Stones in the Soil

He’s not making another Solomon. He’s going to enhance the call of Matt Hebert. Whatever God does in me, it will be what God wants it to be in preparation for what He’s calling me to be and do. The days are getting dark. It’s not going to be what you want it to be. It’s going to be what He wants it to be. Let me let you in on a little secret I’m not preaching in a stadium in Costa Rica tonight. I’m preaching at 113 Lydia St. Patterson, La. And God was already moving before Solomon showed up, and if we keep plowing in prayer, hallelujah, Oh glory! There is literally no telling what He will do.

So I started praying God give me the mouth of a prophet, the zeal of an evangelist, the heart of a Pastor, the mind of a teacher, and the second day, I added and I don’t know what to do with the word Apostle, but it means sent one ambassador.

Yes, it’s true that the written word can remain letters on a page and lie there dormant, but they were inspired by the Spirit. The Spirit of the living word moved through the hand of the man with the quill in his hand, and there he scratched out on papyrus the written word of God for man to behold with his terrestrial eyes because while he is a spirit, he is in a physical body, and while he is in Christ in heavenly places, he is right here at 113 Lydia St. in Patterson, La and someone says I want to live up there all the time. You’ll get your chance, but right now you’re here. The lost souls are here they need to be saved and God have you the inspired written word and without it you don’t even know the living word. Solomon said it. “You search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life but they testify of me and you won’t have me ( )

I’ll have you Lord! Once the living word hit the written word and the written word came to life. It’s called the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Without it, the written word stays on the page.

But I heard what my Lord said to me. Present my word for the way that it’s written. When it’s presented for the way it’s written it’s presented with life, because it’s written that the words that He has spoken, they are Spirit and they are life.

The living word illuminates the written word and the written word validates the Living word. Without the written word, you don’t know the Living word. Without the written word, you’re left with another Jesus, another Spirit, and another gospel.

Stones in the soil—

A harvest starts with what? …Plowing. The Jeremiah 4:3-4

3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Sometimes it’s not just breaking up fallow ground it’s removing stones in the soil. Well, what are the stones. I don’t know it doesn’t say, but what it does say is that the end result is that it fruit withers. When the sun hits it (persecution) it withers— no root: withered fruit,

Matthew 13:21

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.

He didn’t know the word. Had he known the word, he would have been prepared. He would have known that believers are going to be persecuted. You see we have to have the instruction of the word of God.

1 Timothy 4:16

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

And if we can’t instruct people in doctrine here. Then where are we supposed to do that? Are we supposed to do that when we carry the cross in the streets amongst worldlings? No, but

This is the place where we speak for God— when they come here, they receive it for the way it’s written. Here, we sing to God, we pray to Him, we worship Him. This is the place we tell the truth, and we believe God that the conviction power of the Holy Spirit knows what He’s doing. He calls a man to preach, and he gives him a message. He becomes the message. The message is the same…. My people err for they do not know my ways.

Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:because thou hast rejected knowledge,I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me:seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,I will also forget thy children.

Right now The Crossway Minsitry should not continue to believe that we will always have to keep delivering the same old people. And we have to learn the difference, between manifestation of a demon and repentance from sin. Remember that one? Repentance of sin?

it’s not supposed to be like a Greg Locke service. I mean come on, hold on a second. We are a sanctuary full of blood bought, Spirit filled Christians. We are Christians that

You go out there and bring ‘em in. Or you come here on Tuesday and Friday nights, before services and you pray em in. But once you get them in here, I can promise you that there will be plenty of deliverances. I imagine that it may look like a snake nest sometimes. But it’s not supposed to be like that with true believers.

When we’re considering deliverance let’s not get things confused with conviction and repentance.

Let us reverse engineer this thought: deliverance…

1. Deliverance in unbelievers

2. Deliverance in believers

• Rooted and grounded?

• No roots in the soil because there are rocks in there— well, what are the rocks ? I reckon anything, maybe excuses, but whatever they are, it prevents root and that results in withered fruit… no root, withered fruit. What is Christianity?

What happened to good old fashioned preach the Bible? Let the Holy Spirit convict of sin, a man repents, he gets filled with the Holy Spirit and gets into the word, and the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in his belly towards holiness. Man, you say you’re filled with the Holy Spirit and all you do is speak

In tongues and you don’t have a desire to obey God and let Him burn out your chaff. You better go get a different baptism of the Holy Spirit or you better start praying.”I pray, he shouts from the back,” No! I’m not talking about no outer prayer, I’m talking at least a Holy Place prayer, but I hope you’ve entered into the Holy of Holies before.

I’m talking about entering into a place where God grabs a heart and deals with it.

Peter: Submission, 3/8/2023

The word means to be submissive, it’s clear throughout God’s word that He has a certain order to society. The family unit is the foundation of His society. His family is perfect in that He, as the Father has a plan, and in that Jesus, as the Son always obeys His Father’s will. Imagine God’s plan where the family lines up under His word. The wife submits to the husband and the husband submits to God and the children obey their mother’s and fathers, and the mothers and father’s pray together as a family for their kids and the father does not exasperate his children (Ephesians 6:1-4). If we do not teach our children to honor us, it will not go well with them. Now, this is more than just whipping their tails, this goes to the depth of giving them something to honor. Do I honor God in my work, my house, my marriage, my finances?

Who do you think is watching us the closest? These kids we have aren’t dumb. They watch us.

He desires that the family structure be strong. His plan for family structure includes the husband as the leader and the wife willingly submits herself under the delegated authority that God has placed in the home, and the husband willingly submits his life under the hand of God!!

A godly husband is called to humble himself under the word of God by loving his wife the way that Jesus loved the church. Honestly, I have heard many times, through the years a woman say, “When he starts acting the way that Jesus tells him to act, I will start submitting.”

No, you won’t! You will submit now! That’s if you want to be a woman of God. You will submit right this very second, not to me, not to your husband, but to the will and the word of God.

Let’s take a little closer look at this passage. Verse 1 is speaking to a saved wife and gives them a command to subject themselves to their own husbands. There is no talk about qualifiers here. God does not say on the slick, “Look, I’m going to put this in here, but just between you and me, I don’t expect you to really do this if he refuses to do what he’s supposed to do.” There is no talk of this at all. It says, “Wives submit to your husband, but it does give more information. He is actually speaking to wives that are saved who are married to husbands that aren’t doing what is right. Look at the wording, “that, if any obey not the word,” so these husbands aren’t following the word of God, but God is talking to you right now woman of God. As a matter of fact these first 6 verses are all about you. God loves you and He wrote specific info here to help you. He goes on to say that certain behavior will actually win your husband over.

But you won’t read on. I know I’m not talking to any women in here, so I’m going to preach to the camera. God is trying to help you by giving you a plan for the problem that you’re having with your husband. But you won’t even read past this first verse. You see submit, and your response is “Yeah, when he starts listening, I will start listening.”

You hard hearted, stiff necked, rebellious, little piece of marred clay. Will you contend with the most high! Will you a piece of clay tell the potter what to do as He fashions the vessel for honor?

God wants believing wives to know that even though your husband is not currently willing to be ruled by the word, if you will be ruled by His word, He will, through your [pure] lifestyle of faith and reverence and fear towards God and His word, heal you, heal your husband. He will work in your home and in your family.

Now, moving forward, a little more instruction for the wife. If you’re trying to please your husband and entice him towards God by adorning yourself with outward beauty according to the ways of the world. You’re wasting your time. Even if the husband says that he wants you to don whatever the latest fad of the day is currently.

If your desire is to get your husband saved. If your desire is to get your husband to a spiritually mature, man of God, on fire for God, praying for his marriage, his children, his home, winning souls for Jesus, living for God, if that’s what you want, then hallelujah, let’s all get to work, but if that’s not what you’re looking for, then you might be in the wrong place. If you’re looking for crown molding, a Gucci and bouji girls to chill with, you definitely came to the wrong place. I am praying that God will raise up men on fire for Him! I am praying for those kind of men, because those are the kind of men that God is looking for.  If your desire is listen to God and His word and adorn yourself with inner beauty. Take your heart out of your chest and put it in the hands of your loving Father. Let God have His way in your heart and in your life.

Meek/ quiet— humility/ peace— this is of great value in the eyes of God. According to God’s word, Holy women, women that were separated from the world around them and were servants of God, subjected themselves to their husbands and adorned themselves with a meek and quiet spirit.

Husbands are to honor the wife— there is a special value that is affixed by God on the wife. I know that for myself when I have done wrong in my marriage and then gone to the Lord and He deals with my heart. He refers to Danielle as His daughter, and there have been times that those words have really sobered me. The husband is to acknowledge the wife as the weaker vessel but to also realize that the husband and wife are heirs together, and if she’s treated that way and the husband is treated that way, then the prayers won’t be hindered, so if he doesn’t and she doesn’t— doesn’t what? Doesn’t obey the word of God!, so if that happens, does that mean that there prayers are hindered??

Peter: Lively Stones Make a Spiritual House

1 Peter Chapter 2

Malice

Matthew 6:33-34

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Acts 8:22-23

22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

Romans 1:16-23

Romans 1:29

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Malice is an adjective that describes a deep condition of the heart. It’s synonymous with evil in general, and it’s directly related with rejection of God’s truth! Peter says lay it aside. It’s the ways of an evil world, it’s of the spirit of error, it’s the opposite of the good that comes from the Spirit of God.

Lay aside malice but desire, like a baby, the sincere milk of the word.

Desire= crave, lust after

Sincere= pure and unadulterated

1 Peter 2:2 ESV

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

The word of God allows the Christian to receive the nutrition needed for growth. Without it, the believer will not advance to a young man or adult in the faith.

Have you ever seen a baby crying for milk? Screaming, and you’re feverishly trying to stick the scoop of powder in so you can shake it up. You’re fumbling, baby screaming, and finally, you give it to the baby and they hold it so tenderly, and with complete contentment, they look at you with eyes of gratitude.

V3 “If so be” If so be that you actually have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. If you haven’t then you need to get saved. I can’t save you, but I can keep telling you about it, and I can inform you that once you are, you will know, because the Holy Spirit will give you the deposit and the word of God will start to taste oh so good!

A cornerstone in ancient construction was the foundation upon which the building was founded. Instead of a cement slab, it was a cornerstone. Jesus is the foundation of the spiritual house that God is building. Just as a literal tent was erected and a literal house/ temple was built to house the presence of God, in the New Covenant, God is building a spiritual house, a place where His presence can live, a place where He can be found on earth.

The cornerstone was rejected by men, but chosen and precious in the eyes of God. The Spirit calls us stones also. He is the Living stone, and when that stone touches us, we become lively stones. Lively meaning life. It’s the word Zoe in the Greek, and it means He breathed His life on you and in you. You were dead and now you’re alive. You’re a lively stone and you, and you, and you, and me, and God is building a house where His presence can dwell, and He is the head and we are the body and His church is the house and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

God’s house is on the move again church. It was in a tent where it could move and then it became a stationary structure in the temple and people would come to it, and now it’s both. We, as lively stones come to this place, and He is in us, we bring Him with us. He brings people here, and when we’re all here, maybe it functions like the temple, but when we leave it’s more like the tent of meeting. Wherever we go, church is about to take place. Wherever we go, revival is about to break out. Any minute, any day, any place, it’s about to happen. He’s about to pour out His Spirit! Expect Him to move church!

Priesthood- you’re a holy priesthood.

Hebrews 7:26-27

26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

The Old Testament priest made intercession for the people through sacrifice, that’s what they needed. They needed to be cleansed from their sin, an exchange from sin to righteousness. Their work of intercession was never done, because the blood of bulls and goats cannot remove sin. His work is Is the sinless man who died for all sinful men, and now, in His exalted state, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, ever making intercession for you, for me.

Now, under Him, we are made a royal priesthood. The people of God, the body of Christ, offering up, spiritual sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1).

He laid a cornerstone in Sion— Zion is the highest hill in Jerusalem, the hill upon which the temple of the Lord was built in the city of God’s choosing. The city named Jerusalem, the city of peace. But the stone He’s talking about here is not the literal stone upon which the temple was built. The stone He’s talking about here is the stone, the rock, Christ Jesus. There is a heavenly Jerusalem that awaits the saints of God. The writer of Hebrews speaks of it:

Hebrews 7:26-27

Hebrews 12:22-23

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Confounded—dishonored, disgraced, ashamed, blush

This isn’t the kind of blushing where some pretty girl tells you that she thinks that you are cute or good looking, or vice versa some attractive dude tells you that you are beautiful. No! This is the blush of shame. That spot where you thought you were right and you were so bold about it, but come to find out, you were wrong, and it’s that direct moment when your consciousness realizes that you were wrong and embarrassment and shame floods you, hormones are released that increase blood flow to your face, your face is reddened and depending on how serious the situation, other emotions are to follow, heartache, sorrow, a desire to get right, or embarrassment turns to bitterness and the heart is hardened and the neck is stiffened and rebellion enters in. There is coming a judgment day, and everyone will face Jesus, and if we let the Living stone touch us now, if our glorified body blushes, we may blush for joy, but we will not blush for shame. Oh God let us help others. Let us be used by you to help them not experience the bad blush, only a good blush. Please Lord!

