Saturday, January 23, 2010
Soldier of Jesus Christ
II Timothy 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 5 And if a man also strive for masteries, [yet] is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
This book of II Timothy is written at the end of the Apostle Paul’s life. Paul is facing imminent death by a cruel Roman government for nothing more than preaching to Gospel of God. At this time of his life, he gives these words to his “son in the faith,” Timothy.
Paul in his many epistles shows that he was a very physical person. It is likely that before his eyes started giving him trouble, Paul was an athlete and martial artist. I Corinthians 9:26 “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:” Paul loves to make reference to such things in his writings. So, here again, in II Tim. 2, he applies the analogy of being a soldier to the faith. We know that Christ’s kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. We do not fight a physical fight, but a spiritual one. And our spiritual fight is no less rigorous or demanding than a physical one can be.
Paul tells us that we must endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. A physical soldier must set aside many things that others can enjoy. He must set his attention and time on things that civilians do not need to worry about. So, as Christians, there are some things that we need to set aside. We should not be entangled with the things that the worldly and unsaved get bound up with.
I. A good Soldier will not Flee from the Fight. vs. 2 “teach others also”
The Soldier of Jesus will not run from a fight. We know that there are struggles before us. If we shrink away because of fear, we are not walking by faith. The fear of the wicked will come upon him, but God calls us to rest in the assurance of His presence and power. So, the requirement of every soldier is that we not flee or fear, but rather stand strong. James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice the natural next step when a person submits themselves to God. They will resist the Devil. If you are not resisting the Devil, it is probably because you have not submitted yourself to God properly.
Notice that the soldier of Christ will fight for the truth. That is why Paul says in II Tim. 2:2 “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Our battle as disciples of Christ is an ideological one. It is a battle over truth and deception. We need to find out what we believe and why. Then we need to hold on with dear faith in our Savior that is able to keep us from falling.
This belief in absolute truth is a very unpopular belief these days. The world and society derides us Christians as bigoted if we claim that we have the truth. But the fact is that if we do not stand for God’s revealed truth, we will fall for anything. They do not want us to even believe that it is possible to know the absolute, objective truth. If they can take our assurance of truth, then their lies can stand on equal footing with the words of God.
Matthew 10:36 “And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
A. They attack the Perfect Scripture
The world attacks God’s Word because it wants to exalt their ideas and moralities to an equal footing with God. This is really the spirit of Anti-Christ. I say this because the Bible says that the Anti-Christ will exalt himself above everything that is called god.
The Bible, however, is a protected book. It is perfect because God promised to keep it that way. You can be assured that we do have the perfect Word of God. If God’s Word has not been protected, then our faith is also up for question. Our salvation is based the Bible. If the Bible has not been protected, then how do we know that we have the right gospel? How do we know that we are saved the right way? This is why Satan is so eagerly attacking our Bible.
B. They attack the Pure Savior
Today, the world casts as much doubt as they can on the Person of Christ. There are a thousand heresies to muddy the clear teaching about Jesus in the Word of God. The Gnostics say that Jesus was not human. The Jews, Muslim, and Jehovah (false) Witnesses say that Jesus is not divine. The Mormons say that Jesus was the brother of Satan. And “Oneness” Pentecostals say that Jesus is God the Father. We have the people that say the opposite. These false heretical Trinitarians say that God is three different gods as opposed to one God in three Persons.
Here’s the thing. If we get the wrong Jesus, chances are you got the wrong salvation. That is why Satan wants to so muddy the spiritual waters that no one will be able to see clearly and be saved.
Jesus is the Creator of all things. He was born into human flesh so that He could die for sinful humans. He rose again in perfected flesh. He will come again in that glorified human flesh. He is all man and all God, co-eternal with the Father and Spirit.
C. They attack the Precious Salvation
If Satan and sinful men can confuse the key of how we get to heaven or how we have peace with God, they will have accomplished their goal. Do not be mistaken, my friends. There are people that know the truth of God’s Word and His salvation, and they choose to hate it. They hate God even though they know He exists. They hate the Bible even though they know it is His holy Word.
These wolves will tell you every lie they can. They do it for your money. If they have the key to Heaven, they get to charge for it. They do it for fame. They have to feel important and powerful. They do it for prestige or influence. Not every sinner is one of these wolves, but there are more out there than you think.
Satan will confuse the path to Heaven with all kinds of false doctrine. He says, “You can get to Heaven by being good.” “Obey the Ten Commandments.” “Follow the Golden Rule.” “Be baptized this way.” “Do not murder or commit adultery.” “Never eat spinach with a stranger.” There are millions kooks out there that will give you their version of the Gospel.
The truth of the Gospel will change your life if you let it. And it is simple that even a child can get it. Matthew 19:14 “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus paid the full price. He offers you the free gift. All you have to do is ask Him to save your sinful soul. He will give you that forgiveness and give you the power of the Spirit.
II. A good Soldier will not Faint in the Fight. vs. 3 endure hardness Prov. 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small.”
The good soldier does not flee in fear from the battle. Not only that, but Paul goes on to say that the Soldier for Christ will not faint in the battle either. Now, how is that possible? We are so frail and weak. But God will give us the power of the Holy Spirit when we are saved. We do not have the power to fight and stand in spiritual battle except though God.
God gives us the spiritual equipment to stand in the battle. This is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. The first thing that we need to do if we are going to fight is to stand. Paul emphasized “stand” over and over in this passage. If we do not stand, we will not be able to fight.
A. Bound up by the Belt Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
The belt of Truth binds up our lives. The Greek word for destroy is “louomai.” It can also mean “to loose.” The opposite of being loosed is to be bound up. This is true for us today as it was in the days when Paul wrote. The soldier today relies on belts to hold up his pants as the belt for the Roman bound up the loose tunic. Truth in our lives holds us together.
B. Breastplate
This piece of armor is important because it protects the vital organs of the body: the heart, the lungs, the guts. These are all the things that you need to live. In the same way, for the Christian, righteousness protects our heart and vital spiritual organs. The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life." But we are not righteous and cannot be without Christ. He is the one that gives us His righteousness if we will walk by faith in Him. His righteousness is perfect. So, if we put His righteousness on, we will be protected completely and perfectly.
C. Bearing Good News 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The shoes for the Roman soldier were not like ordinary shoes of the time. They had spikes on them, nails like the cleats that the foot ball player has. These helped him so that he could run and jump without slipping and falling to his death.
The Bible says that the Gospel is our shoes. It can take us anywhere and protect us. If you will be ready to proclaim the gospel, it will take you safely through the most dangerous places or to kings’ palaces.
I know a man that had a gun pulled out and put to his forehead just because he tried to give someone the Gospel. I had someone try to cut my throat with a knife because I was trying to stand up for the Word of God. We both were protected by faith because we were armed with the spiritual armor of God. Not only will God protect you from danger if you are carrying the Gospel, but He will take to king’s palaces as well if He knows that you will be faithful to give His Word when you are there.
D. Buckler 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
“Above all” means that the next armor and weapons listed are the most important ones. The Roman soldier’s shield was long and he could hide almost his whole body by crouching down behind it. It was covered in thick leather and the shield was soaked in water all night long before a battle. The enemy would often shoot arrows that had fire on them. Well, when the fiery arrow hit the water soaked shield, it would put the fire out.
