Ministry of Love

The intention of this blog is to share Biblical messages at least on a weekly basis. Any response is appreciated. I do not expect everyone to agree with my interpretation of Biblical passages. I will try to respond with love and thoughtfulness.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Matthew 4:4, Can We Heal Our World? by John

Can we Heal Our World?
Matthew 4:4

1. Jesus spoke those words.
(1) Do they impress you?
(2) They should because they were spoken by Jesus to the adversary, the devil, when the devil tempted Him to sin.
2. Let me read you a few verses from Leviticus 18: 24-28. "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled, so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you."
3. Aren't these awesome words? God does not change. James 1:17,18 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."
4. God does not change. His requirements for all of us, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Communists, Criminals, everyone, is the same now that it always has been!
(1) That means that He expects us to live morally clean lives. For us to think we are saved and now we can live like the devil is a terrible mistake! Romans 6:1,2 and verse 12 say, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?...Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires."
(2) God expects us to be honest.
(3) God expects us to treat each other as creations of God!
(4) He expects us to worship Him alone!
(5) I can almost hear someone saying, "Isn't the preacher talking about keeping the ten commandments?" And, I say, yes, I am.
5. Almost any good Christian would answer immediately, "But we are not, and we never have been, and we never will be under the Law!"
6. And that is true, but that does not change the requirements that God placed on the entire human race!
7. If we human beings are rebellious, God has told us He will curse the land, and it will vomit us out!
8. Look around you, people. Look right here in this town. Can't you see God's commandments, not just being broken, but being totally disregarded?
9. I believe this is as good a town as you will find in the USA! That means the situation of this nation is perhaps even worse than it was in Sodom and Gomorrah!
10. I think God has spared this nation because He does have more than ten righteous people here! But wars, the sounds of battle, floods, drought, hail and lightening storms are tools God has used in the past, and He may just be giving us some early warnings of what is in store for this nation if we do not change!
11. What's the cure? What will heal the land? Repentance! But how do we get a nation to repent when the leaders are stealing tax money from the people? When leaders are prostituting themselves with the vested interests of big business?
12. How can we get people to repent when common every day citizens commit every sort of lewd and indecent act!
13. I really know only what I read in the papers, see on TV, and hear in the coffee shop. Much of it is incorrect at best, so you know as much or more than I do.
14. I think I know the answer for the health of our nation. It is to obey God, and that starts with repentance.

I. How can you Obey God, Without Knowing What He Wants?

1. I remember the story about a young mother whose little girl got into everything. She was constantly saying, "No! No! Don't do that!" After a trip to the grocery where the girl was constantly into something, the young mother put down her bags of groceries in the kitchen, heaved a sigh of relief, and said to the little girl, "Do anything you want to! Now, let's see you disobey that!"
2. We have a puppy who knows his own mind. He will do anything you want him to...if it suits him!
3. So many of us are so disobedient to our wonderful heavenly Father because we don't know what He wants! And some don't want to know what He desires of us.
4. I think some of us have that childish idea that if we don't know what God wants, He can't hold us responsible.
5. If you have that idea, go out on the highway and drive at a breakneck speed, and when a patrolman pulls you over, tell him, "I didn't know what the speed limit was!"
6. Ignorance is no excuse before the law!
7. It is our responsibility to learn what God wants of us!

II. To Learn What God Says, We Must Read the Bible.

1. Wow! That's a new concept, isn't it???
2. Of course, it is not. We have been told that since we were children, right?
3. The problem is, most of us have never looked for a good reason to read the Bible.
4. Most Christians if asked will say, "Yes. I read the Bible, but I don't read it enough."
5. I wonder what they think is enough?
6. Some of us reading the Bible every day feel like we know too little of it, right?
7. I have always liked that little statement, "It is not how many times you have been through the Bible, but how many times the Bible has been through you that counts!"
8. Every Christian should, if he hasn't already done it, decide to read God's Word!

III. Reading a Small Portion of the Bible Is Not Enough!

1. Many of us, preachers included, tend to read favorite passages, or passages that we believe we understand.
2. There's nothing wrong with that except that it is too little.
3. In Paul's final address to the Ephesian elders in Acts. 20:25-27, he said, "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God."
4. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16,17).
5. Paul was saying he had done all he could, but he was also marking out a route for people to follow!
6. We need to know all of God's Word!
7. I don't think any of us will ever know God's Word like Paul did, but we can expose ourselves to all of it!
8. Read the whole Bible, people!

