Bible Text: 1Peter 4:1-6 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 1Peter |

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07-11-21
1Peter 4:1-6
Armed With the Gospel…

Two weeks ago in 1Peter 3:18-22, we learned about the Victory we have in and through Jesus Christ! Everyone who repents of their sins, trusting in God’s Son to save them, is granted forgiveness for all their sins and eternal life.

God’s Word tells us that we are all sinners, and because of sin, we are unacceptable to God. The Book of Romans states the problem, describes its severity, and then declares the cure:

Romans 3:10,
“There is none righteous, not even none.”

Romans 3:12,
“There is none who does good, there is not even one.”

Romans 3:23-24,
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:8,
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:23,
“The wages of sin [what we deserve for being sinners] is death, [however] the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:1,
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

We must be saved from our sinful nature, this salvation comes from outside of ourselves , as Paul tells us

(Ephesians 1:13) that in Christ,
“you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

God’s Spirit helps believers be conformed to the character of Christ, seeking to please God

(Galatians 5:16-17),
“I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another.”

Those who reject Christ

(Romans 8:8)
“those who are in the flesh,” i.e., without the Spirit of God, can do nothing to please God, for they are enemies of God.

Read 1Peter 4:1-6… In the human body of Jesus, God the Son took our suffering and paid the ultimate penalty for our sins, dying in our place. Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof that suffering can lead to victory.

See again 1Peter 4:1a…
“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh,” what does that mean? Jesus bled and He died for us; but He did much more than that (Galatians 3:13), “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written [Deuteronomy 21:23], ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’”

See again 1Peter 4:1b… We all bleed and we will all die, just as Jesus did, therefore we are to “arm ourselves with the same purpose” [motive, attitude] as that of Christ. What was His purpose? Jesus knew that death produces the greatest victory; from mortality to immortality

(see Philippians 2:1-8).

We must be willing to suffer for Christ, even to the point of death, if necessary.

2Timothy 1:8-10,
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the 1 power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Think about it, Jesus conquered death, His spirit went into the deepest hell to proclaim His victory, and then He rose from the tomb in a glorified body on Sunday morning; just like all those who trust in Him by faith have already defeated death

(John 11:25-26,
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life; and that everyone who lives and believes in Him will live even after they die, for everyone who lives and believes in Christ will live forever. If you don’t believe that, you are not going to be able to suffer for the name of Christ.

See again 1Peter 4:1c…

But if you were to suffer to the point of death because you are a Christian, you will be perfected, never able to sin again “because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” Dead men can’t sin!

As a Christian, to be physically dead, at the moment your spirit leaves your fleshly body, you are present with the Lord, never again able to do anything dishonoring or displeasing to God, but only that which honors Him.

1Corinthians 15:54-57,
“When this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

See again 1Peter 4:2…

Christ died to set us free from sin’s control, corruption, and condemnation, and so, we ought to be seeking to know and do God’s Will, allowing God’s Spirit to conform us to God’s character.

Romans 12:1,
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

God desires living servants who are dead to sin, not dead sacrifices burning on an alter.

Romans 12:2,
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

If we are genuinely born again by God’s Spirit, as children of God, we will seek to do that which pleases God

(Galatians 2:20),
“ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

We cannot continue to live like unbelievers if we confess Christ as Lord, 2 believing in Him for salvation
(cf. 2Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-5; Romans 6:8-12).

See again 1Peter 4:3…

All of us were dead in our sins, living like fools (cf. Psalm 14:1), before we came to God through Christ (cf. John 1:12-13). We should not continue to live like unbelievers while confessing Christ and believing in Him for salvation (cf. 2Corinthians 5:17).

See Ephesians 2:1-3;

Romans 6:8-15.

1Corinthians 6:9-11,
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Christians are sinners who have come out of every kind of sinful lifestyle; we must put on Christ and put away our sinful way of life.

Ephesians 4:20-25,
“But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

See again 1Peter 4:4-5…

Sinning was a way of life for us before we came to Christ, but now we are to live for Him, and those we associated with before we we’re saved are going to be surprised [astonished, shocked] we don’t do these things anymore, and this will cause some of those unbelieving friends to speak evil of us, because we aren’t joining in their godlessness; but we can rest assured that they will have to give an account to God, because of Christ.

2Thessalonians 1:6,
“For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you.”

See again 1Peter 4:6…

We must arm ourselves with the hope of the saving and affirming gospel of forgiveness for sins and eternal life through Christ the Lord. All those who have heard the gospel of salvation and believed, even though they may have physically died, they are eternally alive in the presence of God.

John 11:23-25,
Jesus said to [Martha], “Your brother will rise again.” she said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus is talking about eternal life. For those of us who believe in God’s Son, even physical death is victorious, for dead men cannot sin, i.e., when we physically die, our spirit is brought into everlasting life in heaven with God, to see, hear, and experience things that cannot be understood.

1Corinthians 2:9,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

2Corinthians 5:6-8,
“Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

Romans 8:31-39,
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2Corinthians 4:16-18,
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man [our flesh] is decaying, yet our inner man [our spirit] is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Jesus told His followers they would be hated on account of Him; but He also told them

(John 14:1-3),
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Just as Jesus was persecuted by God’s enemies, even to the point of death on a cross; He was then made alive in the spirit and raised from the dead; and although God’s enemies may insult us and unjustly persecute us, even to the point of death, nothing can take away the victory we have in Christ; for we shall live in the presence and the glory of God forever!
Pastor Mike
>’(((><
Pastor Mike
>’(((><
 

Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale |

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7-4-2021
The ‘One Nation Under God’ is the Church
Most of us grew up in an America where reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in our classrooms was something we did at the beginning of every school day. But did you know [according to USHistory.org] that the Pledge of Allegiance was originally written in August 1892, by Francis Bellamy, a Socialist Unitarian minister. whose aspiration was for this pledge to be used by citizens in any country, of any ethnicity.

