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A collection of message outines, thoughts, and
devotions.
Genealogies are not usually the highlight of Bible
reading. We do find some interesting facts when we read the genealogies of
God's people in His Word. Here in Matthew we see the plan and work of
salvation in our lives through the four women mentioned in the genealogy of
Christ. I. Tamar - Sin Before we come to God we have to admit that we
are sinners. II. Rehab - Through Rehab we see the next step of
salvation. III. Ruth - Everyone knows the theme of the book of Ruth is
grace. It is also the theme of our salvation. IV. Bath-Sheba - We see the security of the believer. Through these four women we see the plan of
salvation. 1. We must admit we are sinners. 2. We must come to
Christ through faith. 3. We receive salvation through grace and not of
works. 4. When we are saved, we are saved.
Names for Satan in the Bible are: Lucifer, serpent, accuser, devil, Beelzebub, Bellial, Ruler of this world, prince of the power of the air, adversary. I. Origin of Satan For all the gap theory people out there and pre-adamite racers, it is Bible truth that death did not exist until after the fall of Adam in the garden. Death entered the world by Adam's sin. Satan fell in the garden. This is where iniquity was found in him v.15. Where he was is told in v.13. He was full of beauty there. His pride against God was manifested there. II. Objective of Satan III. Outcome of Satan IV. On the Move. We have this verse to claim and proclaim James 4:7
Titus
2:11-15 I.
It Appeared to All (v.11) II.
It Affects All (v.12) III.
It Assures All (v.13) IV.
It Atones All (v.14) V. It
Gives Authority to All (v.15) The Gospel is for All. The Gospel will clean a dirty heart. The Gospel will give us assurance in the faith. The Gospel has redeemed us and gave us the unction to tell others of this saving grace. The Gospel is the greatest doctrine that any man can ever learn.
The name "Dead Sea" never occurs in the
Bible. It was known as the Salt Sea in Genesis 14:3, Sea of the Arabah in
Deuteronomy 4:49, East Sea in Joel 2:20, and simply the Sea in our text Ezekiel
47:8. The Dead Sea is 1. Sunken. It is the lowest lying part of land on the earths crust not covered with ocean. It lies 1300 ft. below sea level with it's water at a depth of 1300 ft. 2. Barren. No fish live in the sea. No birds flourish on it's coast because there is no food to support life. No plants thrive in the sea or near it's coast line. 3. Uselessness. Other then recent extractions of chemicals and minerals, the sea held no purpose. Many religions flock to the sea in search of it's healing properties, but they could get the same effect from a box of Epson salt and a tub of warm water. 4. Helpless. Millions of tons of fresh water pour into the Dead Sea each day from the Jordan river and several tributaries. The fresh water reaches it's destination only to be evaporated by the sun and the heat that surround the Dead Sea. Leaving behind the sediments picked up during it's journey. The only hope for this sea is mentioned in this prophecy in Ezekiel that one day water flowing from the house (Temple of God) mentioned in 47:1 will reach the sea and heal it. We too were like the Dead Sea. We were: 1. Sunken. We were under the penalty of sin as fallen man. Depraved in nature and in deed. We could have not gotten any lower then the state that we where in at birth. Destined for hell and an eternity of ruin. 2. Barren. The works of our flesh and the deeds of our body produced no fruit of any lasting significance. Towards God, our life yielded no fruit. 3. Uselessness. What good were we to God. There could have been no good thing come out of our lives. Enlightening others with our view on God, the universe, and the state of man with no comprehension of true Bible doctrine. What good were we for the Kingdom of God? We were useless. 4. Hopeless. We had no hope in the world. Aliens from the common wealth of Israel. All that was good around us was soon taken away by the heat and environment of the world leaving behind only that which was filthy and unrighteous. The only Hope we had is the same hope that the dead sea has. Water coming from the Throne of God to flood our souls, to cleanse our hearts, to make us pure. To raise us to the standard accepted by God through His son, to produce fruit in our lives and yield useful results toward his Kingdom. The Hope we have is the Word. Water is a type of the Word of God in the Bible. 1. (v1-5) Partake in His Word Get into the Word. Not just your feet wet, but swim in it. The more you get into it the more you see that it grows and grows. Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another. 2. (v.6-10) Provides Health. The Word of God will purify the heart, clean the mind, and consecrate our lives for the service of our Lord. Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. 3. (v.11) Partially Hindered. We may have places in
