Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd;
John:10.11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
I shall not want.
Romans 8.32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Leviticus 26:6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid
He restoreth my soul:
Jerimiah 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD;
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
Luke 21: 17-19 17And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.18But there shall not an hair of your head perish.19In your patience possess ye your souls. John 14: 27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
for thou art with me;
Hebrews 13:5-6 5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
John 14: 16-18 16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
1 Corinthians 15:25-26 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Ephesians 3: 20-21 20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
2 Chronicles 16:9 9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
John 14: 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Amen.
Can we recognize the true Gospel of God from a counterfeit?
You think it would be easy to know a true teacher of the Word of God, from a false one. Or that it would be simple to recognize the genuine Gospel of Christ, from a counterfeit. It is, if we know what to look for. Satan however is cleaver, and out to deceive both those called, and uncalled. How then can we spot true, from incorrect teachers? By their works. Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth.
2Corn.11: 13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 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.
Satan here is described, appearing as an angel of light. And his ministers, as ministers of righteousness. If this is the case, it seems it would be nearly impossible, to distinguish a true, from false, minister of God. These ministers also look to deceive with their words.
Rom.16: 17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
By now it would seem almost impossible, to recognize these deceivers. But Paul gave a clue. He said that they cause division and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned. What was the doctrine Paul constantly taught? He taught salvation was by faith, not by works. Over and over, Paul emphasized this theme.
Gal.1:5-7 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
The gospel of Christ, is The gospel of salvation, through faith in Jesus.
Eph. 2:7-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Jesus was asked by his followers, what they should do, to work mighty works like him.
John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
James wrote about faith, and works. James 2 :20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Locking ourselves away in a prayer closet, and not walking as Christ walked, is dead faith. God wants us to practice our faith, and by so doing, strengthen our faith. But anyone who teaches that salvation comes through any work of our own, is a false teacher, and a deceiver.
Math.7:21-26 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock .And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
In the above verses, Jesus stated, even those that had done, “many wonderful works “, he would order to depart from him. He went on to call them, workers of iniquity. How could this be? They had done all these mighty works, in his name? Jesus explains, they had not built their foundation of works on rock, but instead upon sand, and they were all washed away. Jesus is the Rock. We must always give all glory, and honor, to Jesus. Faith in him only, gives us salvation. Any church, or organization, that teaches anything differently, is building their house on a foundation of sand.
Math.7:27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Can being good get us into heaven?
Oprah Denies Jesus Christ – YouTube. Is it possible to enter heaven by being good? Over and over I come across this idea. God would certainly welcome a person who does good, and helps other, into heaven. How could God be just, and keep a good person out of heaven? It would make no sense, they say, or who would even want to worship such an unjust God as that? What does the Bible have to say on this subject?
Rom.:3.10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
To each other, according to our own standards, some people certainly appear to live better lives then others. But our standards fall vastly short of God’s
Rom.3:19-20. 19Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Paul here tells us that all the world is guilty before God, and the law was given not for man to follow perfectly, but that by the law we would come to know and recognize that we are all sinners in need of a Savior.
Rom. 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
No amount of good works will ever get us into heaven. Only faith in Jesus, and his finished work on the cross, can do that.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Judging others.
I like to think that I’m not a judgmental person. But that is what I would like to think. Thinking something, and being something, are entirely different. I also would like to think that I’m a good person. That in the light of God’s word, doesn’t seem to be working so well either. God loves us, and because he loves us he corrects us, as any father would correct a son that he loves.
Heb. 12. 7-9 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
I think it is important to note, God never corrects his children by bringing them pain, or suffering, as many would lead us to believe. No more than a human father would correct a child he loves, by bringing them pain or suffering. A loving father does not teach a child that fire is hot, by holding his hand in a flame. God teaches his children by his Holy Word.