It originally read, as follows: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

In 1923, the words, ”the Flag of the United States of America” were added, so as to read, as follows: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

In 1954, in response to the rising Communist threat of the times, President Dwight Eisenhower strongly encouraged Congress to add the words “under God,” so as to read, as follows: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

One Nation Under God, what does that mean? What does our history tell us?
The Pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620, and as they established villages and began providing formal education for their children, the main teaching tools used were the Alphabet and the Bible.

The New England Primer was published in the late 1600’s, and it became the primary teaching tool in the Colonies for over 150 years.

The New England Primer was based mostly on God’s Word, as can be seen in its presentation of the alphabet, where couplets were used to teach the letters, e.g., for the the letter A – In Adam’s fall, we sinned all; to teach the letter C – Christ crucify’d / For sinners dy’d.

The New England Primer contained the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, the Children’s Prayer – “Now I lay me down to sleep,” along with a catechism drill that include questions, like: “What is the chief end of man?” “What is the first commandment?” “What is faith in Jesus Christ?”

On July 4, 1776, the wording for the Declaration of Independence was agreed upon, but it was not until August 2 that it was it signed by a group of fifty-six courageous men, who are sometimes referred to as our “founding fathers,” men who, for the most part, were guided by a belief in God and the precepts in His Word.

1787 – Benjamin Franklin, 81 years old, addressed the men who were preparing to write the Constitution of the United States, as follows, “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I, therefore, beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning.”

1789 – George Washington addressing Congress said, “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained.”

1816 – John Jay, Supreme Court Chief Justice, said, “Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, it is the duty, privilege, and interest of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

1892 – Noah Webster, author of The American Dictionary of the English Language wrote, “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed. …No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”

April 30, 1863 – Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer, as follows: “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”

1903 – Edward Everett Hale, Chaplain to the Senate, was asked if he prayed for the Senators. He said, “No, I look at the Senators and [then] I pray for the country.”

May 7, 1911 – Woodrow Wilson, Gov. of New Jersey, said, ”America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. Part of the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations.”

1947 – Peter Marshall, twice Chaplain to US Senate, stated, “The choice before us is plain, Christ or chaos, conviction or compromise, discipline or disintegration. I am rather tired of hearing about our rights and privileges as American citizens. The time is come, it now is, when we ought to hear about the duties and responsibilities of our citizenship. America’s future depends upon her accepting and demonstrating God’s government.”

1974 – Gerald Ford, quoting a 1955 speech by Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first–the most basic–expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be.”

Although America clearly began as a nation looking to God, praying to God, trusting in God’s providence, governed by leaders who mostly recognized and revered God’s authority — America’s government, along with most of its citizens, has become spiritually deaf, dumb, and blind, bringing consequences on us all, as corruption, chaos, and crime rise to threaten nearly every community and neighborhood in America.

Last year, during the pandemic, confused and deceived people, along with anarchists, were allowed to practice unbridled lawlessness: rioting, looting, burning, vandalizing businesses, attacking state and federal buildings, tearing down national monuments, assaulting and killing people for just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time; and they got away with this mayhem, actually being protected by many mayors and governors.

2Timothy 3:1-4,
“in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”

2Timothy 3:12-13,
“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

Although America began as a Nation Under God, the truth is, a majority of Americans no longer believe in the God of the Bible, let alone do they revere or fear Him. The majority of America’s people are spiritually deceived, confused, easily led astray and corrupted; and no doubt, future generations will inevitably be more hostile toward Christianity then even this present one is.

The Lord is telling His disciples what the world is going to be like before He returns,

In Matthew 24:6-9,
“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”

Jesus then told His followers (Matthew 24:12),
“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”

I believe America is reaching or has already reached that point, i.e., the majority of people don’t know, fear, or even seem to care about, God.

God’s Word is the sovereign authority in all of life: past, present, and future; for it was God who ordained Marriage, Family, Religion, Culture, Community, and Government; when the Bible is no longer respected or revered, America will cease to know and to experience God’s providence. I believe we may already be there.

The number of adults attending houses of worship in America continues to decline; in 2020, only 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque; down from 50% in 2018, and 70% in 1999.

Church membership, when Gallup first measured it in 1937, was 73%; and it remained above 70% for the next six decades, but has steadily declined since 2000.

There is an increasing number of Americans among all age groups who are declaring that they have no religious affiliation at all (NONES). From oldest to the youngest it becomes clear, people’s love for God is will growing cold: 7% of Traditionalists [born before 1946], 15% of Baby Boomers [born 1946-1964], 21% of Generation X [born 1965- 1980], 31% of Millennials [born 1981-2000], 33% of Generation Z [born 1997-2015].

The majority of America’s leaders today do not practice or promote the Biblical principles that once guided our nation and made it great. And although it is sad, but true, the majority of Americans will celebrate this July 4th as being people who are independent of and indifferent toward the sovereign God of Creation.

God’s Word has been marginalized by the government, banned from the workplace, removed from public education, and slandered by the media; and the godless immoral political majority of both the extreme left and the extreme right, continue to promote one of the deceptions of the devil, that America’s foundational heritage doesn’t include a predominance of men (like those I quoted earlier) who openly sought and trusted in the Sovereign authority and wisdom of God’s Holy Word.

