Select Your Language

March 18, 2011

Subject to Government

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.






Romans 13:1-7
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.  3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.  5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.  6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

1 Peter 2:13-17
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Introduction
Does this mean we shouldn’t appose any political leader? Do we really believe that government officials have unlimited authority to do anything they want without opposition?

For example, what if our leaders decided to resurrect the old custom of sacrificing your children to the Cananite sun god Molech worshiped throughout the ancient Near East. Would you think God would want you to submit to this?

Adolf Hitler
Hitler wisely embraced Romans 13 to give him unquestioned power by the majority of German Christians.

Sing a Little Louder by Penny Lea
"Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing!  We could do nothing to help these poor miserable people, yet their screams tormented us. We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. By the time the train came rumbling past the church yard, we were singing at the top of our voices.  If some of the screams reached our ears, we'd just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more. Years passed and no one talks about it much anymore, but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep.  I can still hear them crying out for help.  God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene."

So, there are limits to human authority. A father has authority in his home, but does this give him power to abuse his wife and children? An employer has authority on the job, but does this give him power to control the private lives of his employees?  A pastor has overseer authority in the church, but does this give him power to tell employers in his church how to run their businesses? The answer to all three questions is obviously NO! All human authority is limited in nature. No man is to have unlimited authority over the lives of other men. (Lordship belongs to Christ)

Obedience to the government must never be in violation of the law of God.
Acts 4:19
But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!

Acts 5:29
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!”

The Government referred to in the Bible punishes the wrongdoer and commends the one who does right. (Romans 13:3; 1 Peter 2:14)
What is a Christian to do when the government punishes the innocent and Godly while commending the evil?

Romans 13:5 means we must think and reason for ourselves regarding the justness and rightness of our government's laws. Obedience is not automatic or robotic. It is a result of both rational deliberation and moral understanding.

The essence of God’s creation accounts for the liberty built into the conscience of mankind. He has a duty to act when he knows what is right.

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17)

We know from scripture that there is coming a world leader referred to as the Anti-Christ. The abomination that causes desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14)

Antichrist’s Rule Reaches Globally using Finance
It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. [Revelation 13:16-17]

As a Christian should you submit to the Anti-Christ’s government and receive the mark? In this environment the responsibility falls on the individuals in this system to object to the law being carried out.

Revelation 14:9-11
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

The constant theme throughout the scriptures is the higher powers of government are to promote good and punish evil. Governments that do the opposite are not to be honored.

In order for their to be a world government there must be an agenda to dissolve national sovereignty. In order to have a new world order patriotism and national sovereignty in every nation must come under attack and eventually be dissolved.

The nations with the most resources and power should be the least likely to hand over their sovereignty. Why would they want to? The playing field must be leveled for this agenda to fly in the minds of the worlds richest nations.

This list is based on 2008 GDP figures
1. USA 14.265 Trillion up 2.65%
2. Japan 4.924 Trillion up 12.3%
3. China 4.402 Trillion up 30.1%
4. Germany 3.668 Trillion up 10.4%
5. France 2.866 Trillion up 10.5%

The United States Constitution is under attack by the spirit of the Anti-Christ in order to usher in a world government.

There are enemies outside of our nation but also enemies within our nation trying to dissolve the authority of the Constitution.

"A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not (as a) traitor, he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their garments, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared." - Cicero, 42 B.C.

New World Order is a term used to describe the uniting of the world's superpowers to secure and maintain global peace, safety, and security.

The New World Order agenda is detailed in documents from the Council of Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission, Bilderberg Group, Club of Rome, United Nations, World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

Peace and Safety
The Day of the Lord
1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

There will always be a clash between citizens who try to follow God’s laws and tyrants who try and go against God’s laws.

U.S. National sovereignty is going to come under attack. Do we take the position that well, it’s going to happen and there’s nothing we can do about it? The Antichrist is going to rule the world. Or do we stand up for our Nations sovereignty defending the Constitution of the United States?

What if it’s Hitler knocking at the door and not the Anti-Christ?