John 17: 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
I was lovingly corrected today while reading God’s word, when it comes to judging others. When it comes to things of the spirit, it is easy to measure our self’s by thoughts and feelings of the flesh. And not by God’s word. This struck me while reading Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this letter, Paul calls those he is writing to saints, and beloved of God. But he also addresses some problems, as he does in many of his letters. Concerning judging others, Paul writes this.
Rom:1 29-32 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Rom:2 1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Here Paul lists many offenses that men commit against others, among them being proud, boastful, envious, a whisperer, and disobedient to parents. This list reminded me of another scripture written by Paul, Rom. 14:23 … whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Paul states, whoever commits any of these offenses is worthy of death. In the law of Moses, anyone found being disobedient or disrespectful to their parents, was to be stoned.
Duet:21- 18-21 18If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:19Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;20And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.21And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
The punishment for transgressing God’s law is harsh and unforgiving. But the Good News is, we are not under law, but under grace, if we have accepted Jesus, as our Lord and Savior. Paul ended all this by stating, it is God’s goodness that leads us to repentance. Having said all this, I know I am guilty of many of the things on Paul’s list, that are worthy of death. With God’s help, I will try not to be judgmental of others, knowing that if I am, Paul states, I despise the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; and condemn myself.
Do all religious paths lead to God?
I have heard in the past, that all paths of a religious nature lead to God. We may be on different paths, according to our own understanding of God, or our particular upbringing or circumstances. One person likened it to a mountain, with God at the peak. There are many paths to the top of the mountain, we may even approach the summit from different sides or directions, but we are all striving to reach the top. Can this be accurate? Lets take a look at what other major faiths of the world believe.
First Muslims – 1. Muslims believe in One God “Allah”, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. 2. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace he upon them. Muslims believe in all messengers of Allah without any discrimination among them. Every known nation had a warner or messenger from Allah who were chosen by Allah to teach mankind and deliver His Divine message. But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. 3. A Muslim believes in the Day of Judgement. This world will come to an end someday, and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. People with good records will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to the Heaven of Allah, and those with bad records will be punished and cast into Hell. A Muslim believes that Jesus was a prophet and not the Savior of the world. And that man will be judged according to his works.
Second- Buddhists – 1.Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived about 25 centuries ago in what is now Nepal and northeastern India. He came to be called “the Buddha,” which means “awakened one,” after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. In English, the Buddha was said to be enlightened, although in Sanskrit it is bodhi, “awakened.” 2.In the remaining years of his life, the Buddha traveled and taught. However, he didn’t teach people what he had realized when he became enlightened. Instead, he taught people how to realize enlightenment for themselves. He taught that awakening comes through one’s own direct experience, not through beliefs and dogmas. Buddhist do not seek a particular God , rather that man through following the eight fold path of enlightenment can achieve enlightenment for themselves.
Third- Hindu-1 Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods. 2.Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.3.Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds. 4.Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny. In conclusion Hindus believe that personal discipline, good conduct , purification , meditation and the like, will ultimately release the soul from its continuous cycle of birth and reincarnation and the soul will finally be liberated to spend eternity with God.
Fourth – Judaism 1.God is the creator of all that exists; He is one, incorporeal (without a body), and He alone is to be worshipped as absolute ruler of the universe. 2.The first five books of the Hebrew Bible were revealed to Moses by God. They will not be changed or augmented in the future. 3.God has communicated to the Jewish people through prophets. 4.God monitors the activities of humans; He rewards individuals for good deeds and punishes evil. 5.The 613 commandments found in Leviticus and other books regulate all aspects of Jewish life. The Ten Commandments, as delineated in Exodus 20. 1-17 and Dueteronomy 5. 6-21, form a brief synopsis of the Law. 6.The Messiah (anointed one of God) will arrive in the future and gather Jews once more into the land of Israel. There will be a general resurrection of the dead at that time. The Jerusalem Temple, destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans, will be rebuilt. Judaism in conclusion believes God is one being, not three, Father,Son and Holy Spirit . And that Jesus was not God in the flesh. They are still awaiting their Messiah and they do not believe in the need for a Savior.
