Archive for the ‘Encourgement’ Category


Under Gods Command

PAUL ADDRESSES CHURCH PROBLEMS (1:1-6:20)

1 Corinthians 2:6-8 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. (7) No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has ben hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

(8) None of the rulers of this age understood it, for it they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Jesus was misunderstood and rejected by those whom the world considered wise and great. He was put to death by the rulers in Palestine-the high priest, King Herod, Pilate, and the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus rejection by these rulers has been predicted in Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not

and Zechariah 12:10, 11. “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

Lets Bring it Home: God’s plan, however, is still hidden to unbelievers because they either refuse to accept it, choose to ignore it, or simply haven’t heard about it. Has Gods plan been revealed to you?


Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 

Bottom line up front (BLUF) Wisdom begins with knowing God. He gives insight into living because he created life. To know God is not just to know the facts about him, but stand in awe of him and have a relationship with him. Do you really want to be wise? Get to know God better and better.

Fools say, “There is no God” (Ps 14:1; 53:1). They are hopelessly insane as they face life and its perplexities before meeting the Judge of the universe for their eternal sentencing. Belief in the existence of God and reverently desiring to please Him is the absolute prerequisite and foundation for wisdom. Knowing there is a holy God with eternal power and Godhead is the greatest necessity for true understanding. Choose them both today!

All men reason from chosen assumptions. Consider it well. Wise men reason from faith that Jehovah exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6). Since Scripture is easily proven to be a divine revelation of truth and wisdom, they include this necessary source document for knowledge and understanding. Within the Scriptures are perfect answers for every dilemma, question, or problem (II Tim 3:16-17). Wise men, beginning with the fear of the LORD, approach life soberly and successfully.

The fool reasons from his own existence and the thoughts of his biased and depraved imagination. His opinions are peer-approved between human sentiment and self-justification. He has no absolutes or limits to restrain his hallucinations. His own heart is his god, and he worships his own feelings. He may call it science – evolution and psychology are examples – but it is only vain babbling to rid the universe of a sovereign God and the moral restraints He has imposed on His creatures (I Tim 6:20). He will read anything but the Bible, adoring profane German philosophers over inspired prophets.

Which of these two classes of men is reasonable? To enter life as a helpless, nursing, messing infant and think that your thoughts twenty years later are noble, sound, and wise is the epitome of insanity. To admit the universe has an infinitely wise Creator, Who has the right and wisdom to direct man’s life is the only sensible view. Scripture plainly declares that men without faith are unreasonable (Ps 14:1; 53:1; II Thess 3:2). Amen!

God has revealed Himself to men, but they have rejected Him, so He has justly given them over to reprobate minds, which pervert everything from the identity of God to the sexual use of the body (Rom 1:18-32). They are profanely perverse, but they have no wisdom or understanding to even recognize their depravity. They have a lie in their right hand, but they cannot deliver themselves (Is 44:20). They cannot even begin to be wise.

These educated but imbecilic nuts want us to believe they can tell us about planets 5,000 light years away but could not find Osama bin Laden for ten years on this miniscule earth that is 70% water; that a buffalo rib from 1845 is a giant woodpecker’s leg from 50 trillion B.C.; that a liberal arts college education makes a person wise; that sodomy is normal; that labor unions benefit companies and country; that the Bible is an outdated collection of fables by religious nuts; that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime; that Nicole Brown Simpson got a fair trial; that apartheid is wrong but Indian reservations are right; that spanking children is abuse; that rap is music; that Picasso was an artist; that two men having intercourse is gay; that the Flood is a myth but the big bang is fact; that an 18-year-old child in the public daycare should have an equal vote with a property-owning, 60-year-old business owner; that a jury of peers provides intelligent judgment; that Muslims are peace-loving people; that Hinduism is a respectable religion; that animals have rights but husbands do not; that Freud was sane; that two lesbians are acceptable parents; that freedom of speech includes pornographic caricatures of the president; that asking political opinions of actresses is intelligent; that a national debt approaching the nation’s GNP is wise economics; that bestiality is wrong for its harm to animals; that separation of church and state forbids attorney generals from praying; that the Beatles loved peace; that Miley Cyrus is a role model for girls; that Harry Potter novels are valuable but I and II Samuel are violent; that the Bible is not an allowable source document but Darwin’s Species is; that the greatest love of all is love of self; among many other examples of ludicrous, insane thinking.