The Constitution of the United States was designed to perpetuate a Christian order, it was never the intention or expectation of our Founding Fathers that there would be an absence of God in America’s government, schools, houses of worship, workplaces, or its society. America began as One Nation Under God, but it is no more!

But what is much more important than the present condition or the ultimate end of America, is this: That Christians from all nations, cultures, languages, and backgrounds, throughout all eternity past, present, and future, are One Nation, i.e., One People [the Church of God, the Bride of Christ, the Fellowship of Believers, the Family of God] and we alone are One Nation Under God, i.e., in submission to the Word of God, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord over all, Savior to those who believe.

Today, July 4, 2021, the majority of American’s are celebrating their Independence as Citizens of this Nation; but if you belong to God in Christ, you ought to celebrate your dependence upon Him who made you

(1Peter 2:9-10),
“a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy,”

therefore 1Peter 2:12,
“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles [non-Christians, unbelievers], so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

1Peter 2:16,
“Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”

1Peter 3:15-16,
“sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”

1Peter 5:8-11,
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

There is only One Nation Under God, and that is the Church of God, and if you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, that includes you.

If you are not a believer and follower of Christ, I have to ask why aren’t you? Look, we are all sinners and the penalty for sin is death, eternal separation from God and everything good; and the only cure, the only provision for salvation is in Christ the Lord. Everyone who calls on Him for the forgiveness of their sins will be saved now and forever, becoming part of the One Nation Under God.

Just as Paul gave the following benediction to the believers in Corinth, I offer it to all of you who believe in God, through Christ, made effectual by God’s indwelling Spirit

(2Corinthians 13:14),
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: 1Peter 3:18-22 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 1Peter |

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6-27-2021
1Peter 3:18-22
Victory in Jesus!
 

Last week we studied about the reality that obedient Christians are going to suffer on account of Christ in this world. Jesus told His own disciples that, 2000 years ago, and the persecution of Christians in this world is all too well known and documented; in fact, according to the World Watch List maintained by Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors Ministries, last year: About 4800 Christians were killed for their faith (13 every day). About 9500 churches and other Christian buildings were attacked and/or destroyed. About 4300 believers were held without trial to be punished and/or imprisoned.

2Timothy 3:12,
“all who desire to live godly [lives] in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

John 16:33,
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

1John 5:4-5,
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

The Good News is that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, paid the full penalty for our sins (past, present, future); and therefore, everyone who repents and believes in Him will be saved to live a life of faith in, and obedience to, God’s Word.

Read 1Peter 3:13-22…

Peter tells us how God sovereignly accomplished, through one divine act of sacrifice, the supernatural granting of forgiveness for sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord, to all those who genuinely believe.

Paul declares in Romans 10:9-10,
“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:13,
“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Hebrews 7:27, “This He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”

Hebrews 9:27-28,
“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Christ died for everyone, but only those who confess their sins and trust in Him for forgiveness will be saved.

Look again at 1Peter 3:18 a…

Christ gave up His life as payment for our sins, and He did this “once for all” [meaning – perpetually valid, not requiring repetition, fulfilling completely and forever], “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God”

(see Hebrews 10:1-7, 10, 14-18).

God’s forgiveness was costly, e.g., God the Father was separated from God the Son, who had put on flesh and took upon Himself the punishment for our sins, as the Father poured out His wrath upon Him, on the cross

(2Corinthians 5:21),
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,”

(Romans 5:8),
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,”

(Romans 5:10)
“…we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.”

Look again at 1Peter 3:18 b…

God’s Son was put to death “in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,” i.e., Jesus Christ was fully God (Who cannot bleed or die); but He was also fully man (who bleeds and dies). The body of Jesus died on the cross and was then buried; but Jesus’ spirit (His eternal inner person) remained alive

(1Peter 3:19-20),
“in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

So, while Jesus’ physical body laid in the tomb, His living spirit went to proclaim His victory over sin, death and judgment to the spirits [demon angels] who haver been imprisoned since the Flood.

Read Genesis 6:1-4…

Genesis 6:2 says,
“the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose,”

(Genesis 6:4)
“and the women bore children to them.” These “sons of God” are identified as angels

(cf. Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7),

who came to earth and cohabitated with women through the bodies of mortal men.

In fact Jude 6 tells us these angels are bound and kept in gloomy prisons, awaiting their final judgment and sentencing to the “lake of fire,” which God prepared for all the angels who rebelled

(cf. Matthew 25:41).

In Genesis 6:5-8 we read,
“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

So, some of the angels who had been kicked out of heaven when Satan rebelled against God, came to earth and cohabited with women by indwelling human male bodies; this unnatural union violated God’s order and plan in reference to human marriage, sexual relationships, and procreation

(cf. Genesis 2:24);

these angels brought God’s judgment upon themselves and are being held in the deepest hell.

2Peter 2:4-5,
“God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell [tartarus- the deepest hell for the worst offenders] and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.”

Look at 1Peter 3:20 again,
“the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

Noah and his family were saved through the flood by being in the ark; they were in the ark because God had told Noah that judgment was coming and he needed to build and then get in the ark. If Noah and his family had not believed and obeyed God there would have been no survivors from the flood.

Look again at 1Peter 3:21,
“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you— not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

You see, it is a good conscience [one without guilt, one cleansed of sin through forgiveness], one that trusts in Christ’s death and resurrection for salvation. Water baptism [baptizo, lit. to be immersed] doesn’t save anyone, it is merely an outward identification with Christ for those who are indwelled by God’s Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13,
“In Him [Christ], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

2Corinthians 5:17,
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

You must be in Christ to be saved from judgment, just as Noah and his family had to be in the ark in order to be saved from the flood.