Finally – Christian – I have gone to various web sites, to try and gain knowledge of the believes of the major religions of the world, and then condense them into a few major points. I would now like to write about Christianity, as I understand it, through my own reading of the Bible. Being a Christian is like no other religious belief in the world. All religions believe that man, through his own efforts, can gain access to God, and in turn gain access to eternal life. Because of this, it is reasonable to assume that many paths can lead to God, as long as the path one is on helps a person to be more righteous, and God like. Christians believe that man is a fallen being, and cannot meet Gods perfect standards, no matter how hard they try or diligently follow a certain path or discipline. Rom 3.23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; A Christian believes that God made a set of laws that would benefit man, and that disobeying these laws must result in a punishment, just as disobeying man made laws result in punishment. Rom 6.23- “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Man cannot perfectly keep these laws, and a just law giver must punish the law breaker. A Christian believes that Jesus was God in the flesh and came to earth, kept the laws of God perfectly, and then died on the cross, taking the punishment that was meant for us, upon himself. 1 Pete 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: Christ the just, suffered death on the cross for us the unjust. By this he took upon himself the punishment required by the law. A Christian believes that we are saved by Jesus finished work on the cross, not by our own efforts. Eph. 2.8 -For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. Salvation is a gift of God. We cannot earn it, we receive it, as someone would receive any gift from a generous giver. And how do we receive this priceless and precious gift? Rom.10.9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The Good News is, that it really is that simple. God wants us to recognize we are sinners, in need of a Savior. When we do this, and welcome him into our heart and our lives, he can then send us his Spirit to dwell inside of us, and change things from the inside out. Things we could never change on our own. Another amazing thing about God and his goodness toward his children is, after we except Jesus as our Savior, God no longer judges us according to our behavior. Rom. 4.7-8 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. When Jesus dwells in our heart we want to change .Rom. 2.4 – Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? When we come to see how good and giving God is, and that he wants to be our Father, we want to change to please him. But what about the question that I first raised? Do all religions or religious paths lead us, from different directions, to the same God? What did Jesus say concerning this? John 14.6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Acts. 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. God loves the world, and all mankind. We are his creation, and he wants us to become his children. He has done everything necessary for us to become his children, but he will not force his will upon any of us. It has to be our choice. John. 3.15-17 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Amen!
Serving God and others.
I read in our local Penny Saver recently, the hospital in the area I live in was looking for Chaplin volunteers. I thought this would be a good opportunity to serve, and went over and signed up. I attended three of four, 2 hr mandatory meetings, and finally told the Chaplin I could not continue with the program. The first thing I had a problem with was the fact that the Chaplin opened and closed every meeting with a prayer, but never ended it in Jesus name. He was also careful to never mention Jesus, in his prayers, or in the teaching or discussions we were receiving as part of our training. When I asked about this, I was told that not everyone in the hospital we would be ministering to, would be Christian. So we could only use the generic term god. We were also told we were to be spiritual advisers, and not to discuss or proclaim any one religion over another. I asked how then could we pray with the patients that had requested a visit? I was told, we would be praying to our concept of god, and they would be praying to their concept of god. In this way persons with any faith, or no faith at all, could pray together. Finally I was told that they had their beliefs, based upon their upbringing and experience, and that I had my beliefs, based upon my upbringing and experiences. This is contrary to the Word of God in many respects, but it made me think of a few certain scriptures in particular.
Math 7. 21-23
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Here was an example of people coming to Jesus, proclaiming all the good works they had done, and Jesus told them to depart from him, ye workers of iniquity. Jesus also said to them in this verse, that doing these things would not gain them access to the kingdom of heaven, but only doing the will of his Father would. Well it certainly seems that it would be God’s will for us to do many good works. Another verse that came to mind was,
1 Corinthians 13
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
How could doing all these good works that Jesus mentions, and doing all the good things Paul mentions above, profit a person nothing? Jesus said we must first do the will of his Father. What is the will of God the Father, that without it, makes these other wonderful works and good deeds worthless?