Satan’s lies are like arrows. Our faith is built on the Word of God. The Bible often speaks about the water of the Word of God. Our faith is the shield that is drenched in the water of the Word. It can put out the fiery arrows of Satan’s lies that he shoots at us. Our faith in the Word can protect us.
E. Brain 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Why is the helmet so important? It protects the BRAIN. A soldier would not go to fight a battle without protecting his head. You may have the strongest, fastest, fiercest body in the world, but without the brain working, it does no good. So, Satan loves to attack our minds and confuse and deceive us so that we do not think the way God wants us to. If we do not think right, we cannot do right. The helmet of salvation is vital because it keeps our minds stayed on the truth that we are saved. That fact, if remembered will protect from all kinds of spiritual confusion. If you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, then you know all the cults and “isms” out there are wrong, because you already have the Truth.
F. Blade
This is the first weapon listed. The Roman’s sword was very sharp. It was a straight sword. It had two edges and it had a very sharp point. It was short because it was used for close up combat. In the same way, the Bible is straight, like the straight way to heaven. It is very sharp because it cuts between soul and spirit. It has two edges. It cuts any way you move it. It is also meant for close combat. It is meant to pierce deep into the soul and spirit.
And is that all? Is there another weapon of the Christian? What are the next two words? 18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Prayer is the Christian’s long range weapon. It can reach where we cannot go. Speak for those who cannot hear us. It can protect those separated from us. It can even reach into the future though we are limited in the present.
III. A good Soldier will not be Forsaken during the Fight. vs. 4 “he may please him who hath chosen him” Mat. 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Paul tells us in II Tim. 2:4 that the reason we fight is so that we may please Him who hath chosen us. This speaks of the fact that God does not forsake us in the battle. He watches and is pleased when we run well. He is glorified and glorifies us when we are faithful to His Name and Word.
A. On Earth
He does not forsake us on this earth. In the Great Commission, Mat. 28:20, He assures us that He is with us here on Earth even to the end of the World. But we cannot see Him. By faith we can and do. I know that my Savior is with me right now. He watches over me and helps me. He strengthens me with the Holy Spirit when I have no strength left.
B. In Eternity Luke 20:37 “Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.”
Not only are we not forsaken here on Earth, but we are not forsaken when we die. Some cults teach that the soul ceases to exist when we die. And then God remembers us and brings us back into existence in the resurrection. No, my friends. God does not forsake us in death either. That was why God was the God of the living in Moses day. He was the God of the living in Jesus day and in our day! Abraham is living. Paul is living. They have not ceased to exist. They are alive. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. That was why Jesus said that those that believe in Him will never die.
IV. A good Soldier will not be Forgotten after the Fight. vs. 5 “crowned” I Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
After we die, God does not forget us. This is a great comfort that those who follow us can enjoy. They can know that they will see us again, just as we will see our loved ones again who have passed on. So, we sorrow some times for the loneliness. But we do not sorrow as the world that has no hope.
A. Go to Heaven II Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
We are not forgotten in death by God because the moment we die, He gathers our souls to Heaven. We are with Him the moment we leave these broken earthen vessels. Our spirits do not need to go to Heaven. Here is something you probably do not understand, but if you are saved, your spirit is in Heaven right now. You soul will be carried to heaven, but your spirit is there now.
B. Get Honored shall not prevent them
God will honor in the resurrection those that have died in the flesh. He will do this by resurrecting them first. Those that are alive will not “pre-vent” those that have died. They will not go before the ones that died. The “dead” in Christ will rise first. By this, God Himself will honor them.
C. Glory with Him I John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
This is the utmost comfort to us. God promises to give us the same kind of resurrected body that Jesus has already received. We do not know what that will be, but we will be like Him when we see Him as He is. Do not make the mistake of thinking that that “spiritual” body is not of flesh and bone. It has both. Jesus made the point that to his disciples. He wanted them to touch and see that He had flesh and bone. The angels at Jesus ascension said, Acts 1:11 “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” He was physical, though perfected or glorified, before he ascended. So, He will come back in the like manner. And we will be like Him glorified with physical bodies that are able to do amazing things, just like He was able.
So, since we have these great and glorious promises, my friends, let us fight as those that are filled with the power of God. Let us not flee from the battle. Let us not faint in the battle, because we know that were are not forsaken nor forgotten.
September 18, 2005 Jason Godsee; January 22, 2010sm
This book of II Timothy is written at the end of the Apostle Paul’s life. Paul is facing imminent death by a cruel Roman government for nothing more than preaching to Gospel of God. At this time of his life, he gives these words to his “son in the faith,” Timothy.
Paul in his many epistles shows that he was a very physical person. It is likely that before his eyes started giving him trouble, Paul was an athlete and martial artist. I Corinthians 9:26 “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:” Paul loves to make reference to such things in his writings. So, here again, in II Tim. 2, he applies the analogy of being a soldier to the faith. We know that Christ’s kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. We do not fight a physical fight, but a spiritual one. And our spiritual fight is no less rigorous or demanding than a physical one can be.
Paul tells us that we must endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. A physical soldier must set aside many things that others can enjoy. He must set his attention and time on things that civilians do not need to worry about. So, as Christians, there are some things that we need to set aside. We should not be entangled with the things that the worldly and unsaved get bound up with.
I. A good Soldier will not Flee from the Fight. vs. 2 “teach others also”
The Soldier of Jesus will not run from a fight. We know that there are struggles before us. If we shrink away because of fear, we are not walking by faith. The fear of the wicked will come upon him, but God calls us to rest in the assurance of His presence and power. So, the requirement of every soldier is that we not flee or fear, but rather stand strong. James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice the natural next step when a person submits themselves to God. They will resist the Devil. If you are not resisting the Devil, it is probably because you have not submitted yourself to God properly.
Notice that the soldier of Christ will fight for the truth. That is why Paul says in II Tim. 2:2 “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Our battle as disciples of Christ is an ideological one. It is a battle over truth and deception. We need to find out what we believe and why. Then we need to hold on with dear faith in our Savior that is able to keep us from falling.
This belief in absolute truth is a very unpopular belief these days. The world and society derides us Christians as bigoted if we claim that we have the truth. But the fact is that if we do not stand for God’s revealed truth, we will fall for anything. They do not want us to even believe that it is possible to know the absolute, objective truth. If they can take our assurance of truth, then their lies can stand on equal footing with the words of God.
Matthew 10:36 “And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
A. They attack the Perfect Scripture
The world attacks God’s Word because it wants to exalt their ideas and moralities to an equal footing with God. This is really the spirit of Anti-Christ. I say this because the Bible says that the Anti-Christ will exalt himself above everything that is called god.
The Bible, however, is a protected book. It is perfect because God promised to keep it that way. You can be assured that we do have the perfect Word of God. If God’s Word has not been protected, then our faith is also up for question. Our salvation is based the Bible. If the Bible has not been protected, then how do we know that we have the right gospel? How do we know that we are saved the right way? This is why Satan is so eagerly attacking our Bible.
B. They attack the Pure Savior
Today, the world casts as much doubt as they can on the Person of Christ. There are a thousand heresies to muddy the clear teaching about Jesus in the Word of God. The Gnostics say that Jesus was not human. The Jews, Muslim, and Jehovah (false) Witnesses say that Jesus is not divine. The Mormons say that Jesus was the brother of Satan. And “Oneness” Pentecostals say that Jesus is God the Father. We have the people that say the opposite. These false heretical Trinitarians say that God is three different gods as opposed to one God in three Persons.
