Good morning friends and family and welcome to another awesome day the Lord has made for you and me. We are going to conclude last week's message on how important it is for us to be in God's Word.
For those who joined us last week, we looked at many scriptures, but especially the temptations used on Jesus after He was baptized and after the angels led Him to the desert where He was fasting 40 days and where He would be tempted. We saw where when Satan tried to use scripture that he twisted and situations and places that made the temptations more enticing, and Jesus came back at Him with the true Word of God. Please turn to Joshua 1:2 and we will continue with this lesson. Praise Jesus? Joshua 1:1-9 KJV Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, (2) Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. (3) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. (4) From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. (5) There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (6) Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. (7) Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. (8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (9) Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Prayer. Now there are preachers who will get all excited over verse seven where it says "prosper where ever you go." Filthy rich is not what I think God was referring to, and we will get to that in a minute. I want to look at for a few moments where it says. (7) Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. (8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: Praise God. Let's look at the word observe. The Hebrew word is shaw-mar' properly to hedge to guard; generally to protect, attend to, beware, take heed (to self), keep observe, preserve, regard, reserve. So that tells me when we read or hear someone teaching from the Word of God, we need to observe, take heed, beware, listen and then act upon. Amen? How do we find what the Word of God says? We read, and more than that, we find that verse 8 says to meditate on it day and night. Those who make the Word of God their rule and walk by that rule will both do well and make great progress. We will be full of life and be rewarded for God’s work as we keep our eyes upon His will. Last week we looked at how do we find God's will for our lives, remember? By reading His word. Now, to get to what I mentioned about prosper. So many take the word prosperous to mean God will bless you with fancy cars, jets, mansions, a million dollars, and the list goes on. Let's see what the Hebrew word for prosperous means in this verse. tsâlach tsâlêach tsaw-lakh', tsaw-lay'-akh A primitive root; to push forward, in various senses (literally or figuratively, transitively or intransitively): - break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper (-ity, -ous, -ously). Please turn to Psalms 119. Let us look at more verses showing that we as believers should be reading and studying the Bible. Psalms 119:1-18 KJV ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. (2) Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. How much of their heart?(3) They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Obey (4) Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. (5) O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! (6) Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. (7) I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. (8) I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. (9) BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. (10) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (12) Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. (13) With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. (14) I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. (15) I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. (16) I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. (17) GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. (18) Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 1 Timothy 4:1-16 KJV Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (3) Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (4) For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: (5) For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (6) If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. (7) But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. (8) For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (9) This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. (10) For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. (11) These things command and teach. (12) Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (13) Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (14) Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (15) Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (16) Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. 2 Timothy 2:15-18 KJV Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (16) But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (17) And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; (18) Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Friends, when we are in God's Word and meditate on it, there will grow in you a discerning spirit to help you know when a false gospel is being taught, like what is referenced in verses 17 and 18. I tell you there is so much nonsense being taught in churches, and because so many people will not open their dusty Bibles, they have no clue. They go to a building where the people are soooo nice. The pastor makes them feel right at home with his comforting words and teaching not the cross, the blood, or on hell, but only Jesus is luvvvvvvvvv. No teaching on repentance. Salvation is for everyone who comes to the church. A place where the music is so professional sounding and they sing only songs that I like. Someone reading this might say, "Brother Jim, my pastor says because I give money to the church, I am going to Heaven." Well, if that was what you were told, you need to be getting into the Word of God and see for yourself if that is what it says. Your pastor is not reading from the same Bible I'm reading from. Now for those who just read this and start jumping and screaming with joy and says, "Brother Jim says I don't need to tithe", you heard or read this wrong. It is important that we tithe. What I am saying is beware of those who say if you sow 58 dollars in to their ministry that within a certain time frame you will be blessed. You are not hearing from God. Let's continue with scripture. Timothy 3:15-17 KJV And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Let's look at the promises found in Psalm 91. Psalms 91:1-16 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (3) Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. (4) He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (5) Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; (6) Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. (7) A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. (8) Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. (9) Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. (11) For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (13) Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. (14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. (15) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. (16) With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Wow!! When you really study this chapter it's powerful. This chapter promises protection from the destruction that others would bring on us. From what I get out of this, it assures the true believer that he or she will not undergo the outpouring of God’s wrath upon sinners (verses 3-7). The believer is protected, while others suffer (verse 7). In fact, the believer will look on as God’s wrath falls upon the wicked (verse 8). The righteous are protected because they have taken refuge in God (verses 9-10). God asks His angels to watch over His own. They will intervene, even to the point of preventing one from stumbling and falling upon a stone. He will enable the saint to subdue dangerous foes. (Isn’t it interesting that God promises victory over the lion and the serpent, both of which are symbols of Satan?) Let’s quickly look at 2 more scriptures. 