John 6. 40
40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6. 28-30
28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
If we fail to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then all our good works are not only unprofitable, they are offensive to God. We can never please God, or measure up to his standards of goodness and charity, apart from our Lord Jesus.
Isa 64. 6
6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Kodak stock, and trusting in this world.
The following two articles were taken from the LA Times in 1997, and the Wall Street Journal a few days ago.
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/21/business/fi-34557 Still, with the high profitability of its traditional photo business, Kodak’s returns on shareholder investment have risen dramatically in recent years. And the company sailed into 1997 with superior new color films for sale at premium prices–“the first time in over a decade that Kodak and not Fuji has been first with a new product,” says an industry observer. Kodak stock hit $94.75 in February, an all-time high.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/story/2011-09-30/kodak-stock-plunge/50620334/1 Eastman Kodak shares lost more than half their value Friday, plunging 91 cents to close at 78 cents per share. Earlier in the session, the stock hit a new low of 54 cents. The selling was so intense that the shares temporarily stopped trading under the New York Stock Exchange‘s automated controls.
I have lived in the Rochester NY area, on and off, since 1979. When I first moved here, the largest and most influential employer by far was the Eastman Kodak Co. The above two articles are an example of how futile it is to trust in things of this world. The first article is from the LA Times and was written in 1997. It mentions Kodak rolling out a new film, and how it’s stock was selling for $94.75 a share, on the NYSE. The second article is from Friday September 30, 2011. Fourteen years latter. Almost no one buys camera film, and Kodak stock was trading as low as .54 cents per share. It is more important then ever to trust in God in the perilous times we live in. And not put our trust in this world. The world we live in, and the things we see, and can easily place out trust in,
are being shaken to their very foundations.
Heb.12:27-
27And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
The world and its false god’s and the idols men put their trust in are being shaken. So the things that cannot be shaken, and the true God, will remain standing.
Deut. 32:37-
37And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,
We need to have a child like faith, and trust in God, when things begin to crumble around us.
Think on these things.
I was mowing the lawn this morning, and some negative thoughts came into my mind. It is easy to take a negative thought, and before you know it, one thought leads to another, and your in a bad place. Then I remembered the scripture,
Philippians 4;8
” Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
What if we have trouble trying to think of anything good, or positive? The world we live in can be a pretty negative place. The scripture above reminds us to think on things that are true, honest, just , pure and lovely. All of these things are a picture and description of God’s word.
I remember reading books written back in the 1960’s or 70’s by Norman Vincent Peal, one of them was, The Power of Positive Thinking. Sometimes it is easy to forget what power a positive thought has to lift us up, or the power a negative thought has, to bring us down. An old saying is, positive thinking leads to positive living. And this is true. The next time a negative, or wrong thought, comes into your head, ask God to help you replace it with a good, or positive thought.
2 Corinthians 10:5
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
If we bring our thoughts into captivity, to the obedience of Christ, and meditate on his word. We will soon replace our negative thoughts,with more positive, uplifting thoughts, and become more Christ like in our thinking.
Should we criticize our leaders ?
Is it OK to criticize the President, or congressmen,or the governor? Isn’t it our responsibility as citizens, and as Christians, to tell our elected officials when their doing a bad job, and really give it to them? After all we elected them to serve us, and to represent us in government. What does God’s word have to say on this subject? In the book of Exodus, Pharaoh saw the Israelite women were having more children then the Egyptian women, and he was afraid the Egyptians would soon be out numbered. Because of this, he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill any male child they helped give birth to. This was a law given by the supreme leader of their country. What did the midwives do?