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. ~Edmund Burke

Since our form of government is a representative republic the real authority in our government is delegated to our elected officials by the people. Their responsibilities are overseen by the Constitution of the United States.

In America, the U.S. Constitution is the "supreme Law of the Land." Under our laws, every governing official, civil servant and soldier, publicly promises to submit to and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Romans 13:1-7 to a U.S. Citizen
1 Let everyone be subject to the [Constitution of the United States], for there is no authority except that which God has established. The [Constitution of the United States] has been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the [Constitution of the United States] is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For the [Constitution of the United States] holds no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the [Constitution of the United States]? Then do what is right and you will be commended.  4 For the [Constitution of the United States] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for the [Constitution of the United States] does not bear the sword for no reason. It is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the[Constitution of the United States] not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.  6 This is also why you pay taxes, for those authorities that serve the [Constitution of the United States] are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Furthermore, Christians, above all people, should desire that their elected representatives submit to the Constitution, because it is constitutional government that has done more to protect Christian liberty than any governing document ever devised by man.

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20070810.html

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here and watch all four videos on the page.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124

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What Jesus Did

By Tony V. Hammack
These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.
  1. Jesus paid the penalty for sin, redeeming mankind 
  2. He opened the way to the gentiles 
  3. He defeated the devil 
  4. He opened the kingdom of God to mankind 
  5. He made a way for people to inherit eternal life



1. Jesus paid the penalty for sin, redeeming mankind.
Romans 3:24
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:30
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.

Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace


Colossians 1:13,14
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

2. He opened the way to the gentiles
Acts 11:18
18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Romans 11:11,12,25
because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,

A. Salvation is opened to the gentiles because of the sins of Israel
B. It’s opened up to make Israel envious
C. Israel has been hardened until the full # of gentiles has come in
D. Israel will be saved by grace through faith in Jesus


3. He defeated the devil
Colossians 2:13-15
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.


Luke 10:18,19
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Smith Wigglesworth
"We were sleeping one night, when the manifestation of evil filled the room and the spirit of fear gripped both of us.  Polly was so frightened she could not open her eyes.  I suddenly sat up, in the bed, and saw the devil.  I rubbed my eyes to be sure, it was him.  I said, ‘Oh! It's only you.'  I then turned to Polly and told her to go back to sleep, it was nothing of consequence, and I laid my head back down.  Suddenly an overwhelming sense of peace and love filled the room and we had the most blessed sleep ever."


4. He opened the kingdom of God to mankind.
Luke 17:21
the kingdom of God is within you.”

John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 14:12
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.


Matthew 6:10
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.


5. He made a way for people to inherit eternal life
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


Romans 10:9,10
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Romans 10:13
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”






If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here and watch all four videos on the page.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124

View Larger Map

March 10, 2011

My Son went to Israel

A Jewish businessman in Chicago sent his son to Israel for a year to absorb the culture. When the son returned, he said, "Papa, I had a great time in Israel. By the way, I converted to Christianity."

"Oy vey," said the father. "What have I done?"

He took his problem to his best friend. "Ike," he said, "I sent my son to Israel, and he came home a Christian. What can I do?"

Funny you should ask," said Ike. "I too, sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian. Perhaps we should go see the rabbi."

So they did, and they explained their problem to the rabbi. "Funny you should ask," said the rabbi. "I, too, sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian. What is happening to our young people?"

And so they all prayed, telling the Lord about their sons. As they finished their prayer, a voice came from the heavens:

"Funny you should ask," said the voice. "I, too, sent my son to Israel..."

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here and watch all four videos on the page. Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
Jubilee Family Church 45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124

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March 4, 2011

The Importance of Bearing Fruit (Part 3)

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here.


Abiding in Christ
Introduction
Fruit is the part of a plant that produces food and seed.
1. Food symbolizing the sweet flavor of a changed personality, conformed into Christ’s image. (Galatians 5:22,23)
2. Seed symbolizing an effort to share God’s message and life to a lost and hopeless world. (Matthew 13:1-23)


Food
Galatians 5:22,23
The Fruits of the Spirit, which show a changed personality are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
These fruits, when being expressed in the life of a believer, give us what we need to be able to scatter seed. It also makes us resemble Christ’s character and is good for us and others.