1 Peter 5:8 KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Revelation 20:2-3 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Jesus' victory over Satan’s schemes meant that He, and He alone, was qualified to die for our sins. Last week when we looked into the temptations that Jesus went through, Jesus would not put the Father to the test by leaping from the temple, but He would obey the Father by going to the cross. He knew that the Father would not keep Him from death, but that He would deliver Him through death, by raising Him from the dead. What do these two temptations and the response Jesus made have to teach us? There are a number of lessons for us to learn. I am going to mention a few more verses, and I would urge you to look them up on your own. First, we should learn that Satan will use a wide range of tactics in his efforts to tempt us to sin. We should recall that there were many more temptations than just the three that Matthew and Luke have recorded (Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2). We should also note that the temptations did not end here. Luke 4:13 So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time . If Satan does not succeed with one approach, we can expect that he will simply move on to another. With the first temptation, Satan seeks to attack our Lord at the point of his weakness. His hunger and probably weak physical strength. When this fails, Satan moves on to attack Jesus at the point of His strength. His trusts in God the Father and His commitment to obey God’s Word. Satan tests us in every point, as He did with Jesus, our Savior. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Satan’s temptations almost always promise us some benefit, without really describing the cost. In the first temptation (that of Adam and Eve), Satan promised Eve that they would be like God, knowing good and evil. He also promised her that they would surely not die. They did die, and the knowledge of good and evil that they obtained was no blessing. One of the most foolproof tests of our actions is to answer a very simple question. Who is serving who? Ask yourself this. "Am I trusting God and seeking to serve Him, or am I demanding that God serve me?" I think sometimes people are tempted to trust in Christ because of all that He can and will do for them. Some preachers and evangelists promise potential converts that God will make them happy, prosperous, and popular. That is not what Jesus said, or what Paul preached: Luke 14:25-35 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, (26) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (27) And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (28) For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (29) Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, (30) Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. (31) Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? (32) Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. (33) So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (34) Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? (35) It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Friends, there are so many more scriptures that we can look at showing us the power there is in God's Word. We can certainly look at many more verses that show us that we do need to be in His Word and meditate on it. For some, drink the milk, and for others, chew on the meat. Regardless, I think we looked at enough scriptures that show the importance of reading, meditating and keeping the Word of the true living God sealed in our hearts. Praise Jesus. Church, I'm not sure if a third part of this series will be what I feel led to teach on next week or not, but God will lead me on what He wants you to learn. Also, Leanna and I will be gone for a week, but I will be opening skype up as I do every Sunday to share the word of God. Prayer. Communion.
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For those of you who have been attending J and L Ministries for the past few years, whether it be here at our home or online, you probably are tired of hearing me say that it is most important to be in God’s Word daily. I have heard many people say they just can't seem to relate to the Bible, or “It’s all Greek to me.” Actually, the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Here is another thing I hear. “How can you find meaning for today in such an ancient book?” Am I speaking to anyone? There are some who might look at the small print and say, “This will take years to read.” I hope and pray that you do read God’s Word for years.
I think we have to start by changing our view of the Bible. Instead of thinking of it as a big ancient book filled with God's commands, I think we need to think of it as God's personal correspondence with us. It's His love letters to us in all 66 books. Seeing less people actually send letters or cards through snail mail, it's a rather long email, if you will. I mentioned this to Lindsey a couple of days ago. Many have said that they want to join Cross Roads Fellowship, but in one of the questions I have set to be filled out when joining is how many books are in the Bible? So many have no clue. That amazes me. Prayer. We are going to look at some key things that hopefully will make it easier for everyone to get more meaning from the Bible. Some might say, "Brother Jim, you went through a Bible course. It is easy for you to relate to what the Bible says." The Bible wasn't just written for just those who might have taken a Bible course or gone to theology school. It was written for you and me, just people, the way we are. And what we will be looking at today are common sense tips that will make a big difference for anyone who wants to understand what God says to them through His Word. Amen? Anyone excited? Let’s look at verses that show God’s desire that we read His Word. Please turn to Deuteronomy 6, starting in verse 6. We are not simply to learn God's Word with our mind, but also with our heart. We will also see we are to embrace it emotionally as well as intellectually. When are we to talk of God's Word? Outside, inside, standing, sitting, lying... all the time, anywhere. It should be ever-present as a tattoo, and posted around our house. Church, do we get this? Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. (9) And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Joshua 1:7-8 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. (8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. When are we to study and meditate on it? Day and night. Why? So that we are careful to do what it tells us to do. And the results? Prosperity and success, but most importantly we learn to obey His laws. Few of us, when we are having trouble in life, realize that it could be so much better if we would just spend daily time with God in His Word and in prayer. We just finished a three part series on faith. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Praise Jesus! I have also mentioned many times that we should be praying daily, Amen? We need to be praying for God’s will. We are not going to know God’s will unless we spend time in His Word. How do we find God's will? From spending time in His Word. Amen? Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. We find here that we are to enjoy the Word, to delight in it, and again, we see the challenge to meditate on it day and night. Brother Harold and I talked about this last night. I find that when I spend time every day in God’s Word, things go so much smoother. I find I handle situations better. I don’t know about each of you, but I need smoother. In the past couple months I have felt so overwhelmed and it has been easy to get frustrated. I am a work in progress and I need to be in God’s Word to help me get that mind of Christ. Am I speaking to someone? I love these verses. Psalms 12:6-7 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. (7) Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Did everyone catch what it said in verse 6? God’s word is pure. Halleluiah!! The Bible has passed through the furnace of persecution, literary criticism, philosophic doubt, and scientific discovery, and has lost nothing but those human interpretations which clung to it as alloy to precious ore. Even Satan has tried to twist God’s Word. We find that he did this with Adam and Eve in the Garden when he said in Genesis 3:4-5. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. We find him (Satan) trying to twist scripture around with Jesus in the desert. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke we find three temptations that Satan used to try to tempt Jesus with not during His 40 days of fasting, but after He had fasted for 40 days and nights. Let’s go to Matthew 4:3-4 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. How do we know how to find out the things of God, what God has said about this situation or that? From reading His Word. Also, notice another title that Satan inherited. The tempter. Let’s keep reading. Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, (6) And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (7) Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. There is a lot to look at in these verses, but for time’s sake, I will try to keep it simple, but short. What Satan was saying to Jesus is this “So, you have entrusted your life to God, have you? That’s good. I can see that you really are a man of faith. I know that you have purposed to live by faith. I can also see that you have a deep respect for God’s Word. You trust in God and in His Word. That, too, is good. So let me call your attention to a scripture of particular relevance: Psalm 91:11-12 For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do. Hmm. 12 They will lift you up in their hands, so you will not slip and fall on a stone." Satan tempting Jesus with these verses proves to me that he knows scripture. We have to remember that Satan was one of the highest of all angels before he fell. A beautiful angel and with all those gems he wore, the reflection must have been marvelous. But, it was because of the beautiful light that shone from God that created that beauty. Praise the King of kings. Satan says to Jesus, (my words) “This Scripture says exactly what you believe, that God will protect your life. I know you believe this passage and that you would stake your life on it, just as you have entrusted your life to God with regard to your hunger and thirst. You have every assurance that God will employ His angels to protect your life, so why not put your faith to the test? Why not show just how much you trust God and His Word by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple?” Friends, also take note where Jesus was tempted. Can anyone quickly tell us where and what importance it might have been? This is what caught my eye. They were at Jerusalem and at the top of the temple. Oh friends I can’t help myself, we are going to go deep here. Friends, let’s go on a journey. Satan takes Jesus to the one place where God could not (in Satan’s mind) be nearer to Him. If Satan could not prompt Jesus to act independently of God’s Word by thinking God had abandoned Him (in the wilderness), then Satan would try to prompt Jesus to act in an over confident way, convinced that His Father was ever so near. Remember, Jesus had just spent 40 days and nights fasting, yes? How much food would you expect to find in the desert? Jesus had to be starving. Yes? He was God and yes, we know that He had been filled with the Holy Spirit, but He was still a man. I would imagine that He had to have felt very alone. Now Jesus is at a place where He knows His Father is close. I mean we have scripture to prove this. Friends, I am excited for you to catch this. " "What scripture are you talking about, brother Jim?" Please turn to Psalm 132:13. Satan probably argued that our Lord would die unless He acted on His own to save Himself by making stone bread. Now, in this second temptation, Satan is not arguing that God is far off and that Jesus must therefore act on His own. Satan takes Jesus to the place where God has chosen to dwell. Over and over in the Old Testament law, God spoke of the place where God would choose to dwell. Stay with me, friends. In time, we saw that this place was Jerusalem, and more specifically, the temple. And here Jesus is being tempted to jump. Psalms 132:13-14 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. (14) This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. How could God let Jesus fall to His death right there at the temple, in Jerusalem? Jerusalem and the temple were Satan’s props, which he believed would give credence to his assurance of divine deliverance. Okay, here I am going to use not words from the Bible, but I want to throw out a theory. A very common explanation of this temptation goes something like this: The Jews expected the Messiah to appear in some very dramatic way. By leaping from the pinnacle of the temple and then being rescued in a spectacular manner, Jesus would fulfill Jewish expectations and that may convince those who witnessed this dramatic display of power that He was the Messiah. Listen up. In other words, Satan was tempting Jesus to act in such a way as to gain a following by forcing God to save Him. Maybe? We see this? Possibly? Although there may be some truth in this, it isn’t biblical, just an idea about what that slimy devil might have had up his sleeve. In the first temptation, Jesus refused to save Himself because He trusted in God, and in His every word. Jesus knew from the law that life was far more than mere physical wants. Life came from God, from trusting and obeying His Word. Jesus did not fear physical death as the most dreaded possibility. Satan now tempts Jesus to live dangerously. Jesus trusted in God’s every word. Satan calls Jesus’ attention to Psalm 91:11-12, which speaks of divine protection. Jesus proclaimed His faith in God. Satan challenges Jesus to put His faith to the test. From what Satan had learned of what Jesus had already spoken, he felt that this temptation would be truly tempting. Jesus should prove His faith in God, and in God’s Word, by leaping from the pinnacle of the temple. If He was God’s Son, surely God would save Him, and especially right there where God chose to abide, in His temple. Makes sense, yes? Another theory, Satan might have thought that if Jesus jumped, he could have used his angels to delay help from God’s angels from helping Jesus. You know what? God is in control always. He has a plan, and I believe that His plan will always win. Amen? What was Jesus’ comment back to Satan? Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. See how Satan used God’s word to temp Jesus. Where are these words of God found that Jesus came back to Satan with? I have to use this line from old. Inquiring minds need to know. I want to know. Please turn to Deuteronomy 6:16 KJV Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. Any inquiring minds wonder why God said this to the Israelites? It made me wonder. Let’s turn to Exodus 17:1-7 KJV And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. (2) Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? (3) And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? (4) And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. (5) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. (6) Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (7) And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? Satan urged Jesus to put His faith and God’s Word to the test by leaping from the pinnacle of the temple. Satan’s use of Psalm 91 was a clear case of scripture twisting, and Satan is good at that and even has pastors in some churches twisting scriptures . The psalm assures the one who trusts in God for divine protection. But from what? It assures the faithful believer of God’s protection from the attacks of those who are determined to destroy him. Let’s look at the promise found in Psalm 91, and then we will finish up on part 1. Oh, how Important Is It that we be in our Bible daily? Psalms 91:1-16 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (3) Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. (4) He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (5) Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; (6) Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. (7) A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. (8) Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. (9) Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. (11) For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (13) Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. (14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. (15) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. (16) With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Wow!! When you really study this chapter it is powerful. This chapter promises protection from the destruction that others would bring on us. From what I get out of this, it assures the true believer that he or she will not undergo the outpouring of God’s wrath upon sinners (verses 3-7). The believer is protected, while others suffer (verse 7). In fact, the believer will look on as God’s wrath falls upon the wicked (verse 8). The righteous are protected because they have taken refuge in God (verses 9-10). God asks His angels to watch over His own. They will intervene, even to the point of preventing one from stumbling and falling upon a stone. He will enable the saint to subdue dangerous foes. (Isn’t it interesting that God promises victory over the lion and the serpent, both of which are symbols of Satan?) Let’s quickly look at 2 more scriptures. 1 Peter 5:8 KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Revelation 20:2-3 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Jesus' victory over Satan’s schemes meant that He and He alone was qualified to die for our sins. Jesus would not put the Father to the test by leaping from the temple, but He would obey the Father by going to the cross. He knew that the Father would not keep Him from death, but that He would deliver Him through death, by raising Him from the dead. What do these two temptations and the response Jesus made have to teach us? There are a number of lessons for us to learn. I am going to mention a few more verses, and I would urge you to look them up on your own. First, we should learn that Satan will use a wide range of tactics in his efforts to tempt us to sin. We should recall that there were many more temptations than just the three that Matthew and Luke have recorded (Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2). We should also note that the temptations did not end here. Luke 4:13 So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time . If Satan does not succeed with one approach, we can expect that he will simply move on to another. With the first temptation, Satan seeks to attack our Lord at the point of his weakness. His hunger and probably weak physical strength. When this fails, Satan moves on to attack Jesus at the point of His strength. His trust in God the Father and His commitment to obey God’s Word. Satan tests us in every point, as He did with Jesus, our Savior. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Satan’s temptations almost always promises us some benefit, without really describing the cost. In the first temptation (really first, that of Adam and Eve), Satan promised Eve that they would be like God, knowing good and evil. He also promised her that they would surely not die. They did die, and the knowledge of good and evil that they obtained was no blessing. It's obvious that we'll be continuing this again next week. I hope that through this we all can see it's very important for us to be in our Bibles to learn how to avoid tricks that the enemy might temp us with and how to use God’s word to combat against those attacks. Prayer. Communion. Let Faith Arise part 3
If everyone could please turn to Luke 8:40-48 this morning. Today’s message is based from a Bible study that I did a few summers ago. God used it in a powerful way then and I pray that again this morning He will do the same. Do you all agree that God is a “wow” God? The true living God of the Bible is a wow God. He is an awesome God. We all, I’m sure have heard and most have sung “You Are Awesome In This Place, Mighty God”. He is an amazing God, and I know all of you know the song “Amazing Grace”. We sing about His amazing love and His amazing might and His amazing miracles. He can do what no one else can do. He can do the impossible. He says of Himself in Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me?" Do you have anything in your life that is difficult? Something facing you that is too difficult for you to handle on your own? I can assure you it’s not too difficult for God. It may seem impossible for you, but for God? Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Amen? We believe this, right? Jesus is right here. Right here in this room. The Holy Spirit is in the room where you may be listening to this message or right in the room where you may be reading this at a later time. My friends, we are gathered here in the precious name of Jesus. God’s Word says in Mat 18:18-20 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. :19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven. :20 For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them. These are His promises to us. We all need to get a revelation of this. Amen? I believe that this is going to touch someone’s heart here today. I believe that someone’s faith is going to be strengthened. As we go through today’s message, I want all of us to be thinking of things that we need help with. What is it that you need our Savior to do in your life? What miracle can He do that He would be glorified by? Prayer. As I have been thinking about this scripture we are about to read, this is only one of the many miracles that Jesus performed in the Bible while He walked on this earth and I am sure there were countless more not recorded. I have been listening to a series “God’s Will to Heal” for some time now and in this sermon the pastor refers to the story of Jesus healing the man from leprosy. Luke 5:12-14 is a great story and illustrates that it is God’s will to heal, even today. This story in Luke 8 has been nagging at me, if you will, for a couple of weeks. So in saying this, I am relying on God to help me pen this down to teach you and me what He wants us to learn. Let's get started. Jesus has just returned from Gadarenes, after casting out a legion of demons from a man. Anther great lesson that we should look at soon. He is now in Galilee. Luke 8:40-48 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for Him. :41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought Him that he would come into his house: :42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. :43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, :44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. :45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with Him said, Master, the multitude throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me? :46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched Me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me. :47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately. :48 And He said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. This is such a great story. What a faith building story. I found two discoveries in this and I feel if we can tap into them it will change our lives. Amen? Are we ready? Discovery 1: Everyone encounters problems in life. Not one of us can say that we don’t have a problem in our life. Agreed? For the believer, the enemy throws stumbling blocks in our way to throw us off track and mess us up. Last week was one of those for me. You have problems, I have them, and Adam had them. We all face problems. Job, one of the Godliest men that lived had problems. Amen? Job 5:7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Now this message is not to down women, but we can see that there are going to be issues in our lives. This woman with the issue of blood had her problems. And I am in hopes to show you a miracle within a miracle. This woman had one main problem that led her to have lots of other problems. Can we relate? She had the issue of blood, but it brought about many other issues. First of all, she had a long term problem. Her issue had been for twelve years. Some or all of us can relate to long term problems. Another thing I just noticed, (and we know that God uses numbers) verses 41 and 42. : 41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought Him that he would come into his house::42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. Did you notice? The woman had an issue of blood for 12 years and the daughter of Jairus was 12 years old. Can you imagine this woman having this problem with blood for twelve years? Losing blood day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. I am not familiar with woman things like that, but she had to be weak, sick, and so sick and tired of being sick and weak and tired. She had a physically debilitating problem. Anyone here ever felt physically debilitated? To be totally worn out? She also had a shame problem. With me playing scriptures every night when I go to bed, I remembered hearing of God’s laws. Leviticus 15:25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. This woman was unclean for 12 + years, and I am not going to try to figure out the math for the total. But also, everything she sat on or touched was unclean. She had problems. She also, I would imagine kept it to herself, as I am sure it was embarrassing and very shameful for her. Some of us might have some of those shameful habits. Alcohol, drugs, porn or gambling addictions, and thinking I don’t want anyone to know I do that. I have done things I am ashamed of. I'm sure she felt isolated. According to the Bible, a person who was unclean could not go to the temple to worship. This woman, if she was married, had problems I am sure. If she was married, she could not be intimate with her husband. I suppose some of us might have a problem with isolation. Some sort of fear. Depression, maybe? Depression is a devilish problem. I have battled that, and it led me to isolation. I stayed in a basement apartment and most of the time with the lights off, with no windows. I didn’t want to be around anyone. I slept a lot. When I wasn’t sleeping, I hid behind a computer screen, where no one knew me and I could be whoever I wanted to be. Most of the time, people would think I was happy, though I had a lot of things bottled up that kept screaming to come out. We just read that this woman had spent most of her money on doctors who couldn’t help her. Mark 5:26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. Sometimes we may go through financial problems. Some of us might be broke. Or beyond broke because there is more money that has been borrowed than can ever be paid back. Or because of things not foreseen that come up and drain our savings account. There have been times I have felt that problem. Feel like you are drowning in a sea of red. How about this problem? Hopeless. I am never going to get better. I will never get out of this bondage. These chains have bound me. Oh my weight. I am out of shape and will never get back to where I used to be. It’s just hopeless for me and I want to give up. What’s the use? I have been there too. Or, I am addicted to this or that and I will never be able to overcome my addictions. Suppose this woman with the issue of blood felt like this? Discovery 2: Jesus is able to overcome any problem. Her problem was a bad one. Jesus was able to conquer this problem in Luke 8:48. How long did it take? Immediately!! This woman came behind Him Luke 8:44 Came behind Him, and touched the border of His garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. She touched the hem of His garment. Think about this. She would have most likely had to be practically lying down to touch His hem. This verse amazes me and I think it is a key. Luke 8:42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as He went the people thronged him. Looking up thronged in my concordance, I found this: G4862 and G4155; to strangle completely, that is, (literally) to drown, or (figuratively) to crowd: - choke, throng. This woman with the issue of blood had to be in the perfect place to accomplish this. A huge crowd, and from how the scriptures sound there was pushing and shoving, agreed?. It would have been noisy, as it says they; the people of Galilee were excited to see Him. This gets better. Crowded, like being choked, noisy, she comes up from behind. Everyone is touching Him because they are happy to see Him. She touches His garment and immediately she is healed, after 12 long years. Are you looking for a miracle like this? Jesus didn’t come with a certain amount of miracles that He could perform that day. Cast the demons out of the man. Raise Jairus’s daughter from the dead. Heal this woman with the blood problem. The Lord healed everyone that came to Him. Nowhere in the Bible can I find where it says Jesus would not heal someone asking. Jesus today is willing to heal us. We have needs right here, and He wants to do a miracle in our lives, but we have to push through some things. You may be saying