For It Is Written Message delivered January 12, 2014 Good morning friends and family. It seems good to be writing sermon messages again after taking some time off while we viewed a very powerful series from Pastor Robert Morris on breaking the bondage and truly becoming free. For those who have not watched it, you can see the full series on Cross Roads Fellowship and on Lokey Sisters. I urge everyone to watch it in its entirety. From the title of today's message, most would probably suggest that we will base the message on the temptations of Jesus after He was baptized. You are partially correct, but I want to go much deeper than that passage. Please turn, if you will to Matthew 4:1. We are going to pick up just after John baptized Jesus in the Jordon river. From this point on, according to what we know from the Bible, Jesus starts His ministry here on earth. While everyone is turning to Matthew 4:1, I want to ask you all a few questions. Do we believe the Bible is from God? 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Praise the Lord!! We believe Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Glory to God. We believe what Peter said in Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. Halleluiah! Prayer. Matthew 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (3) 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. (5) 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. (8) Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (11) Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Church, what a lesson to be learned here when Satan comes subtly to tempt us! Amen? How often do we speak the Word of God against those things that attack us? In the almost two years that Leanna and I have been holding services here at our home, I have suggested numerous times for those who have attended to write or print out scriptures and pin them up in areas where you will see them often during the course of the day and constantly speak them out. Amen? It is also a good way to build up your faith. We believe God's Word to be true, yes? 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. Praise Jesus! What attacks are coming to you by the enemy? It is crucial that we stick to what the Bible clearly says. Whatever we need to know about Satan is contained in the Scriptures. Amen? Satan is the father lies, the Bible tells us. Jesus says in John 10:9-15 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Church, listen to this next verse. We have all heard it, but do we truly know it? Do we thouroughly understand it? (10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (12) But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. (13) The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (14) I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Where I intend to go with this is in our health, finances, our walk with God, our families, and the list is endless. I want to go in a different direction if I can, as I see this issue going on all over the world. Please turn to Galatians chapter 1, verses 8 and 9. I want us to look at dealing with spiritual thieves, and this is a serious matter. Apostle Paul was a Godly man and tried till his dying day to teach the truth from God's Word. Let's see what he said to the Galatian church. Galatians 1:8-9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (9) As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Now if we can go back a couple books to 1 Corinthians 15 and we will read verses 3- 5. Everyone say amen when you get there. 1 Corinthians 15:2-5 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (5) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: Please go back to the beginning 1 Corinthians and chapter 1. Friends, do we get this? If Christ’s body lies in some nameless grave, there is no hope for the believer, and the Gospel is nothing but emptiness. How do we know His sacrifice for sin was accepted? How can we hope for our own resurrection and immortality? By faith in what this book that lies dusty and unopened in many homes teaches us. Church, we are not free from false teachers today. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2:1-3 There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. Look at all the famous people in the word writing their own religious beliefs. Look at all the new religions springing up all over the world. I have shared this many times in the past couple years. Look at all the denominations all over the world. I'm not trying to down any particular church, but did you know that there are over 200 types of Baptist faiths? Let's look at what Paul said to the Corinthian church. 1 Corinthians 1:4-10 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; (5) That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; (6) Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: (7) So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: (8) Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (10) Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. This scripture alone is why I will not belong to any organized denomination. Leanna and I have been part of some of them and in all of them they left out or added to what my Bible says. Okay, let's get off this topic as it is not where I originally felt led to teach, but thought it important enough to touch on. Let's turn to 1 John 5:3. Friends, we need to get this. Jesus in His death had a double purpose, not only to save us from hell but to cleanse us. We are defiled inwardly by the pollution of sin. Through Him we have “the washing of regeneration.” We are defiled outwardly by the guilt of sin, and by His blood we are separated from sin’s condemnation. Amen? 1 John 5:3-4 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Are you born of God? Friends, I didn't hear you. Are you born of God? Then you are a world over-comer. Glory be to God! Everyone say I am a world over-comer. So when you say I am a world over-comer, you are not overcome by the world. Amen? Then why do we see Christians hurting financially, marital problems, health issues, temptations, stress, worries, and the list goes on and on. Why? Let's look at some of the reasons. How are we living our lives? Can we say we are living exactly like the Bible tells us to? Some of you may remember the sermon series I did a while back "Having the Compassion of Christ". In that series we discussed many things that many had no idea that they had to live by. I prayerfully hope they got it and turned their lives around. What about you? Are there things that are holding you bondage that might be holding blessings back from being fulfilled? What about your faith? Your faith has much to do with victory in your life. Amen? Turn to Hebrews 11. I love this faith chapter. If one reads and meditates on this chapter they will find that all throughout the Bible faith was one of the most important things that got these men and women through. Praise God. I mentioned pinning up scriptures all over your house? This could be a first verse to start with. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Some might remember the message I did on the woman with the issue of blood. What faith she had! You find this story in Mark chapter 5. For 12 years she had this issue. She spent all the money she had on doctors and the problem became worse. We find that she made her way through a crowd that was thronging Jesus and touched a piece of His robe and immediately YOU say it. Immediately, she was healed. And what did Jesus say to her? Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Thank You Jesus. If I can have you turn to Matthew 8:1-4. I have mentioned many times, I have not felt called to preach healing messages even though Leanna and I are walking testimonies of being healed by the Master. I can share how my life has been spared. I can share how many times I was healed months before the doctors said, because of my faith and the faith of those I allowed to lay hands on me and pray. Praise Jesus. In the past few months, we have had more prayers for healing through Cross Roads Fellowship and the J and L Ministries websites. Through the past 10 to 12 years, we have had thousands of prayer requests, and most in healing. We have seen many of those requests come to pass. Praise Jesus! Because of us? Not exactly, but our faith played into it. Matthew 8:1-4 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. (2) And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (3) And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (4) And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Jesus is the divine Son of God, sovereign over all physical ailments, over all circumstances, over the powers of nature, over the evil missions of Satan and over sin. Faith takes Him at His word and finds rest and deliverance at all times in His Word of power. Church, are we getting this? Our faith is so important. On healing…do we believe Jesus still heals today? Is that where your faith is? If not, I guess we have to determine do you believe the Bible is still true? Do we believe God hasn't changed? That He isn't a respecter of persons? Why does God heal some and not others? I know, some of you and most churches determine it must be or is God's will that a person is healed and past experiences. Let me ask you this. Is it God's will that no person perishes? How many unsaved die every day? Does it please Him that people die that are unsaved? No! Think back to these 2 of many passages that we read on healing. Did Jesus say to the woman with the issue of blood, "Daughter, it is because of God's will you were healed"? Or to the man with leprosy, "Sir, this is your lucky day. You picked the right time to beg for me to heal you, because today God said that you could be healed. If you asked yesterday, Well, He might have been too busy.” No, He said, Your faith has healed you, or made you whole.” Where can anyone show in their Bible that Jesus did not heal, when someone asked to be healed? I have studied mine and not once have I found Jesus refusing to heal. I really would like to go the rest of the morning on this and we will another day. Let's talk about love. I know, the ladies are getting all tingly and the men are thinking, “Oh no, not the love thing!” So many do not know the importance of loving others. Forgiveness and unforgiveness is another sour spot with some, yet we can read that love and forgiving is very important in our spiritual walk with Jesus. Please turn to Colossians 3 :13. For those hearing this message here at our house, live on Skype, or reading this on one of the sites that I post on, we have read many scriptures and haven't even scratched the surface of being in obedience to God, or even how to defeat the enemy with the sword, God's Word. It has been a start, but this message could go on for a month of Sundays and still not learn it all. Amen? For those who might be new, I hope you have heard enough to continue stopping by each Sunday. Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. There are so many scriptures we could look at on forgiving. Why should we forgive? Why does God make such an issue of forgiveness? I think we can answer that question in several different ways. Isn't it God's character? When we forgive, we reflect the Father's Love. Amen? When we say the Lord's prayer it is saying, "Forgive AS He has forgiven you" (from Jim's translation). Forgiveness gives us the opportunity to extend to others what God has extended to us. Do you remember where you were when Jesus found you? Maybe there were countless times that you ignored or even rejected Him. Some even go as far as doing everything they can do against Him, because of feeling hurt, because of thinking God had abandoned you, or for whatever reason. Even then the Lord reached out to you and offered His forgiveness. And when you received His love He promised He would "remember the past no longer". Praise God. I know I have a past I’m not proud of, but you and I were forgiven when we were saved. When we forgive others we show that His Spirit is at work within us. When we forgive we demonstrate that we have not forgotten where He found us. Glory be to God. I'm not sure about you, but that excites me. But (you say), "If we forgive, aren't we just letting someone get away with a wrong?" We feel if we "simply forgive" (and there's nothing simple about it) we will be allowing someone to take advantage of us. Shouldn't we make people aware of the wrong they have done?. The Scripture says of a man, 'It is his glory to pass over a transgression.' Proverbs 19:11. It is more honorable to bury an injury than to revenge it. Wrath denotes weakness; a noble heroic spirit overlooks a petty offense.” But what if the wrong is great? Not forgiving is a greater wrong. In injuring you, he has offended against man, but in you not forgiving him, you offend against God. Here is a passage that tells us two things. Many are not going to like what these two verses say, but what is the title of this message? For it is Written. Friends, what we have looked at today are some ways that we need to conduct our lives. Do you want to see God work in your life? Then these scriptures need to be followed. There was much more that I wanted to share, but because of time I will finish with these last two verses I was mentioning. Please turn to Matthew 5:23. For those who think that tithing was only for the Old Testament time, here is one of a few verses that says otherwise. Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift (A what?) to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; (24) Leave there thy gift (A what?) before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Friends, we need to be a light in this dying world. There is so much that was not included in this message, and hopefully we can look at more in the next few weeks. One of the topics I really wanted to discuss was on love. Before we take communion, I want you to hear part of a popular Christian song, and it comes from 1 Corinthians 13:1-7. If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. Communion. Prayer.
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