To the person that exercises faith in the truth, Jesus becomes the most precious possession on earth. His presence is something that He will allow us to possess. He becomes the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price. To those who reject the truth, He becomes a stumbling block. This is God’s plan. Jesus is the head of the corner. He is the foundation of God’s intervention for rebellious, sinful man. I don’t believe that God predestined people to be disobedient, reject the word and stumble. Instead, I believe that He gives His word, knowing that some will believe and some will reject. The ones that believe will see Jesus as precious. Those that reject will stumble and this is the appointment of the people’s: one or the other. There is no in between. Yet, in His grace and His mercy, He who rejects today, may still have hope tomorrow, as long as there is breath in the lungs and time on the prophetic clock, there is hope for a soul to go from unbeliever to believer and from rejector to embracer of truth— I believe that, and that is why I preach!

The people of God are seen as a special people group. Their unity and togetherness is based on the commonality that they have believed in the word of God. They are a royal-priesthood. This makes believers different than the Levitical priests of old. They were of the tribe of Levi. From Levi came no king. Jesus is a priest after a new order. The order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a king-priest. We have been given the delegated authority of the Christ to operate as a co-regent with our king. We have been given delegated authority to operate under the dunamis of God. To pray and intercede, to believe God for the miraculous and to take authority over the works of darkness.

We are peculiar in that God has created us and separated us out from the rest of the world as a people that belong directly to Him. Our purpose is to operate as kings and priests within the kingdom realm that He has translated us into. He called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light and our purpose is to show forth praises to Him. The gentile nations were not previously the people of God— Israel was. We were not previously the people of God—other Christians were but thank God a believer somewhere, somehow told us the truth. Thank you Lord for sending someone to tell us the truth.

The Greek word means literally "to make around," that is, to make something and then to surround it with a circle, thus indicating ownership. The same verb is used in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 43:21 which reads, "This people have I formed for myself." The word "peculiar" today usually means "odd, strange." But it is not so used here. The Greek word speaks of the unique, private, personal ownership of the saints by God_Wuest

People that are ignorant of God and ignorant of sin continue to engage in the lusts of the flesh. We also know that Christians, at times, do the same, but Peter implores us not to. He calls believers “dearly beloved” the lusts of the flesh is what the world offers, but we are not of the world. We are a royal priesthood and fleshly lusts wage war against our souls. When war is waged against our souls, it will affect our faith, it will affect our mindsets , and fleshly lusts will definitely affect our emotions.

Keep your manner of living honorable among unbelievers. When we live right before them, even though they talk bad about us, they will know that our faith is sincere, they will remember our works and on the Day of visitation—they will glorify God. The idea here for visitation is actually talking about the overseer ἐπισκοπή episkopē. The text is describing the day when the unbeliever will finally believe in Christ and accept Him as the overseer of their soul. When they receive Him and are cleansed, they will remember your honorable life, and they will be thankful that you lived a separated life for the Lord!

Believers are instructed to live their lives in an honorable way: We are to respect the governing authorities that are in place, honor. Our behavior will also silence foolish men. Whenever we are slandered by people for our faithful living, we must be reminded that the slanderers are ignorant. They do not know our Lord. Our prayer is that one day they will.

One thought about Peter saying to obey governors, authorities and laws that are in place. I would also like to point out that this is the same man that preached Jesus, got arrested for preaching Jesus, was freed from prison, and went back and preached again.

We are also instructed to respect the authority of those we work for. He specifically states that we are expected to respond properly to our bosses that are froward (σκολιός skolios; from the base of 4628; warped, i.e. winding; figuratively, perverse: — crooked).

If we respond like the world and are buffeted (to rap with the fist: — buffet.) then we will not receive praise from God for it, but if we are well doers and live our lives honorably in the eyes of God, according to His word, then this is acceptable in the eyes of God— the Greek here for acceptable is charis— grace/graciousness.

Jesus left us an example on earth of suffering for righteousness.  Example—ὑπογραμμός hypogrammos; from a compound of 5259 and 1125; an underwriting. His example is written. He had no sin, He had no deceit (guile). He trusted and committed Himself to the Father, the Father judges righteously. It is obvious from these thoughts that God is pleased and takes notice of what will last in eternity.

His example brought obedience to the point of death, the death of the cross. He bore our sin in His body on the tree. He healed us with the stripes of the lichtor’s lash.

We were like sheep going astray (πλανάω planaō; from 4106; to (properly, cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue): — go astray, deceive) we were deceived, but His word and grace drew us back and we had our own visitation. This is why He wants us to live honorably before men. It is His will and desire to do the same for them. The very one that hurt you the worst, is the one He wants to save.

Yielding Not Grieving, 3/1/2023

Romans 12:10

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Kindly affectioned

The concept that when the brothers saw the Cameo, they remembered their mom correlated to the concept that when believers see another believer it should remind them about the Lamb, because the Lamb shed His blood for my brother or sister in the Lord.

Maybe that illustration doesn’t dig deep enough, so let’s try this. The brother or sister in the Lord belongs to God right? I’m talking about a saved person, and whatever interaction you have with them, you imagine, well, “I’m blessed and highly favored of the Lord.” Okay, yeah, but they’re not? Come on man, get off your high horse and quit thinking you’re the darling of heaven. God wants this person ministered to, not destroyed!

So many people are full of the lusts of the flesh in their hearts but they ignore their stuff and focus on how bad other people’s stuff is and then feel better about themselves. We better let God search our hearts church. So maybe here is a better illustration to help us understand what God may feel in all of this when He tells us to be kindly affectioned to cherish our brother.

We gossip and slander and lie on our taxes and we’re critical about others and we’re self righteous. And maybe we wound a brother or sister in the Lord. It’s maybe the self righteous way we said things. It’s the way we made them feel less then. Whatever we did, I don’t care whether we meant to. I don’t care whether they overreacted. It doesn’t matter—they were wounded. Something is about to happen to this child of God and we weren’t part of the solution, we were part of the problem, and God is grieved!

She’s wounded and ventures away from the Lord. You’re not thinking about her anymore. She’s been gone for 10 years. You forgot about her, but her daddy thinks about her all the time. She was his little girl. She hasn’t called in a while. Last he heard she had fallen into a life of addiction and things got even worse. She started selling herself to pay for the habit. Daddy tries to not think about it but he grieves and he prays and he asks God to intervene. At times he has joy at others he hurts.

One day she returns to town, “Dad, I’m home now (prodigal son…), God brought me home, and I have to tell you that He showed me that it wasn’t anyone’s fault. I understand that now that God has revealed His love to me. It’s just that the way all the Christians in my life growing up acted and treated me, I couldn’t see the Lord. What they said was right, but the way that they said it was wrong. They probably didn’t mean to, but it caused confusion.

The devil used it to offend me. No-one means to do it but they do, and the devil uses it. God dealt with me one night a month ago, and He showed me this, and He told me to come home and tell you and forgive you because you did it too dad, but can I please come home, He said He would heal me daddy please I’m sorry, can I come home?”

Imagine the heartache and pain that would cause you if you thought that someone had done that to your child. Now, imagine that you hurt a brother or sister in the Lord. You just shrug it off as, “They’re too easily offended, but hold on a second. You don’t even care that you offended God’s daughter, God’s son. You didn’t even consider how your attitude or your tone of voice could have made them feel unwelcome and now they’re gone. They have pulled away from the presence of the Lord. Your heart is hard. You know that you did something, but it’s not really that big of a deal to you, and this grieves the Holy Spirit, and

God weeps. He weeps, because your heart is too hard to even realize that it’s a big deal. He weeps because a sister or brother in the Lord was offended. He hoped He could trust you. If your heart was softer, you would feel conviction. You would say you were sorry and more importantly, you would pray and ask God to draw them back.

Honor

g5092. τιμή timē; from 5099; a value, i.e. money paid, or (concretely and collectively) valuables; by analogy, esteem (especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself: — honor, precious, price, some.

AV (43) - honour 35, price 8, sum 1, precious 1;

Valuing the price fixed. This means that I recognize the value affixed by God towards Valuing the price fixed. This means that I recognize the value affixed by God towards my brother or sister in Christ! What is that value? The life of Jesus-- what does that even mean to us? What it means to me is that in the Father’s eyes ______________ is worth the life of Jesus. Psalm 133 tells us tha it’s a beautiful thing when brothers in unity dwell

Preferring one another

g4285. προηγέομαι proēgeomai; from 4253 and 2233; to lead the way for others, i.e. show deference: — prefer.

AV (1) - prefer 1;

to go before and show the way, to go before and lead, to go before as a leader

e it stirs, I will roll out that way and stop them, every time they beat you they come from that direction, so I will roll out and stop them, and then you can get your healing.”

Defer, prefer-- “Please you go first!”

Imagine the story a little differently, just to make a point at the pool of Bethesda. Let’s just pretend for a second for the purposes of teaching the concept of preferring your brother or sister greater than yourself, and what we will imagine is the the Lame man had a friend who was also lame, and he said, ‘I have a plan-- the next time you jump into the pool first.’

‘Wait what,” the lame man responds, “What about you, what about your healing?” The Lord spoke to me last night in prayer and he showed me that if I would quit thinking so much about myself and love you this way, then He would send what I need.”

Corinth: 1 Corinthians 4:6

6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another (chapter 11–selfishness in communion) vs (Acts 2:45_47 & Acts 4:32-35)

Peter: Temporary Journey with an Eternal Reward, 2/19/23

OUTLINE: Temporary Journey with Eternal Reward

I. V1-2 Strangers, elect, sanctification, sprinkling of blood

• Foreign Land

II. V 3-5 Begotten, resurrection, incorruptible inheritance, reserved in heaven, kept by power

• Eternal life, eternal kingdom, eternal reward

III. V 6-9 Rejoice, Season of heaviness— if need be, manifold temptations, Trial of faith through fire, gold perishes, can’t see but believe

• Hostile journey, faith must be tried—kingdom currency must be tried

IV. V 10-12 Prophets enquired & searched, prophesied of grace, what time?, Spirit of Christ, who was it for, The Holy Ghost & the preaching, angels desire to look

• Eternal plan—unchanging message

V. V 13-16 gird loins of mind, not fashioning of world of lust, Holy, Holy, Holy

• Prepare for travel—get your mind right

VI. Sojourn here in fear, Redemption through precious blood, not earthly, perishing, currency, Foreordained before the foundation of earth

• Travel and tremble (Isaiah 66:1-2)

V1. & Feigned love for the brethren, pure heart, Flowers fade, grass withers, God’s word endures forever

• Heavenly love— perishing world

NOTES: A Temporary Journey with an Eternal Reward

1 Peter Chapter 1

Paragraph 1/ V 1,2 Strangers & elect— this earth is not our home. We are pilgrims on a journey in a fallen land. The earth is fallen and full of lust, but the earth is full of the glory of God, and those that love the Lord will be translated into His kingdom, and they will partake in the glory and power of His divine nature. And as ambassadors, representatives of His kingdom will do exploits for their king.

Elect— how does one become the elect of God? He who is the elect has been sprinkled with the blood. He has been cleansed with the blood of the lamb ( ), sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience

Paragraph 2/ V-5 Begotten through resurrection, now, an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, awaits! In the kingdom, your garments will never be stained.

Paragraph 3/V 6-9 Resurrection births new life. This is just the down payment of new life. In this life, there will be trial, in the next only triumph. We rejoice, because our inheritance is incorruptible. Rejoice even now in heaviness. Fire’s flame is on the faith, the faith is being tested. Faith is heavenly, more precious than earthly gold that perishes. Gold & Earth PERISH. Our inheritance is heavenly— incorruptible, undefiled and non-perishable. Therefore, the faith must be tried in fire. You can’t see Him, but you believe.  Rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Can you feel that? Say that from your soul— I can’t see Him; yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Paragraph 4/ V 10-12. Filled with the Spirit of Christ, the prophets searched the times. He was coming. He would suffer, then the glory follows. Voice of the prophets was preparing us. The Christ was not then, He is now. The Holy Spirit sent down. The message proclaimed. The angels peering!

