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Each week a new verse-by-verse Bible study podcast given in expository style. Join us and see the Bible come alive as we study the truths that God‘s Word has for us.
Episodes
Sunday Mar 20, 2016
Sunday Mar 20, 2016
Do you fear God?
Your answer to this question says a lot about whether or not you truly believe that there is a God, that He is the Creator of all things, including you, and that a day of judgement is coming for you. It also says what you believe about heaven or hell and how God will determine who joins Him in heaven, and who spends eternity in hell.
When we have a healthy fear of the things of this world, it is because they have the ability and the authority to deprive us of our life and the lives of our loved ones, our liberty, and our possessions, although I would define liberty as including our wealth and possessions. For example, I have a healthy fear of the IRS, not because I have ever failed to pay my taxes as required, but because they have an almost unlimited ability to change my life by taking things away from me, and they have a very spotty record of being accurate in their judgments.
It is a sad statement that man has more fear of the institutions created by man, than they do of their own Creator. Some of this can be attributed to the immediacy and the visibility of the institutions created by man. We can see them, we know they exist, and the judgment date can be established as a day on the calendar. But it can also be attributed to the love that man has for sin.
John 3:19-20
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
KJV
Man does not live a holy life because he does not want to believe in God. To believe in God, means that you must acknowledge His sovereign right to declare what is sin and what is not. Instead, man wants to decide for himself what is sin and what is not, so he denies the existence of God.
Man does not live a holy life because he does not want to believe that there ever will be a judgment day for that sin. If man denies the existence of God, then man can deny any type of judgment by God. Man loves sin more than he fears God.
In today’s lesson, Peter will tell believers that this is a fallacy that we should know better than to believe. As our Creator, God has the sovereign right and the ability to deprive us of our life, our liberty, and any of our possessions. While a believer knows that their eternal destination has already been decided when they made Christ their Lord and Master, they also know that a day of judgment is coming for the determination of how our actions will either be rewarded or lost. Our salvation is secure, our presence in heaven is secure, but our standing in heaven is yet to be determined.
Sunday Mar 13, 2016
Sunday Mar 13, 2016
Outside the four walls of the church, would you ever describe your life as holy? Do you feel comfortable with the word holy when you are speaking to the general public? Probably not. I can’t say that I use the word holy very much outside of a church service or in a Bible study setting.
Why not? The unfortunate reality is that we have allowed the word holy to be hijacked by those who would give it a somewhat pious connotation to it. This is certainly true in the secular world, but even in the religious world. Words like holy-roller, holier-than-thou, are phrases that come immediately to mind when someone claims to be holy.
Why? It is because the world thinks of a religious person as basically a hypocrite because they see so many examples of people who claim to be a Christian, but they live a life that is no different than everyone else around them. They claim to refrain from drinking for religious reasons, but spread gossip at every opportunity. They say they go to church on Sunday, and then they join their friends at a bar on Monday. Statistics would say that a Christian couple is just as likely to commit adultery or have their marriage end in divorce as a non-Christian couple. If these things are true, then there is no wonder that the first thought that comes to mind of an average person when they hear the word holy, is hypocrite, or religious fraud. If you doubt this is true, try describing yourself as living a holy life to one of your lost friends and then watch for the look on their face.
So, as a believer, when we say that we are to live a life that is holy, what does that mean to you?
Does it mean to live life one way while you are at church and another way when you go to work on Monday? How about when you are behind the wheel of your car in traffic, do you live a life that is holy then? Are your actions as you drive holy, are the gestures that you make to other drivers holy, are your words, both the ones you say out loud and the ones that you think in your mind, holy? How about when you are watching your child, or grandchild, play in a sporting event, would somebody listening to your words that you yell at the umpire or referee consider them to be holy?
When God talks about living a life that is holy, He means that your life should be one that is distinct from the secular world. There ought to be a noticeable difference in your life, not a weird difference, but a good difference. Not a hypocritical difference, but a consistent difference. I said last week that for many people, the life of a believer is the only Bible that they will ever read. People should see Christ in your life. Your life should be holy, just as Christ’s life was holy.
We cannot be perfect, but we can keep trying to be more like Christ. We cannot live a holy life by our own will power. It can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit having complete control of our lives. This is the message that Peter has for us today.
Sunday Dec 06, 2015
Sunday Dec 06, 2015
The word obedience is a great Biblical word in the life of the believer. It is at the very heart of our service, our salvation, and our sanctification. Many an invitation call has been made with these words.