IV. Reading the Whole Bible Can be Very Hard.
1. I struggled with the King James for years after I became a Christian.
2. If someone asked me if I had read the whole Bible, I would sort of hedge by saying something like, "Not yet. I'm working on it." It would have been true if I had said, "I've tried and tried, but I just have not been able to make myself do it!"
3. The Bible was written in the language of the people who lived at the time it was written.
4. Every new generation changes the language, and as a result, needs to have a new translation of the Bible. (I had trouble with the King James because I did not understand the English language of 1611. That's when it was translated.)
5. I can read a little Hebrew, a little Greek, a little Spanish, and a lot of modern English. If I am going to read the whole Word of God, I need to read it in the language I think and usually speak! So do you!
6. I need to read it from cover to cover.
(1) There are parts of the Bible I don't like, but I read them. It's God's Word!
(2) There are parts I just love, and I certainly read them.
(3) There are parts that are sort of ho-hum to me, but I read them!
7. We need to get "the whole will of God!"
8. When I know what God has said, then I am prepared to be obedient.

V, Through Trial and Error, I Worked Out a Number of Ways to Keep Track of My Reading.

1. I'm going to tell you about the latest and simplest one.
2. I listed every Book of the Bible with the number of chapters in each one.
3. Then I typed out a number (beginning at one) for each chapter of each Book.
4. When I read a chapter, if my list is on paper, I mark through it. If it is on computer, I erase it.
5. I set myself an average goal of 4 chapters a day. That will get me through the entire Bible in a little less than a year.
6. I know that because of work, illness, vacations, etc. I will fail to read the Bible at all some days, so I set myself a daily goal of six chapters. That way, when I miss, I will be ahead of my average.
7. If reading the Bible in one year is too much for you, you can cut the chapter reading in half, and you will accomplish it in two years. (Most people never read the whole Bible in their entire lives!)
8. When you do get through it, you will have been exposed to the whole will of God! That alone should change your life.

Conclusion:

1. Our whole world is sick, sick, sick! It's sin-sick!
2. We can sit idly by and watch the land vomit us out, or we can start doing the will of God in everything!
3. God doesn't expect us to be flawless, but he does expect us to be obedient.
4. Set yourself a goal and stick to it. Read the Bible!
5. Perhaps the rest of the world will begin to see God blesses obedient people!
6. The first acceptable act of obedience to God is to receive His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Have you done that?

Friday, July 13, 2007

John 10:1ff, The Way of Salvation, by John

The Way of Salvation
John 10:1ff

1. Jesus spoke to everyone, but He was primarily interested in their understanding what He said if they were seeking God.
2. In Matthew 13: 10, the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to the people in parables.
3. He answered them in v. 10: "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them."
4. God has given all of us freedom of choice.
(1) The people in Isaiah's day had that same freedom, and Jesus quoted from Isaiah 6:9,10.
(2) By speaking in parables, those who were seeking God would understand.
(3) Those rebelling against God would not see the truth of the parable. In Mt. 13:12, Jesus said, "Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
5. Today, we have God's Word to lead us if we will read it and hear it taught and preached. All that we need is right here between these covers!
(1) You want to know how God sees you? It's right here!
(2) You want to know where you will spend eternity? It's right here!
(3) You want to know how you can live for Jesus and please Him and His Father? It's right here for you!
6. In our text, Jesus is still talking to the Pharisees as far as I can tell, and He tells them where the dividing line is between eternal life and eternal death.
7. Let's look at it.

I. There is only one way to life everlasting, v, 1-3

1. Men in all ages have tried to enter heaven their own way, and Jesus refers to their attempts in v.
(1) He used terms the people understood, sheep, sheep pens, gate, thieves and robbers.
(2) Anyone who doesn't try to enter heaven by Jesus is a thief and a robber in God's sight!
(3) Only the Good Shepherd enters by the gate, and He alone can invite you to enter through that gate.
(4) In 10:7, Jesus says, "I am the gate for the sheep."
(5) That also means, He will not invite you until you become one of His sheep! (note the word "for.")
2. Let's borrow another statement from Jesus in Matthew 7:13 and say, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
(1) Jesus is the only way to life eternal.
(2) The nicest thing you can say about someone trying any other way is that they are mistaken and will not, cannot, be successful!
3. The Pharisees missed the point. I hope no one here has missed it. Jesus is the one way to life eternal!