They girded loins in preparation for travel. This girding is the mind, because it’s the belt of truth. The truth girds the mind preparing for travel. The truth fills the mind with the glory of the heavenly kingdom and corrects the thoughts for the earthly journey. First correction, the earth is full of lust, in the past, you were ignorant. Don’t go back! God is holy. He says to us, be you Holy also.

We are directed to prepare for the journey. The journey is the work of the Lord, it describes the place where we pick up Elijah’s mantle and we do the work of the prophet. We foretell, but we also forth-tell. The eternal gospel story, and the work will be judged, and it will be judged based upon something of dire seriousness, now, again, this is the judgment seat where works are judged. You’re saved. I’m saved—right? Okay, now this is the works. What did you do for me? This is what I did for you. I redeemed you from the slavery of sin with the precious blood of a lamb foreordained before the foundations of the earth. So I’m back to settle the accounts. Grace and mercy yes, but holy, holy, holy— Isaiah 6. I don’t know what you get out of that, but I get that being in the presence of the Lord is a very serious situation. I get the impression that it’s going to be very sobering and monumental and for some reason I feel like even in my glorified body I’m not going to feel comfortable peering into His eyes. I don’t know how to explain this completely, but I believe that if I did look into His eyes. I would see the purest of joy, the fulfillment of compassion, probably even a tear of happiness to see me, because I believe that He loves me that much, but I believe that when I see His eyes, the most comfortable and appropriate posture that I will be able to find is bowed down with my face at His feet

A purified soul, loves the brethren with a love that is pure and not fake ἀνυπόκριτος without hypocrisy. It’s pure—purified by fire in a similitude, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit. The seed that we are born of is incorruptible, meaning, unlike this world, it is not perishing. The incorruptible seed, the Living word, which is Jesus, has been birthed in our hearts and has given us new life and results in pure unfeigned love. We cannot afford anymore to fake it until we make it, that will hinder the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit.  Man is like the flower and the grass. It will fall and wither. The word of the Lord will endure forever. Your faith is eternal, His word is eternal, and the love between the brethren starts here in the temporal, but will be perfected in eternity.

The Wrestling of the Spirits

The Wrestling of the Spirits (2/12/2023) 
Oppression, possession, vexed
Hebrews 4:12

Ephesians 6:11-12
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

“Christian’s can’t be possessed but they can be oppressed!”

Oppressed— to exercise harsh control over one, to use one's power against one

Possessed— δαιμονίζομαι daimonizomai; middle voice from 1142; to be exercised by a dÏmon: — have a (be vexed with, be possessed with) devil(-s).
AV (13) - possessed with devils 4, possessed with the devil 3, of the devils 2, vexed with a devil 1, possessed with a devil 1, have a devil 1;

Vexed— δαιμονίζομαι daimonizomai; middle voice from 1142; to be exercised by a dÏmon: — have a (be vexed with, be possessed with) devil(-s).
AV (13) - possessed with devils 4, possessed with the devil 3, of the devils 2, vexed with a devil 1, possessed with a devil 1, have a devil 1;

What does that mean? What is possession? What is oppression? Can oppression turn into possession. What does possession look like? What does oppression look like? 

Do you remember when you first got saved, how you felt, the cleansing, the burden lifted, do you remember a time not much later where weights started piling up again? What about after the revelation of the finished work of Christ, was there a period unburdened and then slowly weighted down again? What is that? What is the answer to that, will repentance and proper faith fix it? Yes, I believe it will, but what is true repentance?


What makes cross preaching people, cross believing people [victory is in Jesus] who love Jesus and believe the word of God act a certain way? When I mean a certain way, I mean living their lives where they produce lusts of the flesh instead of fruit of the Spirit? For those of us that have been changed by the truth of God’s word, is it possible that after the power of the cross delivered us from the big stuff: drugs, alcohol, pornography, fornication that through the days, weeks and years, we somehow opened up doors (Ephesians 4:27) to other spirits that seem less obvious? Ones like I’ve been talking about— critical, religious, fear, gluttonous, pride, anger, [rebellious—a spirit of rebellion doesn’t seem like a spirit of rebellion if I think I’m right]

Mark 9:26-27 NIV
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

Mark 9:26 KJV
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Testimony

I don’t believe that it will always be so violent. I believe that there are different levels of oppression, vexation or control, and deliverance can be as violent as “it rent him sore” or as peaceful as “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” and that easily it’s gone. Oddly enough demons in a sense have a human connection before they’re even connected to a human. Where do they come from? They come from the fallen angels commingling with the daughters of men and producing a hybrid race that was part angelic and part human. 

So they were spiritual beings because both angels and humans are spiritual beings and when their human aspect died (physical bodies)— [Goliath/Og/Anak/Ishbebenob] their spiritual aspect, the spirit was released. Now, they are demonia [demons], and now as demonia they seek a base of operations [vessel/base of operations]. Think about what I’m saying, they are evil spirits, offspring of fallen angels, that travelled this terrestrial world in some form of earthly/ physical body, and now, being released, they wander in search of a body they can use. They must have permission from the host to utilize the vessel; unfortunately, us as mortal, inferior in intellect creatures are mostly unaware, their devising of methods is so wicked that only the Holy Spirit can help us to even begin to recognize their plans and activities. 

They want/ they need a human vessel to work. They have work to do. They have work at every level of society. It is their meat to do their father’s will. Did you just hear what I said? Did that shudder your bones? Because if it didn’t and you’ve been saved for a year or more, shame on you for not reading it yet, shame on me for not teaching it yet, or shame on you again for not coming to church or not watching the video. I don’t know who, but shame on somebody, because we better wake up church, there are souls that need saving, and we are God’s vessels and He works in purity and light, while they work in wickedness and darkness and God is looking for some men and women to partner with Him and engage a spiritual world and win some souls, make some disciples, and reproduce after our own kind— Christian!

Matthew 12:43-44 43 -- When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

Now, I want you to think of this: these spirits were revered when they were physical beings, they were worshipped as gods, and they still want to be worshiped. Revelry Bacchus, mosquito sprayer releasing demons. But what about when they attach to the individual, spirits of lust that want attention, spirits of addiction that want attention. They will leave you alone for a little while, some are stronger than others and don’t hide as much they pop their heads up every few hours and demand to be worshipped, the human being that is being controlled by it call it a fix, the demon says, “I’m your god, it’s time to worship me.”

Not just that they want to be worshipped but now that we’re saved, Satan wants to prevent us from being effective for kingdom, so he wants to oppress. 

The scripture says that the angels of God peer through heaven’s portals to look into this thing called salvation. It’s as though they are intrigued with God’s interaction with man. Angels are not us, not terrestrial (earthly). They can’t fully understand humanity because they are not of this world. This world was created for Adam, he was to co-regent with God— whatever that all means/ entails, Adam was not supposed to do what he did, and when he did, it caused a shift and gave power to fallen angels to usurp Adam’s authority and that is why 

First and last Adam
1 Corinthians 15:42-58
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The fallen angels deceived God’s earthly creation into disobeying God and obeying them, which resulted in God’s creation having a sinful nature. Then they took it a step further and somehow commingled with the daughters of men. It seems so weird that we don’t want to talk about it [not here to build a popular you tube channel/ I’m here to tell the truth]

but the Bible talks about it. and this is the book that I want to live my life by, and if God put it in here for my benefit. Besides, I don’t have that luxury. People may want to push me away, but He told me to present His word for the way that it is written…

God wants to help me to thrive in the world that I’m living in, so He gave me His word and sent me His Spirit!

In His word He teaches me that there are evil spirits that want to destroy me. In His word, He teaches me that Jesus defeated them and that when I’m in Christ, Jesus’s victory over evil flows through me on earth. We have authority over evil in Christ— aren’t you excited about that! Amen, be more excited that your names are written in the book of life. Obviously, God does not want evil spirits attached to His people, because then, His people will be moonlighting for them, when they’re supposed to be working for Him. 

But in order for it to go, a couple things must happen: 1) I have to know something is there and believe it’s a problem— wiles 2) I have to want it to go 3) I have to believe that Jesus has power to set me free 4) there must be repentance and what does that look like? 

Repentance and confession are closely aligned:

Confession— ὁμολογέω homologeō/  homo :: logeō say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent

Repentance—  a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose [mindset] he has formed or of something he has done

So the idea is that I come to the realization that I was wrong. If I’m an unbeliever, no matter how long I’ve been in rebellion towards God’s plan for me to accept the sacrifice of Jesus for my sin, the moment that my mind agrees with His word, and I line up and agree with Him, turn from myself and turn to His truth, it happens— I become a new creation in Christ. 

It doesn’t matter how smart you are, how many degrees that you have, how right you think you are, if you are resistant in your mind and heart towards God and His word, you are in rebellion towards God! I didn’t say if you are in rebellion towards my teaching or position— that won’t cause you trouble, it’s if you or I are in rebellion in any way against His word, it will cause us trouble some way. The problem is in effect when a person is believing wrong towards God’s word. 

I do not want to be told by God that I harmed His people by teaching something wrong and not properly preparing them spiritually for whatever He asked me to teach and prepare them for… 

You do understand that if I, as a teacher of the word, could be wrong in an interpretation, other preachers can also be wrong in various areas? I mean there aren’t really infallible men are there? Is that why the word says “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling?” Is that why the word says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”?

Okay, so now let’s take this new thought and ponder it. Now, I’m a believer. I’m introduced with a new biblical thought, and it’s different than what I’ve been taught before. It’s different than what other preachers say, so I don’t like it, but I don’t study it out for myself. Let’s just pretend for a second that some minister that I like is wrong about something, but I like him, and I trust him. Sometimes people put a minister in an elevated position where that person’s interpretation becomes the standard. But God’s word is the standard and the Holy Spirit is the interpreter. This is very sobering that preachers can get things wrong and it may result in a whole congregation being wrong. Nobody did this on purpose, or at least I hope not, but it still results in the same bondage instead of freedom. I used to quote that very line to point out that everyone else was wrong, and now, I’m sobered with the reverence, Lord please protect me that I not cause your children to stumble.  At this point, am I much different than the person who refuses to believe that Jesus died for their sin and that they need to bow their knee to Him, but in rebellion they say no? Well, yeah, it is different because I’m saved and their not, but let’s continue with the believer…

So I’ve been presented with Biblical information that is contrary to my previous Biblical view points, but the new view point is actually true, and my previous understanding requires correction, but I refuse to allow myself to be aligned under the authority of God, and instead, I demand to remain in my current position and belief. If I am doing that, and I’m not saying right now that anyone is, I’m saying that we all need to hear this message and deal with it, but if I am doing that, then I am in rebellion towards God and His word [period]! 

Now, is a transition point, if I am in rebellion against God and His word, is it rebellion in me from the fall and an aspect of my sinful nature that I received in my physical birth in Adam, and if so where did Adam receive that spirit of rebellion from? Where did that spirit of pride that resulted in rebellion in Adam’s life come from? I think we know the answer to that. 

Galatians 2:1-14– Paul was right here and corrected Peter, but does that mean that Paul could not be wrong?
1 Corinthians 4:1-4

#22 Control Issues

Ephesians 5:17
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
 
The word wise is sophos and unwise is simply "a" sophos, describing one that is without wisdom. For further clarification, we're told that instead of being like the unwise we need to know the will of God.
 
So what is the will of God? How can a man know the will of God? In the midst of this crazy world where much of the time nothing seems to be going right, how can I learn God's will or know God’s ways?!
 
Psalms 51:13
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
 
Unfortunately, there is often a long path that must be traveled before a person is really ready to be a recipient of God's wisdom, ways, or will.
 
Biblical wisdom is more than just book knowledge. Please don't misunderstand what I'm trying to say here. Without an understanding of this book-- the Bible lifted in the air, there can be no wisdom received from God, simply because this is how God has chosen to communicate His wisdom to man.
 
Nevertheless, the meaning of wisdom is more than just knowledge. There is a gift of a word of wisdom given by the Holy Spirit that can be given in a moment of time for a specific situation (1 Corinthians 12:8). Yet, still, this is not the wisdom spoken of in the Old Testament. The wisdom of God literally has the word skill connected to it.
 
A skill is something that must be developed over time. It humors me sometimes when new Christians walk around puffed up and thinking that they're walking in the wisdom of God. In reality, many times they don't even have knowledge, so they definitely can't have wisdom.
 