Romans 8:1-2,
“There is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

John 5:21-24,
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

John 6:28-29,
“‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’”

John 8:24,
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

In John 10:30, Jesus said,
“I and the Father are one.”

In John 14:6-7,
He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

John 16:8-9,
“When He [the Holy Spirit] comes, [He] will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.”

Look again at 1Peter 3:22…

Jesus “is at the right hand of God he Father, having gone [back] into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”

John 1:1-5,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [overpower] it.” John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:18,
“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” Jesus completed all the Father had sent Him to accomplish, the finished work of redeeming for Himself

(1Peter 2:9-10),
“a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy,”

(Titus 2:14),
He “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

The only way to be saved from God’s judgment is to hear and believe the message of God’s Son, confessing your sins and trusting Him to save you. Our victory is in Jesus Christ, He is the Ark of Salvation, don’t miss the boat.

1John 1:8-9,
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

As Peter began to preach his first sermon

(Acts 2:21) he said,
“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,”

(Philippians 2:9-10),
“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((>< 

Bible Text: 1Peter 3:13-17 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 1Peter |

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6-20-2021

“Living in a Godless Culture”
1Peter 3:13-17
 

Living on a planet is risky, but the longer it is until the Lord returns, the more dangerous it becomes for those living in a troubled world that has become hostile toward families, marriages, and children, especially those who are trying to live for Christ.

Christians are becoming one of the top enemies of this godless world.

In John 16:33,
Jesus told His followers, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

The closer it gets to the Lord’s return, the more corrupt God’s enemies become: moral perversion, crime, terrorism, disease, adverse weather, and a news media that is opposed to God and to those who want to serve Him. This world is in big trouble!

NASA seeks to find life on other planets because humans are destroying this one; global warning is the catch phrase being used, as if this planet is going to be destroyed by the irresponsible and greedy actions of its inhabitants.

But it is not going to be destroyed by mankind, it will last until God is through with it.

Genesis 8:22,
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease,”

(see Ecclesiastes 3:1-13).

Look, when God is done with this earth, it will be burned up

(2Peter 3:10),
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

2Peter 3:13,
“But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

We, God’s people have nothing to fear and everything to gain, even though genuine Christianity (based on the gospel of Christ) is an endangered species in a world that hates God and those who genuinely belong to Him.

In John 15:18-20,
Jesus declared, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you… …If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. In this world you will have trouble, but I’ve overcome the world.”

Jesus goes on to say

(John 16:33),
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

1Peter 1:3-4 says,
“[We are] born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for [us].”

1Peter 2:9-12 says,
“We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” We are set apart as “a people for God’s own possession,” for He “called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light,” making us His own children; and that clearly distinguishes us from everybody else own this planet. We are citizens of God’s Kingdom in heaven, while living on this earth for His glory.

So, how should we respond to the tribulation, persecution and trouble we will experience in this world?

Read 1Peter 3:13-17…

We are to live for the purpose of proclaiming the excellencies of the One who saved us, while realizing that the world opposed to God is going to resent us, seek to marginalize us, and try to silence us. Because of Christ we are at war with the godless world around us, a world full of unbelievers needing to be saved. And who has been tasked with sharing the good news with those who oppose Christ? You and me, and all those who belong to God through Christ by faith.

In Matthew 5:44
Jesus tells us to “love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us].”

In Romans 12:14, we are commanded to
“Bless those who persecute [us]; bless and do not curse.”

Matthew 28:19-20,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

2Corinthians 5:20,
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

We are here to be witnesses of the good news of the marvelous message of forgiveness for sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ. And we are to do that in a world that is hostile toward Jesus Christ and those who follow Him.

Look, we don’t like the world the way it is now, and it is only going to get worse, much worse. The world that is opposed to God and those in it who reject Christ, are going to continue to attack God’s Word, God’s character, and God’s Church.

Honesty, dignity, integrity, morality, love, kindness, compassion, these are words of a past time and yet also of a future time, when God will make everything new; until then,

(Romans 12:9)

we are to hate what is evil in God’s eyes, and we are to cling to what is good by God’s standard; all the while, we are not to become anxious, fearful, angry, disabled, or vengeful.

Look again at 1Peter 3:13…

This is not some profound teaching, it is just “rubber meets the road” theology, i.e., people have a harder time hurting those who are doing good things, as opposed to those who do bad things. It’s not as common even for hostile people to persecute those who are devoted to being a benefit to our society.

But we must not get bitter or defensive or angry just because this world is infringing upon our freedoms and our comforts; instead, we are to continue doing that which is good

(1Thessalonians 5:15),
“See that no one repays evil with evil.”

We aren’t to let the persecution and hostility, of this anti-Christian culture, lead us to become resentful, bitter or vindictive

(Colossians 4:6),
“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person,”

(Luke 6:31),
“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

Look again at 1Peter 3:14…

Even if you’re doing what is good, even if you’re a kind, unselfish, benevolent person, it could still happen that you will suffer for Christ’s sake.

Look back at 1Peter 2:21-24,
“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

The probability that you will suffer for the sake of Christ is pretty high; and in fact, it really is a privilege, and therefore you need to expect and to be willing to suffer.

Jesus not only died in our place on the cross, bearing the punishment of God for all our sins, but He also served as an example for us to follow. We aren’t to get angry or become vengeful, but instead, to commit ourselves to God, as those who are greatly blessed.