Reader, humble yourself before your Creator, now. Confess every thought as being the selfish hallucination of a depraved and rebellious sinner. Beg Him for mercy and truth. Promise to adore and obey Him forever. Read His word with total faith and submission. Cancel your newspaper subscription. Love sound Bible preaching. Prove all things by the word of God, hold fast that which is good (Ps 119:128; Acts 17:11; I Thess 5:21).


Under Gods Command

PAUL ADDRESSES CHURCH PROBLEMS (1:1-6:20)

1 Corinthians 2:6-7 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. (7) No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has ben hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

God’s “secret wisdom . . . that has been hidden” was his offer of salvation to all people. Originally unknown to humanity, this plan became crystal clear when Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection proved that he had power over sin and death and could offer us this power as well (See also 1 Peter 1:10-12 and the first note on Romans 16:25-27).

Lets Bring it Home: God’s plan, however, is still hidden to unbelievers because they either refuse to accept it, choose to ignore it, or simply haven’t heard about it.


Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 8:24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water;

Once upon a time there was no water – no oceans, seas, lakes, or pools. It was before God created the heaven and the earth (Gen 1:1-2). No man has ever seen such a universe, and the only record we have of it is the written revelation of God in the Bible. But even when there was no water, before God created the heaven and earth, wisdom already existed.

This proverb is part of Solomon’s personification of wisdom as a woman. The personal, feminine pronouns throughout the eighth chapter of Proverbs reference Lady Wisdom, as Solomon describes wisdom in lofty and beautiful terms. She offers herself to men (Pr 8:1-11), lists her rewards to men (Pr 8:12-21), describes her origin with God before any creation (Pr 8:22-31), and closes with a further appeal and invitation to men (Pr 8:32-36).

The LORD Jehovah created all water (Gen 1:1-8). The Word of God often presents Him as the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that in them is (Ex 20:11; Ps 146:6; Jonah 1:9; Acts 4:24; 14:15; Rev 10:6; 14:7). He is the Ruler of the seas and uses them to accomplish His holy purposes (Ps 77:19; Is 43:16; Amos 5:8; 9:6; Jonah 1:4).

Do you feel pressure on your ears at the deep end of a swimming pool – 10 feet from the surface? Have you tried scuba diving and felt the pressure at 100 feet? The submarines of World War II could not survive 500 feet. Modern nuclear submarines are not made to operate below 1500 feet. Yet the Mariana Trench in the Pacific is 35,800 feet deep. A mile deeper than Mount Everest is high! The LORD is His name (Amos 5:8; 9:6).

Consider the Asian tsunami of 2004. An undersea earthquake of magnitude 9.0 in the Indian Ocean sent a sea surge 1-2 feet high racing in all directions at 600 mph. When it reached shore it slowed to about 35 mph, but it grew in height to as much as 50 feet. A wall of water! It killed as far away as Port Elizabeth in South Africa, 5000 miles from the epicenter. Over 225,000 lost their lives, and 2,000,000 were made homeless.

The seas are considered as primitive and ancient as anything on earth. Even evolutionists hallucinate about primordial slime coming together in the dark depths eons ago to make butterflies, elephants, hummingbirds, and their baboon ancestors. They are blinded fools! While the seas are old, they are only 6,000 years old based on the Bible’s chronology.