No, wisdom is something that requires time to develop, time where a mixture can take place. It's the mixing of godly knowledge and practice exercising that knowledge in specific circumstances. Through this process, godly wisdom is acquired, through this process a man or woman of God becomes skillful in their response to situations by applying the word of God in the midst of circumstances, which they've probably encountered before, where they previously applied their own understanding, failed, and now coming around and facing it again, there is another opportunity to apply the wisdom of God.
 
Actually, that's what the word "understanding" literally means in the Greek of the Ephesian passage "for it to come together". In other words, there is a union between knowledge and practice, which results in comprehension. In other words, "Oh, I get it!" or "Ah ha! I see now."
 
Take the Psalm that I just referenced. This Psalm is written after great trial and tribulation, after much heartache and pain. It's written by a man who thought that he knew God and thought that he knew what would make his self happy and satisfied, but the results of his choices left him in a state of brokenness and despair (2 Samuel 11:1-12:24).
 
But from the place of brokenness and despair, he was able to remember that what he was lacking was God. In this place one receives revelation that self isn't okay. And in this place, self can cry out to God for revelation.
 
Nobody likes Egypt (the slavery of sin: that place where sin goes from being fun to misery) when they're there. In other words, no one wants to be a slave of sin, but until a person is delivered out from Egyptian bondage and goes through the process of longing for what it once offered only to find it still results in the same heartache and pain, then and only then can a person gain the comprehension or wisdom necessary to understand that Egypt is slavery not freedom.
 
Ephesians 5:18
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
 
The idea that's being portrayed here is one of control. The word excess being used was used in the original language to describe being "soaked".
 
When a person is soaked with wine, they're controlled by it. The effects of the wine control the person through a variety of ways: the senses are dulled where what is heard and seen are not properly perceived, resulting in a clouded mind where understanding can't be achieved. The wine, beer, Vicodin, marijuana, Prozac, psychological counseling, the program....all these things cause a dulling of the spiritual perception, because we are being soaked in another way that's not God's way; therefore, it's just one more way to keep us disconnected from the truth and life that's in Christ.
 
And then someone from the crowd screams, "Hey, crazy preacher! The program, the counseling, and the Prozac are there to help me get my head sober not drunk, so how dare you say that!"
 
That's what you're told, but it's a sobriety void of the knowledge of God. And in essence these entities control us and move us in a direction opposite of God's prescription for victory. He has one way for true victory. His answer is the sending of His sinless Son to die in Matt's place and for Matt to trust his plan by faith and when faith is placed in God's plan the old Matt born like Adam dies and a new Matt born again in Christ is resurrected and if there are preachers that aren't telling the people that every time they get a chance, then they aren't preaching the gospel, and if it offends you that a pastor would say that then you need to find another one, and let me give you a news flash-- God's offended!
 
God's offended because He sent the darling of heaven to remedy our malady and the hireling stands behind the pulpit and he gives God's people an alternate version that never sets the captive free.
 
The scripture says, "but be filled with the Spirit."
 
This scripture describes control issues. In one scenario, the person is controlled by sin, and in the other, he's controlled by the Spirit of God.
 
Romans 6:6-23
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
And that's what this long passage in Romans describes: how a person who was originally born a slave can experience transference of kingdoms where he's no longer a slave of sin, but he becomes a willing servant of God.
 
When we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us up with His presence and control our lives, we begin to be led by His presence in the right direction. You know that comment that your spouse made the other day that got you so mad you wanted to make a fool of yourself? When you're filled with the Spirit of God, it just doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
 
There are people who will lie about you and tell others things about you in a way where you look bad. But when you're filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment, it just seems kind of trivial and silly. It's a wonderful thing to no longer be controlled by your circumstances but instead be controlled by the Spirit of God.
 
How do I do that preacher? How do I get full of the Holy Spirit? First, you must be born again, and if you're born again, you need to ask Him to baptize you with His Holy Spirit with the initial physical evidence of speaking in other tongues, but it doesn't end there, because every day you need to be filled with the Spirit of God.
 
You need to let Him know you want more of Him, because you know that more of Him makes you have more of Jesus. And remember this child of God; Jesus paid a high price for you to be filled up with the Holy Spirit.
 
Ephesians 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
 
We did a study a while back on this verse, and we covered in detail these specific words. For tonight's study, I would just like to make a couple of brief points about these musical concepts:
 
(1) the word psalms literally is psallo and describes lyrics accompanied by music, even more specifically, in its original meaning, it denoted lyrics with the strumming of strings.
 
Furthermore, the connotation of this New Testament passage would obviously be giving reference to the Old Testament Psalms that were written by King David and his musicians. It has been well documented that the Jews sang the Psalms through the years of their history and utilized them as we would congregational hymns.
 
(2) hymns are not that different from a Psalm. In the early church, they were songs that were sang by the congregation as a whole in order to worship God, providing an opportunity to corporately worship God.
 
(3) spiritual songs are simply another way to describe music and singing that glorifies God. As a matter of fact the Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest makes the point that there shouldn't be too much work done attempting to find specific, distinctions between these words. When the whole thought is taken together, the idea is that these words describe music that's being offered to God in adoration and praise to Him.
 
Ultimately, what God has showed me about the church's music is that it must preach the gospel. Yes, we use music to usher in the presence of God, but let me say this, "I've been in music services where you could feel something in the air that was making you experience all types of emotion, while at the same time not one of the songs even mentioned the name of Jesus, the blood or the cross.
 
We must remember that Satan is also a spiritual being and he transforms himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); furthermore, Paul warned us that Satan has a plan to offer another gospel containing another Jesus, which has another spirit (2 Corinthians 11:4), and spirits can move on the emotions of people.
 
When discussing music, we must consider the enemy of our souls because there are passages that explain to us in detail that he was created with music in his person (Isaiah 14:11; Ezekiel 28:13). Furthermore, we have biblical proof that he has used music in the midst of fallen society to teach man a way to soothe the pain of his soul through the playing of music and the singing of song (Genesis 4:16, 21). The point being made here is that Cain went out from the presence of God (Genesis 4:16), and he and his offspring began constructing a pre- flood society without the presence or will of God involved in their endeavors. Furthermore, it was Cain’s offspring who first created musical instruments on the earth (Genesis 4:21). Therefore, we must be reminded that there is music from another source that is being produced from another spirit.
 
It must be understood that music is a very powerful entity. And last week we were exhorted by the apostle to walk a certain way:
 
 

Ephesians 5:15, 16
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
 
The word circumspect means with caution. The church is exhorted to walk with caution because the days are evil; furthermore, Paul speaks in multiple other places about the subtilty and deceptive devices of our enemy:
 
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
 
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
 
With all this said, I want to point out some things about music that most pastors wouldn't address for various reasons:
 
(1) They would say it's not necessary because they've been called to focus on the truth; therefore, I don't have to worry about exposing everything else.
 
(2) They wouldn't do it out of fear that it would make people in the congregation mad.
 
(3) They wouldn't do it because they just wouldn't feel as though it’s that big of a deal.
 
Lyrics to those songs:

Take me to Church—warning contains un-godly material

There Must Have Been something in the Water—need to watch the video after reading the lyrics to get the full effect
 
The point in exposing all this is to reveal to you the deceptive practices of Satan. If he can get us to embrace a counterfeit, no matter how closely it resembles the truth, then he keeps us away from the truth. The first song is blatantly wrong; yet, countless Christian listen to secular music, and in my opinion Carrie Underwood’s song is more dangerous because it’s pretending to be something that its not.
 
Ultimately, the apostle tells us that the purpose of this music is that it would make a melody in our heart towards God. A melody has a specific sound. The melody of a song is arranged in such a way that the music and the lyrics work in unison. As the lyrics accompany the music in this way, there is a sound produced that is conducive for harmony, which is a synonym for (unity) rather than cacophony, which is a synonym for (disunity).
 
Ephesians 5:20
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
 
There are many times that things happen in the life of the Christian that just don't make sense. Trials and tribulations, failures and frustrations plague this world and the people in it. If we're not careful, we will have a tendency to think that all these nuisances are simply an attack of Satan, which requires an exhaustive rebuking in order to be released from his grip.
 
The reality is that God uses these occurrences in our lives for a bigger purpose than what our natural eyes are often willing to perceive.
 
The child of God must remember that while it is true that Satan has a plan to destroy our faith and walk with God, God's plan is that our faith fail not in the midst of the trial:
 
Luke 22:31-32
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
 
God used the wilderness in Israel's life to humble them:
 
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
 
God uses trials in the life of the believer to prove him, to let him see what is really in his heart, and ultimately to bring him to a place where he (man) can become a partaker of His (God's) holiness:
 
Hebrews 12:5-11
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
 
I want to close this section by pointing out that often when we're in the trial or in that process where we are finding ourselves remaining under the struggle of sin, we find ourselves in misery. When we dwell in Egypt as slaves, there is no joy in sin. When we wander in the wilderness, there is no joy in sin. There is only misery. But listen close Christian, there will come a day, if you will hold onto the Lord, that Egypt and the wilderness will have served their purposes.
 
What is that? You may ask. It's the process of convincing your free will that what you thought you wanted only left you broken, busted and disgusted. God will use Egypt and The wilderness to convince your free will that what you are really longing for is Him!
 
The main thing we're fighting in this process is self and self's perception of what is good. I know this to be true at least regarding my own life. I've been through a big portion of this process already-- the process where God convinces me that what I thought was cool was killing me, and what I thought was un-cool (biblical things) was my only hope. But my problem was that I was more concerned about what my old friends and the world thought was cool more than I was concerned about what God wanted for my life.
 
I'm convinced now on what is right. As a preacher, I pray that the Lord would help me to articulate these truths to people in such a way that their own journey from Egypt (world) to Canaan's rest (victory in Jesus) would be greatly shortened.
 
I started this discourse because I simply wanted to say that there will be times in your life when you will hate the season you are living in, but be encouraged: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
 
because... we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
 
Once God brings you through the trying times and you're finally convinced that sin will destroy you (no matter its flavor), you will be able to look back towards Egypt and say, "Lord, Egypt hurt; it caused a lot of pain, and there was a lot of bondage. Lord, the wilderness journey on my way to the Canaan rest was so difficult, but I thank you God! I thank you for Egypt, and I thank you for the wilderness, because without them, I could've never recognized the blessing of the Promised Land, also known as the Canaan rest."
 
Ephesians 5:21
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
 
The word here for submit is hupo- Tasso.
 
Hupo= under
 
Tasso= describes military arrangement of submission, having the idea of willingly bringing one’s self under the submission of another. It must be understood that the whole premise of this thought is built upon the Spirit filled life, which will result in a meekness and humility, a lowering of self. This is the opposite of pride:
 
1 Corinthians 13:4
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
 
The word charity is actually agape in the Greek, which is the sacrificial love of God. This certainly speaks about the fruit of the Spirit of God being produced in the life of the believer.
 
Look at the adverbs used to describe this type of love: (1) it's long suffering. Long suffering means patience in relationships. What does that mean? It means that the first time I do something, the second time I do something, maybe even the third time I do something you don't like, you don't just quit on me; instead, you ask God for grace in dealing with me, and you pray for me if you think that I'm going the wrong way, but look at
 
(2) & (3) It doesn't envy. The word here is where we get our word zeal, and in this context, the meaning is that agape love doesn't allow a burning anger towards a brother or sister to remain. Many times envy begins with some form of jealousy, but before we realize, it can quickly result in bitterness and a zealous anger.
 
Lastly, true love doesn't vaunt or puff itself up. The Greek scholar Vincent describes these words like this: the word puffed up is bloated; therefore, it describes a person who is full of inner pride. Whereas, the word vaunteth describes the inner pride being manifest outward. Essentially, the person who walks this way is a braggart.
 
When discussing submission one to another, it must be understood that this process requires humility and a teachable spirit. Sadly, there are probably people who would want others to submit to them; yet, they're puffed up and full of pride. 
 
It has been my experience that these people think they know something about God and in reality their understanding of God's word is minimal at best; yet, they portray themselves as a spiritual giant.
 
As we close this teaching, I would like to point out that next week the text starts with wives submitting to their husbands. As Jesus is the head of the church and His bride submits to Him, God has established a certain order in the home. However, let us view verse 22 in light of verse 21. As brothers and sisters in the Lord, we’re to approach one another with humility and a willingness to submit to one another in the fear of God. Already, we see that the husband’s leadership position is to be one of humility, remembering to fear God, because his wife is also his sister in the Lord, and his sister in the Lord belongs to Jesus first…that’s sobering, at least for me it is. Now, help me to act right Lord : )  

#21 Wake Up Sleeper!