What does it mean “to are blessed?” Well, this does not mean to merely be happy, but instead, that you are very privileged, having received heavenly honor. We are blessed to suffer for the sake of Christ

(Matthew 5:10-11),
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great. In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

We are privileged to receive persecution that is directed at Christ, leading to an eternal reward, like the prophets who suffered before us. We are to face this godless and hostile world by staying devoted to doing that which is good, making it more difficult for people to want to persecute us. But when it happens, we are not to fear them. We must be courageous and bold, as well as righteous and holy, and we are always to be zealous for doing good

(2Thessalonians 3:13),
“do not grow weary of doing good.

Look again at 1Peter 3:15…

To sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart, means you don’t fear what the world fears. Rather than fearing those who persecute you, or fearing the Devil himself who is behind the persecution, we are to honor Christ, adore Christ, to give Christ the awe and the reverence He deserves.

With the knowledge of Christ set apart in your heart through the presence of the Holy Spirit, you are to serve as an ambassador of Christ, always ready to defend the gospel and the hope we have been given now and forever in Christ.

2Colossians 2:8,
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

When people say to you, “Why do you keep on proclaiming this message? Why don’t you just go along with the culture? Why are you speaking out against abortion? against gay marriage? against premarital sex and adultery? Why not just go with the flow? I’ll tell you why, because the cultural “flow” is sewage full of immorality, pornography, profanity, degenerate sexual behavior, the murder of babies, and a hatred for God.

Look again at 1Peter 3:16…

Peter says, “Whenever you defend what you believe, or why you behave in such a manner, by following the Word of God and submitting to the Lordship of Christ, you are giving testimony to the power of God!

As Christians, we have the propensity and the provision to do that which pleases our Lord, even if those who do not like us because of Christ slander us and condemn us, our own consciences will defend us. We are not here to please this godless world, we are here to serve God, and we should do so with a clear conscience and with willful intent.

Look, we all know right from wrong

(Genesis 3:22),
“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil.’”

When we do what we know is wrong, we are convicted in our heart of the wrong doing

(Romans 2:15),
“their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.”

We are sinners saved by grace, and even Paul struggled with knowingly doing that which went against his own conscience, just like we do

(Romans 7:18-19),
“I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”

Romans 7:21-25,
“I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

2Corinthians 5:17,
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Galatians 5:16-18,
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.”

Galatians 5:25,
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

When people say to me, “Why do you live the way you live?” I should respond with, because I know there is life after death and that God has prepared a place for me in heaven that will be so glorious it is incomprehensible. Isaiah 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.“

Revelation 21:1,
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away,”

Revelation 21:4,
“and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Look again at 1Peter 3:17…

It is much better that we suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong; and as aliens [strangers] in this world.

(1Peter 1:1),

We must remain devoted to that which is good, that which pleases God, living out and proclaiming the message of salvation, while also being willing to suffer for Christ’s sake

(Matthew 5:10-11),
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great. In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: 1Peter 3:10-12 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 1Peter |

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6-13-2021
1Peter 3:10–12
Life, Love, and Good Days…

Today we will be studying 1Peter 3:10–12, but for context let’s go back and read from verse 8.

Read 1Peter 3:8–12…

Notice the connecting word “For,” at the beginning of verse 10; this connects Peter’s instruction in verses 8-9 to his summation in verses 10-12, where Peter quotes Psalm 34:12-16, in order to show that even before Christ, as written in the Old Testament, mankind desired to love life and to experience good days.

Ecclesiastes 2:24,
“There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.”

Ecclesiastes 3:10,
“I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.”

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13,
“I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.”

Ecclesiastes 5:19,
”Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.”

If we are to truly love life and see good days, as God intended, we will do so according to the authority, the provision, and the purpose of God. Let’s look more closely at the

first part of 1Peter 3:10 :
“The one who desires life, to love and see good days.” Peter doesn’t use the Greek word bios [biological, mortal life] here for the word “life,” but instead he uses the Greek word zoen [the fullest life, i.e., spiritual, eternal, pleasing to God life]. Unbelievers are physically alive but spiritually dead!

For the word “love,” Peter uses the Greek word agapan, the noun form of the Greek word agape [this is selfless, sacrificial, Godly love, like God the Father has for us], it is a love that is an action of the will, the intentional doing what is necessary, not just having feelings about it

(see John 15:13),
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

There are two main Greek words translated love in the New Testament: Agape, the highest form of love [Godly love, divine love], the love that only children of God can know and share; and Phileo, the love of kind feelings and affection [brotherly love], the love of close friendship.

Now let’s add the

second part of 1Peter 3:10,
to the first part: “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.” If you really want to love life and see good days, you must keep control of your tongue and the words that come out of your mouth; this is not an easy task all the time, for most of us.

James 3:3-10,
“Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”

Now, look again at

1Peter 3:11,
“He (The one who desires life, to love and see good days) must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” God commands His people to turn completely away from all evil, to do only what is good, to seek after peace like one aggressively hunting after the most valuable treasure, making an intense effort to be a peacemaker.

This is the message Peter has been proclaiming since

1Peter 2:11-12,
“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

It is not only important because we are brothers and sisters in Christ; but because we are ambassadors of Christ, urging unbelievers to be reconciled to God through Christ’s death and resurrection

(2Corinthians 5:17-21),
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

In 1Peter 3:9,
we are commanded not to respond to insult with insult or evil with evil, but we are to be, “giving a blessing instead.”

We should be a blessing to both believers and unbelievers; for we are called to be peacemakers, in a world that doesn’t have and cannot know peace, because it rejects Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Please turn to Matthew 5:1-9…

As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we must be the peacemakers here on earth, even though the world is against us (see Matthew 5:10-11).

Paul says (Romans 12:18),
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men,”

(Romans 14:19),
“So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”

We are to be peacemakers.

We are to do everything possible to maintain peace in family of God, but also in the chaotic, confused and corrupt culture around us.