Trust and obey,
For there is no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
In our lesson today, we learn that to be obedient to the Word of God we must be skillful and intelligent in the truths and ways of God.
Matthew 10:16
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
KJV
We are to be wise in the Word of God so that we can determine that which is really good, from that which is counterfeit; wise so that we can distinguish things that are untrue, in order to improve our opportunities to serve. All the while knowing that we remain surrounded by those who would deceive us, and therefore take us away from God’s work.
Proverbs 14:8
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
KJV
We talked last week about how the believer is to recognize the truth among a sea of counterfeit. You learn to tell the difference by diligent study of the real thing. To rightly divide the word of truth requires meticulous, constant, study, an open heart to the words of the Holy Spirit, and simplicity in our faith in Christ.
We are to be wise enough not to be deceived, and yet so simple that we will not be deceivers. It is a Holy simplicity that Paul describes here. To have a holy simplicity means that you are someone who does not contrive, or have evil intentions. We are not to be sophisticated in the ways of evil, we are to be simply faithful in our knowledge of the Lord.
An obedient believer is to recognize wisdom, recognize evil, and recognize that both can be found in the church. To believe otherwise is to be naive and foolish. To be obedient to God requires that we know the truth of what God says so that we will not be deceived by the lies of Satan.
Monday Nov 30, 2015
Monday Nov 30, 2015
How do you deal with those who deliberately, not accidentally, teach a doctrine that is different from what is found in the Bible?
When a Jehovah’s Witness comes to your door, what do you do? Do you engage in a debate with them, or do you shut the door?
How do you identify what is true and what is false in the teachings of people who profess to be Bible believing Christians? They may even be in the leadership of the church as the pastor, or a deacon, or a Bible teacher. How do you know when they begin to teach something that is false?
Many of these people will use the same words that we use, but they use a different dictionary to define them. They say they believe in Jesus as the Christ, but they mean a Christ who was not the Son of God. They say they believe in the resurrection, but they mean a spiritual resurrection, not the physical, bodily resurrection that the Bible declares occurred.
The subtlety of these teachings is that they use a paraphrased truth from the Bible and then mix it with a lie, for the very best lies are based on a fragment of truth. Just enough truth to seduce you, but filled with the lies of a false religion.
Our lesson today is on how to deal with false teachers in the church and on your doorstep. Today, as Christians we have two weapons to combat Satan and his disciples which are sufficient for our victory in spiritual warfare: the Spirit of God and the Word of God. Filled with the Spirit, we can unsheath the Word of God to answer every devilish challenge that Satan and his demons can make. All the craft and subtlety that Satan can muster is useless if the believer can began every statement with the words “Thus saith the Lord”.
If there comes among you a teacher who knowingly and willfully does not teach the truth about Jesus Christ as He is defined in the Bible, then Paul says that we are to mark them, to shun them, and to avoid them. We are to correct them under the leading of the Holy Spirit, but if that fails, then they are to be removed from the body of believers just as you would a ravening wolf that was prowling among you.
Sunday Nov 08, 2015
Sunday Nov 08, 2015
The way to happiness and harmony between God’s people is not always easy, for people are different. Imagine that, I am different from you, and you are different from me. In fact, praise God that we are different, for it shows that we are a unique creation of God, with a unique task to perform for the Lord.
We are different because we are saved from a multitude of backgrounds including, racial and religious differences, and even social and educational differences. It is inevitable that people of different ages and temperaments, abilities and drives, concepts and natures should have trouble adjusting one to another within the fellowship of a local church. But it can be done. It cannot be done by our nature, nor can it be done by our own self-will, but it can be done through the grace of God working in us.
When you think about it, the things that unite us are far stronger than the things that divide us. We are united in Christ by a common birth, by precious blood, and by one belief.
Eph 4:4-7
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
KJV
Certainly, it is true that the things that bind us are far stronger than the things that divide us, and it is the fact that these things are true, that we have only One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all, and it this truth that makes it possible for us to make sure that we are…
Eph 4:3
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
KJV
When our eyes are on the Lord, when we remember that our love of Christ is the tie that binds us and it is far stronger than the things that divide us, then our ability to get along is simple and assured.
Sunday Nov 01, 2015
Sunday Nov 01, 2015
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a message just for the few, or the select. It is a message for the world. It is a message of God’s grace, God’s love, God’s truth, God’s sacrifice, and ultimately God’s judgment.