Last week, the study covered specific behaviors that born again Christians were no longer supposed to engage in. The text discussed concepts like fornication, which is translated from the Greek word porneia, and contains within it all manner of sexual sin, which would be considered in opposition against God's character and word. In reality, we learned several weeks ago when we covered the Nephilim and their influence on the land of Canaan that these behaviors aren’t only contrary to God, but they’re used by the forces of evil to cause man to rebel against God.
 
The un-redeemed heathen partake in all manner of uncleanness, but the believer is exhorted not to. As a matter of fact the word uncleanness was used in the text, and we pointed out that this word in the Greek literally means "a," which in the Greek means (without) and katharsis meaning a (purging); therefore, the heathen or un-redeemed, haven't been purged or cleansed because true purging and cleansing can only take place through our identification and association with the shed blood of Jesus. Now, we must remember that Paul is talking to the church. The letter is written to the church of Ephesus. In other words, he’s not warning the world about this; instead, he’s warning the church. Furthermore, we must consider the current state of the church and how the pews are filled with people who are engaging in porneia. I’m not speaking of people who are struggling with lust and asking God to deliver them. Instead, I’m speaking of people who are living under a diluted gospel, aren’t saved but think they are, and have no conviction about their transgression of God’s ways. Am I wrong or is that a dangerous gospel for people to sit under, where they can remain in sin, and not be convicted about their sin, and the whole while, they believe that they’re hearing the gospel? Is that the gospel? Can it be the gospel?
 
Once we're born again, then behaviors must change. Furthermore, Paul discussed not only our visible actions, but our audible talk. Previously, he told us to put away lying (Ephesians 4:25) and later for us not to let any corrupt communication come out of our mouths (Ephesians 4:29), and last week he told us not to engage in foolish talk, which was morologia-- from moron and logia/ speech. In others words, don't engage in dumb and fruitless talk.
 
Once again the thought is brought back to the conversation of the un- redeemed. Back in 4:17-19, we learned that the root cause of the heathen’s actions was that they weren't partakers of Christ; therefore, their hearts were darkened to the enlightenment, which God offers; therefore, please don't walk like them! Their eyes are closed, and they are blind, so why would we want to walk like them or talk like them?
 
We were supposed to end last week with verse 7, and we never got there:
 
Ephesians 5:7
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
 
The exhortation is don't be a partaker with them. The thought of the word partaker is connectedness. You and I aren't supposed to be connected to the world in deed or speech. We shouldn't be lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, smoking dope, getting drunk, fornicating.... And if we are engaging in these behaviors, while at the same time not being convicted about it, then something isn't right with our walk!
 
Ephesians 5:8
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
 
We were previously part of them, but we've been redeemed or purchased out from amongst them. The Christian, in his early walk, or sadly for some, throughout their walk, finds himself on dangerous ground because he so quickly forgets, you were sometimes darkness…. Somehow, he is convinced to believe, and this comes from the evil one, that he is more spiritual than those around him. Everything he does is of God, and no one else hears from God. This is the delusion of self- righteousness, resulting in an un-teachable spirit.
 
Many times, these people (I went through this myself) think they know better and are doing better than others, but in reality, they've been blinded by a spirit of religion, and they can't see. Sadly, many times, these people don't come back as quickly as the one who struggles with obvious sin, because obvious sin: fornication, drunkenness, lying....is usually depressing to the redeemed heart; whereas, the spirit of religion by its very nature is rooted in religious pride and lifts self up, feeding self into a lying frenzy, convincing the person that they are good and everyone is inferior. In addition, pride repels the heart of God; therefore, this is another spirit, a deceptive spirit that is driving this person’s actions and motives, and the sad thing is that the whole time they think they’re engaging in God’s work and the reality is that they’re being used as a tool of the enemy. Humility, on the other hand, by its very nature (at least for mortal man) is willing to admit that it doesn't know all; furthermore, it remembers that it …were sometimes darkness…. this is pleasing to God, because self is recognizing that its righteousness and victory is dependent upon God and not its own righteous actions no matter how righteous the may look. Even more encouraging is the truth that true humility is an attraction to God.
 
There is no better illustration that I can think of regarding these concepts than the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector who were praying in the temple (Luke 18:10), and the time when Jesus told the Pharisees that they were searching the scriptures looking for eternal life; however, the very scriptures they were searching were revealing Jesus, and the Pharisees were unwilling to come to Him (John 5:37-40).
 
Religious pride and an un-teachable spirit prevented them from seeing the truth. And in the parable previously mentioned, religious pride deceived the Pharisee into thinking that he was alright when in reality his heart was far away from God.
 
But verse 8 says that we are now children of light, so we should walk (order) our lives that way. The thought of this word children is teknon and its meaning in this sense is that the child is viewed in reference to the one that gave it birth. In other words, maybe in English the thought would be something like, “That’s your child right?” vs. “Look at that child over there.”
 
An earthly illustration would be when you meet someone who knew your parent from the past and they say, "You look just like your daddy."
 
In this sense your physical appearance connects you to your paternal father. In this verses' sense, your spiritual walk in the light connects you to Jesus of whom you were begotten. By the way, once again, the word for light here is "phos." If you will remember, we pointed out that "phos" is the same word used of Jesus when calling Him the light. Furthermore, there is a verse out of Colossians describing the translation from darkness to light, which specifically speaks of being born again from the dead: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
 

He is the source of light

John 1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

When man comes to Jesus, Jesus’ light is given to man as a reflection of His light
 

Matthew 5:14-16
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Ephesians 5:9
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
 
The result of walking as children born of light is that the fruit of the Spirit is manifest in the life.
 
Namely, these fruit in this verse are:

Goodness-  that which is upright and pure.
 
Righteousness- this word is the same word used of the Christian's justification. When a believer identifies and associates self as partaking in the death, burial, and resurrection in Christ, he is justified or declared righteous in Christ, resulting in access to grace, resulting in power to walk in righteous acts. Any other pathway will result in self- righteousness because he finds himself believing that it’s his work: fasting, praying, studying, going to church…that gives him access. When in reality, the opposite is true—a proper understanding of true righteousness, along with learning to rest in His righteousness, results in a spiritual desire for more: prayer, church, study, even fasting if it will result in a deeper intimacy with God.
 
Truth- is the way the Christian is to operate. When the Christian operates in truth, things can be done openly. There is no need to run around to this one or that one talking about this and talking about that. Lies are hidden and truth is up front. And we will see that further clarified when Paul explains that the right order of things is that they be made manifest or brought to the light.
 
Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

The word for proving, dokizomai, was used to describe putting metals to the test. In the times of Jesus, there was a deceptive technique employed by thieves where they would "clip coins," meaning they would shave or clip pieces of the coin off and take for themselves a small portion of the weighted precious metal. Over time, they would have gathered for themselves enough to equal significant value.
 
So the concept of dokizomai was that the coin or metal was put to the test in order to make sure that it was what it said it was.
 
We better be proving ourselves! We better make sure that the motives of our hearts are right before the Lord, and that we aren't operating in some self- righteous spirit that's really causing damage to the kingdom. 
 
Paul used the same word in his second letter to Corinth regarding believers putting themselves to the test in order to prove whether they truly be in the faith:

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
 
Ephesians 5:11-12
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
 
The idea being portrayed here is that the world is walking in one direction and believers are supposed to be heading in the opposite direction. But there is even more. We aren't supposed to just be silent about things. In addition to not being in fellowship with the world and their practices, we are supposed to reprove their works.
 
On first glance at verse 12, it would almost appear that the thought is don't talk about what they do. But the reality is that when both verses are looked at together, and two different Greek scholars agree, the thought is that what they do is so bad, and because they do it in secret, it must be exposed, it must be revealed, it must be rebuked, so the Holy Spirit can minister His conviction and repentance and restoration with God can take place.
 
One of the biggest parts of the deception of the satanic agenda is the infiltration of his lying magic into the house of God. The spirit of antichrist is working upon and through the children of disobedience who present themselves as ministers of righteousness:
 
Ephesians 2:1-2
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (KJV) 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Ephesians 4:14-15
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
 

Reprove:

There are two concepts I would like to cover regarding this thought:
 
(1) when the Lord first instructed me to study and research the wiles of Satan and to write a book about it, my first response was, "Ok God-- whatever you say."
 
Then as a I had time to consider the task and the results and what unknowing people would think, fear tried to grip my heart, and I had to spend much time in prayer. I tossed and turned and prayed and prayed. And I can tell you that there are some things I may question whether I was supposed to do it or not, but that isn't one of them.
 
Furthermore, one of the things that really rang loudly in my spiritual ears was this-- I would pray specifically, "But Lord most people aren't ready for this information."
 
God's response to my spirit was, "This is what I've called you to do. The question is, are you going to obey what I ask, because I'm ready for my people to be prepared? They aren't prepared."
 
As time went on He would reveal to me that the deception clouding the eyes of His people was so thick that if things don't go the way the American church was taught it would-- the result would be countless souls being lost because they would defect from the faith. Now, let me make this clear. It’s quite obvious that my writing of this book wasn’t the tool that disseminated the information the church needed in order to be awakened; however, over 200 people have been exposed to it. Furthermore, since that time, I have realized that there are multiple people who have been aware of all this deception, and in actuality, I’m a late comer to these truths.
 
I can tell you that this wasn't easy for me. But God has called me to do this. Some people are going to be uneasy about this. I've already lost friends because of it, and there will be people who will leave this church because of it. But it's only fair that you know what God has called me to do. You can think that I'm not supposed to, but He spoke to me, and I will not be deterred or changed by the will or comments of man.
 
(2) much of this Satanic deception has been infiltrating the people of God since the inception of Israel's existence. From the Harlotry with Moabite women learned from Baalam (Numbers 22-25; Revelation 2:14) to Solomon's fall (1 Kings 11), the people of God have been deceived by the spirit of antichrist. And that spirit is working more heavily now in the church than ever before.

The apostasy is here Christian (2 Thessalonians 2:3): falling away is literally apostasia
 
The Lord says: reprove it, expose it, rebuke it, and let it be brought to the light.
 
Ephesians 5:13
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
 
The idea here is not that when evil is exposed it, itself becomes light. Where there is light, there is the ability to see. God wants His people to see the difference between evil and good. He wants His people to know what is well- pleasing to Him.
 
Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.—also see Romans 13:11, 12
 
As long as people are dead in their sin-- unsaved, they will never be able to see. This passage describes them as a sleeper or one that is dead and cannot see. However, if a person would only turn to God, they would be awakened from the dead, even awakened from their sleep.
 
Sadly, he is writing to Christians, and he's exhorting them that they shouldn't be walking like the world around them, since they've been born again from the dead.
 
God wants His people to walk in the light. Specifically, the context here surrounds specific behavior, but more specifically, it surrounds light revealing to people that which is evil vs. that which is well- pleasing to God.
 
Ephesians 5:15-16
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
 

How dare you preacher, whoever you are, not preach Jesus and His cross for the way that God wrote His word! Jesus the precious one died and shed his blood His blood to set God’s people free, and now you contort the scriptures in order to increase your numbers? God help us!
 

Circumspectly: watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent: circumspect behavior.
well-considered: circumspect ambition._ English Dictionary
 
Unwise is asophos (a)= without (sophos)= wisdom
 
Poneros= the evil one
 
Ephesians 6:13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
 
1 John 3:12
Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
 
In this case the wicked (poneros) one specifically speaks of Satan.
 
So we close with the exhortation that God's people are supposed to walk with caution because the days are evil. We need to understand the times that we're in. Furthermore, our understanding of the severity of the times is supposed to make us sober- minded about our purposes on earth. We are to redeem the time, which means to buy back. This word for redeemed is that same Greek word that is used to describe our being redeemed from the world by Jesus' blood.
 
He purchased you out of this wicked world through the shedding of His precious blood. Now, He asks of you, and He asks of me, to redeem the time. It's time to wake up and make sure we're about our Father's business. We need to make sure that no opportunity to reach the lost is squandered.

#20 Where's the Purge?

Last week we covered Ephesians 5:1,2. The essence of that study was that the "new man" IN CHRIST was exhorted to be a follower of God and walk the way He walked. The way Jesus walked was in sacrificial love.
 
Furthermore, His sacrificial love produced a sweet smelling savor in the nostrils of God. We discussed various aspects of His love, the way He was treated, His response to the treatment, and even the results of His responding towards maltreatment with love; for example, one of the thieves that was crucified next to Him had a heart change somewhere throughout the day as he hung on the cross and observed the Lord's reaction to the world and religion both, as they ridiculed and mocked Him.
 