1Peter 3:12
[quoting Psalm 34:15-16],
tells us why we are to live like those who desire life, to love and see good days; those who keep their tongues from speaking evil and deceit, trying to do good while seeking peace: “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Look again at the first two phrases of 1Peter 3:12. God is watching over us, listening to our prayers, like a loving Father.

Some Christian parents have said to their children, at one time or another, “God is watching everything you do. I may not see it, your mother may not see it, but God sees it.”

That is not the focus of what Peter means here. This is not about putting fear in your heart concerning the Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God; but instead, that God is looking out for and listening to the prayers of His children; God is watchful so that He might provide for and protect us.

God knows our every need, and yet He wants us to come to Him in prayer, asking for His help. God even tells us what to pray for (see Matthew 6:7-13).

But look at the last part of 1Peter 3:12,
“But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

How is “the face of the Lord” different from “The eyes and ears of the Lord?” In the Old Testament, “The eyes of the Lord” has to do with God’s watchfulness, whereas, “The face of the Lord” is most often used to refer to God’s anger and His judgment.

Leviticus 17:10,
“Any man from the house of Israel or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person.”

Leviticus 20:6,
“As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.”

Psalm 34:16,
“The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.”

We are to live in such a way that the eyes of the Lord are on us as He listens to our prayers and meets our needs; rather than to live in wickedness and evil, so that God’s face is set against us in anger.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray

(Matthew 6:13),
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Does God lead us into temptation? Does God tempt us? No! But He does allow us to be tested.

1Corinthians 10:13,
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

James 1:13-15,
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

How does God deliver us from evil? He protects and provides for us, and He has given us everything we need so that we will not be deceived or corrupted by sin, but instead will be victorious in Christ.

Romans 12:2,
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2Timothy 3:16-17,
“All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man (woman and child) of God may be adequate [complete], [fully] equipped for every good work.”

2Peter 1:2-4,
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

Paul exclaims

(1Corinthians 15:57),
“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The truth is, those who desire life, to love and see good days, as children of God, ambassadors of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit, should exemplify what is commanded in

1Thessalonians 5:16-18,
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

In Christ we have everything now and forever; without Christ we have nothing.
No wonder Paul writes
(2Corinthians 9:15),
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” That Gift is Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again.
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: various | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 1Peter |

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6-6-2021
Recap from 1Peter: How Are We To Live For God?
 

In 1Peter 2:13-17,
Peter exhorts us to submit to authorities and institutions, both civil (kings and governors) and societal (supervisors and employers); he then gives attention

(cf. 1Peter 3:1-7)
to the institution of marriage. Here he instructs believing husbands and believing wives to live with their unbelieving spouses in such a manner, so as to influence them for Christ, that they might be saved.

In 1Peter 3:8, Peter sums up how we are to live and behave with others, instructing us to be: harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit. God’s Word cites the attitudes we are to have and to display through our lives, as members of the Body of Christ, the Family of Believers.

To be harmonious means to be ‘like-minded,’ of ‘one-mind,’ i.e., having the same commitment to the Truth of God

(Ephesians 4:1-6),
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all,”

(Philippians 1:27),
“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ… …standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

To be sympathetic means to ‘share the same feeling’ that someone else is experiencing, whether it be sorrow or joy. We are to show empathy by coming alongside those who have spiritual, physical, and emotional needs; in order to help them on God’s behalf, sharing God’s message of love, hope, and peace with them

(2Corinthians 1:3-4),
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

To be brotherly speaks of the loving affection expressed among those who are closely related, the sacrificial serving of one another, as should be displayed among those who are in the Family of God

(Ephesians 4:32),
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you,” as we reach out to the unbelieving world around us.

To be kindhearted is to deeply feel the pain of others, and to express tenderhearted compassion toward lost sinners, just as God has already done toward us through Christ

(Romans 5:8),
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

In John 11:35,

Jesus is approaching the grave of Lazarus, and He is aware of the pain that Mary and Martha and the rest of Lazarus’s family are feeling, it says, “Jesus wept.” Jesus’s tears are the result of a very deep sense of compassion for those who loved Lazarus and were grieving his loss.

To be humble in spirit is to be ‘humble-minded’; this should be the most important virtue in the life of those who are genuinely seeking to follow the example of Jesus Christ

(Mark 10:45),
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many,”

(Philippians 2:3-11),
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In 1Peter 3:9 a,
we are instructed “not to return evil for evil or insult for insult.”

Please turn to Matthew 5:39…
Jesus said, “I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” This is one of those verses that is misinterpreted much more than it is correctly interpreted. This verse is not inferring or even implying, that you should allow some evil person to attack to you, or those with you. This verse does not mean that you are to give in to evil people.

God’s Word records that very early in Jesus’ ministry, during Passover, He drove evil men out of the Temple (cf. John 2:13-16) using a whip that He had made, saying “stop making My Father’s house a place of business”; and again, near the end of His ministry, during Passover (cf. Matthew 21:10-13), Jesus drove out those who were buying and selling in the temple, overturning the tables of the money changers, saying “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

We are not to be pacifists when it comes to evil

(Romans 12:9),
“Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

As Christians (cf. Ephesians 5:6-13) we are children of Light and we are to expose and rebuke the deeds of darkness done by those who reject Christ; even so, we are not to seek retaliation

(Romans 12:21),
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

But, what about being slapped in the face (cf. Matthew 5:39)? In the Jewish culture, as in ours, being slapped in the face is an act of contempt or disdain; even a slave during Bible times would have preferred to be whipped on the back rather than slapped in the face by his master.

