy themselves in their attempts to destroy you.

At any rate, Herodias hated being made to look bad or wrong by those she considered her subjects. In fact, the Bible records that Herodias quarreled against John and if she could have killed him, she would have, but she lacked the official power … however – her husband did not! Let’s read the Biblical account from:

Mark 6
14 ¶ And king Herod heard about Jesus; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.
15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.
17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold on John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.
18 For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.
19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said to the damsel, Ask of me whatever you will, and I will give it you.
23 And he swore to her, Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give it you, to the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said to her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25 And she came in straightway with haste to the king, and asked, saying, I will that you give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

Herodias was one evil woman committed to only what she wanted, completely disregarding what is right, good, and godly, she was committed only to her own lusts, greed and selfish desires. John the Baptist had insulted her and that hurt her.

Other people can hurt you, but they can’t make you sin. Sin is a choice you make for yourself. Herodias decided to have her vengeance on John, and she even involved her young teenage daughter in what many believe was a pre-meditated, manipulative, lust-filled, enticing conspiracy to seduce her husband using her daughter’s charms and then force him to go against his wishes and murder the prophet of God.

Remember our title … Drama Queens ...

Herodias’ plan worked. She was successful in having John arrested, imprisoned, and executed, and she could not have been happier. History records that she got her way … at least for a while.

However, sometime thereafter when she heard that her brother, Agrippa, had been exalted by Caligula and received the title of King over Philip’s former lands, in jealousy she coaxed her husband to travel to Rome and make his petition for title. When Herod Antipas arrived in Rome, he was rather placed on trial for treason which resulted in him losing all claim to his governorship and his title which was turned over to Agrippa. He forfeited all his lands and palaces and was exiled to Lyon, France (Gaul), to live out his life with his wife Herodias apart from the pomp and position they had earlier enjoyed.

Herodias is credited with the murder of John the Baptist, as well … she was also present when Herod stood in judgment over a Galilean named, Jesus.

Salome, the daughter of Herodias, was not without fault in the matter of John the Baptist’s death. She seems to be a willing participant and serves to epitomize the image of an evil and dangerous woman. History tells us that she continued in her mother’s footsteps, scandalously involving herself with men of rank and position, seductively wooing men and ultimately marrying three times into the power of her day. She evidently kept her luring charm and later in life convinced her husband to place her image on the coins of Chalcis, the country to which she was then queen.

What can we learn from this story and the history that surrounds it?

1.   God will give you chances to change all along the way.

2.   Be careful who you judge, you might be judging Jesus.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

The Spirit of the Antichrist

Gtcotr/ss102322 

In our Bible lesson last week entitled “The Trinity” we established that there is:

·        A Holy Trinity – Matthew 28:19

o   The Father Jehovah

o   The Son Jesus

o   The Holy Spirit

·        An Unholy Trinity – Revelation 20:10

o   The Devil

§  Whose spirit is the spirit of the antichrist

o   The Antichrist (The Beast of Revelation)

§  Which we know in the book of Revelation as the Beast.

§  The evil personal agent of devil during the tribulation period who is filled with the spirit of the antichrist and all the power of darkness.

§  Many believe it to be a literal person empowered by the devil while others imagine it to be perhaps an organization, an entity, or a religion given total authority to rule the earth in order to bring peace to the chaos.

§  At any rate, the antichrist promises peace to Israel with seven-year treaty, and all the nations of the earth submit to him.

o   The False Prophet

§  An image of the beast erected and brought to life by the beast himself.

§  Some imagine this will be a false Jesus spoken of in the deceptive pages of other religious books.

§  The job of the False Prophet will be to make war with the saints and to hunt down and destroy all who will not repent of their Christian Faith and their loyalty to the true Jesus of the Bible.