our lives that we do not want God to deal with. These places are no good
to God or to us. Let us pray for the exposure of these places in our
hearts and for God to deal with us on these matters. James 1:22 But be
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 4. (v.12) Produce a Harvest. There should be
evidence of fruit in our life because of our conversion to God, our commitment
to Christ and our obedience to His Word. John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that
ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Matthew
12:41
Greater then Jonah is here. 4.Completion Mark
9:38-40
Getting the Job Done What
we will look at in this text is the fact that every Christian will not act
neither be in the same ministry as we are. In this text we will look at how John the beloved treated another believer who didn't want to follow him in his ministry. We will see what Jesus had to say about it all. I believe the story is still true today and needs to be meditated on. Mark
9:38-40 And
John answered him, saying Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and
he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus
said Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my
name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is
on our part.
Could this be the maniac of Gadara that Jesus had recently cast the
demons out of and instructed him to stay and tell his friends in the area and
spread the word? Mark
5:18-20 And
when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed
him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto
him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done
for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed and began to
publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did
marvel.
With this in mind we want to look at the subject Getting the Job Done This
man was:
I. Where God wanted him. (5:19-20) II.
Doing what God wanted him to do. III.
Not pleasing the crowd, only God (9:38) IV.
Was getting the Job Done When you mention windows today
computers come to mind. When you look at the windows in the Bible
spiritual applications come to mind. People looked out , where thrown out
, escaped out , sat in, fell out , and prayed out of the windows mentioned in
the Word of God. I. Windows of the World 2. Michael's Window of Discouragement (II Samuel 6:16, 20-21) 3. Eutychus's
Window of Danger (Acts 20:6-12) II. Windows of the Wise 1. Rahab's
Window of Deliverance (Joshua 2:1-18) 2. Noah's
Window of Discernment (Genesis 6:16, 8:6-12) 3. Daniel's
Window of Dedication ( 6:10) A New Follower and a True Follower Acts 8:26-38 A look at the conversion of a lost man and the faithfulness of a true believer. I.
The Eunuch II.
The Evangelist
Jonah
- A Picture of the Preacher (Evangelist/Missionary) This world is still the same with it's sin and it's struggles. And still the same with it's Savior. God is still the same. His Word has not changed, His desire has not changed, His man has not changed. 1. God still calls men
(v.1:1-2a) 2. Men still need God (v.1:2b) Wicked men and religious men. 3. Men still run from God's calling (v.1:3) 4. God still prepares fish
(v.1:17) He has a way of getting our attention. 5. God still hears our
prayers (v.2:1) 6. God still gives second
chances (3:1) 7. God still uses men to
proclaim His word (v.3:2) 8. God still deals with
wicked hearts (v.3:5) 9. Men are still apathetic
(4:1,10)
I Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. We are living in perilous, dangerous times.
This present evil world has drawn a host into its clutches. Satan has
blinded the eyes of unseen millions leaving heaps of destruction in their
path.
Mark
1:1-10
(A
look at John the Baptist as a comparison to our life.) I.
The Person of John the Baptist
2. The Resources of John the Baptist… the Holy Ghost and Parchments. ·
We need God’s Word,
mind of Christ, obedient spirit. ·
Prayer and Ministry of
the Word. (Acts 6:4)
3. The Response of John the
Baptist…(John 3:30 He must increase but I must decrease)
II.
The Presence of John the Baptist 1.
Dress - What people saw / how he was perceived 2.
Diet – What John took in 3.
Duty – Concern for others. We are involved
with people because we have a duty. We
are concerned. III.