The sweet smelling savor aspect of Ephesians 5:2 brought us to the book of Leviticus where we discussed the five Levitical offerings. In those sacrifices, we delineated the fact that some of them were sweet savor sacrifices, and some of them weren't. From there, we discussed the fact that there were similarities to be noted to this truth when compared to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
 
In other words, there was an aspect to the cross that produced a sweet savor for God, and there was an aspect to the cross that reviled the Father. More specifically, it was Jesus' willingness as an obedient sin offering that produced that sweet smelling savor typified by those certain Levitical offerings, and it was man's disobedience for which Jesus had to die that reviled Him, causing Him to turn His face from the darling of heaven.
 
Matt's sin laid upon the Savior, caused the Father to turn His head, and Jesus felt separated and forsaken from the presence of the Father, because of something that He didn't do. He experienced that for me and for you. I can only imagine the anguish His humanity must have felt as the whole world's sin was laid upon His back, and now the one thing that He always was sure of, communion with the Father, was gone.
 
A while back I preached a message, "He was a man acquainted with grief and sorrows. In that message, I wanted all of us to be reminded never to say I'm all alone again, because the truth is that He was separated, so that we don't have to be.
 
From there, I missed the point to my conclusion. I was supposed to close by pointing out this passage in Corinthians in order to tie everything together:
 
2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
 
The context of what Paul is saying in this verse surrounds the idea that he and others are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. As this takes place, there is a twofold process:
 
(1) people's hearts are softened towards the truth, they open their heart towards God, and they are saved.
 
(2) People harden their heart towards the gospel, and they're moved further away from the presence of God.
 
No matter the result of the individuals: whether they are hardened or softened, the result of Paul's obedience is that it produces a sweet smelling savor for God. And the same goes for us Christian. When it comes to ministry, God isn’t grading us on how many are converted; He will grade us on whether or not we were faithful to do our part.
 
Now, let's tie that together. Jesus' love was sacrificial in nature, and when our mind becomes renewed to the fact that our new birth in Christ produces a new man who is connected to the vine and receiving power from the Holy Spirit, which is strengthening the inner man and producing the fruit of the Spirit in his life, which is manifest by love, then I as a living sacrifice become a sweet smelling savor unto God:
 
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 
Ephesians 5:3
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
 
Now, the text transitions from the place of Jesus' obedience to the world's Mardi Gras parade. I say it this way because essentially this is the idea being construed. The pagan world worshiped false gods through sexuality.
 
And the world still worships false gods today through sexuality. I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing this thought, but everywhere we look there's a Mardi Grad parade going on. There's sexuality on every TV show, in almost every movie, in all the music, the commercials....
 
God has within His word a proper order towards sexuality. It's the marriage bed that's not defiled in God's eyes. All other forms of sexual variance are being incited by the spiritual world in an attempt to get humanity to transgress the written word of God.
 
Studies have shown that when a person begins to get emotionally excited over someone of the other gender, there is a flood of neurotransmitters that cause a euphoric state or a feeling of well being. This can happen just talking to someone on the phone. "I'm excited about this person, maybe they will be the one, and maybe this will be happiness."
 
Then when it doesn't work out, there is a drop in Serotonin and Dopamine in the brain and depression ensues, driving someone like a drug addict towards their next fix. This is literally why you see women addicted to men, and men addicted to the sexuality of women even though these relationships are destroying them.
 
And Christians deal with these issues also, and the problem in this sense is that there was no real time to get to know the person in a spiritual sense. In other words, do they see the gospel the way I do? Are they hungry to see souls saved? Or are they of the Nimrodic order, "Come let us build a name for ourselves, let us build ourselves a city.... In other words, are they more about material possessions and worldly gain, or are they really sold out to God’s plan, which is Jesus?"
 
And because we make decisions about the other gender based mostly upon what we think they can do for us-- whether it be sexually, financially, or help for the kids..., rather than how all this fits into God's plan for my life, we end up in relationships that don't promote an advance towards kingdom work. Now, that doesn't mean that in some cases it doesn't help our personal situation. It doesn't mean that the building of your little "city" or "society" didn't resolve some of the pain you were feeling, but this the age old temptation. This is Cain's city, this is Nimrod's society. Let us figure out how we will make our lives more comfortable because of this fall we're experiencing, but it's a comfort produced with individual will rather than God's will as the mortar holding the bricks together.
 
The spiritual entities that are inciting all this know what they're doing. But ultimately their goal is to get man to transgress God's word. And so here we are living in the midst of a world system that is full of evil and sexuality, and we are being bombarded with these images from everywhere we turn.
 
And don't think your children are safe (common core comment).
 
And this is what Paul was talking about: you can't be part of this world's system, remember what he said previously:
 
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
 
The word fornication is literally porneia, where we get our word pornography. And the thought regards all manner of sexual impurity of which I'm not going to list, but just go back and review our teaching on the Nephilim, and their influence on Canaan (Leviticus 17-21) and you will have the idea, but then add to it all the thoughts and mindsets produced through all the bombardment of the world's message.
 
The next word in this verse that caught my eyes is the word uncleanness. We won't attempt to break down every word; nevertheless, let's take a few in an attempt to get a better thought of the overall text. The word uncleanness here is literally “a”, which in the Greek means-- without, and “katharsis,” which is where we get our word catharsis, meaning a purging, a cathartic induces vomiting and in the old days was used as a way to purge the body of something poisonous that was ingested.
 
Ultimately, the idea here is that the heathen/ pagan/ un-redeemed world has an unbridled lust towards things that are contrary to God's nature and word. I like the word "purging" and "catharsis,” because in the midst of true Christian grace, there is a cleansing that takes place. It should be noted that there is a counterfeit to true Christian grace. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the believer is convicted and made aware when there is behavior that isn't right. When there is something in the heart of the believer that isn't right, it's supposed to be brought to the Lord, where a purging or catharsis can take place.
 
One word in verse three that we can't afford to pass over is the word saints:
 
...let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
 
The word saints, once again, is hagios, meaning holy or separated. If you will remember, we have discussed this word on multiple occasions, and have pointed out that this word is also translated from the Greek as sanctified, meaning to make holy or separated out unto God.
 
But we must always remember that true holiness for the believer starts with the new position or standing before God. We are seen as separated, sanctified, holy, or righteous in the eyes of God because through faith, we connected ourselves to God's plan, which resulted in a spiritual miracle where we were translated from the kingdom of darkness (world) into the kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13). Furthermore, through this miracle, the "old man" born of Adam died, and a "new man" born of Jesus resurrected. Therefore, the "new man's" position or standing before God is in Christ, and in Christ, there is righteousness not guilt, and there is now access to grace, which isn't just forgiveness, but power from God to live right.
 
With all this on the forefront of the mind, let the reader be made aware, if you're born again, you're saints, hagios, sanctified, separated, from the world, and you belong to God; furthermore, you have access to grace:
 
Romans 5:1-3
herefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
 
In other words, we are without excuse because God has provided a plan where we can be separated out from the world both in His eyes because of our new position in Christ, and in the world's eyes because of our access into grace, which empowers us to order our behavior as the children of God.
 
Ephesians 5:4
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
 
Filthiness= shamefulness or obscenity.
 
Foolish Foolish talking= morologia.
 
So before we get going good, we need to remind ourselves that there has been a clear distinction drawn between the world and the believer, and in the world, there is uncleanness, and now we have added the idea that there is going to be talk also in the world. Just with this information, we should be made aware that at the workplace, family functions, and anywhere else your path may cross with the world, there will be foolish talk taking place. Furthermore, it's important that you understand you can’t just stop going to everything because the instruction we’ve received from the Lord wasn’t to isolate; rather we’re to separate. We are pilgrims on a journey, and the purpose of our presence is to expose the lost to the light.
 
Let's focus a little on this statement "morologia," which is the Greek for foolish talking.
 
Most of us who have been in Christianity are familiar with the word Logos, it's one of the Greek words that we translate into "word" or "preaching". Examples would be:
 
In the beginning was the word (Logos)....,(John 1:1) or:
 
the preaching (logos) of the cross is foolishness to them who perish.... (1 Corinthians 1:18).
 
So the essence of the word logos is: words, speech, or thoughts that are communicated, so Jesus when called the word is the physical manifestation of God's communication.
 
Here, the idea of logos has the word moro attached to it, which is where we get our word moron and logia, which is speech or conversation. Essentially, the overall context is that there is a speech or conversation that takes place amongst those who are blinded by the truth of God, and we as those that are called out from the dead aren't supposed to be of the morologia persuasion.
 
So moro, meaning dull in intelligence or stupid and logia speech, in a Christian sense would describe a person caught up in worldly conversation that contradicts the things of God.
 
The word jesting is eutrapelia. It's a compound word made up of eu and trapelia.
 
Eu= easy
Trapelia= from tropo, which is to turn, meaning “easily turned.”
 
In English, the word jesting can also have the connotation of ridicule or making crude jokes to be funny at the expense of another person's feelings. If we run through the files in our minds, surely we can retrieve a mental image of the court jester, with his funny hat, providing entertainment for the king, through his witty words making fun of anyone available including the king, as a matter of fact, he was usually the only one who was allowed to make fun of the King.
 
But if you've ever been in a situation like that, if you could retrieve another mental image, like when you were a kid amongst a group of kids, and then all of the sudden someone gets the bright idea to single out something that they don't like about one of the people in the crowd: their nose, a birthmark on their face, the way they talk, and then suddenly, the entire crowd is turned towards and against this one individual. Hence, the idea of the word "easily turned."
 
In a similar fashion, Christians often find themselves in an environment where there is foolish talk about worldliness. Specifically, foolish talk about: fornication, uncleanness, or mammon, and when this takes place, it's almost as though the Christian, unaware, begins to be easily turned in their direction. "Christian" finds himself smiling, laughing, and even in some cases adding to the conversation and becoming a partaker with them in what they do.
 
Who are you talking about when you use the plural pronoun "them" preacher? I'm talking about the world. I'm talking about the un- redeemed.
 
Describe the situation of how kids are impressionable. Young Christians can also be impressionable, but the world can also be impressionable towards a believer who has their speech seasoned with salt: i.e. flavor (palatable) [Colossians 4:6] one who is wise as a serpent (have you ever watched a serpent hunt? He has stealth and a plan) and harmless as a dove (a dove is kind and sweet. In addition, it should be noted that the two main symbolisms I find in scripture re: the dove are: (1) peace between God and man—the dove brought an olive branch back to the Arc when the waters were subsiding, signaling Peace between God and man (2) the Holy Spirit whose job it is to convict the world of sin and move people to Jesus) [Matthew 10:16].
 
Here is some personal experiences about talking to people about things that would normally be difficult to discuss or just witnessing in general. One time the Lord spoke to my spirit and said, "What's the plan son? Are we reaching the lost and helping people get redirected on the path, or are you just showing everyone what you know and that you're right and they're wrong?"
 
Let me give you a couple examples, but I will be honest. In order to witness this way, you will have to have patience and be willing to learn from each occurrence. By the way, we should always pray and ask the Lord to show us after we witness to people if things could have been done different.
 
Santa Clause:
 
I explained a while back that Danielle and I never taught our kids about Santa Clause. We both agreed that we would focus our efforts on the fact that God was the giver of all that was good. Now, we didn't know then what we know now; nevertheless, we felt like it was most important for us to instruct our children and point them to Jesus.
 
We took a lot of heat from different people for that, but to be honest, we really didn't have much of a way to explain why we were doing it, part of it was that others had taken that stand, and it felt right to us, so we did also.
 
Then we had the episode where she was teaching children's church and she was teaching on the birth of Jesus, and then some kid said, "Yeah, and Santa."
 
I can see Danielle trying to keep her composure, and the children feeding off the first comment, are catapulted into a frenzied state, and the names of various entities are blurted out in a simultaneous cacophony, "Yeah, Santa!" Another one screams.
 
"And the Easter Bunny," says little Sally.
 
"What about Barney?" Seth screamed.
 
Then the whole class erupted into pandemonium, and like frenzied little natives they started circling her and screaming, "Barney! Barney! Barney!"
 
And in a state of disequilibrium and confusion, she blurts out, "Jesus can beat up Barney!"
 
Immediately, the mob is silenced and Seth's upper lip begins to quiver, and his right eye begins to fill up with a tear, and he causes a change of emotion to sweep over the congregation, where the previous chants of Barney are replaced by sobs and crying and suddenly the door swings open, church is over and the parents are ready to pick up their crying, wounded kids.
 