Here’s the thing. If we get the wrong Jesus, chances are you got the wrong salvation. That is why Satan wants to so muddy the spiritual waters that no one will be able to see clearly and be saved.
Jesus is the Creator of all things. He was born into human flesh so that He could die for sinful humans. He rose again in perfected flesh. He will come again in that glorified human flesh. He is all man and all God, co-eternal with the Father and Spirit.
C. They attack the Precious Salvation
If Satan and sinful men can confuse the key of how we get to heaven or how we have peace with God, they will have accomplished their goal. Do not be mistaken, my friends. There are people that know the truth of God’s Word and His salvation, and they choose to hate it. They hate God even though they know He exists. They hate the Bible even though they know it is His holy Word.
These wolves will tell you every lie they can. They do it for your money. If they have the key to Heaven, they get to charge for it. They do it for fame. They have to feel important and powerful. They do it for prestige or influence. Not every sinner is one of these wolves, but there are more out there than you think.
Satan will confuse the path to Heaven with all kinds of false doctrine. He says, “You can get to Heaven by being good.” “Obey the Ten Commandments.” “Follow the Golden Rule.” “Be baptized this way.” “Do not murder or commit adultery.” “Never eat spinach with a stranger.” There are millions kooks out there that will give you their version of the Gospel.
The truth of the Gospel will change your life if you let it. And it is simple that even a child can get it. Matthew 19:14 “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus paid the full price. He offers you the free gift. All you have to do is ask Him to save your sinful soul. He will give you that forgiveness and give you the power of the Spirit.
II. A good Soldier will not Faint in the Fight. vs. 3 endure hardness Prov. 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small.”
The good soldier does not flee in fear from the battle. Not only that, but Paul goes on to say that the Soldier for Christ will not faint in the battle either. Now, how is that possible? We are so frail and weak. But God will give us the power of the Holy Spirit when we are saved. We do not have the power to fight and stand in spiritual battle except though God.
God gives us the spiritual equipment to stand in the battle. This is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. The first thing that we need to do if we are going to fight is to stand. Paul emphasized “stand” over and over in this passage. If we do not stand, we will not be able to fight.
A. Bound up by the Belt Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
The belt of Truth binds up our lives. The Greek word for destroy is “louomai.” It can also mean “to loose.” The opposite of being loosed is to be bound up. This is true for us today as it was in the days when Paul wrote. The soldier today relies on belts to hold up his pants as the belt for the Roman bound up the loose tunic. Truth in our lives holds us together.
B. Breastplate
This piece of armor is important because it protects the vital organs of the body: the heart, the lungs, the guts. These are all the things that you need to live. In the same way, for the Christian, righteousness protects our heart and vital spiritual organs. The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life." But we are not righteous and cannot be without Christ. He is the one that gives us His righteousness if we will walk by faith in Him. His righteousness is perfect. So, if we put His righteousness on, we will be protected completely and perfectly.
C. Bearing Good News 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The shoes for the Roman soldier were not like ordinary shoes of the time. They had spikes on them, nails like the cleats that the foot ball player has. These helped him so that he could run and jump without slipping and falling to his death.
The Bible says that the Gospel is our shoes. It can take us anywhere and protect us. If you will be ready to proclaim the gospel, it will take you safely through the most dangerous places or to kings’ palaces.
I know a man that had a gun pulled out and put to his forehead just because he tried to give someone the Gospel. I had someone try to cut my throat with a knife because I was trying to stand up for the Word of God. We both were protected by faith because we were armed with the spiritual armor of God. Not only will God protect you from danger if you are carrying the Gospel, but He will take to king’s palaces as well if He knows that you will be faithful to give His Word when you are there.
D. Buckler 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
“Above all” means that the next armor and weapons listed are the most important ones. The Roman soldier’s shield was long and he could hide almost his whole body by crouching down behind it. It was covered in thick leather and the shield was soaked in water all night long before a battle. The enemy would often shoot arrows that had fire on them. Well, when the fiery arrow hit the water soaked shield, it would put the fire out.
Satan’s lies are like arrows. Our faith is built on the Word of God. The Bible often speaks about the water of the Word of God. Our faith is the shield that is drenched in the water of the Word. It can put out the fiery arrows of Satan’s lies that he shoots at us. Our faith in the Word can protect us.
E. Brain 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Why is the helmet so important? It protects the BRAIN. A soldier would not go to fight a battle without protecting his head. You may have the strongest, fastest, fiercest body in the world, but without the brain working, it does no good. So, Satan loves to attack our minds and confuse and deceive us so that we do not think the way God wants us to. If we do not think right, we cannot do right. The helmet of salvation is vital because it keeps our minds stayed on the truth that we are saved. That fact, if remembered will protect from all kinds of spiritual confusion. If you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, then you know all the cults and “isms” out there are wrong, because you already have the Truth.
F. Blade
This is the first weapon listed. The Roman’s sword was very sharp. It was a straight sword. It had two edges and it had a very sharp point. It was short because it was used for close up combat. In the same way, the Bible is straight, like the straight way to heaven. It is very sharp because it cuts between soul and spirit. It has two edges. It cuts any way you move it. It is also meant for close combat. It is meant to pierce deep into the soul and spirit.
And is that all? Is there another weapon of the Christian? What are the next two words? 18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Prayer is the Christian’s long range weapon. It can reach where we cannot go. Speak for those who cannot hear us. It can protect those separated from us. It can even reach into the future though we are limited in the present.
III. A good Soldier will not be Forsaken during the Fight. vs. 4 “he may please him who hath chosen him” Mat. 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Paul tells us in II Tim. 2:4 that the reason we fight is so that we may please Him who hath chosen us. This speaks of the fact that God does not forsake us in the battle. He watches and is pleased when we run well. He is glorified and glorifies us when we are faithful to His Name and Word.
A. On Earth
He does not forsake us on this earth. In the Great Commission, Mat. 28:20, He assures us that He is with us here on Earth even to the end of the World. But we cannot see Him. By faith we can and do. I know that my Savior is with me right now. He watches over me and helps me. He strengthens me with the Holy Spirit when I have no strength left.
B. In Eternity Luke 20:37 “Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.”
Not only are we not forsaken here on Earth, but we are not forsaken when we die. Some cults teach that the soul ceases to exist when we die. And then God remembers us and brings us back into existence in the resurrection. No, my friends. God does not forsake us in death either. That was why God was the God of the living in Moses day. He was the God of the living in Jesus day and in our day! Abraham is living. Paul is living. They have not ceased to exist. They are alive. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. That was why Jesus said that those that believe in Him will never die.
IV. A good Soldier will not be Forgotten after the Fight. vs. 5 “crowned” I Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
After we die, God does not forget us. This is a great comfort that those who follow us can enjoy. They can know that they will see us again, just as we will see our loved ones again who have passed on. So, we sorrow some times for the loneliness. But we do not sorrow as the world that has no hope.
A. Go to Heaven II Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
We are not forgotten in death by God because the moment we die, He gathers our souls to Heaven. We are with Him the moment we leave these broken earthen vessels. Our spirits do not need to go to Heaven. Here is something you probably do not understand, but if you are saved, your spirit is in Heaven right now. You soul will be carried to heaven, but your spirit is there now.