1 John 4:3  And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The spirit of the antichrist, who is that old dragon, the serpent, who is satan, the fallen arch angel of God who continues to lead a rebellion against Jehovah and all that is holy. This devil is the one who tempted Eve to sin, entered into Judas before he betrayed Jesus, then stirred the mob and religious leaders to crucify Jesus … he deceives nations, divides families, destroys peace, and tells lies about you to others and even to you about yourself. He is an enemy of God and an enemy of your soul. However …

Today we will discover that you have two enemies. Both enemies have been very successful hiding their true nature and their desire to remain in the shadows so as to not be seen for what they are.

The first enemy of your soul is the devil. You know about him but have a hard time getting your hands on him. He works through others and does his best to destroy even the very people who are helping him.

The devil, that spirit of the antichrist, wants you to hate people, have outbursts of anger, commit immoral acts, be selfish, jealous, envious, divide and destroy relationships. But he cannot make you do his will without your consent. So the devil feeds your weakness hoping you will give him control. The devil is a great enemy of your soul … but not the greatest.

The greatest enemy facing each one of us today is not the devil. Rather the greatest enemy of your soul is Your Flesh. It is the carnal nature you were born with. If the devil can find a way to feed your flesh, he can make you sin 

This morning we are going to take a revealing look at a spirit which is stronger and more powerful than the Spirit of the Antichrist in your life. I’m not talking about the Holy Spirit, I am referring to the Rebellious Renegade spirit of fallen man, born in sin, destined to die, and contrary to God. This is none other than the Carnal Flesh Man described in the Greek as the:

·        Sarkikos - The fleshly, carnal, animalistic appetites of man without God.

Galatians 5

17  For the flesh (sarx) wars against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

19  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 2:11  Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly (sarkikos) lusts (cravings) which war against the soul,

Galatians 5:24  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Picking up where we left off in our last lesson, let’s now begin to understand where this fleshly carnal man actually came from.

Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Man was created a triune being.

·       The Spirit

o   The spark of God’s life within each human soul.

·       The Soul

o   The living individual mind, will, and emotional makeup of each person.

o   It is the soul of man that was lost and must be born-again.

·       The Body

o   This earthen tabernacle we occupy as a house for the soul.

The spark of life in Adam and Eve was the Holy Breath of God. God created Adam and Eve in His likeness and image. Man was created holy in the hands of God, a holy triune being, spirit, soul, and body. However, when Adam and Eve sinned, they were born again … born from life unto death. The spark of God’s Spirit went out in them like a flame on a candle.

Adam and Eve no longer had the capacity to pass the Spirit of life or to bestow a relationship with God to their children. The only life they could create was natural human life along with the carnal nature of man, which the Bible calls flesh. Instead of being spiritual beings, man became carnal beings. And the flesh has warred against the spirit ever since. Godless and ungodly souls are subject to great deception.

This is why Jesus said, “You must be born again!” However once born again a person becomes responsible to grow spiritually by learning more about the Word, the Will, and the Way of God and putting those things into practice. The Bible tells us to:

1.   Crucify our flesh daily.

2.   Renew our minds with the word of God.

3.   Bring our bodies into subjection to the will of God.

The carnal nature of man is an open door for the devil into the lives of men and women. There is only one way to remedy the death we are born into and that is to be Born-Again. Born, as Jesus told Nicodemus, by the spirit.

You must be born again! The spirit of the antichrist will tell you differently.

Galatians 5:16  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Other people may be responsible for your pain and your disappointment. However you are the only one responsible for your sin. The devil wants to feed your carnal appetites and make you hate, lie, cheat, have outbursts of anger, be jealous, divide and destroy lives … the thief, who is that spirit of the antichrist, comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly!

Your victory over the devil and your flesh will be the greatest testimony to those godless and ungodly souls around you.

In order to defeat the devil and that spirit of the antichrist you will need to close the carnal door to temptation and deception.

·       Say no to sin.

·       Refuse to entertain carnal remedies for the problems you face.

This you can do because you are Born-Again. You have been given a new spiritual nature; it is the nature of God.