The Purpose of John the Baptist
Tearless
hearts can proclaim truth but cannot herald passion. Town
criers believed in their words.
4. Wilderness – dry,
barren, no fountains or pools. IV.
How can we Participate in the Kingdom of God like John? ·
John was born out of a
miraculous circumstance. We
were born again. ·
He died in an
uncompromising situation. We died to the things of this world. ·
He had to be taken out of
the way for the advancement of the
Kingdom of God.
We too must move aside and let God work.
Let God take us out of the way. God's Mercy (Seen through His
Dealing with
Cain) In chapter four we find God's mercy reaching out to a rebellious man, Cain, giving him every opportunity to turn from his rebellion and follow the God of creation. Let's look at Cain and God's Mercy
The
conclusion of this lesson on the life of Cain is to see God's mercy displayed on
the life of a rebellious man. How much more is God's mercy shed on the
life of a child of God. He has mercy for us. Mercy in
abundance. Mercy ever enduring and ever true.
God's
Attributes Seen in the Stars I read an
article in the Palm Beach Post by an atheist in 1996. The man claimed to
turn atheist while attending Sunday School at a young age. He said the
teacher taught how God made light the first day, but didn't make the sun until
the forth day. He asked, "How could you have light without the
sun?" He said the teacher couldn't give him a good answer so he
decided right then there was no God. The Bible says, " Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right."
(Proverbs 20:11) This young child had been influenced by others before
this Sunday School adventure. Acts 14:8-10 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked The same heard Paul speak who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. Stand Upright On Thy Feet Let’s look at this story through spiritual eyes. We see the lame man as a picture of the world. The only way to walk and leap is to be saved. This world cannot offer any true way of healing other then man made ideas and philosophies. This World v.8 1. Is Unable
to get to where they need to be. This man was Impotent in his feet. Impotent means without strength. He was unable to get where he needed to be without help from another source. This is the condition of the world. We cannot get to where we need to be on our own. We must have help. Where is it that we need to be? We need to be in heaven with God. Praise God there is One who is not impotent but omnipotent! He has the power and ability to get us where we need to be.
2. Is born with a depraved nature. This man was crippled from his mother’s womb. He didn’t have an accident that rendered him lame. It was a condition that started from conception. Something in the makeup of his genes caused him to be born crippled. Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men. For that all have sinned: Man is born a sinner. When the cripple in this text was born he was many months away from trying to make his first step, yet he was still a cripple. When a baby is born into this world it has several years before it will get entangled with the clutches of sin, yet he is still a sinner by nature. No doubt children who are unable to comprehend the gospel message because of age are under the grace of God. However when they stand in front of God it will not be their sinless record that grants them salvation. The Bible teaches that we are sinners by nature, that it is an inherited trait, we are born with a nature that wants to sin. It is not possible for anyone to live in this world without sin (1Kings 8:46; 1 John 1:8). Suppose someone could make it through his or her whole
life without committing an outward or inward sin. They would still be guilty of
being a sinner according to the Word of God because it is not what we do it is
what we are. We are born from our
mother’s womb a sinner. We need to get to heaven but we cannot get there on our own. We are not holy enough to get into heaven because we are sinners. 3. Has never walked. Man was created to walk. God designed man with two feet, two legs, knees, thighs, muscles and bones that work together making it possible to motivate the body. This cripple was not able to do what he was created to do because of a defect. God created man in His own image. We where created to fellowship with God, but we are unable to fellowship with God because of sin. Like the cripple, we cannot do what we where created to do. The cripple couldn’t walk --- our lips cannot praise Our hands will not rise Our hearts will not overflow ……..unless there is a change. As we continue to look at the cripple as a picture of
this lost world, it is easy to see what the world has done.
We have used braces, crutches, surgeries, medicines in the form of
religion, rehabilitation, psychology, and the like that no one really knows what
it is like to actually walk and leap naturally.
The world thinks it is normal to rely on outward substances to create a
pleasant environment. We as Born
Again Christians rely on the inward filling and the outward manifestations that
are produced by the Holy Spirit. Something had to happen. v.9-10) 1.