B. Get Honored shall not prevent them
God will honor in the resurrection those that have died in the flesh. He will do this by resurrecting them first. Those that are alive will not “pre-vent” those that have died. They will not go before the ones that died. The “dead” in Christ will rise first. By this, God Himself will honor them.
C. Glory with Him I John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
This is the utmost comfort to us. God promises to give us the same kind of resurrected body that Jesus has already received. We do not know what that will be, but we will be like Him when we see Him as He is. Do not make the mistake of thinking that that “spiritual” body is not of flesh and bone. It has both. Jesus made the point that to his disciples. He wanted them to touch and see that He had flesh and bone. The angels at Jesus ascension said, Acts 1:11 “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” He was physical, though perfected or glorified, before he ascended. So, He will come back in the like manner. And we will be like Him glorified with physical bodies that are able to do amazing things, just like He was able.
So, since we have these great and glorious promises, my friends, let us fight as those that are filled with the power of God. Let us not flee from the battle. Let us not faint in the battle, because we know that were are not forsaken nor forgotten.
September 18, 2005 Jason Godsee; January 22, 2010sm
Friday, January 15, 2010
What Kind of Dirt Are You?
Matthew 13:3 “And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Isa. 55:8-11; Mk. 4:3; Mk. 4:14 Lk. 8:5
We are born again by the Seed of the Gospel of God’s Word.
God says that the Seed here is the Word of God. God says that the seed falls on different kinds of soil. Now, every preacher teaches this parable in relation to salvation. Indeed, it does relate to salvation. The seed is the Gospel that God sends for the salvation of all men. But this passage also has application to the Christian’s heart.
Even after a person has been converted by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, God’s Word comes to our hearts. If we have not prepared our hearts for the seed of God’s Word, that passage will not take root in that area of our life. The passage of love (I Cor. 13:) can bring the fruit of love into our lives if we let that passage take root. The seed of humility (Phil. 2:) can bring forth the fruit of humility if we allow that passage to take root in our hearts. The same with the fruit of victory over sin (Rom. 6) or the fruit of faith (Heb. 11)
• There are two Interpretations of this passage.4 kinds of Hearers This is the soul winning Gospel spreading Interpretation. This is the Primary interpretation. The Gospel is effective in the hearts of some people because of how they receive it.
• 4 soils in our heart This is a secondary interpretation that is applicable to all Christians even after salvation. God still brings seeds of His Word to us. If we receive them, we yield fruit in our lives. If not, well. . . No Fruit.
I. The Dead Ground (the wayside) Matthew 13:18 “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.”
The dead ground is when our heart is cold and hard. Jesus calls this ground the “wayside.” We are dead in our hearts before we are born again. Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” Before salvation, we were dead without Christ. That is why God regenerates us. He does not take our dead, broken spirit and fixes it. He recreates a new spirit in us at the moment of salvation. But this cannot happen unless the Gospel has a place to grow, take root, and be fruitful.
A. Seed cannot Remain: Nothing grows there
Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” In that day, salt was distilled from sea water and such sources. It would have many minerals in it beside what we call salt (sodium). They would keep the box of “salt” outside. If the rain washed out the sodium, the salt loses its saltiness and it is cast out. So, when the sodium is gone, they would take what was left over and throw it beside the road side. It would compact and make a hard place, similar to our asphalt. But those minerals would make it so that nothing could grow on the road because the soil would be sealed off by these minerals.
In the same way, our hearts are closed to the influence of God and His Word. The seed cannot take root because it cannot get to a tender place in the soil. We have a stony heart. That is why God says that He wants to take away our stone heart and give us a new heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:” (Ezekiel 36:26)
If we do not allow God to give us that fresh heart, Satan will come along and snatch away the seed before it can grow. We need the Spirit of God to break our hearts in order for His Word to find soft ground for it to grow.
B. Stone heart Ezekiel 36:25 “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].”
This is a picture of the man that actually hardens his heart by sin and by overuse (like peoples’ trampling of the roads). This man cannot receive God’s Word because he covers his heart with a shell of guilt and greed.
The “fowls of the air” in Matthew 13:4 are the messengers of Satan. This is the first messenger of Satan in this passage. There are actually three types of satanic messengers here and they each interact with a failure in the human heart to produce fruitlessness. These messengers of Satan are demonic tempters that come and steal away the message of the Lord before it can work in the heard heart.
If, however, we as men will allow God’s word to take root, then the birds will not be able to steal away the seed.
C. Shallow, Fallow Ground Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Ground becomes fallow when it is plowed, planted, and harvested each year over a long period of time. What happens is that the plow only digs down to the same level year after year. The ground underneath that become compacted and hard. This is called a “plow pan.” Then the water does not drain like it should. So, the crops do not grow properly and the ground does not produce. So, periodically, the farmer has to dig down deeper than the usual plowing and break up the plow pan.
As believers, Hosea’s call still echoes to us today. Sometimes, the regular practice and religion of a believer becomes a “plow pan” in the soul. Life becomes fruitless and frustrating. Jewish believers back then needed to repent so that the Word of God could grow in their souls. So, we as Christian believers can get to a place where we do not allow God’s Word to work in our minds and souls. As farmers sometimes need to, we need to dig down deep and break up the fallow ground of Christian Complacency so that the Word of God can take root and spring up unto eternal reward.
II. The Distressed Ground (the Stony) Matthew 13:20 “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”
This is the ground that does not have the hard crust. It has good dirt, but there are stones in the ground. These are the people that hear the Gospel and it begins to grow. But there is no room in the dirt for the roots to grow. So, the Word of God cannot continue.
This is a picture of a life where a man has not prepared his heart. He has is not necessarily the obscene sinner that covers his life with the horrors of sin and guilt. But he has not gotten the rocks out from beneath the surface.
This type of ground has a satanic messenger just like the birds in the last verse. This messenger is the Adversary of the sun. He beats down upon the tender plants and causes them to die before they can be established. These are the people that run into hardship or trial and the love of God’s Word is forgotten. The seedling dies before it can continue. These are the people that have not prepared the heart for God’s Word. There are things that will stunt the growth in our lives if we do not take the plow to the ground. When trials come the growth fails because we were not prepared.
A. The seed Remains: Things can grow.
B. There are no Roots: Things can’t stay
Unlike the Dead Ground, things can grow in this ground. The problem is that because there are not roots, they cannot stay.
III. The Distracted Ground (the Thorny) Matthew 13:22 “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
This is the ground that is good ground and the roots can grow down. The problem is that on this ground, there are weeds. We all know what happens when there are weeds in the garden.
The weeds steal the beauty away from the garden. Weeds choke out the light so that the crop cannot flourish. Weeds also make it hard to access the plants. And like Jesus says, the weeds can make is so the crop cannot produce the fruit.
A. The seed Remains: Things can grow in this ground.
B. There are Roots: Things can stay in this ground.
C. There is no Room: Too many things are growing on this ground.
This is the person that allows the cares of this world to choke out any fruit. They have “received” the Gospel in a sense, but that gospel cannot bear fruit. The reason is there are too many distractions.
The “thorns” here or weeds are the messengers of Satan for this group of people. These messengers, in some ways, are the most subtle and deceptive of all. These are most devious. These “cares of the world” cause people fail while they look like a success. The “plants” here look like they are successes. They are so close to being effective, but they never really accomplish anything. II Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
It is time to weed out your garden, the garden of your life. Bring forth fruit to repentance and prove to yourself that you really are a child of God. You can spend your whole life trying to convince yourself and others that you really are disciples of God without bringing any fruit. You think you can show me your faith without your fruits? I will show my faith by my fruits. If God’s Word really gets into your heart, it will bring forth fruit. There will be changes. There will be works for God’s glory.