As Christians, we are the ambassadors for Christ on this earth. Our home is in heaven and our eternal destiny is secure resting safely in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not have to be good to get into heaven, for we are already citizens in heaven. Christ has paid the price for our sins, and our faith in Him has made us the adopted sons and daughters of the almighty God. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that I will be greeted and welcomed by my Lord Jesus in heaven when I leave this life.
We are sojourners on the earth, with a message of the good news of God’s grace to declare. Part of that message is how we embrace and accept our fellow believers in Christ. This is what our lessons have been about over the last several weeks, for we are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ in a way that will build them up, and that will be for their lasting benefit.
In areas where we have the flexibility to accommodate a weaker brother’s beliefs in debatable issues, we are to accommodate them. Our guide is to never be a stumbling block, but to always be a stepping stone in our brother’s spiritual growth. In all things we are to love our God with all of our heart, mind, spirit, and soul, and then we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
This is the witness that we are to have to the outside world, one of compassion and love for one another. As a body of believers, we are to have unity in essential beliefs, and we are to have liberty in non-essential beliefs.
Yet, there is also a time when we are to stand up for what is God’s truth. There can be no compromise in the areas of vital truth.
This is what our lesson is about today, how the believer is to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ to the world.
Sunday Oct 25, 2015
Sunday Oct 25, 2015
Over the last two chapters of our study, Paul has certainly made it clear that part of lovingly exercising our religious liberty to do the debatable things, the things not clearly defined as wrong in the Bible, is knowing when not to do something, or knowing when it might cause harm to someone else.
I believe Paul would sum up his argument in this chapter by saying the spirit of charity, or the spirit of love, outweighs all of our other concerns. If we truly love our neighbors as ourselves, then we will not do anything that will harm them. Just as we would not do anything to harm ourselves.
Paul has told us that in the area of essential beliefs, or the things clearly defined in the Bible, we are to have unity. How do we have that unity? By moving closer to Christ.
In the area of non-essential beliefs, or the debatable issues, we are to have liberty. How do we express and enjoy that liberty? By moving closer to Christ.
In all things we are to have charity towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. How are we to show this charity? By loving God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and spirit. How do we show God that we love Him this much? By moving closer to Christ.
If we do the first commandment, the second commandment will take care of itself.
If we do the second commandment, then we will be our brother’s keeper, and we will do, or not do, what it takes to help build our brother and sister in Christ, spiritually.
So this is the spirit of charity, or love, that we are to have towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. But Paul has not finished yet. I think he knew that if he left it here, depending only on our love for our neighbor, we would respond as we have. So, he has an even higher ground to map out for us. It is a great thing to treat a weaker brother in the spirit of charity, or love. It is a far greater thing to treat them in the spirit of Christ.
In this lesson, Paul will basically ask the question of how far would Christ go in building up a fellow brother or sister in Christ, and then he will tell us that is how far we should go.
Sunday Oct 18, 2015
Sunday Oct 18, 2015
We spent a lot of time last week asking the question of whether or not we are to be our brother’s keeper, and we said that Paul would tell us that yes we should be. We defined the term my brother’s keeper from a Biblical perspective as generally meaning to be responsible for the care of someone. We said to think of the roles of a shepherd or a vine keeper. That our role was to edify our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ.
So let me ask the question, how far are we to go to edify our brother or sister in Christ?
If your brother in Christ believed that handling snakes was a testament of the power of the Holy Spirit in you, in other words, it proved that you were saved, would you go up front in the church and handle a deadly snake so as not to offend them?
If your sister thought that wearing slacks to church was disruptive to the service, would you stop wearing slacks?
If a brother and sister couple that you did a lot of things with thought going to the movies was a sin, would you stop going to the movies? Would you stop, only with them, or all together?
Is there anything that you would say, No, that is just too far for me to go to help my brother or sister in Christ out?
So let me change the question, and you knew this was coming, how far do you believe Jesus would go to help you? Is there anything, like dying on a cross for you, that Jesus would not do for you?
Paul is going to tells us in our lesson today that selfishness has no part in the Christian life. Yet, Paul is going to tell us that we do not have to continually modify our behavior just to satisfy the weaker brother’s desires. Rather, we are to act in a way which will be to his lasting benefit. We are to help him carry the cross of his weakness until he has matured spiritually as a Christian.