II. Jesus Is Our Lord! vv 3, 4.

1. In v 3, Jesus told us the "watchman opens the gate for him."
(1) That happens because the Heavenly Father has given Jesus the right to choose His Own sheep!
(2) In fact, Colossians 2:9,10 says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."
2. Note that Jesus' sheep know the sound of His voice and respond to it, v 3.
3. Also note that Jesus knows each one of us, His sheep, by name! Jesus knows you Christian, and He will know you by name lost person as soon as you put your life in His hands.
4. We worry about whether we are doing what God wants us to do, or whether we have gone astray somehow.
(1) I wonder if we forget those last words in v 3? Jesus "leads them out."
5. God has provided in His Son Jesus all that we need!

III. The Future Holds No Fear for Christians, v 5.

1. We may be timid by nature, but we do not need to be timid spiritually.
2. The future is in the able hands of God, and He is watching over His entire creation.
3. We need to stop worrying, and listen for the voice of Jesus and follow where He leads!
4. In v. 24, the Jews gathered around Jesus and said, "It you are the Christ tell us plainly."
5. In vv. 27-30, Jesus answered them, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. I and the Father are one."
6. How can any Christian possibly fear the future when he knows that Jesus and the Father both hold him in their hands?
7. The apostle Paul had this in mind when he wrote the Romans in chapter 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
8. In v 16 & 17, he said, "Now if we are children then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heairs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

Conclusion:

1. If you want to get rid of fear, if you want to live a godly life, if you want heaven for your home, the one single way to have it is to receive it as a gift from God.
2. He has foreordained that every person who seeks Him honestly can find Him.
3. He has already provided His Son Jesus to pay for your sins.
4. It's up to you to put your trust in Jesus, and to accept His Lordship of your life!
5. If some very rich person said, "I want to make you rich!" What would your response be?
6. I suspect you would be quick to say, "Hey! I'm willing!" but in this day and time, you might add, "What's the catch?"
7. If he said, "I want you to be my servant and do whatever I tell you."
8. That's what God is saying to you right now.
(1) In addition to that, God wants to make you His heir!
(2) He wants you to be part of His family.
(3) That means everything that God has will be yours with Him!
(4) Oh, you won't get it all at once. You have some growing to do, but you will be part of the family of God, and nothing but good comes to His family!
9. You can decide to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior right now, and you can ask God to save you.
10. He will.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

John 9:1-41, The Spit of Jesus by John

The Spit of Jesus
John 9:1-41, Read vv. 1-7

1. Did you think the title for this message, the Spit of Jesus, was some sort of typographical error?
2. It's not. I believe it is vitally important for the whole human race to realize that everything about God is wonderfully pure, right and powerful.
3.We tend to think spit is disgusting and dirty, but nothing about God is unclean or disgusting.
4. God is all-powerful, and He is capable of acting however He chooses to accomplish His will.
(1) I don't think of a single time Jesus healed anyone in exactly the same way, do you?
(2) God is infinite, and He needs never repeat Himself.
5. Jesus healed a man's vision by taking dirty, dusty street dirt and mixing it with His own saliva!
6. I want us to see ourselves in this portion of Scripture.
(1) We may see ourselves born blind, or...
(2) We may see ourselves as once being blind, and now thankfully seeing.
7. Consider this...

I. This Man Was in an Awful Condition Even for that day!

1. He was born physically blind in a spiritually blind society. The Jewish society was almost completely oblivious to his presence; so much so that v. 8 says his neighbors and those who had seen him begging did not even recognize him!
(1) How would you like to be a grown person and no one except your parents could recognize who you were! That was this man's condition. To all the people around him, he was a nobody.
2. Have you thought about what it means to be blind?
(1) It means you cannot see the glories of God's creation!
(2) It means that you live in a world of eternal darkness.
(3) It means the only way you can read anything is by Braille or perhaps talking books.
(4) TV would be better than nothing. You could close your eyes and listen to a drama, but you would miss the action! Try closing your eyes when an action program is on and see how much you miss,
(5) If you want a greater challenge, try to eat a fresh, crisp green salad with your eyes shut! (I'll admit, I sometimes have trouble keeping my dignity eating a green salad, and I can see)!
3. If you were blind, how would you know when you had an injury? Only by the pain you felt, right?
(1) If you bled, could you stop it?
(2) You couldn't apply a bandage very well. I've tried doing that in the dark. It's tough!
(3) You certainly would not be able to help someone else who was injured, at least not much.
4. These are just a few facets of blind life. There are many, many more!
5. We know this man was mature, probably in his 30's at least, because in v. 21 his parents said he was "of age," and they considered a person an adult when they were about 33.
6. Now, you may not be physically blind like this man, but this man was also spiritually blind, and you may be, too.
7. How can we know he was spiritually blind?
(1) He admitted he didn't know Jesus.
(2) He obviously knew Judaism pretty well because he was able to argue with the Pharisees, and win, and they were well trained in the art of debate.
(3) Are you spiritually blind??? Let me put it another way, do you know Jesus? If you haven't committed your life to Him, you are just like this man who was blind from birth physically and spiritually.