IV. The Desirable Ground (the Good) Matthew 13:23 “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
This is the ground where things can grow. They can remain because they have roots. They have room to bloom and bring forth fruit because the cares of this world are cut away enough for God to make something happen in your life. By your Fruits, ye will know them.
We are born again by this incorruptible seed. If we allow it take root in our lives, it will bring forth the fruit of salvation.
A. The seed Remains: Things can grow
B. There are Roots: Things can stay
C. There is Room: Thorns cut away.
D. There is Resulting Fruit
Matthew 7:16 “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” The only way for you to prove to yourself or others that you are a Saint of God is to bring forth fruit of the Gospel, fruit of Repentance. You do not get saved by doing good works, but if you really get saved you will have some works to show it.
Take a look at what the Bible says here in Isaiah 55:8. “For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.”
Here we have the passage that might be the Old Testament foundation for Jesus teaching on the Parable of the Sower. While at first glance, it may not seem to be related, take a look again. We have here the seed and it is called God’s Word. Then we have the Sower, the same as in the Parable. We even have the harvest here too as expressed in the phrase, “bread to the eater.”
You may say, “Well, that is great. So what?”
The Isaiah passage is a “fruitful” one to look at with the Parable of the Sower. This is because of what God says to Isaiah. His Word will not return void. We see so much waste in the Parable of the Sower. There are so many seeds that do not bear fruit. Yet, that is not the way that God sees it. The way He sees the seed of the Gospel is fruitful.
As soul winners, we often see our efforts as having no fruit, frustrating, futile. But God will make all efforts done for Him as bountifully fruitful as all of His holy works.
Where is your spirituality, my friend? God wants it to prosper. It will if you allow the seed of His Word. Let God’s Word take root, endure trials, cut away the distractions. Bear fruit unto godliness my friends.
Isa. 55:8-11; Mk. 4:3; Mk. 4:14 Lk. 8:5
We are born again by the Seed of the Gospel of God’s Word.
God says that the Seed here is the Word of God. God says that the seed falls on different kinds of soil. Now, every preacher teaches this parable in relation to salvation. Indeed, it does relate to salvation. The seed is the Gospel that God sends for the salvation of all men. But this passage also has application to the Christian’s heart.
Even after a person has been converted by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, God’s Word comes to our hearts. If we have not prepared our hearts for the seed of God’s Word, that passage will not take root in that area of our life. The passage of love (I Cor. 13:) can bring the fruit of love into our lives if we let that passage take root. The seed of humility (Phil. 2:) can bring forth the fruit of humility if we allow that passage to take root in our hearts. The same with the fruit of victory over sin (Rom. 6) or the fruit of faith (Heb. 11)
• There are two Interpretations of this passage.4 kinds of Hearers This is the soul winning Gospel spreading Interpretation. This is the Primary interpretation. The Gospel is effective in the hearts of some people because of how they receive it.
• 4 soils in our heart This is a secondary interpretation that is applicable to all Christians even after salvation. God still brings seeds of His Word to us. If we receive them, we yield fruit in our lives. If not, well. . . No Fruit.
I. The Dead Ground (the wayside) Matthew 13:18 “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.”
The dead ground is when our heart is cold and hard. Jesus calls this ground the “wayside.” We are dead in our hearts before we are born again. Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” Before salvation, we were dead without Christ. That is why God regenerates us. He does not take our dead, broken spirit and fixes it. He recreates a new spirit in us at the moment of salvation. But this cannot happen unless the Gospel has a place to grow, take root, and be fruitful.
A. Seed cannot Remain: Nothing grows there
Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” In that day, salt was distilled from sea water and such sources. It would have many minerals in it beside what we call salt (sodium). They would keep the box of “salt” outside. If the rain washed out the sodium, the salt loses its saltiness and it is cast out. So, when the sodium is gone, they would take what was left over and throw it beside the road side. It would compact and make a hard place, similar to our asphalt. But those minerals would make it so that nothing could grow on the road because the soil would be sealed off by these minerals.
In the same way, our hearts are closed to the influence of God and His Word. The seed cannot take root because it cannot get to a tender place in the soil. We have a stony heart. That is why God says that He wants to take away our stone heart and give us a new heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:” (Ezekiel 36:26)
If we do not allow God to give us that fresh heart, Satan will come along and snatch away the seed before it can grow. We need the Spirit of God to break our hearts in order for His Word to find soft ground for it to grow.
B. Stone heart Ezekiel 36:25 “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].”
This is a picture of the man that actually hardens his heart by sin and by overuse (like peoples’ trampling of the roads). This man cannot receive God’s Word because he covers his heart with a shell of guilt and greed.
The “fowls of the air” in Matthew 13:4 are the messengers of Satan. This is the first messenger of Satan in this passage. There are actually three types of satanic messengers here and they each interact with a failure in the human heart to produce fruitlessness. These messengers of Satan are demonic tempters that come and steal away the message of the Lord before it can work in the heard heart.
If, however, we as men will allow God’s word to take root, then the birds will not be able to steal away the seed.
C. Shallow, Fallow Ground Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Ground becomes fallow when it is plowed, planted, and harvested each year over a long period of time. What happens is that the plow only digs down to the same level year after year. The ground underneath that become compacted and hard. This is called a “plow pan.” Then the water does not drain like it should. So, the crops do not grow properly and the ground does not produce. So, periodically, the farmer has to dig down deeper than the usual plowing and break up the plow pan.
As believers, Hosea’s call still echoes to us today. Sometimes, the regular practice and religion of a believer becomes a “plow pan” in the soul. Life becomes fruitless and frustrating. Jewish believers back then needed to repent so that the Word of God could grow in their souls. So, we as Christian believers can get to a place where we do not allow God’s Word to work in our minds and souls. As farmers sometimes need to, we need to dig down deep and break up the fallow ground of Christian Complacency so that the Word of God can take root and spring up unto eternal reward.
II. The Distressed Ground (the Stony) Matthew 13:20 “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”
This is the ground that does not have the hard crust. It has good dirt, but there are stones in the ground. These are the people that hear the Gospel and it begins to grow. But there is no room in the dirt for the roots to grow. So, the Word of God cannot continue.
This is a picture of a life where a man has not prepared his heart. He has is not necessarily the obscene sinner that covers his life with the horrors of sin and guilt. But he has not gotten the rocks out from beneath the surface.
This type of ground has a satanic messenger just like the birds in the last verse. This messenger is the Adversary of the sun. He beats down upon the tender plants and causes them to die before they can be established. These are the people that run into hardship or trial and the love of God’s Word is forgotten. The seedling dies before it can continue. These are the people that have not prepared the heart for God’s Word. There are things that will stunt the growth in our lives if we do not take the plow to the ground. When trials come the growth fails because we were not prepared.
A. The seed Remains: Things can grow.
B. There are no Roots: Things can’t stay
Unlike the Dead Ground, things can grow in this ground. The problem is that because there are not roots, they cannot stay.
III. The Distracted Ground (the Thorny) Matthew 13:22 “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
This is the ground that is good ground and the roots can grow down. The problem is that on this ground, there are weeds. We all know what happens when there are weeds in the garden.