What is the lesson? Though men consider the seas to be very old, there was something earlier. Before there was water, there was wisdom. Before the dark seas existed, the creator God possessed wisdom. If wisdom – the ability of right judgment – is more ancient than the seas and fountains of the earth, you should seek it with all your might. Go to God’s word and His teachers and learn the only true wisdom to direct your life.

 


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 7:26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a might throng.

What did Samson, David, and Solomon have in common? They could not resist whorish women. Are men stronger than women? Yes, ordinarily. No, when the woman is an adulteress. Here is the wise Preacher’s warning about the danger of the strange woman – a woman other than your wife, especially a woman with a whorish heart (Pr 7:1-27).

Solomon, a wise father, soberly warned his son about the temptation and danger of a loose woman (Pr 7:1-5,24-27). After describing her seduction of a foolish young man in a lengthy parable (Pr 7:6-23), he summarized the grave danger of going near such a woman two ways – her power over men is great (Pr 7:26), and the results are fatal (Pr 7:26-27).

Adam and Eve taught a sober lesson in Eden (Gen 2:18-25; 3:1-6). Though Adam was made first and Eve was his helper, he could not resist her request to eat the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:12). Satan’s lie to Eve did not deceive Adam, but he weakly submitted to his naked wife over God and His commandment (Gen 2:16-17; I Tim 2:14). And Satan has used women to seduce men ever since, whether married or not (Job 2:9; I Kgs 11:1-11).

By wise design, God made the woman’s body, flattering speech, physical contact, and eagerness for intimacy to powerfully attract men. Used properly in marriage, it results in the great pleasures of the Song of Solomon. Used outside marriage, only a few men can resist the powerful temptation. As the proverb declares, “Many strong men have been slain by her.” The only sure way to avoid adultery is to stay far from her (Pr 7:6-8,25).

Women have altered nations by seducing their leaders. Consider Cleopatra. This conniving adulteress stole Egypt’s throne and undermined Rome’s by seducing Julius Caesar, and then she destroyed the general Mark Antony by adultery as well. These men, renowned for courage, leadership, and strength, were soft putty in her lying embraces.

But there was Joseph, who resisted the repeated advances of Potiphar’s wife, to eventually rule Egypt, second only to Pharaoh (Gen 39:7-12). Though never having the strength of Samson or killing a giant like David, Joseph is a greater hero. And the Lord Jesus Christ, tempted in all points as any man, was without sin His entire life (Heb 4:15).

What will an adulteress cost? You will be wounded and slain! Delilah took Samson to an early grave of ignominy and shame. Bathsheba cost David enormously his entire life. And pagan women from other nations ruined Solomon’s life and dynasty. Adultery is not the exciting diversion the world claims; adultery is a painful hell and death (Pr 7:27).

How can men defeat the adulteress? They cannot go near her, because they do not have the strength to resist. They must avoid her altogether. She has four wiles: looks, flattery, touch, and willingness. Reject pornography, coed swimming, and immodestly clothed women. Reject flirting, phoning, chat rooms, or email liaisons. Reject dancing, embracing, or other physical contact with another woman. And never allow personal or intimate conversation or opportunity where her willingness for sin can be communicated.

Good wives grasp the power they have and use it to please their husbands and win peace in their marriages and homes (Song 8:6-7; I Cor 7:1-5). And they rejoice in the wonderful pleasure themselves (Song 1:1-2; 2:3-7; 3:4-5; 5:9-16; 8:1-4). They will use their looks, romantic words, physical caresses, and initiate lovemaking to promote romance at home to save their husbands from whorish women (Pr 5:19-20; I Cor 7:1-5; Heb 13:4).

There is another whore in the Bible. The great whore of Revelation 17, which is the false Church of Rome and the churches that came out of her. She has also cast down many wounded, and many strong men have been destroyed by her false doctrine and abominable practices. The way to safety is the same – stay far away from her, and find a true church of Jesus Christ where you can meet, worship, and serve in apostolic purity.


