Unloading Your Care

Temple Baptist Church - 9-27-2017

1 Peter 5:7

Introduction:   

A.  Instead of being easily done, this verse is easier said than done.  It should not be that way, but our flesh has a tough time trusting the Lord completely as our faith often fails.  Many times, the disciples were upbraided for their lack of faith and hardness of heart.

B.  God wants us to rest in salvation and in soul.  Peace with God and peace of God.

Matthew 11:28-30  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  (God gives rest in salvation but we must find rest in service.)

C.  “Casting” is something that you do that places distance between self and the object cast.  God wants us to take our cares to Him and leave them there. 

            1.  We need to understand that God can do anything.

2.  We need to understand that God wants to help because He cares.

3.  We need to understand that we cannot do it by ourselves.

4.  We need to understand that problems normally do not go away by ignoring them.

5.  We need to understand God’s plan for handling problems.

1.  The Action - “casting” God’s Planned Care.

a.  There is a promise of rest given - Matthew 11:28-29  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

b.  There is a promise of grace sufficient - 2 Corinthians 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

c.  There is a promise of escape supplied - 1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

d.  There is a promise of burdens shared or lifted - Matthew 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

2.  The Amount - “all your care” - God’s Passionate Claim.  God cares about our little “cares” as well as the big ones.

a.  Be Careful For Nothing - Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

b.  Care for the necessities of life - Matthew 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

c.  Care for life itself - Daniel 3:16-18  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

3.  The Advocate - “upon him” - God’s Powerful Challenge.

a.  Trust Him - Mark 11:22-24  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

b.  Try Him - Psalms 55:22  Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

4.  The Affection - “for he careth for you” - God’s Personal Concern. (This is the most amazing thing in the Bible)  Hebrews 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

            a.  His Character – “He”

1)  His Holiness And Our Sinfulness

The Lord - Habakkuk 1:13  Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

1 Timothy 6:16  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Job 15:15  Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

Man - Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

2)  His Hatred - Psalms 5:4  For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

Psalms 5:5  The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Psalms 11:6  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

Psalms 34:16  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

            b.  His Consideration – “Careth “

Matthew 6:31-33  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

            c.  His Condescension – “For You”

                        1)  His love is shown through His coming into the world – Substitution

2)  His love is shown through His calling us out of the world – Salvation

            3)  His love is shown through His caring for us in the world – Supply

4)  His love is shown through His collecting us from the world – Sanctification

5.  The Administration - “for you” - God’s Protected Child

Romans 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

The Righteous Judgement of God

Temple Baptist Church - 9-24-2017

Romans 2:1-11

Introduction:

A.  We spent quite a while in chapter one of Romans because of its importance.  It sets forth the gospel and accountability to God’s truth.  It sets forth the wrath of God against holding the truth in unrighteousness. 

B.  Romans, chapters 1-3, condemns the unsaved sinners of all types.

1.  Chapter one deals with the heathen lost who are accountable for the light of conscience (inherent or inward light) and the light of creation (outward light).  God condemns the heathen lost.  No sin is off limits to them.

2.  Chapter 2 condemns the self-righteousness religionist and the lost Jew.  God condemns the religious lost.  They are seemingly holy on the outside but filthy on the inside.

C.  The self-righteous do two things:

1.  They look down upon the openly sinful in unrighteous judgement.

Luke 18:9-11  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  (10)  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.  (11)  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Matthew 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

2.  They despise the longsuffering and goodness of God to the sinful.  They want to see the “sinners” get what they deserve, not realizing that the same longsuffering and grace extended to the “sinners” is also extended to the self-righteous.

a.  God is good to the sinful lost.

b.  God is good to the self-righteous lost.

c.  God is not willing that any perish but that all come to repentance.

D.  The unsaved Jews:

1.  They think that they are right with God because of their Lineage. The Jews could trace their religious ancestry all the way back to Abraham. Somehow, they felt that this lineage gave them an ironclad guarantee of salvation. Nothing could have been further from the truth! One only becomes a Christian by placing his faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross at Calvary!

2.  They think that they are right with God because of their Law.  The Jews somehow felt that the Law and rituals it described gave them a certain higher standing in the eyes of the Lord. They felt that just possessing the Law and knowing it, was enough to put them in a right relationship with the Lord.  What they thought was a guarantee of salvation turned out to be a guarantee of condemnation.

3.  They think that they are right with God because of their promised Messiah.  Jesus Christ was born as a Jew.  Though they looked for the Messiah, they rejected the Son of God.  They still look for His coming instead of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ. 

4.  They think that they are right with God because of their past Leadership. They had Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses.  Because the Jew had a spiritual lineage, because they had the Law, because they felt they were in a relationship with God, they felt superior to everyone else on the planet. They felt that it was their responsibility to show everyone else the way.