The weeds steal the beauty away from the garden. Weeds choke out the light so that the crop cannot flourish. Weeds also make it hard to access the plants. And like Jesus says, the weeds can make is so the crop cannot produce the fruit.
A. The seed Remains: Things can grow in this ground.
B. There are Roots: Things can stay in this ground.
C. There is no Room: Too many things are growing on this ground.
This is the person that allows the cares of this world to choke out any fruit. They have “received” the Gospel in a sense, but that gospel cannot bear fruit. The reason is there are too many distractions.
The “thorns” here or weeds are the messengers of Satan for this group of people. These messengers, in some ways, are the most subtle and deceptive of all. These are most devious. These “cares of the world” cause people fail while they look like a success. The “plants” here look like they are successes. They are so close to being effective, but they never really accomplish anything. II Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
It is time to weed out your garden, the garden of your life. Bring forth fruit to repentance and prove to yourself that you really are a child of God. You can spend your whole life trying to convince yourself and others that you really are disciples of God without bringing any fruit. You think you can show me your faith without your fruits? I will show my faith by my fruits. If God’s Word really gets into your heart, it will bring forth fruit. There will be changes. There will be works for God’s glory.
IV. The Desirable Ground (the Good) Matthew 13:23 “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
This is the ground where things can grow. They can remain because they have roots. They have room to bloom and bring forth fruit because the cares of this world are cut away enough for God to make something happen in your life. By your Fruits, ye will know them.
We are born again by this incorruptible seed. If we allow it take root in our lives, it will bring forth the fruit of salvation.
A. The seed Remains: Things can grow
B. There are Roots: Things can stay
C. There is Room: Thorns cut away.
D. There is Resulting Fruit
Matthew 7:16 “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” The only way for you to prove to yourself or others that you are a Saint of God is to bring forth fruit of the Gospel, fruit of Repentance. You do not get saved by doing good works, but if you really get saved you will have some works to show it.
Take a look at what the Bible says here in Isaiah 55:8. “For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.”
Here we have the passage that might be the Old Testament foundation for Jesus teaching on the Parable of the Sower. While at first glance, it may not seem to be related, take a look again. We have here the seed and it is called God’s Word. Then we have the Sower, the same as in the Parable. We even have the harvest here too as expressed in the phrase, “bread to the eater.”
You may say, “Well, that is great. So what?”
The Isaiah passage is a “fruitful” one to look at with the Parable of the Sower. This is because of what God says to Isaiah. His Word will not return void. We see so much waste in the Parable of the Sower. There are so many seeds that do not bear fruit. Yet, that is not the way that God sees it. The way He sees the seed of the Gospel is fruitful.
As soul winners, we often see our efforts as having no fruit, frustrating, futile. But God will make all efforts done for Him as bountifully fruitful as all of His holy works.
Where is your spirituality, my friend? God wants it to prosper. It will if you allow the seed of His Word. Let God’s Word take root, endure trials, cut away the distractions. Bear fruit unto godliness my friends.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Twilight: Biblical Christian Perspective
We have seen vampires done as horror. We have seen vampires as humor. We have seen vampires on Sitcoms (Munsters). Now-a-days, we even have vampires as child-hood heros (Cirque du Freak). Then of course the most popular vampire to day is in the genre of Teen Romance: the Twilight Series.
Twilight has done what so many others have tried to do. They have taken a subject that used to be only for the Sci Fi guys and Fantasy Geeks, and refashioned it. Today’s vampire is a story that teen age girls obsess over. And the “silver bullet” for Twilight’s success is a teen age love triangle.
Twilight had everything it needs to succeed in today’s pop culture. It has ancient mythological themes: vampires and werewolves. That is sure to bring in all the Sci Fi guys and Fantasy Geeks. There is blood and action to satisfy the lusts of the Horror crowd. So, men are sure to read or at least watch the movie.
There are the drama themes of the split family syndrom that is epidemic in America today. A distant father reconnects with a troubled teen daughter. She is in a strange place with few friends and running from long-time personal demons.
Now, that is drama!
So, adults and grandparents will probably find some dramatic appeal.
You even have the ancient culture and traditions of the Native Americans from the American North-west on display in the Twilight series. They are portrayed in a positive and powerful way. There is mystery given to their culture and lore. Who could resist that?
Then you have the latest craze in American entertainment: Super Heros and their Powers. Twilight is in this genre because the Vampires no longer have only the traditional set of Vampire abilities. But like the Heroes TV show, they have unknown and yet to be discovered mysterious magical abilities of every imaginable description.
Super Hero worship has long been an American hobby interest with a strong niche market among the young male and the nostalgic adult male. But this has been really a niche market until recent decades. America as a whole has fallen head over heels with the fantasy world. In Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Super Hero genres, America wants men and women that are able to do things that normal people only dream of. We are obsessed with every super hero we can get. We dream of having those extra-ordinary powers. Oh if we only could do that. . . Then we could finally take control of our own lives and make it what it should be. America is living vicariously through those super heros instead of taking control of our lives through natural means.
This vicarious living though the fantasy world can become a sad and frustrating practice. Some people are so sad and feel so powerless in their real, every day, dry, and boring lives that they run from real life to live in a fantasy. We surround ourselves with stories of regular people that discover that they have super abilities. Our super heros, in some ways, have become modern day substitutions for the ancient mythological gods. (More on that in another article.)
Twilight has another ingredient for success. It has plenty of clever twists. Of course, there is the eternal struggle between good and evil. But in Twilight, you have Vampires as both good and evil. I know that Twilight is not the first to make the un-dead into good guys. But what happened to the days when only bad guys would do something so disgusting as to suck blood? The good guys in Twilight, as well as some other current stories (Cirque du Freak) . . . The good guys have to suck blood.
There are other twists as well. Vampires are not burned by sunlight. They are glorified in a sparkling shimmer if sunlight shines upon their cold, pasty, white skin. They have made a treaty with their traditional enemies, the werewolves. By the way, these werewolves are not European. They are Native American.
Now, if I can shift gears and give a different perspective on some of these things. I would like to reflect on Twilight’s un-dead “heroes” from a Biblical Christian’s perspective.
There are some things to say about the eternal struggle between good and evil here. The evil vampires are definitely evil, killing with joy, innocent men, women, and children. And the “good vampires” are people that have not chosen to become what they are. This has long been a theme from ancient vampire stories too. After all, that is part of the horror of it. No sane person would ever choose to become a vampire. Noone would choose to live by drinking blood. . . Well, no one except Bella from Twilight. She wants to become a cold flesh Vampire so she can live with her true un-dead love, Edward Cullen.
The tradition is in this genre that all vampires (or almost all) do not choose to become blood sucking monsters. This could be seen as analogous to a fact in real life. The fact is that all of us by nature are sinners. While we choose to act in that fallen nature or not to, we did not choose to have a sin nature. This is similar to Twilight’s “good vampires.”
The “good vampires” choose to not kill humans, but find other sources of food. How magnanimous of them! There is a theme of personal sacrifice there that is harmonious with a Christian virtue. We as Christians are responsible to resist temptation and evil appetites. We must control ourselves so that we do not harm others, which we inevitably do by walking after the sin nature.
There seems also to be a good theme of personal self control in the character of Edward Cullen. It appears that he controls both his vampiric blood lust and his hormonal “love” lust of the beautiful Bella Swan. This self control when they are “in love” should be practiced among the unmarried. This is a Biblical virtue. Of course, when Edward insists that they wait until they are married, every parent applauds.