·       Appeal to God’s Word to show you the path of redemption for yourself and for others this week.

·       Pray for a godly resolution that hurts no one and blesses everyone.

·       Don’t lie in wait and hope for judgment … pray for mercy!

o   James 2:13

o   Don’t fall prey to the spirit of the antichrist!

·       Don’t allow the devil to push you into a corner or make you think God has lost or that someone else is underserving of redemption or of your forgiveness.

o   Love, forgiveness, mercy, kindness are the evidence and the measure of God in your life, not the measure of God in the sinner’s life.

o   Be ye kind! (Ephesians 4:32)

Homework: When you feel you need a reminder of the war going on in your own life and how to defeat the enemies of your soul, read Romans 8. Every time you read flesh and carnal, remember it is the soulish life force born in sin and destined to die.

Romans 8

1 ¶  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

4  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

10 ¶  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

16  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

17 ¶  and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

The Trinity

Gtcotr/ss101622

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:

Point 1: There is a Holy Trinity

·       The Father, Jehovah God

o   He is eternal, invisible, all powerful, all knowing, and all present.

o   The Father is the Creator of all things, seen and unseen.

o   There is no other God but Jehovah.

·       The Son, Jesus

o   He is the Word of God, pre-existent in heaven, who lives forever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

·       The Holy Spirit of God

o   The very breath of God which carries His nature and covers the earth shining light, giving life, and showing love.

This Holy Trinity embodies all that we humans understand as good and right and just and true.

·       God is love.

·       Jesus is Emmanuel. He is our Savior, our Brother, and our Friend.

·       The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Teacher, and Guide.

Revelation 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Point 2: There is an Unholy Trinity

·       The Devil, that old dragon and serpent, which is Satan, the fallen archangel of God.

o   He is the head of the unholy trinity.

o   He is the prince of darkness, the enemy of our soul, and the father of all lies, doomed to hell and the lake of fire for eternity.

o   His spirit is the unholy spirit of the antichrist that is now in the world.

1 John 4:3  And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

o   The Devil breeds hatred, speaks lies, deceives individuals, kills dreams, divides families, destroys nations.

o   Satan tempts each person to lie, cheat, lust, be jealous, envious, murderous, blasphemous, idolatrous, selfish, and unforgiving.

o   And even if people resist his temptations, the devil will still accuse them before God and man.

o   Satan is the first person in the unholy trinity and his spirit is the spirit of the antichrist which stirs the carnal appetites of man and empowers demons to think, speak, and act against the will of God.

·       The Antichrist

o   Satan’s top agent in the earth during the tribulation period.

o   The word antichrist is never mentioned in the book of Revelation but only 4 times in the writings of 1st and 2nd John.

o   We know the antichrist in the book of Revelation as The Beast.

o   A perfectly evil person filled with the power of darkness and with hordes of demons at his command.

o   He is recognized by his mark, 666, and by the image of himself which he erects so the world can worship him as God.

·       The False Prophet

o   The false prophet is the image of the beast once brought to life by the beast to enforce worship of the beast.

o   Many may falsely believe him to be the Jesus of the Koran.

o   He will hunt down, torture, and kill every Believer who will not deny the Bible, take the mark of the beast, and worship him.

The unholy trinity has a limited time in which they will make war against the saints and deceive the nations. The end has already been written by the hand of God.

Make no mistake, the Bible clearly teaches us that there is:

·       A Holy Trinity = The Father; The Son; The Holy Spirit

·       An Unholy Trinity = The Dragon; The Beast; The False Prophet

·       And … thirdly … the Triune Man … who can go either way …

1 Thessalonians 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Point 3: The Triune Man

·       The Spirit

o   The spark of God’s life within each human soul.

·       The Soul

o   The living individual mind, will, and emotional makeup of each person.

o   It is the soul of man that was lost and must be born-again.