5.  However, none of these things could produce salvation for the Jew. There was one thing that saved then, one thing that saves now and one thing that will save forever: Faith in the gospel, the finished work of Jesus Christ!

Walking Away From God

Temple Baptist Church - 9-24-2017

Luke 15:11-16

Introduction: 

A.  We just ended the series on “Walking With God” and now I want to take a look at “Walking Away From God.”  It stands to reason that, if we are not walking with God, then we are walking away from God. 

B.  These verses that we just read are normally preached to young people or children but there is a great application to be made to God’s children.

C.  I fear that too many of God’s children have no desire to be used of God and “walk at a guilty distance” from Him.  A lackadaisical life for Christ is not a benign form of neutrality!  If we are not with God, we are against God!  If we are not gathering for God, we are scattering!

Matthew 12:30  He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

D.  Walking away from God or backsliding is normally a gradual thing and can go unnoticed for a while, even to the backslider, because it begins with an inward cooling off while still going through the motions.  Eventually, the drifting from God becomes apparent but harder to control.  The best remedy for backsliding is to “cut it off at the pass!’  “Nip it in the bud!”

E.  Luke, chapter 15, is noted for three things:  a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a wayward son.  The sheep is a sheep, the coin is a coin, and the son is a son.  Therefore, I believe all three are types of God’s children.

F.  I will be looking at the story of the Prodigal Son over the next few weeks as there is so much spiritual truth found there.  When I think of this story, I think of three people—none of them named.  This is not a parable but a true story.  A certain man with two sons.

G.  We read the first six verses only because I want to look at the first son whom we call the Prodigal Son.  What brought this young man down?  It was not his upbringing as nothing bad is said about the home in which he was raised.  The young man made personal choices.

H.  How he ultimately ended up in the “hog pen.”

1.  He Spoke When He Should Have Listened – vs. 12   (Listen, children, listen!)

Proverbs 1:8  My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

2.  He Gathered – vs. 12-13a  (He set his heart on things – and obtained them unlawfully.  It was up to the father to pick the time of dividing the inheritance.)

Psalms 62:10  Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

3.  He Journeyed  – vs. 13b  (He chose the wickedness of the world over the godliness of his father’s house.)

Proverbs 1:15  My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

4.  He Wasted – vs. 13c (A fool and his money are soon departed!  He found out that money is a lot quicker spent than it is earned.)

Proverbs 23:5  Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for richescertainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

5.  He Spent All – vs. 14a  (It won’t be long until the world owns you.)

Proverbs 28:22   He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

6.  He Began To Want – vs. 14b  (Famine normally follows feasting.)

Proverbs 13:18   Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

7.  He Joined – vs. 15  (What a glorious life!  Feeding swine!  Remember, hogs live in hog pens!)

Proverbs 1:10   My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

8.  He Hungered – vs. 16  (His buddies all gone and he left with nothing.)

Proverbs 6:26  For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

Conclusion:  The end of backsliding is always a “hog pen.”  God’s children are not like the world.  They are in the world but not of the world and cannot be happy or flourish in sinfulness.  Thank God he came to himself – not all do!

Humility

Temple Baptist Church - 9-20-2017

1 Peter 5:5-7

Introduction: 

A.  The interpretation of these verses is to the young pastor or preacher.  His is to submit to the elder and, also, to be humble enough to submit to all others. 

1.  He cannot expect others to submit unto him if he is not submissive. 

2.  He cannot reprove until he can be reproved. 

3.  He will never be honored until he learns to honor. 

4.  He will never be exalted until he learns to be abased. 

5.  He will never lead until he learns to follow. 

6.  One of the qualifications of a bishop is that he I not to be a novice.

B.  The application of these verses is to all of God’s flock.

C.  Under The Mighty Hand Of God.  Why?

1.  It is omnipotence that cannot be stayed.

2.  It is madness to oppose His will.

3.  It is both safe and profitable.

a) Hid as in the hollow of his hand.

2) Safe in his pavilion.

3) Comfortable under the shadow of his wings.

D.  The Definition Of Humility

1.  Humility In Relationship To Others – vs 5

a.  Realizing That Others Are Just As Important As We Are - 1 Corinthians 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

b.  Realizing Just Hope Important Our Love One For Another Is - Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

c.  Realizing That What We Want Really Does Not Matter In Light Of Eternity - 2 Corinthians 4:17-5:1 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Peter 5:5b Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility

Ephesians 5:18-21 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

2.  Humility In Relationship To God – vs 6

a.  Realizing That Without Him We Would Be Eternally Lost - 1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

b.  Realizing That Without Him We Would Be Nothing - 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

c.  Realizing That Without Him We Would Have Nothing - Romans 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

d.  Realizing That Without Him We Would Be Hopeless - Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

e. Realizing That He Knows Best - Luke 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