We are our brother’s keeper and, in the spirit of love, we are to look to Christ to determine how far we are to go in order to ensure the spiritual growth of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The question becomes, not how far will you go for them, but how much do you love them, and what does that love tell you to do? Is there anything too far for someone you love as much as you love yourself?
Sunday Oct 11, 2015
Sunday Oct 11, 2015
Where does the phrase my brother’s keeper come from, and what does it mean? We see the first Biblical use of the phrase in:
Gen 4:9
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
KJV
Now, when Cain gave this reply to God, he was clearly trying to be sarcastic to God, which is never a really good thing to do. But Cain was essentially telling God, How should I know where my brother is, is he my responsibility?
From a Biblical perspective the phrase generally means to be responsible for the care of someone, think of the roles of a shepherd or a vine keeper. But does that mean that we are responsible for the sin that others do? No, the Bible is clear that we have no excuse for our own sin. So with this said, when it comes to the debatable issues that we have been talking about, those not clearly defined in the Bible, are we our brother’s keeper?
Is the answer the same towards our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as it is towards a lost person?
Did Christ live a life here on earth that could be described as being His brother’s keeper?
What does Christ mean when we say that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, and how does that fit in with the concern that Christ would say that we need to have about our brothers and sisters in Christ’s walk in faith?
How far are we to go before we say, well I have tried to tell him and show him what is right, but eventually he has to make his own decision?
How do we know that whatever we are doing will not be a stumbling block to someone, but will be a stepping stone, because really anything we do might offend somebody else? We see it everywhere in our politically correct world today, somebody is offended by anything related to Christianity. So should we just totally shut down any outward religious activity in the fear that it might offend somebody?
The answer to all of these questions is to move closer to Christ. The more we conform our mind and spirit to the will of Christ and fully surrender our lives to Christ, then He will control our lives, and we will be our brother’s keeper.
The more we move toward Christ, the less we will have to worry about offending a brother or sister in Christ.
How do we enjoy our full liberty in Christ? By moving closer to Christ.
How do we educate our conscience about what the word of God says about certain activities? By moving closer to Christ.
How can we truly be our brother’s keeper in the way that Christ would have us do? By moving closer to Christ.
Sunday Oct 04, 2015
Sunday Oct 04, 2015
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LIBERTY
We live in a country where our liberty to pursue our lives as we choose is a cherished right. It is such a cherished right that many of our men and women have fought and died so that we could keep that right. Yet, that same liberty requires that we regulate our own behavior in a manner that does not harm others. Self-government requires self-regulation.
For example, I have the liberty to purchase the car of my choice. I could buy a convertible Honey Bee yellow 1970 Hemi Plymouth Cuda that can go from 0-60 in less than 5.8 seconds or top out at a speed of 160 mph, but if I want to drive that vehicle on the road with others there are limits to what I can do with that liberty of owning such a powerful vehicle. Our traffic laws have been put in place to help me from doing something that might harm someone else, but even acting within these laws my behavior can potentially harm others.
We choose to limit our liberty because we value the lives of others and we protect their rights to choose how they want to live their lives.
We also have to be careful how others see us and what we do. I used to ride motorcycles when I was 15 to about 17. I really enjoyed it, in fact, I still have a motorcycle designation on my driver’s license just in case I ever get a wild feeling and decide to ride again. So why haven’t I ridden a motorcycle since I was young?
It is because I got married, and had then I had two boys who watched everything that I did. Getting married meant that I had someone else depending on me to go to work every day to provide a place for us to live. Having sons meant setting an example of the kinds of behavior that would keep us, and them, safe. It is not that riding a motorcycle is bad or evil, in fact, it is a lot of fun, nor, am I concerned with my own ability to ride safely. What I am concerned about is riding on a small, two wheel, fully exposed vehicle, in amongst a bunch of 2,000 lb. heavy metal vehicles driven by people who do not even see a motorcycle rider coming down the road, and hit them on a regular basis.
So I have the full liberty to do something that is not evil, yet I choose not to do that activity because of what the impact may be on those around me. I choose not to exercise my liberty because it may impact my ability to be a good provider, and it might set an example that would cause someone else around me to stumble, or to get hurt, just because they saw me doing something.
We choose to do, or not do, certain things because we love Christ and we want to be more like Him. We also choose to do, or not to do, certain things because we are to love our neighbors as we do ourselves and we do not want to be a stumbling block to them.
This is what our lesson is about today, being, or not being, a stumbling block to others.