The Word had to be Preached. The same heard Paul speak… Whenever any one heard Paul speak there would have to be a reaction to what was said. Paul never spoke about anything other then the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the full counsel. All that need be said is “Paul spoke”. The word of God has to be preached. For faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We need fewer dramas and singings and more heart filled preaching. 2.There must be Faith Since we are born with a depraved nature, we are also void of faith to believe in God. We do have a will that allows us to make up our own mind. I can stop typing this message right now and go have a cup of tea if I want to. I can choose to do or not to do whatever is in my power. When it comes to having faith to believe in God, we are given the faith we need from God to believe. We have the opportunity to accept or not to accept. To believe or not to believe. But the ability to have faith is because God gives us the faith. No one is greater or less then another when it comes to God giving the required amount of faith (Rom. 12:3). Paul perceived that he had the faith. Paul could tell when God was dealing with a man. Spirit filled preachers are able to tell when God was dealing with people. Paul said with a loud voice (yes Paul was a loud preacher) “stand upright on thy feet”. 3.There will be a change. A change for the better. He leaped and walked. The world doesn’t know what they are missing. They are content with crutches and braces. Once you get saved and experience the freedom of life you can start living.
Matthew 6:1-18 Praying, Giving, Fasting. In Matthew (6:1-18) we are given three areas in our Christian life that God will reward us openly for if we do what He asks. Giving is the first, followed by prayer, then finally fasting. We can’t say that they are in order of importance. What we can say is they must all hold an importance in our Christian life, for God said He would reward us openly if we do these things providing we have the right motive in mind. That motive would be to please God and not to impress man. We are told to do all these things in secret, behind closed doors, where only the father can see. Prayer is most bragged about in today’s “professional” Christian circles. No doubt the disciples of Jesus gathered together in the upper room to pray together. Much mention of corporate prayer is given to us in the New Testament. Yet, if we pray for the sake of others to hear us and if our prayer is not directed to God Himself, our prayer will not merit any rewards from God. . God said get alone by yourself and pray in secret and I will reward you openly. How many books have been written on prayer? Thousands. How much more do we need to know then what is given us by the words of Jesus Himself? The outcome of private prayer is an open reward from God. The act of giving is mentioned in the Bible several times one particular time shatters our meager attempts to give sacrificially. “The widow gave all she had”. Many have given all they had in their wallet at a particular service but few have depleted the checking and savings. Any way, we fall short of God’s advice on prayer and giving according to this text. We also fall short of the last subject at hand. Fasting. How much needs to be said about it than actually doing it. If we are trusting in the God of the universe and the protector of our soul and body we should just do it. No need for a doctor’s approval. We have the great physician’s approval. You may say that my advice is mad, I say that God is big and He did provide a table in the wilderness. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes out of our father’s mouth. God will protect us in our fast. He will provide for us in our fast. We just need to do what He said and that is to do it in secret. IN SECRET. When a man prayers much in public it might be a sign of a shallow personal prayer life. When a man gives much with the expectation of praise, he may be a tightwad with God. When a man proclaims all of his sufferings and sacrifices that he has done for the Lord, he may be seeking praise from men. Pray, Give, Fast. Do these in secret and the Lord will openly reward you.
What
do you expect when you die? Pro. 11:7 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish and the hope of unjust men perisheth. Death: Not a popular subject, and even less popular when dealing with the lost, with those uncertain of what lies ahead. to e It is the
topic of this evening’s message. What
expect when you die. Many people
go through this life unprepared for death.
I will venture to say that professing saved people fight death as much as
lost people. I have rarely met any
proclaiming Christian that faces death and accepts it with excitement.
This was not the case of Paul when he said (Php
1:21) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Paul also extended his welcome with
(2Ti 4:6-7) For
I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: There are
also many lost people in the world who think that they are ready to die.