·       The Body

o   This earthen tabernacle we occupy as a house for the soul.

Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

God created Adam and Eve in His likeness and image. Mankind was created holy in the hands of God, a holy triune being, spirit, soul, and body. The Bible is very clear and very plain on this matter. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 we know it is God’s desire that every Born-Again Believer in Jesus end this life just as God intended, clean and blameless in spirit, soul, and body. God intends we understand how He created us and what happened to us because of sin.

The challenge each person faces comes from two distinct places. First there is the devil, that serpent who roams the earth with his demon minions wreaking havoc, seeking those whom he might destroy, and tempting people to sin, believe lies and forsake the salvation offered by God. He is a formidable adversary to man only because of one reason …

This is where the second challenge comes into play.

God created man as a triune being: Spirit, soul, and body. Or we might say:

·       A life force – Spirit = Gk: Pneuma

·       Specific Individuality – Soul = Gk: Psuche

·       An earth suit – Body = Gk: Soma

However, when the devil was ultimately successful in tempting Adam and Eve and they chose to disobey God in the Garden of Eden, they immediately died. We know their bodies did not die in the natural way we imagine death. However, the life force, the Spirit, the spark of life given them by God’s breath, went out of them and they were left godless souls, with a limited carnal existence which has neither holiness nor eternal life.

Adam and Eve were born-again. From life unto death. Adam and Eve died spiritually. Their souls lost the sustaining life of God and their godless souls continued to inhabit a body that was destined to decay and leave them homeless and trapped in spiritual death and separation from God for eternity.

The Spirit God gave them died in them and the carnal human spirit took its place. Instead of spirit, soul, body, mankind became flesh, soul, and body. Godless souls in a body destined to die. The carnal nature of man is an open door to the devil and deception. Godless souls subject to deception.

Adam and Eve no longer had the capacity to pass the Spirit of life or to bestow a relationship with God to their children. The only life they could create was natural human life along with the carnal nature of man, which the Bible calls flesh. Instead of being spiritual beings, man became carnal beings. And the flesh has warred against the spirit ever since.

The carnal nature of man is an open door for the devil into the lives of men and women. There is only one way to remedy the death we are born into and that is to be Born-Again. Born, as Jesus told Nicodemus, by the spirit. This is made possible by the perfect blood sacrifice of Jesus the Son.

You must be born again! The antichrist will tell you different.

Next Sunday I am going to take the clear and undeniable word of God and show you how to recognize that spirit of the antichrist and how to close the door on the devil in your life. You can take dominion over those things God has given you to govern and influence on behalf of your families and in the earth. 

In preparation for next Sunday, allow me to leave you with something to consider and a little reading assignment. First, I want you to hear what the Apostle Paul told the Believers in Galatia.

Galatians 5:16  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

17  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

The elder Apostle John clearly identifies the antichrist, and the Apostle Paul gives us step by step instructions on how to defeat him. In preparation for Part 2 of the Trinity next Sunday I want to encourage you to read the 8th Chapter of the Book of Romans.

In order to defeat the devil between now and then you will need to close the door to temptation and deception.

·       Say no to sin.

·       Refuse to entertain carnal remedies for the problems you face.

This you can do because you are Born-Again. You have been given a new spiritual nature; it is the nature of God. Appeal to God’s Word to show you the path of redemption for yourself and for others this week. Pray for a godly resolution that hurts no one and blesses everyone. Don’t allow the devil to push you into a corner or make you think God has lost.

Your victory over the devil will be the greatest testimony to those godless souls around you.

Next week:

Romans 8 NKJV

1 ¶  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

4  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

10 ¶  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

16  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

It’s All Good

 This is a saying that we are familiar with.

What does it mean? We will find out more as we go along.

Sometimes we need to hear that things are going to be okay. Sometimes we need to hear that things are going to work out. Sometimes we need to hear, It’s All Good!

How do I know that? Because we have a promise. It is a promise from God.