but Brother Jim, God doesn’t do miracles in my life. I am telling you because of things that have happened in my life. I can tell you that He is willing and able because of what the Bible says. We can learn from this woman how to receive a miracle. First we need to push through the excuses. She could have had lots of excuses. She was unclean and from what I have learned from God’s Word it was risky for her to be with the crowd. She could have said well maybe I will try to see Jesus tomorrow. Have you done this? I have, and this is Satan’s way of distracting you. God speaks about doing things and coming to Him now. Well maybe I will try to do it tomorrow, then the next day. Jesus was going to Jairus’s house. He was the ruler of the synagogue. He was an important figure back then. She knowing that, according to her problem, was a nobody compared to this man. Here this unclean woman is and here comes Jesus. Rabbi Jesus. The Holy One. Do you see where I am going with this? Can we all relate to this? This woman had to overcome many issues, many excuses. Overcome the crowd. Even today, we have to get through the crowd. Are we hanging with the crowd? Are we doing what the crowd wants us to do, or what God wants us to do? The crowd wants us to tie on a good one, whether drugs, alcohol, sex, getting in trouble with the law, etc… The crowd wants to rebel, use the Lord’s name in vain. The crowd will hold you back from your miracle and from Jesus every time. Does the crowd want you to go to church or bible study? Of course not. That would be uncool. What are you going to do? Will you follow Christ, or the world. We all have a choice. The choice is ours. Like I said in one of the prayers I shared this week, God did not make us puppets where He could just pull our strings to make us do what He wants us to do. No, He gave us each a personality and that personality is different than anyone that may be in the room with you. Leanna and I are married. We were 2 people whom became one in God. We have many likes that are the same, but each of us are different in many ways. Praise Jesus. Where does Jesus say that most people in this world go? Please turn to Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: :14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Where are most going? The broad gate. Do we want to follow this crowd? Are we afraid of what some may think of us? Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. This just came to mind. Do any of you wonder sometimes if you really are saved? I have to admit I have had these thoughts before, and I end up in prayer before the enemy convinces me otherwise. There may be someone here that may be thinking I gave my heart to the Lord when I was 10 years old and what would others here say if I didn’t think I was saved and came up front for an alter call. I couldn’t do that in front of all my friends. What would they say or think? WHO CARES WHAT THEY THINK!!! The main thing is, what does God think. This woman in the story was unclean. She should not have been with the crowd. Here is Jesus, the Holy One of the universe, in a huge crowd. And she knew that if she touched Him in faith she may be healed. Mark 5:28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. She pushed through, and that is where we all need to be. No matter what obstacles are put in our way, we need to push through, and touch Jesus. The past couple years have been a roller coaster ride for Leanna and me. Because of things spoken against in the Bible and what I felt put on my heart is why I have left some organizations. Even though I am totally in agreement with what they stand for, I could no longer listen to the language or schemes amongst some of the members. I left a church that I loved and was very involved with, from the near beginning because of a change of leadership and many ungodly, immoral things that were happening. Having faith that God would heal my beautiful wife of kidney failure when every doctor she has seen has said that she will be on dialysis soon. You know what? Our God is bigger. Praise Jesus!! These things happen in our lives. Knowing that it was time to go else where to church and every time that I would pray or think where God would have me be, I kept hearing that small voice saying “Here and let me guide you.” Friends, I struggled with that. I love writing messages. I love learning about God’s heart. I love being used by Him and giving testimony of His goodness. I love watching Him move through people. Even though I left these places, I still love the people and pray for them. We all are going to go through challenges, but we need to think constantly what Jesus would do in these circumstances. To be still and hear Him speak We all have read these verses, but do you struggle with them? Mat 22:36-39 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? :37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. :38 This is the first and great commandment. Then Jesus said this, and this is a lesson that I have to grasp onto. Even though I have that love, I may not show it sometimes. :39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. :40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Friends, when we obey the first two greatest commandments, the rest fall into place. This is why I try to be in God’s Word daily. There are times that I spend 2 or 3 hours reading and meditating. Am I telling you that you need to spend that much time in your Bible? Absolutely not, unless God puts it on your heart, but I would encourage you to spend some time in it daily. Being in prayer is also very important. I don’t spend as much time in prayer as I probably should. I don’t believe that there is a mathematical number of how much time we need to spend in prayer or reading our Bibles, but I do think He wants some of our time every day. In closing, do you have a problem that you can’t overcome on your own? Maybe an addiction, an addiction of whatever, big, small, in-between, I don’t know your heart, but Jesus does. Do you have a problem like mine where everything has to be done a certain way and at a certain time? I struggled with this for many years. I hope that I have gotten better, but I do know that I have a long way to go. I had a big issue with people that wanted to work with me and couldn’t keep up, yet get paid the same. In my mind, I felt I had to do twice as much as anyone else because of my handicap of being an amputee. Was it right for me to expect others to do the same job that I happened to love and did well and took a great interest in? No. Was it right for me to be judgmental of someone that had never been on a dairy farm, nor worked from 3AM to 9PM everyday and more hours if we were haying or chopping corn silage, nor was used to having to work on holidays? No. I am telling you that if we all can put the story of this woman to use in our own lives, Jesus will help us. If we keep pressing on and pressing in to the things of Jesus and obey Him, we will see great things happen in our lives, for His Glory. If we keep pushing in, but do it in faith God will deliver us. This woman left all the excuses behind and overcame them all and was healed, and healed immediately. She pushed through the crowd. Praise God!!! This just came to me. Do you know why so many people come to church and leave the same? Because they touch Jesus with a casual touch and with ears not hearing and receiving God’s Word. They sing songs with a casual touch. They follow along the sermon casually. They are not willing to put away the excuses and push through