Many religions have pumped lies into people so long that they believe
every thing they have been taught. Many
people feel religion is a waist of time and emptiness is at the end of the road. Christian
friend we know what waits for us at the end (1Cor. 2:9-10) But as it is written Eye hath not seen
nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love him. But
God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God. We do not have to see them to get a good look at them, this is the mystery (1Co 15:51) Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed. Along with the scenes of heaven laid out for us in Revelation we have a good view of what to expect. Wicked: When
we use the word wicked we often think of a vile sinner, a criminal, an evil
person with satanic influence. This
is true to a degree, because all people absent of the spirit of God are under
the influence of Satan. However the
word wicked used in this passage carries the same meaning as the word condemned,
guilty, one that has done wrong. Is
this not the state of all who have not trusted in the Lord Jesus?
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. An unbeliever
is a wicked person regardless of their outward deeds. An unbeliever will have their part with the vilest of
sinners; they will be in the condemnation of the lost. Expectation: A
measuring cord. A comparison. To
bind together. When you try to
explain something to someone who has never saw what you are talking about, you
try to give examples of things that they are familiar with.
This gives an expectation to the person of what to “expect.”
We often here “it did not
come up to our expectation.” The reason why the wicked, or the condemned, or better put the unbelievers expect or speculate is because they have nothing to establish a confirmed report of what lies after death other then myths and false teachings. I had an uncle that told me when you die if you go to heaven you will be able to do what ever you want to do. If you like fishing then fishing will be what you do. Mormons believe that you will yourself become a God and control worlds. Heaven has definitely been distorted by the wicked in this world. Rock and Roll has been accredited to reversing the outcome of heaven and hell. They say that hell ain’t no bad place to be. Perish:
The final realization of the truth will appear no later then when the
last breath is breathed. (Heb 9:27) And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the
judgment: It is a sad commentary that many will realize to late what lies after death. Hope: I believe that even sadder is the fate of a Bible believing Church member who dies trusting in his or her own merits. And what about the member of the cults of the world who for years have followed the teachings of their doctrines with the hope of an exalted level in the afterlife to face the grim reality of hell. To perish. (Joh 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Unjust: There
is no excuse to die unjust. God
offers us all the gift of justification. Salvation.
To be born again.
Genesis 8:1 The Wind In Bible study there is a law of first mentions. The first time a truth, a doctrine or a single word is found we can follow it through the whole bible and see the consistency with the first use. Since Genesis is the book of beginnings it would make since that Genesis would be the book in which we get most first mentions. I want to
focus on the first mention of wind in the Bible as found in Genesis 8:1. Gen. 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living
thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a
wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged I.
The Understanding of Wind through Biblical principles 1, God is the Creator of wind:
Amos 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and
createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that
maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The
LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. 2. God Controls
the wind by it’s circuit: Eccl.
1:6 The wind goeth toward the
south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually and the
wind returneth again according to his circuits. God is not on the throne directing wind. Much like our blood has it’s own circuit and rivers have there own course so does the wind have a set direction that God put in motion. 3. God is not always Present
in the wind: 1Kings 19:11
The LORD passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in
pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: 4.
God allows Satan to use wind in His Conditions:
Job1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in
thy power;
Job 1:19 And, behold,
there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four
corners of the house Here is an example of God allowing Satan to use wind.
Keep it always in mind that Satan is limited in his power by God.
Isn’t good to know that Satan has to get permission from God to touch
one of the redeemed. II. The Use of Wind in Bible Passages With over one hundred and forty references to wind in scripture there are fifteen recorded windstorms out of which eleven where used for the good of man. The first time God records the use of wind we see that He made a wind. No doubt the wind had been put in it’s circuit's from creation and at this particular point had been taken away from it’s normal use and course to fulfill God’s purpose. God is aware of our circumstances and concerned about our needs. He can turn back the sun if necessary. Much easier it would seem to allow a little wind to blow our way. Let us look at the times God used wind to meet man’s need and relate them to our daily needs, keeping in mind God still allows the wind of His spirit to blow through our lives. God used wind to: 1.Retsore
the land for Living. Gen.