Under Gods Command

PAUL ADDRESSES CHURCH PROBLEMS (1:1-6:20)

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. (2) For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (3) I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. (4) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, (5) so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

A brilliant scholar, Paul could have overwhelmed his listeners with intellectual arguments. Instead he shared the simple message of Jesus Christ by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide his words.

(4) Paul’s confidence was not in his keen intellect or speaking ability but in his knowledge that the Holy Spirit was helping and guiding him. Paul in not denying the importance of study and preparation for preaching-he had a thorough education in the Scriptures. Effective preaching must combine studious preparation with reliance on the work of the Holy Sprit. Don’t use Paul’s statement as an excuse for not studying or preparing.

Lets Bring it Home: In sharing the gospel with others, we should follow Paul’s example and keep our message simple and basic. The Holy Spirit will give power to our words and use them to bring glory to Jesus.


Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 2:4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure

Are wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as valuable to you as silver or hid treasures? Men pursue silver and hid treasure with excited hearts and at great expense and effort, and Solomon warned that only such desire and work will find the wisdom of God. Unless you have such zeal and diligence, you will miss true knowledge and understanding.

Just a short reading about the mysterious Money Pit of Nova Scotia’s Oak Island will prove the character of men and hidden treasures. At least six lives, millions of dollars, and enormous efforts have been invested, and countless disappointments endured over 210 years, to find the presumed treasure at the bottom of an ingenious manmade shaft.

Wisdom exists, and you must find it and get it, for it is of more value than all riches (Pr 4:7; 16:16; Ps 19:10; 119:14,72,127). You buy wisdom by giving up others things in life to redeem the time and apply the effort to study God’s word; you avoid selling it by refusing any offer of this world to distract you from your pursuit of it (Pr 23:23; 18:1).

Jesus Christ taught that the kingdom of God is life’s greatest priority (Matt 6:33), and He illustrated it by men selling all they had to buy a field or a valuable pearl (Matt 13:44-46). What have you sold, or given up, to pursue this treasure? Or are your treasures on earth?

Wisdom will not fall in your lap, for then the wrong persons could get it. Wisdom is a reward to those who ask and work for it. The just and jealous God will not give its riches for sporadic, lazy, or slight effort, but He will reward zealous seekers (Jer 29:13).

Consider ministers. They must study like workmen (II Tim 2:15); they must give themselves wholly to reading, exhortation, and doctrine (I Tim 4:13-15); and they must do so while enduring hardness as soldiers without worldly obligations (II Tim 2:3-4). If a minister compromises in any of these areas, he and his hearers will lose (I Tim 4:16).

Consider Christians. They must use wisdom or lose it, as Paul told the Hebrews (Heb 5:12-14). If they do not pay close attention to preaching, they will lose all, even the knowledge they presumed they had (Luke 8:18). The Bereans were noble for an obvious reason (Acts 17:11), and you should follow their good example (I Thes 5:21).

Dear friend, do you read the Word of God? Do you read it with passion and effort? Do you study it? Do you crave to hear it taught? Do you meditate upon it day and night? Do you speak of it to others? Do you give up pleasures for it? Do you buy tools to help?

Most men do not make the effort, so they live and die as fools. They are infatuated with the glitter of worldly toys and earthly pleasures. Only a few are ready scribes like Ezra (Ezra 7:6); only a few are fruitful trees (Ps 1:1-3). Only a few keep the words of God, meditate on them, and obey them to have Elihu and David’s wisdom (Ps 119:98-100).

Jesus Christ sought God’s wisdom all night in a mountain (Luke 6:12). And while others slept, He searched for the treasure of God’s favor and will with tears and blood-like sweat (Luke 22:39-46). Was He heard? Indeed! He sits forever as King on Zion’s hill, ruling the universe in perfect wisdom, righteousness, and truth. Seek wisdom today!