Seed
Matthew 13:1-23
The success of the sower in this parable is based completely on the condition of the hearer’s heart.
Path – Lack Understanding
Rocky Soil – People receive the Word with joy but when testing comes they fall away.
Thorns – Worries and anxieties of life, deceitfulness of wealth, choke out the Word
Good Soil – This person hears and understands producing a crop 30 60 or 100 x’s what was sown.
Here success is attributed to the wise
Proverbs 11:30 (Amplified)
The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men--he gathers and receives them for eternity].


Outline
I.   Fruit production is very important to God
II.  Fruit production for the believer begins with personal holiness.
III. Abiding in Christ is a key to fruit production

III. Abiding in Christ is a Key to Fruit Production

John 15:1-8
A.  There are false vines, Jesus is the True Vine.
B.  God the Father is the Gardener
C.  We are to stay in Jesus just like he stays in us.
D.  In the same way a branch cannot bear fruit by itself we can’t bear fruit unless we remain in the vine (Jesus)
E.  Abiding in Christ is a key to seeing our prayers answered.
F.  Being fruitful is one way we show ourselves to be his disciples.
G.  Our fruit is to last and we are to love each other.

A.  There are false vines, Jesus is the true vine.
People have a decision to make where they are going to receive a flow of life.
  1. Worldly possessions
  2. False Prophets
  3. Affirmation of people
  4. Various accomplishments
  5. The Lord Himself
A word about the emotionally needy.


B. God the Father is the Gardener
He cuts off the fruitless
He prunes / cleans the fruitful so they are even more fruitful.

The Greek for he prunes also means he cleans. Jesus declared the disciples clean because of the word he had spoken to them. v. 3

The Word of God has a component to it that cleans hearts.
Psalm 119:11
11 I have hidden your word in my heart    that I might not sin against you.
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.


C.  We are to stay in Jesus just like he stays in us
Our commitment to Jesus should be like his commitment to us.
Our love for Jesus should be like his love for us.
It’s pictured by a marriage. Not breakable until death. Jesus would never divorce you therefore you shouldn’t divorce him.

D. In the same way a branch cannot bear fruit by itself we can’t bear fruit unless we remain in the vine.
1. This illustrates how we must abide and remain in Christ.

E. Abiding in Christ is a key to seeing our prayers answered.
  1. When we abide in Him we’ll pray his will.
  2. 1 John 5:14,15  14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
  3. This truth should be a faith builder, giving the person of prayer tremendous confidence and persistence.
  4. James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
  5. Persistence – The Parable of the Persistent widow. Luke 18:1-8


F. Being fruitful is one way we show ourselves to be his disciples.
A disciple is a student who follows. If Jesus was fruitful and raised up disciples his disciples should be like him and do the same thing.
Loving is another way we show ourselves to be his disciples.

John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Being fruitful is a way to show love. Sacrificing our identity and life for another is a very high kind of sacrificial love. (The first time I was “Nate’s Dad”)
John 12:24
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

G.  Our fruit is to last and we are to love one another.
The way fruit lasts is that it also bears fruit. Your spiritual offspring raising up spiritual offspring. Having spiritual sons and daughters is great but what about spiritual grand children?
What makes this happen is dying to ourselves and loving someone else, sharing with them, equipping them, serving them until they are prepared to do the same.

It all starts with someone making a decision to follow Jesus.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here and watch all four videos on the page. Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.


Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124

View Larger Map

February 18, 2011

The Importance of Bearing Fruit (Part 2)

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.




Introduction
Fruit is the part of a plant that produces food and seed.
     1. Food symbolizing the sweet flavor of a changed personality, conformed into Christ’s image. (Galatians 5:22,23)
     2. Seed symbolizing an effort to share God’s message and life to a lost and hopeless world. (Matthew 13:1-23)

Food
The Fruits of the Spirit, which show a changed personality are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
These fruits, when being expressed in the life of a believer, give us what we need to be able to scatter seed. It also makes us resemble Christ’s character and is good for us and others.