In many ways, the Twilight stories appear to appease Western and American sensibilities of right and wrong, good and evil, and nobility vs. base character.
I admit that my knowledge is limited on this series. But there is one sensibility that has been lost in the Twilight stories. This is Christian and Jewish morality. This is a Western and American sensibility. This is the sensibility that says it is evil to eat blood.
Now, yes, I know there are cultures that have found their way around the Biblical sin. You can sample Black Pudding from Britain and Blutwurst from Germany. In the Orient, you can drink blood from an animal that is still writhing. Today’s American entertainment pushes the envelope with blood, gore, and torture in the name of “art.”
Some of you will say, “Come on! What’s the big deal! It’s just a story!” Well, it is a story that would not have been told 50 years ago. There is no way that popular America would have consumed a story about good guys who drink blood like they do today. The story might have been told, but it would not be so popular. There is a reason for that. The first reason for it is that it is thoroughly disgusting. That’s why Black Sausage is a rare thing to see at picnics. I have never seen anyone eat it except on TV. We humans have a visceral reaction against drinking blood unless we come from a culture that re-programs the gag factor out of us.
Here is the real problem though. God’s Word, the Bible, says that eating blood is a sin and a crime. The Twilight stories makes heros out of those that do this sin.
Genesis 9:3 “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
Notice that God says that man can start eating meat for the first time, but blood is still sacred to God. Blood must not be eaten. Blood is the life of the flesh, which is why the occult emphasized devouring it.
You will probably respond, “But it just a story.” “Only the bad guys are killing people.” “The good guys are not drinking human blood.”
Here is the thing. God does not limit the sin of eating blood to that of eating human blood or when it is done after you have killed someone. No, God said that we were allowed to eat meat, but we were not allowed to eat any blood. We are allowed to kill animals for food, but we are not allowed to take human life except in capital punishment.
Our purpose here is not to deal with the explosive subjects of eating meat or of capital punishment. That will have to be for another article. But notice God’s strict prohibition of eating blood. “[T]he blood thereof, shall ye not eat.”
Some smart aleck will point their finger in my face and say that I am a hypocrite because Jesus said that we must drink his blood if we are going to go to heaven. Now, I know that most of you will know that is a ridiculous criticism. And that is a very interesting subject of study. Let me simply say that Jesus blood was different than the blood of every other human or animal that ever was. No animals sacrifice of blood could give us life. The blood of every human (other than Jesus) is poisoned with sin. Jesus blood is spiritually applied to us by the Holy Spirit. But we do not physically devour it.
God says that we are not ever to physically eat blood. This is not about the Law vs. Grace issue either. While the prohibition to eat blood was in the Old Testament, it preceded the Torah, the Law, and preceded Moses. As such, what ever you take the Law’s importance to be in this dispensation, the prohibition of not eating blood stands before the Law. I argue that it still is in force today.
So, here is my crisis when it comes to Twilight. I know it is a well done story, but I have a hard time really enjoying a story that has the heros do something that the Bible says is sin. I know, you keep repeating that it is just a story and I just need to stop taking it so seriously. But that is what Satan always wants us to do. He wants us to suspend our religious convictions when we go into the public. Satan wants us to suspend our convictions when we read a book or watch a movie.
In a broader point of view, this is why we have heros that torture people (whatever you think of torture in military applications). But we have movie star heros torturing people in their vigilante justice. We have “heros” being immoral and wicked in their personal lives. Satan gets us to sympathize with these wicked “heros” because they save the day. And our “heros” are the good guys when they steal from the bad guys. Wait, all thieves are the bad guys. But because one guy is “bad-er” than the other, it is okay that our “hero” steals and robs. It really makes me ashamed of our nation when the hero morally cheats by being with someone that is not his or her spouse. And we have been lulled into thinking that it is no big deal. We do not even register a complaint in our own minds anymore.
I guess what I want to say to you, my friends, is this. . . You may decide to enjoy the morally flawed entertainment of this world. I mean, is there really any entertainment in this world that is not morally flawed in some way. I am not trying to put you on a guilt trip. What I want the most is to urge you to remain critical thinkers. Think, analyze what you are seeing, reading, hearing when you are enjoying your “amusement.” After all, you know what the word “amusement” means, right? “Amusement” means “without thought.”
Do not check your brain at the door when you sit down in front of a video or when you hand your ticket to the attendant. Realize what the writers and authors are saying about the world and life in general. If you do not recognize and label error when you see it, it can unconsciously influence how you react to life. That is why God says in Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.”
Do not check your morality at the door either. There is a spiritual defilement that happens in our lives when we behold evil and do not resist. We become filthy internally when we see sin and do not turn away.
There are entertainments in literature, film, radio that a Christian must classify as evil or sinful. We need to turn from them. I Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
There are other entertainments that are not as clearly evil or sinful as others. You have to make decisions as Christians on whether God is pleased with you being a part of a particular entertainment or not. There is freedom in Christ. Galatians 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” There is liberty, but do not use that as an excuse to sin.
Let me leave you with Paul’s guideline to entertainment and thought. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.”
So, my friends, whether you decide to read or watch the Twilight series, do not check your minds or moralities at the door. Please, keep in mind what Jesus would say or do in response to what you do, see, hear, and read.
Twilight has done what so many others have tried to do. They have taken a subject that used to be only for the Sci Fi guys and Fantasy Geeks, and refashioned it. Today’s vampire is a story that teen age girls obsess over. And the “silver bullet” for Twilight’s success is a teen age love triangle.
Twilight had everything it needs to succeed in today’s pop culture. It has ancient mythological themes: vampires and werewolves. That is sure to bring in all the Sci Fi guys and Fantasy Geeks. There is blood and action to satisfy the lusts of the Horror crowd. So, men are sure to read or at least watch the movie.
There are the drama themes of the split family syndrom that is epidemic in America today. A distant father reconnects with a troubled teen daughter. She is in a strange place with few friends and running from long-time personal demons.
Now, that is drama!
So, adults and grandparents will probably find some dramatic appeal.
You even have the ancient culture and traditions of the Native Americans from the American North-west on display in the Twilight series. They are portrayed in a positive and powerful way. There is mystery given to their culture and lore. Who could resist that?
Then you have the latest craze in American entertainment: Super Heros and their Powers. Twilight is in this genre because the Vampires no longer have only the traditional set of Vampire abilities. But like the Heroes TV show, they have unknown and yet to be discovered mysterious magical abilities of every imaginable description.
Super Hero worship has long been an American hobby interest with a strong niche market among the young male and the nostalgic adult male. But this has been really a niche market until recent decades. America as a whole has fallen head over heels with the fantasy world. In Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Super Hero genres, America wants men and women that are able to do things that normal people only dream of. We are obsessed with every super hero we can get. We dream of having those extra-ordinary powers. Oh if we only could do that. . . Then we could finally take control of our own lives and make it what it should be. America is living vicariously through those super heros instead of taking control of our lives through natural means.
This vicarious living though the fantasy world can become a sad and frustrating practice. Some people are so sad and feel so powerless in their real, every day, dry, and boring lives that they run from real life to live in a fantasy. We surround ourselves with stories of regular people that discover that they have super abilities. Our super heros, in some ways, have become modern day substitutions for the ancient mythological gods. (More on that in another article.)