Under Gods Command

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God (1:26-31)

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were Influential; not many were of noble birth. (27) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Is Christianity against rational thinking? Christians clearly do believe in using their minds to weigh the evidence and make wise choices. Paul is declaring that no amount of human knowledge can replace or bypass Christ’s work on the cross. If it could Christ would be assessable only to the intellectually gifted and well educated, and not to ordinary people or to children.

28-31) He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, (29) so that no one may boast before him. (30) It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (31) Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Paul continues to emphasize that the way to receive salvation is so simple that any person who wants to can understand it. Skill and wisdom do not get a person into God’s kingdom-simple faith does-so no one can boast that his or her achievements helped him or her secure eternal life. Salvation is totally from God through Jesus death.

Lets Bring it Home: God is the source of and the reason for our personal and living relationship with Christ. Our union and identification with Christ results in our having God’s wisdom and knowledge, possessing right standing with God, being holy and having the penalty for our sins paid by Jesus.

There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; we need only accept what Jesus has already done for us.


Under Gods Command

 Proverbs 1:5 Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance

Solomon wrote Proverbs for the young and simple (Pr 1:4). But he also wrote it for the mature and wise, that they might gain greater learning to understand and apply the words of this book (Pr 1:5). Therefore, there is great value to study these proverbs and their interpretations in order to attain to wise counsels. If you will be wise, here is the way!

Proverbs are the dark sayings of the wise, and they need interpretation (Pr 1:6). But the effort is well worth it, for the reward is obtaining greater learning and wise counsel. By understanding Solomon’s proverbs and their interpretations in this book, and learning the words of the wise and their dark sayings, you will attain to wise counsels. Men will come to you for help in intricate matters, for you will have acquired wisdom and understanding.

What is the rule for increasing learning and attaining unto wise counsels? Hearing! Even wise and understanding men must stop thinking and talking in order to listen instead to become wiser. Your age or wisdom does not matter. To learn more and attain to the counsels of the wise, you must hear instruction from others. Humble yourself before this inspired collection of proverbs and get learning and wise counsel. It is your choice.

Wisdom is acquired by the ears, not the mouth. You have two ears, but one mouth. You should be swift to hear and slow to speak (Jas 1:19). However, foolish man would rather speak, for he wants to show others his wisdom. But a wise man will close his mouth and open his ears, so that he might hear the instruction of his teachers and gain wisdom.

Listening is hard for the young and simple, because they are foolish and impatient. Children are self-deceived to think they know more than parents. Without experience or understanding, they want to teach their elders. But older men also have a problem with listening, for they think too highly of their experience. It takes only a quick look at this book of Proverbs, or a small dose of the problems among men, to reveal their ignorance.

Great men understand the times and know what ought to be done (I Chron 12:32). They discern changing circumstances and the response to them that pleases God and men. How do they come to this illustrious position from the confusion and ignorance they inherited at birth? They listen and learn from their primary teachers – parents and pastors.

The blessed God inspired the Bible, which is full of wisdom for life and eternity. And He also sent parents and pastors to teach the Bible to willing hearers (Deut 6:4-9; Eph 6:4; Mal 2:7; Eph 4:11-14). Your part is left! Will you listen like Israel to Ezra, Cornelius to Peter, and the noble Bereans to Paul (Neh 8:1-12; Acts 10:33; 17:11)? It is your choice.


Under Gods Command

PAUL ADDRESSES CHURCH PROBLEMS (1:1-6:20)

1 Corinthians 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength

The message of Christ’s death for sins sounds foolish to those who don’t believe. Death seems to be the end of the road, the ultimate weakness. But Jesus did not stay dead. And he will save us from eternal death and give us everlasting life if we trust him as Savior and Lord. This sounds so simple that many people won’t accept it. They try other ways to obtain eternal life (being good, being wise, etc.). But all their attempts will not work.

Lets Bring it Home:The “foolish” people who simply accept Christ’s offer are actually the wisest of all, because they alone will live eternally with God.