There are many promises that God gives us, but the one I am referring to is found in Romans 8.

Romans is considered one of Paul’s greatest pieces of work he put together. It is one of his best, if not the best, letter he wrote that is recorded in the New Testament. The Roman church, or the local Jesus gatherings in Rome, was made up of people that were just like us. People who are different in many ways yet were brought together through Jesus and the work He did on the cross. Because they were different they also had a difference in opinion in how they should follow Jesus. It might have been because of this reason, or maybe some other, that he felt these Christians needed a strong dose of basic gospel doctrine.

As I said before, we are no different from the Christians Paul is writing to. As believers, we too need to know the gospel in its most basic form. We should treat the book of Romans, or any book in the Bible, as if it was written for our time as well. We should read it as if it was meant to speak to us.

The book of Romans reminds us that while sin separated us from God, we are justified from sin (just as if I never sinned), saved from eternal damnation through Jesus’ death burial and resurrection, and if we place our faith in Jesus, we are born again to a new life with Christ that we are called by God to live out.

In Romans 8, Paul reminds us that we are no longer defined by sin. Instead we have a new identity in Christ that gives us power to live for God through the Holy Spirit. And it is through the same spirit that we have a new spiritual DNA that testifies that we have a father in heaven. The Spirit of God on the inside cries out “Abba Father.”

In verses 18-25, Paul tells us that in the same way that the earth and all creation yearns for the future day that it will be restored with God, that we too, through the spirit on the inside of us, yearn and long for the future day that Jesus comes back and everything will be made right. The spirit of God longs to be in Heaven with Jesus!

This is a good reminder that heaven should be on our radar. We too should look forward to the day that Jesus returns. In fact, we are almost encouraged to do so. Let us remember that one day all will be made right in Heaven.

Nevertheless, until that great day, we live in a thing called life that has not yet been redeemed. We face hardship and suffering along the way. We face good days and bad days. We encounter easy situations and hard situations. Wins and losses. However you lay it out, we walk through a life that has its ups and downs.

Nevertheless, we receive a promise that is given to us by God. As I mentioned before, it is found here in Romans 8. Verse 28 lays it out for us. Let’s read it.

Romans 8:28

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

This is a verse that you have probably heard before. You have probably come across it and even seen it on the walls of homes you have walked into. If you are familiar with this verse, you probably already have it highlighted in your Bible!

But this is a verse that can bring great comfort and encouragement to the believer. In what way you ask? Well let’s talk about it.

This verse speaks about three different persons.

The first person is God.

v.28 - “God causes all things…”

God is sovereign.

Sovereign = Reigns over all

That is God’s title. His job is to reign over all things. God is doing His job quite well.

God is in full control.

While there are some kings who have reigned in times past and did so out of touch with its people, God rules and reigns in relationship with His creation. He is connected.

God is involved. God is connected. God cares about the things we face in life.

God is involved not in some things, but in ALL THINGS. That is both the good, the bad, and everything in between. That is what a sovereign God does.

Nevertheless, He is not only connected to what I am going through, but every person and every believer on earth.

God is mighty. He is able.

Do you believe this?

What is it that you are facing today that seems too much? Too painful? Whatever it is, it is times like these that we must run to God as our strong tower. He is the refuge we have to run to when we need to be encouraged and strengthened.

Know that God is able!

v.28 - “God causes everything to work together…”

Not only is God involved, but He is also working all things together. What does that mean? It means He is reshaping. He is reshaping our circumstances, our suffering, our hurt, our pain, our difficulty, disappointments, etc, into something better.

When I try to take a bad situation and make it better, there is no guarantee that it will actually come out better.

Nevertheless, when God gets involved, He knows what He is doing. He knows how to make things better than we could have imagined it.

Thank God He is God, and I am not!

v.28 - “God causes everything to work together for good…”

Not only is He making things better, but He is turning them into good. What does that mean?