8:1 God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters
asswaged Much went on while the wind passed over the
earth. Waters were stopped and
restrained, they returned from off the earth continually, Noah released the
raven and the dove. Finally six
months after the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat
(Gen. 8:13) Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked and,
behold, the face of the ground was dry.
Even though the face of the ground was dry in verse 13, the
earth was not dry until two months later in verse 14, And
in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth
dried. Underneath the visible crust of the dry ground in verse 13 could have been a muddy situation. It took time for God to fully prepare the earth for living. Many times our life is so polluted with the residue of our sinful past that spiritual truths have a hard time taking root, or else they get so waterlogged with our own thinking that the truth God wants us to see sinks in the mud of our own opinions. The Spirit of God came to the first Christians as a mighty rushing wind. We need to let God sweep through our soul and remove the elements that are causing us to stay stationary in our Christian life. Allow the wind to prepare an environment with the necessary conditions for life. (My barber used an air hose to blow the tiny hairs off his customers clothes and then sweep the floor with the pressure of the air. It made a little more noise and you could defiantly feel it. The end result was a much more cleaner job then a brush and broom.) Noah stayed on the ark long enough to let God do the job right. It would be well with us if we would do the same. Let God get the job finished in people’s life before expecting spiritual perfection in there life. Before a plant produces fruit it has to grow Before wind can do it’s work it has to blow And as we see the leaves dance and branches bend We see the simple works of God in the wind 2.
Bring Victory. Ex. 14:21 And
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go
back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry
land, and the waters were divided Salvation came to the Israelites through the blood of the lamb applied to their doorposts and mantles. Victory over the ever pursuing enemy came at the Red Sea. Satan uses us until we get saved, then he wants us destroyed. Egypt used Israel until their deliverance, then they wanted them destroyed. Satan is a liar and so was Pharaoh. Many times victory comes over a period of testing and trials. There had to be fear in the hearts and minds of the people as they walked on the dry ground with water on both sides, the enemy behind and a wind blowing through the multitudes. After salvation we experience the enemies pursuit. We need to let the spirit work in our life as we keep on the same path. It is not a time to turn to the left or right and try to outrun or out maneuver the enemy, it is a time to keep on the straight and narrow path and allow God’s spirit to work. 3. Supply
Food Num. 11:31 And there went forth a wind from the
LORD, and brought quails from the sea Even though the Israelites were a complaining group they still had a Father in Heaven that considered there wants and not only there needs. They had plenty to eat, in fact they ate “angels food.” Still, God saw fit to feed them meat at their request. We need to
pray for the spirit of God to blow through our lives and send the meat we need
during the dry days. In the New Testament there are fewer references to wind. We have a wind named Euroclydon in Acts 27:7, and the wind is restrained from blowing on the earth during the great tribulation in Rev. 7:1. What makes the N.T. wind so dynamic is the presence of our Savior and His power to control the wind. I want to focus on only two. Mat. 8:26 Jesus was crossing the Sea of Galilee with His disciples west to east. There arose a mighty storm and Jesus had to be awakened to calm the wind and rain. Mat. 14:24
Marks the crossing from east to west with the absence of Jesus on the boat.
In the midst of a storm Jesus appears to His disciples while walking on
the water. This is the story of
Peter walking on the water and sinking calling on Jesus to save him.
After Peter is rescued and the wind is calmed. In light of these references to the wind in both the New and Old Testament we can see these three truths. When the wind blows: I. God may be speaking to you. The true essence of God is
grace. 1Kings 19:11 the LORD
passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces
the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: God isn’t
always in the wind. When everything
is going full blast around you it may be time to settle down somewhere and
listen to God speak to you through His still small voice.
It isn’t the big things that God works through.
Many times it is the small and seemingly insignificant areas in our life
that God focuses on. II. God could be putting you through the winds of testing. III. No matter what the circumstance, Jesus is the one who controls the wind. Let Him reach out His hand and say peace be still, let Him be the one we cry to, let Him be the one we run to.