the crowd. They never come to Jesus and say, Lord I come to You in faith and here is my problem and I bare myself to You now. Jesus, please work mightily in my life, because I believe in You and I can’t do it on my own. Faith isn’t believing God can do something in your life. Faith is believing God will do something in your life. Amen! Someone praise Him this morning. How do you reach out to the Lord? With just a casual touch? You have your problems and you don’t want anyone to know about them? No one has to know about them but Jesus, and He already does. He is saying to you this morning, I have a miracle for you if only you would be honest and put away the pride. What the Lord is saying is if you leave all your bitterness, jealousy and unforgiveness at My feet (Jesus), if you and I could come to Him in brokenness and push through the crowd and touch His garment, in faith, He says, "I will do it because I love you. If you would surrender to Me right now, because I can do it and will do it, because I love you and I died on the cross for you." God is the same yesterday today and forever. He is no respecter of persons. This is what God says in the Bible. So in saying that, if He did it for her, He will do it for you and for me. Ask Him. Let us focus and live our lives for Jesus. Not just in certain areas of our lives, but in everything we say and do. Friends, look around you. Do you see a big change going on all around the world? Poverty, crime, things happening with nature that didn’t used to happen but once in a while. The news is full of this state is mad at this state, and this country is going to destroy other countries. Do we see sicknesses like we never saw or heard happening at such an alarming rate? What about the way people are acting and things that our government says we can or can't do? Church, these were all things prophesied in the Bible for such a time as this. Today my friends, is when we need to cry out to Jesus and ask for forgiveness and to live our lives for Him. Today is the day we should all say, "Lord, I am Yours and I will follow You no matter where You take me. Today I will spend time conversing with You and studying Your heart." Will you? Let’s pray. Communion. Good morning friends. This morning we will continue our study "Let Faith Arise. We could continue this message week after week, as our faith in Christ is that important. It is everything. Praise Jesus.
Last week, we spoke out a few scriptures together and I feel we should again this week Praise God!! Psalms 27:14 LET THE WEAK SAY, I AM STRONG. Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. . Psalms 71:16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Last week I mentioned a person in the Bible where I could find nothing he did wrong. We know he could not have been perfect, because only Christ has been completely, 100% perfect. Anyone that was with us last week, or someone new want to take a guess? For those that said Joseph, you are correct In fact, we read about him in Hebrews 11:22, Hebrews 11:22 KJV By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. We saw where the Bible said Rahab being a harlot, but she had faith. It talks about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they all had their problems, but they had faith. When it talks about Joseph, it says nothing to show where he did wrong. Joseph's life is recorded from Genesis 37 to Genesis 50, the end of the Book of Genesis. And Joseph is the chief character in that portion of Scripture. Please turn to Genesis 37. Let's learn some things about the faith of this man. Joseph’s faith that's mentioned in Hebrews 11 and the persistence that he had to continually meet his adversaries and still did nothing that displeased God. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a story told of us like this? If you have an adversary in life, you have difficulty in life. It might be a tough neighbor to get along with, or a brother-in-law or a child or a mother or a father, whatever the case is in your life and you're just having a tough time dealing with them. You may respond negatively toward them at some point. I've done that, and I am sure you have too. But when it comes to the story of Joseph, there is no negative response to anything that happened to him. Let's begin in Genesis 37:1-4 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. (2) These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. (3) Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. (4) And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. Now, let me stop there, because this is the setup verse that teaches us all about the life of this man, Joseph. His father Jacob loved him more than he loved the other brothers. Now, that can be a problem in a house, can't it? It's always a problem when you have a favorite child or you show favoritism to any child. And every one of us who has ever been a child (and I would guess that's just about everybody in this room other than Ashton, maybe some of you listening on Skype or that may read this at a later time. Any one of us who has ever been a child and had a sibling, always thought that our brother or sister was being better treated than we were. Isn't that true? I mean, that's human nature. In this case, Joseph clearly was being better treated than the others because his father loved him more than he loved the others. And that brought adversity to Joseph's life. Joseph didn't ask for that. It came anyway. So, when you think about the adversity that comes into his life, it comes as a result of verse 3. Joseph was the son of Jacob's old age. He made him this coat of many colors. He was showing favoritism to him. And as a result, his brothers hated him for it. We see something about that hatred down in verse 19. Genesis 37:19-20 KJV And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. (20) Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. Here is a young man, 17 years of age who’s family wants to kill him. What do you learn about the faith of Joseph when you look at the situation into which he had in his life? Well, I look at him being hated by his brothers. I look at him being sold into slavery by his brothers. And then I look at his faith, and I learn a lesson about faith. Here's the lesson I learn: Faith that's persistent faith that stands up in the face of adversity, that kind of faith is never shaken by the adversities of life. If you have faith in the character of God. That God will never leave you in the middle of your adversity, that He will not cause you to walk through the valley of the shadow of death alone, that He will walk with you hand in hand. These are promises that God has given us. If, like Joseph, you believe that God will never leave you, even when you're in the pit, then your faith, your persistent faith, will be able to stand up against your adversity. There is no adversity in life that is stronger than faith, if faith is strong. There are plenty of families today just full of strife, dysfunction, and difficulties. How can we use Joseph's example? How can we take this part of the Bible and use it in today’s world? We look at our own family and say, Wow, my family is worse than that one. The first thing we don't do is, I don't think we see our family as kind of a TV show. I could go on and on with stuff that TV does. Let’s say we are in the family that is filled with strife, my responsibility is to be light in darkness. We're to be salt and light in the world and often that means in our own family. So if you live in a family that is filled with strife, you may be the only peacemaker that family has. You may be the only little light shining in that family. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus. Again and again and again He told us that we were to be that kind of beacon to people who needed us, and who needs that kind of a beacon more than a family that's filled with strife? We've seen that he had this difficulty with his brothers. We've seen that he was sold into slavery. Let’s skip to chapter 39. Here, Joseph will be tempted by his master’s wife. Genesis 39:10-12 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. (11) And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. (12) And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. So now he's been in a pit. He's been in a wagon train going to Egypt among the Ishmaelites. He gets to Egypt, and now he finds himself in prison. This has to be adversity in a person's life. Hated by your own family, sold into slavery by your own family, and now thrown into prison. And in none of these instances do you see anything but consistent faith on the part if Joseph. So if you want to handle the adversities of life, be like Joseph. Persistent faith is never shaken by the adversities of life. When I think of Joseph and the life that he led and the adversities that came to his life, I learn a lot about how to deal with adversity. And, you know, one of the greatest adversities you'll ever deal with (now you've got to smile when I tell you this, but it's true), one of the greatest adversities you will ever encounter in your life is prosperity. These are good times, good things happening to you. By the way, this is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament. When bad things are happening to us, at least we have people come along to our side and say, "Oh, I'm so sorry." We have people say, "I'm going to pray for you." We have people asking about us all the time. But when prosperity comes to us, they come to our side too, but they ask for us, not about us. They want something from us. Maybe not always, but you know what I am saying. Amen? Look at the life of Joseph here. In Genesis 39 Joseph encounters prosperity. Verse 2 of Genesis 39 says, "The LORD was with Joseph [now he's already in Egypt], and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. "So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put in his hand [under his authority]. "So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field." Now, I've had jobs as a dairy farmer, disc jockey on my own, and for a radio station. I have driven tractor-trailer and so on, but I don't ever remember in my life people saying to me, "You know, we want to hang onto you, because ever since you've been around we've been making more money than we were before. Ever since you've been around, God has been blessing our business. We want to hang onto you. We don't care what kind of a worker you are. Just hang around, because it's evident wherever you go, the blessing of God goes." That has never been the case in my life. But for Joseph, it was different. For Joseph, this man brought God's blessing wherever he went. The house of his father was blessed. Joseph was in that house. When Joseph was sold into slavery and went to Egypt, the blessing of God followed him as a slave in Egypt. Now he's purchased by Potiphar, this Egyptian official. And everything that happens in Potiphar's house happens for good because Joseph is there. Now, I said one of the most difficult adversities that will ever come to your life is the adversity of prosperity. A persistent faith, however, is never spoiled by success or by prosperity. Joseph was taken from the pit and given a life of ease in the house of Potiphar. And yet he continued to live a life of faith. Even before Potiphar, he lived a life of faith. He's now in a foreign country that worships foreign gods and he's still living the life of faith. And I think what you and I need to learn from Joseph's life is this; that persistent faith is not only not shaken by the adversities that come to our life; persistent faith is not spoiled by the successes that come to our lives as well. I worry more about success than I do about failure, and here's the reason why. Turn to Deuteronomy 8. But I want to read just several verses. Deuteronomy 8:11-13 KJV (11) Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: (12) Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; (13) And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Verse (17) And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. (18) But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (19) And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. What was the concern of Moses for the people of Israel when they got into the Promised Land? It wasn't the Canaanites; it wasn't the Hittites and the Perizzites and all the Hivites. It wasn't the trouble they were going to have. It was the prosperity they were going to have. Where they would build houses and have lands and sheep and cattle and vineyards and they would have golden grain in the fields. When they would have what Britain and Canada and America and a lot of countries have today. That's when Moses was concerned that they would be destroyed and their faith would be destroyed. Whether you're facing tough times today or things are going pretty well for you, you can't allow either of those extremes to shake your faith, because at the end of the day, the bottom line is this: Both what you consider good and what you consider bad need to be given to God in praise. Isn’t it strange how we cry out to Him when things are going terrible in our lives, yet when things are great, we go about doing as we will? Matthew 5:45 Jesus speaking. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. He brings to us those things that we consider adversities, and He brings to us those things we consider prosperities. And if we forget our relationship before Him, if we forget who He is and who we are, then our faith is going to be destroyed. And my concern today is that we maintain persistent faith whether it's in adversity or prosperity. "Oh but brother Jim, we shouldn’t try to be successful?" I think we should always try to seek success, but I think the issue here is not whether we want to be successful or not but whether we want to be successful in the way God defines success. So we have to make sure that the success we seek is God's idea of success and to give Him praise for that success. Did anyone get anything out of this today? I also would like to thank any mothers that may hear this message or read it sometime later. Women are very important to God. In Genesis God gave Adam Eve as a help mate. She started the seed that would at a later date bring Mary into the picture to give birth to God’s only begotten Son. The Savior of the world. Because of moms, you and I came into this world. I would ask that each and every one of you give thanks to your mom. If she is still living, I would highly recommend that you at least call her. Maybe there is a problem that has separated you, I urge you to call and say you’re sorry, even if it isn’t your fault. Maybe it is your daughter or son. Again, call and let them know that you love them. For those who are missing a mom, I’m sorry for your loss, but this is a time to be thankful for the great memories that you have. Or maybe even a wife who has passed away. In all seriousness, take this time today to speak to her and tell her you love her, or make amends. Amen? Let’s pray. |
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