Good = Agathos = Benefit, Profit, Useful

God uses everything in our life, both the good and the bad, and reshapes them to make them beneficial.

The things that were once meant to harm and hurt us become beneficial, profitable, and useful in the hands of a sovereign and loving God.

God is shaping the outcomes in life and turning them into good.

We can think of our unwanted outcomes of life as ingredients:

Illustration: Role out table of ingredients…

Unsalted butter
All-purpose flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Sugar
Raw eggs
Vanilla extract
Milk

Have you tried these things? You may like 1 or 2 of these things. But with almost all of these, no one in their right mind would eat these things as is.

Nevertheless, when you put them together, and you begin mixing them, pour them into a mold, pop it into the oven, apply some heat and pressure, it comes out to something good. It becomes beneficial, profitable, and even useful. It becomes something you want!

In the same way, God takes the hurt, pain, disappointments, difficulty, hardship, suffering, etc and mixes them together to form something that is beneficial and useful in the hands of God.

How does God do it? I have no idea. God just has skills like that. He’s just got it like that.

So God causes all things to work together for good, for who? Who is this promise for?

v.28 - “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God…”

Who is that? Those of us who have placed our faith in Christ and received Him as Lord. He is talking about believers!

I love that the Bible describes us as people who “love God.”

How do we know if we love God?

Jesus says that those who love God are those who obey His commandments.

My wife has the right to look at my life to see if there is proof that I truly love her.

If we love God, then it will be shown with our lives.

There is not one person here who loves God whom God did not love first. The only reason we are able to love God is because Jesus loved us first by going to the cross and paying the price that I could not pay. Thank you Jesus!

This promise is for anyone who has placed their faith in Christ.

God, who is sovereign, is reshaping the outcomes in your life into something that is beneficial for you. He is working all things together for your good.

What I think is good (beneficial) and what God thinks is beneficial are too different things. In the same way I know what is good for my children, God knows what is good for me. My daughters believe that candy inside of their ice cream with chocolate drizzle and popcorn on the side, everyday, is what is good for them. As parents, we know that is not true. As their father, I know what is good and what is not good. I am looking further down the line.

God knows what is good for you. He is always going to do what is good for you and your future. God knows what you are going to need. God knows what is best.

As I mentioned before, this scripture speaks about three different persons. First was God. Second is us as believers. Who is the third person? That person is the one who does not know Jesus. Why? Because, with regard to how difficult things may be for us, none of us are worse off than the person who is outside of Christ. While we have hope, there is no hope for the person who has yet to receive Jesus.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

God has a purpose. His purpose is that those who are in your life that don’t know Jesus will see what Jesus did in your life and will want it for themselves as well. God wants to reach your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

God is working things for good for you and also for the people in your life who are ready to receive Jesus! God has a plan!! The promise God has for you, He hopes it will be a reality for them as well.

Take Aways:

When things are difficult…

1.      Be determined to trust God

a)      As Dean Brinkley said in the first service concerning the uncertainties in life, that we should also pair them with the things we are certain of as well. We can be certain that God can be trusted. Let’s not allow the uncertainties to over rule what we can be certain of.

b)      God is not finished yet

c)      Let us be aware that God is never finished. Pastor Ron said something recently that has resonated in me. It may not be the first time he has said it. He said, If things are bad, God is not done yet.” God is working things together for our good. God is not done yet. Things will get better.

2.      Be willing to share Jesus with others

a)      Nothing we go through is ever wasted

b)      No matter how difficult life may be, it is not as hopeless for the person outside of Christ. We have a promise of a future hope. The person who is not born again, at this current moment, does not. Let us keep in mind that there are people who God is trying to reach through you. Let us allow God to create more room for compassion and empathy in our heart for the lost. Let us love those who dont know Jesus and show them kindness. For it is the kindness of God that leads men to repentance.

As I said before, It’s all good. God’s got this.