II. The Pharisees Were in Worse Shape than the Blind Man.

1. In v. 41 Jesus told the Pharisees, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
2. The blind man admitted he was both physically and spiritually blind.
(1) Jesus healed his eyes, and he admitted it to the Jewish leaders.
(2) But he also plainly told those Pharisees he did not know who Jesus was. He considered Him a prophet, not the Son of God!
3. The Pharisees saw themselves as the elite of their culture, and in their society they were, but Jesus said they were not even spiritually close.
(1) They claimed to be Moses' disciples!
a. Let me stop right there for a moment.
b. It's easy to think you are a disciple if you choose to keep only the commands you want to follow.
c. A true disciple follows all of God's commands whether he likes them or not!
(2) People try to follow Jesus the way the Pharisees did.
a. They claim to love Jesus, but they hate black, yellow, red, poor, intelligent, or someone else that Jesus says is their brother!
b. I John 3:15 says, "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him."
4. God loves all of us, and all of us, no exception, who really love God, have God's love in them.
5. That love passes from God through every Christian to everyone else!
6. The Law is a tutor, or a schoolmaster, to lead us to Christ, Galatians 3:24.
(1) The Pharisees claimed to live the Law!
(2) In Matthew 23:13, Jesus said, "Woe unto you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to!"
6. Anyone who keeps the major teachings of the Law will find Jesus because that's where the Law leads.
7. The Pharisees also thought they were disciples of the Law.
(1) They thought they were the top of God's crop!
(2) They thought anyone who disagreed with them could not possibly be right.
(3) Jesus told them how wrong they were!
8. I'm afraid there are many today that believe they are Christians because they belong to the church, they don't curse, beat their wives, or husbands, and such things as that.
9. Do you know you can ride in an automobile that doesn't even have a motor in it? The problem is, you can only go downhill!
10. Trying to be a Christian without Christ is like trying to drive a car without an engine!

III. Jesus Healed this Blind Man.

1. He did not heal anyone who could see.
(1) That sounds strange doesn't it?
(2) If you were blind from birth, and no one told you that you were blind, you would not be conscious you weren't like everyone else, would you. That's right, isn't it?
2. Healing this man was Jesus' way of showing these Pharisees just how blind they were.
(1) It's true, they did not learn the lesson!
(2) Instead they said that this man was "steeped in sin from birth!"
(3) They accused Jesus of having a demon, and of performing miracles by the power of Beelzebub!
(4) They were totally unwilling to admit they were wrong!
3. Now let's be sure to note that this man wasn't just healed of physical blindness.
(1) Jesus healed him spiritually, too.
(2) His whole life was changed in a moment because he wanted to know Jesus!
(3) I think it is important to note that Jesus looked him up after his healing because he was willing to be spiritually whole.
4. We need to know God goes as far with us as we are willing to go!

Conclusion:

1. This man we have been talking about had a physical problem all his life until he met Jesus.
2. The Pharisees who led the people of his community were in just as bad condition, and they did not have any physical problem. That alone made them feel as if they were blessed of God.
3. They were actually hell bound, and they thought they were on the road to heaven!
4. I believe they were in worse shape than the blind man because they were not seeking God!
5. Jesus healed that man physically.
6. He sought him out later and healed him spiritually!
7. He did not heal the Pharisees because they did not want to be healed!
8. Perhaps you've missed the way to Jesus.
9. Perhaps your teachers have misled you.
10. Like this man Jesus healed, you can still come to Jesus from wherever you are, and you can do it right now!
11. The question before you is: Are you willing to be healed spiritually by the Lord Jesus?