Ex.1:17&20 17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
Here the midwives were order to do one thing by the government , but chose to disobey, because they feared God more then Pharaoh. There are many other cases of men and women of God, disobeying the government, and rulers of their time, in order to obey God. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den for praying to God, as he was accustomed to doing, rather then obey king Darius and his decree not to. Also Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were thrown into a fiery furnace for disobeying king Nebuchadnezzar,and not bowing down and worshiping the golden image he had erected. When we are faced with the decision to obey man, or God, we must trust in God, despite the consequences. Does God promise to always intervene and protect us if we obey him? Jesus told us this, in the book of Mathew.
Math.10:28
28And fear not them which 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.
When we are obeying God, we have nothing to fear, despite the consequences. God does not always step in to protect his children, when they are faced with persecution, for obeying him. Paul wrote this in his letter to the Hebrews , concerning the afflictions suffered by men and women of God, that had gone before him.
Heb.11:35-40
35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:36And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
This is not a pretty picture of the suffering endured by God’s people. It is not always easy to serve God. But it is always right.
Math.5:10
10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
1 Pet. 3: 14
14But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
1 Pet 2: 19-20
19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
So does all this mean we have a responsibility to challenge authority and criticize those in government positions? The Bible states just the opposite. We are instructed, to the best of our ability, to obey those that have been put in authority over us, and also to pray for their success.
Paul was brought before the leaders of his day, and had strong words, untill they explained to him, who it was he was talking to.
Acts 23: 3-5
3Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?4And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest? 5Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.
Paul also writes this, in his letters to the Romans, and in Hebrews.
Rom.13.1
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Heb13.17
17Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Peter also mentions the importance of living peacefully, under the authorities placed over us.
1 Pet. 2: 13-15
13Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;14Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.15For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
As Christians we should support and pray for our leaders, not ridicule and speak evil of them, as is so common today. Paul gave these instructions to Timothy.
1 Tim.2:1-3
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
In conclusion, the Bible states we are to disobey any authority that requires us to behave contrary to God’s word. But we are to obey the authorities placed above us, in matters not contrary to God and his word, for the Lord’s sake.
Jesus I know, and Paul I know,but who are You?
It is vitally important to know who we are in Christ. If a person were locked in a jail cell for years, and someone came and unlocked the cell door for them, and they did not believe that the door was unlocked, the freedom that they had obtained would be of no effect. It is the same way with a Christian. If we accept Christ and receive his Holy Spirit, but continue to live as though we did not, the power of God dwelling inside of us, likewise has little or no effect.
John 8:31-3331Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Jesus said that if we continue in his word, we would know the truth and it shall make us free.
John 17:16-1816They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
God’s word is truth, and by it we begin to see who we truly are in Christ. The New Testament is written in a large extent, to help us understand who we are as Christians. Jesus explains that we are one with Him and the Father.
John 14:20 20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
The Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us, is God. It is the same as Jesus and the Father, and that Spirit working through us, can do anything.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
1John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Once we know these things and understand them, then we should begin to behave and act differently. We need to open the unlocked jail cell, and not continue to behave as if it were still locked.
James 1:22-24 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.23For 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:24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
The word of God is a mirror, that we look into to see who we are in Christ. Once we have looked into that mirror, we must remember what manner of man or woman we are, and begin to act accordingly.
2 Peter 1: 8-15 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:11For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.12Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.13Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;14Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.15Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
In this short section of Peters second epistle he uses the word remembrance three times. He knew that he did not have much time left on this Earth, and wanted to make sure that those he was writing to remembered who they were, and what it meant to be a born again son of God. This brings me to a story in the book of Acts. It points again to the importance of knowing who we are in Christ. Several Jews had witnessed the amazing power that was being demonstrated by the apostles and decided to try it for themselves.
Acts 19: 13-16 13Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.14And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.15And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?16And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Notice that the evil spirit said to them he knew Paul and he knew Jesus but who were they? And it does not record that they gave any answer. It is important to know the answer to that question. I am __________ son of the living God!
Saved By Faith In Christ 