Now, I will be honest and say that I embellished the story a little bit. But a lot of it was true. The point I wanted to make is that as we learn more information about things that we have always believed were right but begin to realize that many of these things stand in the way of Jesus, we will want to take a stand. And I think we should, but let's think about this for a second:
 
(1) the person we're talking to doesn't have a clue of what we mean. We have to learn how to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove in these situations in order to get the proper response.
 
(2) we have to be able to properly explain ourselves. You can't just make a comment about your opinion and expect to get the right results if you can't properly explain your position.
 
(3) but then again, what's your purpose to begin with. Do you really want to help people or do you just want them to do what you want?
 
If we want to help, then maybe we need to try a different approach.
 
Example: I have developed a technique over the years where I use the conjunction "if." Some of you may say, "I would never use the word "if" when talking about God. Well, I usually explain myself, I say, "I use the conjunction "if" on purpose, because even though I'm convinced God is real, because He transformed my life, I realize that others I talk to aren't convinced."
 
I have also many times formulated a question after I know they believe God is real. For instance, "Well, I know you think God is real, and I'm talking about the one who sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins."
 
Stopping for a second, I give them the opportunity to respond, which they usually do with a head nod in the affirmative.
 
"So," I continue "If God is real, wouldn't you agree that there is also the opposite of God?"
 
They’re nodding the head again.
 
"Ok, then wouldn't you agree that if there is a real devil, and his whole purpose is to deceive people away from Jesus who paid for their sin, that one way to do that would be to come up with multiple religions in hopes that people would pick something other than Jesus who paid for man's sin?"
 
And this concept can be used for any discussion regarding the enemy pulling people away from Jesus:
 
Discussing the Santa issue or Christmas the way it is now is very easy during the holidays because people often ask me, with a big smile on their face, "Are you ready for the holidays?"
 
And my response is usually something like this, "Do you mind if we talk about that for just a second because I'm confused? I thought that Christmas was supposed to be about the birth of Jesus, and how God gave a gift of life to humanity by freeing us from our sin problem, but what I see is people focused on Santa not Jesus, statistics show that more people get drunk during this time and are depressed more than any other time of the year, so to answer your question: yes, I'm ready for the holidays. I'm ready to remember the fact that unto us a gift was given. His name is Jesus. The prophet said he would be called Emmanuel which means "God with us." I'm so glad God gave me that gift, and I want to thank him on that day just like every day. And I want on that day to teach my children that Jesus gave us the gift of life."
 
Or:
 
"Do you think the commercialization of Christmas brings glory to Jesus? Because I'm confused, I thought the whole thing was to celebrate what the Angels spoke of when they brought good tidings about the fact that the Christ had come into the world!"
 
"And for that matter how does this whole Santa issue help the cause of exalting Jesus?"
 
Lastly, I will remind you about the conversation I had with the guy on the street when I went to hand him a tract and ask him if he thought that God was real, and his response was, "No man. I used to believe in God, but it's like the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause, when I grew up, I learned they weren't real."
 
Paul is speaking to Christians and he has already explained that Christians aren't to walk as other Gentiles do.
 
The text is clear-- these people aren't partakers, they don't have an inheritance in God's Kingdom.
 
We must come to the proper conclusion that a true conversion will result in a true change in the walk.
 
Now, we must also be careful not to forget the process part of Christianity.
 
In other words, it takes time for a new Christian to have a renewed mind that begins to operate properly within the realm of victory where Jesus is the source of victory, the Holy Spirit is the force of victory, and the cross is the means or the access point, which allows the powerful grace given by the Holy Spirit to flow into the person. Why? Because, now the person's standing is righteous in the eyes of God. And he has access to grace and grace is more powerful than sin:
 
Romans 5:20
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
 
And Romans 8:2
 
And so in this context, the believer is given access to grace, which strengthens towards victory.
 
Ephesians 5:5
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.E
 
We must all understand that there is a difference between someone who is a Christian that is in the process, struggling with sin, but unhappy about it, and a person who calls themselves a Christian, is living in sin, and isn't convicted at all about what they're doing. It’s unlikely that a person who is comfortable living in sin is really saved.
 

Regarding some of the wording of this verse, let's focus on the covetous idolator. Covetousness describes an insatiable desire for more, especially, when you desire something that belongs to someone else.
 
Mammon was a name given to money in order to personify the wickedness that was associated with it. In other words, Mammon was given life and seen as the god behind the money that people were worshipping; therefore, the covetous idolator has chosen to worship Mammon. His God is money and what money can provide for him. This god stands between him and God, taking the place, even the heart's desire away from God. Because more of it can bring fleshly pleasures, it's sought for diligently and the heart is deceived into thinking that what it needs is more because it brings pleasure.
 
Mark 4:18-19
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
 
Ephesians 5:6
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
 
We've discussed this word vain on several occasions in this study on Ephesians. The word simply means empty. In this context, the vain words are directly connected to all the previous behavior discussed regarding the walk of the unredeemed: fornication, uncleanness...
 
Therefore, vain words would be any communication that would allow a believer to continue living a life of sin without conviction.
 
Just briefly I would like to mention a couple scenarios:
 
(1) the world system has always had within it this that Paul warned against:
 
Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
 
In other words, mankind has created its own wisdom on how to live life without God’s help.
And the word deceive here literally means to cheat. There are men who will cheat you out of the truth and deceive you through empty and vain words.
 
The context here is specifically referring to Christians being deceived by vain words. It should be noted that vain words can come from a multiplicity of sources. These empty words, which represent empty thoughts, can come from family, friends, and the world system: music Hollywood, or even from preachers.
 
When coming from preachers, these words can take on further variations. They can be empty in the sense that they give you meaningless information towards victory for your life. For instance, I can remember being in one service where we were asked to write our sins that we struggle with on paper. We were supposed to let someone read it and then we were supposed to put it on the ground and stomp on it, which was supposedly going to give me victory over the sin that was written.
 
Well, I have a few problems with that. Number one, you can't just trust anyone with everything that's going on in your head. If you need an accountability partner, let it be Jesus. That doesn't mean that there are never times that we need people to talk to about things we're going through, but I don't need to confess my sin to you to get free; instead, I need to confess my sin to Jesus. There is one mediator between God and men:
 
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
 
But there is also the problem with preachers telling people that there isn't a problem with sin at all, as though sin weren't the problem between man and God.
 
I can give you two examples:
 
1. I personally know a young lady who was struggling in her walk. She went to her youth pastor in an attempt to tell him that things weren't right in her life, and his response was, "No you're alright." No she wasn't alright preacher. She's in sin and she's hurting and she needs you to help direct her in the right direction, which is to bring it to the cross.
 
2. There is a prominent preacher on TV now who is preaching heavily on grace, but his grace message is wrong, because it's taken to the extreme that you don't have to confess your sins to God because you've already been forgiven. Furthermore, this preacher whose name is Joseph Prince comes from the word of faith camp, which states that if you think about your sin, you become sin conscious and stay bound by sin. Therefore, you should think as little as possible about your sin and not confess it because that will be a negative confession and make you remember that you have a sin problem, which you were already forgiven of.
 
Well, it's certainly true that you were already forgiven when Jesus died on the cross. It's a done deal. But God requires that we confess our sins.
 
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 
The word confess here has the same root as a word we spoke of earlier, logia, this word is homo= meaning same and logia= meaning say. When we confess our sins, we are saying the same thing about our sin that God says. We are acknowledging that something isn't right, and we need His intervention.
 
This is the way that true grace works:
 
Ezekiel 36:25-27—grace changes the heart and spirit of a man
Jeremiah 31:31—in the covenant of grace, man knows when he sins because the Law of God is written on is heart, because the Holy Spirit lives in him now.
John 2—the wedding of Cana miracle shows us that the New Testament causes an internal transformation. Grace changes the inside of the vessel.
John 14—Jesus promised in this chapter that the Holy Spirit would live in our hearts. That’s the difference between Law and grace. In the Law God’s requirements were written on stone. In the New Testament His presence and plan is in our heart.
Ephesians 1—when we get saved we’re sealed with the Spirit
Titus 3:5—when we get saved we’re renewed by the Spirit.

It’s also imperative that we understand that grace is nearly synonymous with the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the one that pours grace into our lives and our every day circumstances.
 
What these passages have in common is the transformation miracle of the human heart and its connection or union with the heart of God, now that the Holy Spirit has come to live within it. This is the first work of grace, a regeneration miracle has taken place allowing the Holy Spirit to live within the heart and reveal to the heart of man the error that is in him.
 
Next, true grace operates through dependence upon God, because He is the one that changes the heart of man.
 
Grace- a divine influence on the heart and its reflection in the life_Strong’s Greek Dictionary (paraphrased)

In order for true grace to operate, the focal point of faith must be the finished work of Jesus on the cross; for it is His work alone that allows the regeneration to take place. It's His work alone that allows righteousness to clothe a guilty sinner. It's His work alone that split the veil in the temple signifying that access into the presence of God was now made available.
 
Fasting isn't the miracle that changes or gives access to the presence of God. Prayer, quoting scripture, nor going to church...none of this is what allows the heart to be changed. It's Jesus and His cross alone that allows the sin in the heart to die and resurrection power to take its place.
 
But let me say this about prayer, fasting, and the word of God: if you want your heart softened by God, or you want more of Him, or you want freedom, as you fast and pray denying yourself, so He can be magnified, He will show you what needs to confessed, and He will point you back to the cross, because that's what the Holy Spirit does:
 
John 16:13-15
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
 
Ephesians 5:6
....: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
 
It's because of vain [empty] words that the wrath of God is poured upon the children of disobedience. We should remember the passage we covered previously in conjunction with this thought:
 
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
 
We already covered this thought in great detail, but let us visit this place again. A suppression of the truth regarding God's word, whether it be suppressed purposefully or accidentally, will result in bondage rather than freedom. Persistent failure, or bondage, or repeated sin, whatever you would choose to call it, will result in a form of God's wrath being poured out. It will cause a slow, insidious decay of morality, and can eventually, with time lead to the erosion of faith, and I don't care what any preacher tells you, if your faith is eroded by sin, and you apostasize, or turn your back on the faith, then you are no longer in covenant with God. And people who aren't in covenant with God are the children of disobedience upon which His wrath will be poured out.
 
Ephesians 5:7
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
 
Partaker= symmetochos, means to be connected to. Ultimately, the idea is that there isn't supposed to be a connectedness between us and the world, because we are saints i.e. hagios or holy one's, separated out, you guessed it in Christ.

#19 A Sweet Savor for God

Ephesians 5:1-2
e ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.
 
Jesus' love was sacrificial. Sacrificial love concerns itself with what is important for the other person's life. In other words, Jesus laid His life down, so we could have life and that is the manifestation of God's love:
 
John 15:8-10
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love....
 
John 15:13-15
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
 
 Friends- One of the bridegrooms friends who, on behalf of the bridegroom, asked for the bride's hand in marriage and helped in various ways with the nuptials and closing of the ceremony_ Strong's
 
The first part of the verse I wanted to discuss was the fact that Jesus' love is sacrificial in nature. He loved us when we were against Him. Within this John 15 passage, Jesus is explaining that our union to Him provides us the opportunity to abide with Him, which means we can stay connected to Him through faith, and in turn, we will receive grace to be strengthened to produce fruit.
 
He said people will know we are His disciples by seeing our love. He said that His commandments were:
 
Matthew 22:36-40
Master, which is the great commandment in the law? -- Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
 
When a person is changed by God to the point where their inner man begins to hunger and thirst for the things of God, a place where pleasing Him supersedes the wishes of one's own self; now, the heart, the soul, and the mind are becoming connected to God in the deepest sense. At this point, the mind of man is becoming renewed, and the man's will is becoming swallowed up in his Master's will.
 
”But I don't want to love sacrificially towards this person. They hurt me deeply God. They betrayed me don't I have any rights?”

I wonder if Jesus’ response would be,  “How many times does an individual betray me? How many times did you betray me? How many times do you propose I forgive them and you? Should I have not lived sacrificially through the cross because of humanity's betrayal, or is this the purpose for why I came?”
 
Matthew 27:27-31
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
 
Hebrews 10:1-10
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
 
The main point I want to expose from these two long passages of scripture is the heart of Jesus and the concept that we have been made to be partakers of His love. Earlier He said that all the commandments hang on these two: Love God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself.
 