I do not believe God’s Word is advocating that we allow evil men to beat us up, I do believe however, that Matthew 5:39 is talking about putting up with insults and humiliation, not physical attacks.

Most Jews are right handed (about 90%) along with most of the people on this planet; and so, to strike the right cheek of a person’s face, with your right hand, is to hit with the back of the hand, this is clearly an act of expressing contempt, it is about demeaning and devaluing someone.

As Christians we are not to return insult for insult; we are not to use words in a vengeful way, nor are we to curse anyone, not even those who harm us.

As God’s child, I can expect to be minimized, insulted, and treated with contempt, because of my relationship with the Lord; but I am not to retaliate when that happens, I am not to seek retribution; for vengeance belongs to God.

In 1Peter 3:9 b
we are told, that instead of giving insult, we are to be “giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

Believers should be a blessing to both believers and unbelievers. How can we do that? We can pray for the salvation of an unbeliever. We can pray for the sanctification of a believer. We should always express gratitude for someone’s kindness toward us or toward others. We should forgive those who sin against us, seek forgiveness from those we sin against, and pray for those who persecute us.

1Corinthians 1:18,
“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

2Corinthians 5:14-21,
“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Mark 1:14-15,
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Mark 1:17,
“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

As Christians, we have received God’s forgiveness for all our sins (past-present-future) and eternal life in heaven; all because of God’s great love for us.

If you have not yet received God’s salvation: forgiveness for sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ who is both Lord and Savior: Repent of your sins, we are all sinners! Believe in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, for there is no other way to be saved; He turns no one away. Follow Christ by demonstrating your new life in Him, seeking to know, obey, and proclaim God’s Word.

1John 5:11-13,
“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: Acts 9:1-22 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale |

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05-30-2021

“Jesus Appears to Saul”
Acts 9:1-22
 

Before Nancy and I went on vacation I taught for 4 weeks on the resurrection appearances of Christ. There is still one post resurrection appearance that we have not studied together; it took place after Christ’s ascension back into heaven, and it was to the Apostle Paul.

Paul’s inspired writings form the basis for most of the New Testament instruction to the Church. Paul’s birth name was Saul [Hebrew], but we know him better by the name Paul [Roman], for he was to be Christ’s witness to the Gentiles.

Paul was a Jew (Philippians 3:5-11),
“circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless,”

(Acts 22:3),
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city [Jerusalem], educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.”

Paul was also a Roman citizen. Once when Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and about to be flogged, he said to the centurion

(Acts 22:25-29),
“‘Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman [and has not been lawfully condemned]?’ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, ‘What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.’ The commander came and said to him, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman?’ And [Paul] said, ‘Yes.’ The commander answered, ‘I acquired my citizenship with a large sum of money.’ And Paul said, ‘But I was actually born a citizen.’

“Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains.”

See 1Corinthians 15:8-9…
Paul says, “and last of all He (Jesus) appeared to me also, as to one untimely [abnormally] born.”

All the others to whom the Lord had appeared, had seen Him while he was alive and after He had died and risen from the grave. But Paul had not seen Jesus during the 40 days between Christ’s resurrection and ascension, instead, the Lord appeared to Paul long after the Lord had ascended back into heaven.

No wonder Paul felt like one abnormally born, the other apostles had lived and walked with Jesus for three years, being taught by Him; whereas Paul had not only rejected Him as the Messiah, he had persecuted His followers, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

After his conversion, Paul was taught by the Lord (Galatians 1:11-12),

Galatians 1:11-12
11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:16-18
16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

Paul was fully convinced of his apostleship and also of the grace and forgiveness given him by God. All twelve apostles (the original eleven + Matthias, who took Judas’ place) were commissioned within the territory of Israel, to minister to the Jews; but Paul was commissioned outside of Israel and ministered mostly to Gentiles [non-Jews].

Paul labored more than any of the apostles and yet, he only boasts about God’s marvelous gift of grace (See 2Corinthians 11:12-12:12).

2Corinthians 11:12-33
12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting.
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
16 Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little.
17 What I am saying, I am not saying as the Lord would, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.
18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also.
19 For you, being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly.
20 For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face.
21 To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison.
But in whatever respect anyone else is bold–I speak in foolishness–I am just as bold myself.
22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
23 Are they servants of Christ?–I speak as if insane–I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.
24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.
26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;
27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.
29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?
30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.
32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me,
33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

2Corinthians 12:1-12
1 Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago–whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows–such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I know how such a man–whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows–
4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
5 On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.
6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself!
8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
11 I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody.
12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.

Paul could do nothing apart from Christ working in and through him to accomplish the works of God (See Ephesians 2:8-10; 3:8-21).

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 3:8-21
8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;
10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

It was the resurrected Christ who changed Paul by saving him, personally instructing him, and empowering him to serve on God’s behalf. Prior to that time Paul had been an enemy of God and God’s people; he was now a bond slave of God and a servant to God’s people.

Paul had persecuted the Followers of Christ before his conversion on the road to Damascus; after he confessed Jesus as Lord, he became the most outspoken witness for the Christian faith apart from Jesus Christ. The same people he was previously hunting down and putting in jail, he is now calling his brothers and sisters in Christ.

No wonder Paul felt like one abnormally born, the other apostles had lived with Jesus for three years, being taught by Him; whereas Paul had rejected Him as the Messiah, and had even persecuted His followers.

And yet Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, several years after He had ascended back into heaven, (See Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:1-18).