We Preach What Noah Preached Hebrews 11:7 Hebrews 11:7 By
faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear
prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world,
and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. When we think of Noah we think of the ark and the flood. And rightly so, for it is the ark and the flood that Noah is famous for. We also read in 2 Peter 2:5 that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. What was the message in Noah’s preaching? It was the same message that Able lost his life for. The message proclaimed that God was holy and requires obedience. The message was passed down from Seth in it’s accuracy but no doubt corrupted by the descendents of Cain who flooded the world with their opinions from their metropolis city Enoch. In the last days before God destroyed the earth with the flood their appeared on the scene a man with a message, a man with a task. He was not an angel, he didn’t perform healings and never spoke in tongues. He was God’s man doing God’s work and preaching to a lost and wicked world the truths that had been revealed to him. We to, like Noah, have the responsibility to preach what we know. 1. The Coming of the Lord (being warned of God of things not seen as yet). Noah had never seen the rain fall from the sky, much less waters rising above the earth enough to raise a ship built on dry ground. We preach things not seen as yet. We have never seen the clouds descend with the Son of God leading the way nor the sound of a trumpet and the dead in Christ rise. We still preach that it will one day happen. 1 Thes. 4:13-18 gives us the truths about the catching away or the rapture. 2 Peter 3:1-4 tells us that many will deny it will happen. This is prophecy in itself being fulfilled today through scorners and mockers. 2 Tim. 3:1-5 and 4:1-4 give us a clear detail of the climate at the end of times. Luke 17:26-27 and of course we are told it will be just like it was in the days of Noah. 2. Clean Living (moved with fear prepared an ark). Noah was a preacher of righteousness. We are to be preachers of righteousness. 3. Compassion and Love (to
the saving of his house) Noah brought the message to all that would listen. He cared about others. 4. Condemnation of the Lost (by
which he condemned the world) There is a sad part to this story. When we tell of the good news of salvation through Jesus, we are also proclaiming an eternal state of damnation in hell to those who reject our story. Proclaiming Jesus is proclaiming judgment. Conclusion: We are to preach the full counsel of God. These four points of preaching found in Hebrews 11:7 are major points of our message we preach to the lost and to the saved. The Lord is soon coming, we should be prepared with a clean life. We are to have compassion on this lost and dying world because of our awareness that there is an eternity of a godless hell to those who reject our message. It is a fact that you reap what you sow. If you plant potatoes you expect potatoes to grow. If you plant a rose bush you expect to see roses. You cannot expect to find potatoes on the roots of your rose bushes, neither will you find roses budding on your potato plants. Why? Because you reap what you sow. What you plant will surely grow. It is no secret that the biggest majority of Rock and Roll is saturated with immorality, obscenity, rebellion, and in general ungodliness. All you have to do is watch a couple music videos and you will see what is being planted in the minds of those that watch and listen. Nudity, immorality, adulterous overtones fill the images that are being pumped into the minds of our youth. I do not want to fill this message with names of rock stars, titles or lyrics to their songs just to convince you of the message they are putting out. I do, however, challenge you as a parent to look at the CD covers, read the lyrics, look at the images on their audio tapes, cd’s, as well as movie videos and dvd’s. Let’s take time to see what God’s word has to say about what we watch and what we listen to. It is spoken
of Satan in Ezekiel 28 …the workmanship of music was prepared in thee
in the day that thou wast created. We
see that Satan has his hand in music. In
Ephesians 2 he is called the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience: Satan is
still up to his same goal. To turn
everyone as far from the truth as he can. We
are told in II Corinthians 4:4 the
god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.
We have an enemy no doubt, and we have warnings.
We also have much positive instructions.