Twilight has another ingredient for success. It has plenty of clever twists. Of course, there is the eternal struggle between good and evil. But in Twilight, you have Vampires as both good and evil. I know that Twilight is not the first to make the un-dead into good guys. But what happened to the days when only bad guys would do something so disgusting as to suck blood? The good guys in Twilight, as well as some other current stories (Cirque du Freak) . . . The good guys have to suck blood.
There are other twists as well. Vampires are not burned by sunlight. They are glorified in a sparkling shimmer if sunlight shines upon their cold, pasty, white skin. They have made a treaty with their traditional enemies, the werewolves. By the way, these werewolves are not European. They are Native American.
Now, if I can shift gears and give a different perspective on some of these things. I would like to reflect on Twilight’s un-dead “heroes” from a Biblical Christian’s perspective.
There are some things to say about the eternal struggle between good and evil here. The evil vampires are definitely evil, killing with joy, innocent men, women, and children. And the “good vampires” are people that have not chosen to become what they are. This has long been a theme from ancient vampire stories too. After all, that is part of the horror of it. No sane person would ever choose to become a vampire. Noone would choose to live by drinking blood. . . Well, no one except Bella from Twilight. She wants to become a cold flesh Vampire so she can live with her true un-dead love, Edward Cullen.
The tradition is in this genre that all vampires (or almost all) do not choose to become blood sucking monsters. This could be seen as analogous to a fact in real life. The fact is that all of us by nature are sinners. While we choose to act in that fallen nature or not to, we did not choose to have a sin nature. This is similar to Twilight’s “good vampires.”
The “good vampires” choose to not kill humans, but find other sources of food. How magnanimous of them! There is a theme of personal sacrifice there that is harmonious with a Christian virtue. We as Christians are responsible to resist temptation and evil appetites. We must control ourselves so that we do not harm others, which we inevitably do by walking after the sin nature.
There seems also to be a good theme of personal self control in the character of Edward Cullen. It appears that he controls both his vampiric blood lust and his hormonal “love” lust of the beautiful Bella Swan. This self control when they are “in love” should be practiced among the unmarried. This is a Biblical virtue. Of course, when Edward insists that they wait until they are married, every parent applauds.
In many ways, the Twilight stories appear to appease Western and American sensibilities of right and wrong, good and evil, and nobility vs. base character.
I admit that my knowledge is limited on this series. But there is one sensibility that has been lost in the Twilight stories. This is Christian and Jewish morality. This is a Western and American sensibility. This is the sensibility that says it is evil to eat blood.
Now, yes, I know there are cultures that have found their way around the Biblical sin. You can sample Black Pudding from Britain and Blutwurst from Germany. In the Orient, you can drink blood from an animal that is still writhing. Today’s American entertainment pushes the envelope with blood, gore, and torture in the name of “art.”
Some of you will say, “Come on! What’s the big deal! It’s just a story!” Well, it is a story that would not have been told 50 years ago. There is no way that popular America would have consumed a story about good guys who drink blood like they do today. The story might have been told, but it would not be so popular. There is a reason for that. The first reason for it is that it is thoroughly disgusting. That’s why Black Sausage is a rare thing to see at picnics. I have never seen anyone eat it except on TV. We humans have a visceral reaction against drinking blood unless we come from a culture that re-programs the gag factor out of us.
Here is the real problem though. God’s Word, the Bible, says that eating blood is a sin and a crime. The Twilight stories makes heros out of those that do this sin.
Genesis 9:3 “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
Notice that God says that man can start eating meat for the first time, but blood is still sacred to God. Blood must not be eaten. Blood is the life of the flesh, which is why the occult emphasized devouring it.
You will probably respond, “But it just a story.” “Only the bad guys are killing people.” “The good guys are not drinking human blood.”
Here is the thing. God does not limit the sin of eating blood to that of eating human blood or when it is done after you have killed someone. No, God said that we were allowed to eat meat, but we were not allowed to eat any blood. We are allowed to kill animals for food, but we are not allowed to take human life except in capital punishment.
Our purpose here is not to deal with the explosive subjects of eating meat or of capital punishment. That will have to be for another article. But notice God’s strict prohibition of eating blood. “[T]he blood thereof, shall ye not eat.”
Some smart aleck will point their finger in my face and say that I am a hypocrite because Jesus said that we must drink his blood if we are going to go to heaven. Now, I know that most of you will know that is a ridiculous criticism. And that is a very interesting subject of study. Let me simply say that Jesus blood was different than the blood of every other human or animal that ever was. No animals sacrifice of blood could give us life. The blood of every human (other than Jesus) is poisoned with sin. Jesus blood is spiritually applied to us by the Holy Spirit. But we do not physically devour it.
God says that we are not ever to physically eat blood. This is not about the Law vs. Grace issue either. While the prohibition to eat blood was in the Old Testament, it preceded the Torah, the Law, and preceded Moses. As such, what ever you take the Law’s importance to be in this dispensation, the prohibition of not eating blood stands before the Law. I argue that it still is in force today.
So, here is my crisis when it comes to Twilight. I know it is a well done story, but I have a hard time really enjoying a story that has the heros do something that the Bible says is sin. I know, you keep repeating that it is just a story and I just need to stop taking it so seriously. But that is what Satan always wants us to do. He wants us to suspend our religious convictions when we go into the public. Satan wants us to suspend our convictions when we read a book or watch a movie.
In a broader point of view, this is why we have heros that torture people (whatever you think of torture in military applications). But we have movie star heros torturing people in their vigilante justice. We have “heros” being immoral and wicked in their personal lives. Satan gets us to sympathize with these wicked “heros” because they save the day. And our “heros” are the good guys when they steal from the bad guys. Wait, all thieves are the bad guys. But because one guy is “bad-er” than the other, it is okay that our “hero” steals and robs. It really makes me ashamed of our nation when the hero morally cheats by being with someone that is not his or her spouse. And we have been lulled into thinking that it is no big deal. We do not even register a complaint in our own minds anymore.
I guess what I want to say to you, my friends, is this. . . You may decide to enjoy the morally flawed entertainment of this world. I mean, is there really any entertainment in this world that is not morally flawed in some way. I am not trying to put you on a guilt trip. What I want the most is to urge you to remain critical thinkers. Think, analyze what you are seeing, reading, hearing when you are enjoying your “amusement.” After all, you know what the word “amusement” means, right? “Amusement” means “without thought.”
Do not check your brain at the door when you sit down in front of a video or when you hand your ticket to the attendant. Realize what the writers and authors are saying about the world and life in general. If you do not recognize and label error when you see it, it can unconsciously influence how you react to life. That is why God says in Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.”
Do not check your morality at the door either. There is a spiritual defilement that happens in our lives when we behold evil and do not resist. We become filthy internally when we see sin and do not turn away.
There are entertainments in literature, film, radio that a Christian must classify as evil or sinful. We need to turn from them. I Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
There are other entertainments that are not as clearly evil or sinful as others. You have to make decisions as Christians on whether God is pleased with you being a part of a particular entertainment or not. There is freedom in Christ. Galatians 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” There is liberty, but do not use that as an excuse to sin.
Let me leave you with Paul’s guideline to entertainment and thought. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.”
So, my friends, whether you decide to read or watch the Twilight series, do not check your minds or moralities at the door. Please, keep in mind what Jesus would say or do in response to what you do, see, hear, and read.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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