3.  Humility In Relationship To Circumstances – vs 7

a.  Realizing That God Is In Control Of Our Future, Not We Ourselves - Job 23:13-14 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

b.  Realizing That It Is God’s Purpose That Is Important, Not Our Comfort -             Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Numbers 11:1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp

c.  Realizing That This Life Is Short At Best And Eternity Is Really All That Matters - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

John The Beloved Walked With God In Rapture

Temple Baptist Church - 9-17-2017

John 21:20-24

Introduction:

A.  We have looked at 10 different men who walked with God in their lives. 

1.  The series has been a blessing to me as I studied these men.  Each one had something that made him special in his personal walk with the LORD.  There are more men in the Bible that I could have chosen but, alas, all good things normally come to an end. 

a)  Enoch walked with God in Consistency.

b)  Noah walked with God in Spiritual Adversity.

c)  Moses walked with God in Impossibility.

d)  Joseph walked with God in Integrity.

e)  Job walked with God in Confusion.

f)  David walked with God in Worship.

g)  John the Baptist walked with God in Expectancy.

h)  Peter walked with God in Love.

i)  Paul walked with God in the Spirit.

2.  I want to look at one more man, John the Beloved, before I move on to another subject.  I chose John the Beloved because every walk with God needs to have a destination in mind.

3.  Our destination is what lies beyond this life: an eternity of blessedness with Christ.  Aging comes so quickly to all of us.  Yesterday, we were carefree children who were raised in a better time.  We live, we love, and we die.

4.  Life is short, death is sure, sin the cause, and Christ the Cure.  Paul said it all when writing the Epistle to the Philippians: 

“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.  (21)  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  (22)  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.  (23)  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”  (Philippians 1:20-23) 

B.  The apostles misunderstood what our Lord said to Peter in our text for this morning.

John 21:22-23  Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.  (23)  Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

1.  It was Prophetic of John receiving the Revelation on the Isle of Patmos.

2.  It was also Prophetic of a generation that would not see death but would walk with God.

C.  John the Beloved was special!  In the Book of John, his name is never mentioned but he is call “that disciple whom Jesus loved.”  John was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day when the Lord appeared to him in His glorified body and gave him the Revelation of Jesus Christ and things to come.

1.  John the Beloved is a beautiful type of the Church.

2.  Nothing was said negative about John.  Though he was not a perfect man, he was called “that disciple whom Jesus loved.”  When God sees His child, He sees us as made worthy by the blood and not as we are.

3.  The Lord loved John with an overlooking, everlasting love.  Our Lord Jesus loves the Church and gave Himself for it.  He sees us seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus without spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing.

4.  The Lord allowed John to see Him in the Second Coming in all His glory.  We will one day see Him again.

D.  I want to take a short look at what John experienced that we who love the Lod will one-day experience.

E.  John the Beloved walked with God in Rapture.  We will one day do the same, through the veil of death or in the Rapture of the church.  Rapture:  a feeling of intense pleasure or joy.

1.  John’s rapture as he saw his beloved Lord.   Revelation 1:10, 12-13  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet … (12)  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  (13)  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  (I can only imagine the thrill John felt when he saw Jesus again in all of His glory!)

One day just today and it could be today, our rapture as we see our beloved Lord as He is.  1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 John 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

2.  John’s rapture as he was caught up to heaven, his ultimate home.  Revelation 4:1-2  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.  (2)  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.  (From exile on the Isle of Patmos, a barren rock of an island, to the glory of God’s heaven is beyond imagination.)

Our rapture when, in a twinkling of an eye, we are caught up to heaven, FINALLY HOME!  1 Corinthians 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  (Through the rapture of through death, we will one-day step on shore and find it heaven, touch a hand and find it God’s, breath new air and finding it celestial, waking up in glory, finally home!)

3.  John’s rapture of seeing the saints of God along with his loved ones again.  Revelation 5:8-9  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.  (9)  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  (John was the last of the apostles to die and was probably in his late 90’s when it was his time to go.  He had more on the other side than he did remaining in this life.)

Our rapture when we see those whom we loved in both our physical families and our church family again.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-14  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  (14)  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  (O that will be glory for me!)

4.  John’s rapture of seeing a new heaven and a new earth with no curse or sin.  Revelation 21:1-2  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  (2)  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  (The seven “No Mores!”)

Our rapture of experiencing the change from this sinful world and aging, corrupt body to eternity’s perfection.  1 Corinthians 15:50-53  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  (51)  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  (52)  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  (53)  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (What a day that will be!  I loved to hear Gordon sing that song.)

5.  John’s rapture of experiencing eternity while still in the flesh here.  Revelation 10:6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:  (John knew that he was quickly approaching eternity and was thrilled to both see and experience it in advance.)

Our rapture when we are forever with the Lord.  1 Thessalonians 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Conclusion:  You know that this could have been a long message, don’t you?  As John the Beloved walked with God in Rapture, we too will one day do the same!