Acts 9:1-9
1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;
4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Acts 22:6-11
6 “But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,
7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
8 And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’
9 And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’
11 But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

Acts 26:1-18
1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense:
2 “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today;
3 especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem;
5 since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.
6 And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers;
7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews.
8 Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?
9 “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.
11 And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.
12 “While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,
13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.
14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;
17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,
18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Did Saul actually see the Lord that day?

1Corinthians 9:1
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

Did Saul actually hear the Lord?

Acts 22:14-15
14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth.
15 For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.

Note: The Greek word translated voice is phone [fo nay], it means sound or speech. Its most common use in the Bible is for the voice of God, humans, and angels, but it is also used for sounds in general (John 3:8),

John 3:8
8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Revelation 1:10
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,

On another note, probably some of you are wondering what it means

(Acts 26:14),
“to kick against the goads.”

A goad [noun] is a spiked stick used for driving cattle;

the verb form use of this word, to goad someone, means to provoke or to stimulate someone to action or to get a reaction.

Jesus is telling Saul he has been going against God Himself by going after these followers of the Way, the believers of Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord, the Savior, God the Son.

Paul went from being the most aggressive persecutor of the Church of God to becoming the most aggressive proponent and proclaimer of God’s Message: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.

Jesus provided many demonstrable proofs and convincing evidence of His resurrection: He appeared to a great number of people, as recorded in the Scriptures. Luke writes, (Acts 1:3),

Acts 1:3
3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

John writes (John 20:31),
31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

There are many examples of infallible evidence:
Almost 2,000 years of testimony in and through the Church of God.…
The evidence of billions of individual changed lives since Pentecost…

But the real proof of the power of Christ’s death and resurrection is in your life, God’s Spirit confirming your birth into the family of God and your transformation as you are conformed to the character and nature of Christ, in obedience to the God’s Word, to the glory of the Father.

Philippians 4:12-13
12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19-20
19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2Peter 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

We often talk about what the death and resurrection of Christ means for eternity to those who believe in Him; but what difference does it make to you right now?

Here are some Scriptures that answer that question:

Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

1Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

1Corinthians 12:13
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

2Corinthians 13:5
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?

2Corinthians 4:4
4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2Corinthians 4:6
6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day (of His Return) drawing near.

The Apostle Paul, like all true believers and followers of Jesus Christ, was spiritually dead in his sins and trespasses before confessing Christ as Lord and trusting Him as Savior.

Having been born-again by the Spirit of God, made effectual through the death and resurrection of God’s Son, we have the propensity to live in a manner that exemplifies the character and nature of God,

so that unbelievers might see Christ in us and respond to Him, as we proclaim what the Scriptures teach about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior: crucified, resurrected, and coming again.

Pastor Mike Hale
>’(((><

Bible Text: Matthew 27:45-54 | Speaker: Jim Shepherd |

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05-23-2021

Matthew 27:45-54
“MIRACLES OF CALVARY”
 

Matthew 27:45-54
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.
49 But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Introduction

9 a.m. Crucifixion.

12 p.m. Darkness.

3 p.m. Sun Shines/Jesus’ Death.

Miracle #1 – Darkness Falls

Matthew 27:45
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

Jesus First Words from the Cross.

Jesus Last Words from the Cross.

Jesus Words in the Middle.

Significance of Darkness?

Miracle #2 -Veil is Torn

Matthew 27:51 a
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

Significance of the Torn Veil?

Miracle #3 – Earthquake

Matthew 27:5l b
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

Significance of the Earthquake?

Miracle #4 – Saints Raised

Matthew 27: 52-53
52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Significance of Raised Saints?

Miracle #5 – Centurion’s Testimony

Matthew 27:54
Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus,
when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening,
became very frightened and said,
“Truly this was the Son of God!”

Significance of the Centurion’s Testimony
Jim Shepherd

Bible Text: John 14:1-10 | Speaker: Jim Shepherd |

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May 16th, 2021
John 14: 1-10
“DID YOU ENJOY THE COTTON CANDY”
John 14: 1-10
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And you know the way where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

Absolute Truths

Circles are not squares.

2+2 = 4

Jesus is the only way to heaven.

No other way:

John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

No other name:

John 4:12
12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”

No other foundation:

1Corinthians 3:11
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.

No other mediator:

1 Timothy 2:5
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Other Absolute Truths

We ar all sinners.

Our sins separate us from God.

We need a mediator to bridge the sin gap between us and God.

Jesus is that mediator.

No other mediator is necessary or possible.

Fable based on Matthew 7:13-14

Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Jim Shepherd

Bible Text: 1Samuel 1:1-16, 1Samuel 2:1-2 | Speaker: Jim Shepherd |

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May 9th, 2021

Introduction to Hannah, Elkanah and Peninnah.

1 Samuel 1:1-2
1 Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

1. Hannah had the right husband relationship.

A. Elkanah was a Godly man.

1 Samuel 1:3
3 Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD there.

B. Hannah and Elkanah shared love for each other.

1 Samuel 1:4-5
4 When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters;
5 but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb.

C. Elkanah had compassion for Hannah.

1 Samuel 1:8
8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

2. Hannah had the right heavenly relationship.

1 Samuel 1:9-10
9 Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
10 She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.

3. Hannah possessed the right Godly characteristics.

1 Samuel 1:11-16
11 She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
12 Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.
13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.
14 Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.”
15 But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
16 Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”

1 Samuel 2:1-2
1 Then Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD,
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 “There is no one holy like the LORD,
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.

A. Hannah was a woman of prayer.
B. Hannah had constant faith in God.
C. Hannah was a woman who kept her promise to God.
D. Hannah was a woman of patient faith.
E. Hannah was woman of purity.
F. Hannah had a thankful heart.
G. Hannah dedicated herself to her children.

Jim Shepherd