When we begin to review the love of Jesus, it should melt our hearts towards people that have offended us. It should soften us towards them, because what we learn from these passages is that Jesus suffered cruel punishment from the very creation that He came to redeem; furthermore, while none of us have ever physically spit in His face, with some of our decisions and behaviors, we have taken lightly the sacrifice of our Lord.
 
He said in the Hebrews passage, "I have come to do your will O God."
 
As I was studying these various passages, I became focused on this one in John:
 
John 15:13-15
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
 
The idea of the word friends oftentimes referred to the closest companions of the bridegroom who would have the distinct honor of asking the bride to marry the bridegroom.
 
As noted above the idea of the friend was one who helped the bridegroom by giving the offer of marriage to the bride on behalf of the bridegroom. This is the plan of God. He's asking us to make a proposal to those out there on whether or not they are willing to marry the Son. And in order for them to get a glimpse of the Son to see whether or not they want to spend eternity with Him, they will first have to look at us, and the question is: do we love as He loved? Are we making Him desirable to others?
 
I can only imagine what it must seem like if we are allowing anger and bitterness to stay rooted in our lives towards people, and at the same time trying to give them an invitation to marry Jesus.
 
"You've wronged me. You disgust me. I don't really like you or want to be around you, but I know someone who does, so I was just wondering, would you like to marry my Jesus?"

Regarding the second part of Ephesians 5:2, we deal with the thought of Jesus’ sacrifice being a sweetsmelling savor unto God
 
The Levitical sacrifices, which are described in the first five chapters of the book of Leviticus describe various aspects of the sacrifice of our Lord. Once again, these are Old Testament types and shadows, which paint a portrait for us of Jesus' eternal sacrifice on the cross. We won't discuss all the aspects of these sacrifices now; instead, I want to quickly focus on the sweet savor vs. non sweet savor sacrifices and how they relate to the cross.
 
But before we do that, let's just take a moment to discuss what the terminology Levitical sacrifices means. First, they are called the Levitical sacrifices because they are described in the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus is one of the first five books in the Bible, which was known by the Jewish people as the Law or Torah, and was called later by the Greek speaking Jews after the conquests of Alexander the Great as the Penteteuch, where pente means five i.e. five books.
 
The book of Leviticus goes into great detail regarding the ministry of the Levitical priests. It discusses their responsibility in the ministry of the tabernacle, the offering of the sacrifices, and the purification of the people of God.
 
The name Leviticus is derived from Levi. Levi was the third son of Leah and Jacob (Genesis 29:34). Four hundred years later Moses and Aaron descended from the tribe of Levi, and God took the tribe of Levi as a tithe for Himself from amongst the children of Israel. Their sole purpose was to minister to God for the people through the offerings and tabernacle/ temple work.
 
The priests that came from the tribe of Levi were able to perform various tasks, but only the descendants of Aaron functioned as the high priests.
 
Now, we return back to these sweet savor vs. non sweet savor sacrifices. It should be noted that Jesus’ life and sacrifice is typified in these sacrifices
 
In the first five chapters of the book of Leviticus, there are five Levitical offerings discussed:
 
 (1) whole burnt offering:
the specifics regarding this offering is that the whole animal was offered other than the skin, which was given to the priest. The animal was flayed open, inspected for defect, and its inward parts were washed. Then the entire animal, including the fat was offered as a sacrifice unto God.
 
This sacrifice shows that God offered everything (whole) He had when He gave us Jesus; furthermore, it shows that Jesus, in His obedience to the Father offered His whole self in our place.
 
This sacrifice was known as a sweet savor sacrifice unto the Lord, which means as the smoke began to rise into the heavens towards God, there was an aroma of reconciliation that filled the nostrils of God. 1400 years before Jesus, this sacrifice painted a portrait that He would offer His whole self in our stead.
 
(2) the meat or meal offering:
 
This can be somewhat confusing because the word meat in old English really described food in a general way, and in reality, this sacrifice had nothing to do with meat in any fashion; rather, this sacrifice was made of fine flour, which was unleavened. There are two quick concepts to note regarding this thought: first, grain isn't fine on its own. In order for flour to be fine, it must be ground into fine flour. When the grain is ground and all chaff removed, there is the purity of fine flour that remains. Jesus was pure.

Second, the concept of leaven is synonymous with yeast and from a scriptural standpoint, speaks of sin. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, the concept of leaven speaks of fermentation and corruption, which sin has done to the human race, but Jesus was without sin, and the meal (meat) offering, which was always offered with the whole burnt offering had no leaven, and in this sense, it represented the sinless life of Jesus being offered in our place.
 
And once again, the meal offering was known as a sweet savor sacrifice unto the Lord, as the smell of unleavened flour rose into His nostrils, He was constantly reminded that the plan was moving forward and that one day the obedient one would come and offer His sinless life in order to make things right.
 
(3) the peace offering:
 
The essence of the peace offering is that it represented reconciliation between God and the sinner. Out of all the offerings, the peace offering was the only one that the offerer "sinner" was allowed to partake of (Lev 19:5-8).
 
Within this offering, there is explicit detail as to how the visceral fat is to be removed from inside the animal and offered on the fire to God (Lev 3:3-5), and the burning fat, once again, produced a sweet smelling savor unto God (Lev 3:5). Lastly, regarding this offering, there was a portion for God (Lev 7:31), a portion for the priest (Lev 7:31), and a portion for the believer (Lev 19:5-8).
 
(4) sin offering:
 
In a general sense, the purpose of the sin offering was to cover sins committed against God in ignorance.
 
Furthermore, there is much to be considered in reference to the gospel and redemption.
 
First, this offering is explained in three distinct circumstances. In the first scenario, there was always a priest designated to offer sacrifice for the people. Many of the priestly duties were assigned according to a rotation [see Zechariah's turn to burn incense (Luke 1:5,9)]. In this first scenario, the priest would offer sacrifice for the people's sins of ignorance as an overall blanket sacrifice, but it didn't mean that the individual necessarily understood or was aware that they had sinned against God.
 
This is a similar scenario to the fact that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world:
 
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
 
But unless the gospel is preached and the soul of man made aware there is a problem and a solution, that soul remains ignorant:
 
Romans 10:11-15
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
 
In this sacrifice, the fat is offered as in the other sweet smelling sacrifices, but it's not called a sweet savor unto the Lord.
 
Second, there is a offering for the leaders of Israel, and once again, the fat is offered to God on the altar, but it's not called a sweet smelling sacrifice, because God sent His Son ultimately to die for individuals.
 
Lastly, there is a sin offering for the common man who gains revelation that he had committed a sin ignorantly, but now it's been brought to his attention, an a sin offering is offered up. Once again, the fat is separated and offered unto God and this time, the sacrifice is known as a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord. The reason why is because this is the gospel.
 
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
 
God sent Jesus to die for sinners. And this is a personal invitation. His sacrifice isn't just for a person's mom or dad or a whole nation. This is an individual decision, and when the gospel is preached, and the heart of man goes from ignorant to aware, and that heart responds to the gospel by faith, that is the plan of God, resulting in a sweet savor unto the Lord, because this is the way He intended it to be.
 
(5) trespass offering:
 
 The trespass offering (ch 5 & 6) deal mostly with the people committing sins against one another. There is no mention of fat for the Lord, and there is no mention of this offering being a sweet savor unto God.
 
Thus far, we've noted that there are four distinct sweet savor offerings:
 
Sweet savor
 
(1) whole burnt offering
(2) meat or meal offering
(3) peace offering
(4) sin offering, when offered for the common man who becomes aware of his guilt.
 
Un-sweet savor
 
(1) sin offering offered by priest for the congregation that's in ignorance or one offered for leadership in general
(2) trespass offering
 
It should be noted that in all the sweet savor offerings which are animal sacrifices, there is a direct correlation between the sweet savor and the fat being burned unto God; furthermore, in regards to the meal offering, there is the interesting thought of the flour being unleavened.
 
In addition, it should be noted that God specifically states that there are two parts to the animal that are never to be eaten:
 
Leviticus 7:25-26
For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
 
The truth I believe to be found here has to do with these things: the fat and the blood representing Jesus and His sacrifice. In addition, the leaven represents His sinless humanity.
 
We need not spend an inordinate amount of time convincing most people that the blood represents the sacrifice of Jesus that would come; for the word of God makes that very clear:
 
Leviticus 17:10-11
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
 
But regarding the fat it should be noted that this fat was to be separated out from the rest of the carcass, and after studying more deeply the concepts behind this fat, it was noted that this type of fat was visceral, meaning it was that fat which was connected to the inward parts of this animal. As previously spoken in bible studies before, these animals were closely inspected both inwardly and outwardly, making sure there was no blemish, resulting in rejection.
 
The purpose of this inspection is that in God's omniscient mind these sacrifices typify the sinless sacrifice of our Lord, and as the fat, our Lord was pure throughout, even in the deepest recesses of His heart. Besides the fact that it was noted as specifically belonging to the Lord, what stood out to me most was how this fat was intricately separated out from the rest of the carcass.
 
This type of fat wasn't just the kind that was intermingled with the flesh as in a ribeye steak; rather, this fat was connected to the internal organs and had to be intricately cut away and then offered upon the altar to God, as His portion, resulting in a sweet savor unto Him.
 
There is little doubt in my mind that this fat, which produced a sweet savor offering is represented of our Lord Jesus in the offering of Himself as a sacrifice for our sin. Simply stated, we have a New Testament precedent in this Ephesians text stating that Jesus' giving of Himself as an offering and sacrifice to God was a sweet smelling savor; furthermore, we are told that the Lord's portion of the fat was a sweet smelling savor.
 
One last thing to note is thought of the separating out of the fat and the fat's connection to our Lord.
 
Hebrews 2:9-18, specifically:
 
Hebrews 2:14
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

He became us

Hebrews 7:23-27
And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

But He is separate from us
 
The first passage says that He became a partaker of flesh and blood, so He could offer Himself through death in order to free us from the tyranny of death; furthermore, He is such a high priest that He remains forever. Like the fat, He is the Lord's portion. He comes from heaven, and He is:
 
holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens
 

Let’s go back to the thought about the sweet vs. un-sweet savor sacrifices. There is a part to the cross that is sweet in the eyes of God, and there is a part to the cross that reviles Him. 

The aspect of the cross that brings pleasure to God is the willing obedience of Jesus offering Himself in our place, resulting in the reconciliation of sinners back to God. 

The aspect of the cross that reviles God is the offensive presence of our sin that had to be laid upon the back of the sinless one. 

Hence, we have these two opposing scriptures referring to the same cross:

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

It should be understood that it wasn't the obedience of Jesus that resulted in His experiencing separation from the Father; rather, it was my sin, it was your sin that caused our Savior to experience the feeling of being forsaken from the Father's presence. He experienced the separation of our sin for us so that we wouldn't have to. I hope that we can get a glimpse of the magnitude of this. I hope that for just a moment in time, we can imagine the eternal pain a lost soul will feel separated from the presence of the Father. 

Let me say it again as the fat was separated from the carcass, Jesus was separated from sinners. While He became a partaker of flesh and blood, becoming us as human, He was altogether separate from the human race in that He was sinless. And it was His sinless life offered in our stead that procured for us a righteous standing before God. Lift up your head faithful pilgrim. God has provided a plan of reconciliation where you soul can restored unto God. 

Let's close by connecting the first part of the verse, which spoke of us emulating the love of Jesus by walking in His love, which was sacrificial in nature. We used that passage out of John, which spoke of our love towards God, resulting in Jesus calling us friends. We discussed the fact that a main context of the friend in those days was connected to the bride and bridegroom. Specifically, the friend was given the distinct offer of inviting the bride to marry the bridegroom. 

Now, we have the concept of Jesus who has offered Himself as a sacrifice for us so that reconciliation can be provided between sinful man and holy God. His sacrifice is a sweet smelling savor to God, because His obedience has secured the eternal covenant, and the covenant’s purpose was to connect wayward man back to God, but there remains one problem: people remain ignorant of the plan of God. 

Just as in the first context of the sin offering, much of humanity, like Israel, is engaging in a sinful lifestyle outside of God's will simply because they don't know, simply because no one has told them. 

 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

The whole point to this passage of scripture is that Paul is referring to the preaching of the gospel. He refers to "we" becoming a sweet savor of Christ. Jesus' sacrifice was a sweet savor unto God, and our living our lives in such a way that we bring Him glory results in us functioning according to God's will. As we let others know of our Lord and the plan of God to save sinners, we become friends of the bridegroom as we invite others to become His bride. And then and only then do we function according to the purpose we were created for.