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. This would have to be the Christians check list. Look for these characteristics in the music, as well as the movies your children watch. Remember, you reap what you sow. When we influence young girls and boys with what these adult superstars have to say and show, we are planting thoughts, images, actions, and attitudes in their minds that will be planted and will grow. You reap what you sow. When we keep truth, honesty, virtues, and things that have a good report in front of them, you should not be surprised what grows. Remember parent. You are in control of your house, not your child. You have the right and the authority to censor everything that comes into your house that your child views or listens to. Go ahead and censor what they want to look at and listen to right now. Read the lyrics, look at the pictures. If foul language and obscenity is present, get rid of it for the sake of your child and take away much bad seed that Satan wants to plant in their minds.
When Jesus is In The House V.
1 Gives us a picture of the religious world at the time of Christ as well as the
day in which we live in . The largest
religious place of worship in Capernaum, the town where Jesus was during this event, was a
Jewish Synagogue. Today the largest religious structure in the town
of Capernaum is a Catholic chapel built over the traditional site of Peter's
mother-in-law's house. Because Jesus was in the house v.2 Preaching Will Be Prominent Not singing, not drama's, not Bible studies, but Preaching. v.3-4 There Will Be A Concern To Bring The Lost To Christ v. 5 Forgiveness Will Be In Place. When John the Baptist saw Christ coming in John 1, he did not say, "Here cometh the Lamb of God that will heal all diseases". Nor did he say, "Here cometh the Lamb of God that will teach great doctrines." Although Christ did all that, He was introduced as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The Lamb that died to give us forgiveness. v. 6 -7 When Jesus is present there will be criticism. The ones who are "sitting there" doing nothing for the cause of Christ will create the most problems. Little did they know the truth when they declared, "Who can forgive sins but God only." v. 8 -11 When Jesus is present He will handle all critics. He will be able to hush the mouths of the ones who doubt. v. 12 We Never Saw It On This Fashion. Every day with Christ is fresh. How many times have we ate a meal and said, "That is the best meal we have ever eaten?" How many times have we heard a preacher and made this statement, "That was the best message he has ever preached?" It was probably not the best meal or the best message, it was, however, fresh. This is the way it is many times in the House of God when He is present. We leave saying, "I never saw it on this fashion." Question: Is God present in your
church? Do you have the preaching, the witness, the forgiveness, etc...
Mark 10:46-52 v. 46 Nothing is recorded in Mark of what went on
in Jericho, only what went on as Jesus left. Many times the greatest
accomplishments where achieved as He went out. v. 47 The fame of Christ had no doubt spread to a
great magnitude even then. v. 48 - 49 The same people in verse 48 who
were demanding Bartimaeus to be quite are the same people in verse 49 who are
calling him to come to Jesus. v.50 The long upper garment is what hindered his movement. He cast this away. Just like Peter cast away his net, Matthew cast away his tax money, etc... v.51 -52 It wasn't because of the importunity
Jesus answered the blind mans request. It was because of Bartimaeus faith. Through all this, Bartimaeus hadn't seen anything yet. 1. He followed Jesus on earth. One day he would follow Jesus into glory. There came a time when they laid Bartimaeus down. He no doubt went to his grave telling the great story of what Jesus did for him. Jesus said, "Rise and cast off thy garment." This is what we are going to hear Jesus tell us one day. Rise and cast off that old garment of sin. We will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. 2. He saw the face of Jesus for the first
time with his physical eyes on this great day of healing. However, He had
not seen anything yet. There would come a day when he would be able to
view the Lamb of God as He sat on the throne in Glory. Worshipping around
the feet of our Lord. 3. He witnessed the healing powers of Jesus. He had not seen anything yet, for one day he would be in glory witnessing the promises of no more sickness, death, pain, suffering, tears, etc..... The same with us. We have seen Jesus do much while we have been serving Him down here below. One day, and one day soon, we will witness the fullness of His glory in heave. We haven't seen anything yet. But I look toward the day when I see it all. While here below the half cannot be told.
Warnings about faith in the Bible. Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;1Ti 6:20-21 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.2Ti 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.The faith that we preach and live by has never been the most popular faith. Jesus warns us of the decline of faith in the last days. We are to be prepared. We are:
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