Seed
Matthew 13:1-23
The success of the sower in this parable is based completely on the condition of the hearer’s heart.
Path – Lack Understanding
Rocky Soil – People receive the Word with joy but when testing comes they fall away.
Thorns – Worries and anxieties of life, deceitfulness of wealth, choke out the Word
Good Soil – This person hears and understands producing a crop 30 60 or 100 x’s what was sown.
Here success is attributed to the wise

Proverbs 11:30 (Amplified)
The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men--he gathers and receives them for eternity].

Outline
I.     Fruit production is very important to God
II.    Fruit production for the believer begins with personal holiness.
III.  Abiding in Christ is a key to fruit production
IV.  Two ways you’ll know you are fruitful


II.   Fruit Production for the believer begins with personal holiness.
   A.  What is holiness?
   B.  Holiness, the fruit of the faith walk
   C.  Self righteousness = No grace
   D.  Grace is for the humble
   E.  Repentance is the foundation for the Kingdom to be fruitful.
         1.  Godly Sorrow
   F.  Instruments for special purposes
   G.  Walk in the Spirit


A. What is Holiness?
Holiness- Being set apart from the World, The Enemy, and the Flesh and being set apart to the Lord.

So when we’re talking about holiness we’re talking about being set apart from something and then being set toward something else.

B. Holiness, the Fruit of the Faith Walk
I believe it’s impossible for a Christian person to be set apart from sin w/o being set in faith to the Lord.

The Lord has available for the believer the grace and power to overcome the sinful nature.
Discipline can’t do it alone, determination can’t do it alone, devotion can’t do it alone. (Colossians 2:23) It requires surrender (humility) to the Lord allowing his grace to flow.

C. Self righteousness = No Grace
Amazing as it may sound sometimes our effort to be holy can frustrate God’s grace.
Galatians 2:21
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (NIV)
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (KJV)

Mercy forgives after the infraction and places the person back on track.
Grace empowers the believer to not sin in the first place keeping them on the right track.

Colossians 2:6
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,

The same faith that saves you is the same faith that sanctifies you.
We get into trouble as Christians when we in our hearts tell God, “I’ll take it from here.” the clock starts ticking on a moral failure when we take over our own sanctification. The decision to do this is rooted in pride.

D. Grace is for the Humble
James 4:6b-7
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”(Pr. 3:34)7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Titus 2:11,12
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

E. Repentance is the foundation for the Kingdom to be fruitful.
Matthew 3:1-3
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:   “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,    make straight paths for him.’”

What prepares the way for the Lord is a repentant heart. A holy heart can receive the kingdom. This kingdom get’s established in the hearts of men. A heart filled with corruption will fight against the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
  • 1. Godly Sorrow - The first step to receiving the kingdom of heaven is feeling sorry for sin. This Godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:10) leads to repentance which ultimately provides a fertile place for the seed of God’s word to grow and develop in the heart of a Christian.
When we come to God we must not be confident in our own righteousness but admit that we are lost without his mercy and grace. (Luke 18:9-14) For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

F. Instruments for special purposes.
2 Timothy 2:20-21  In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

The large house symbolizes the size of the human soul. Large with many compartments and rooms. The soulish realm of a human consists of his/her
  • Mind
  • Will
  • Emotions

The articles in the house have two different purposes.
  1. Special Purposes
  2. Common Use
This passage reminds me of my mother breaking out the sterling silver and the china for special occasions.

The passage says that if a man will cleanse himself of the latter. Meaning if a man will remove from his/her soulish realm the things that are common, earthly, and sinful, he’ll be ready for special purposes, special missions and special works.

This cleansing of the latter things, (wood and clay) will make a believer an instrument for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

You can’t read your Bible enough, pray enough or do enough good works to “stay holy”. These disciplines are great if there’s a flow of God in them. However if you are doing them under the law their will be little if any flow of God empowering you to live according to God's moral law.

G. Walk in the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-18
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

When we walk in the spirit, we’re walking in faith receiving a flow of power from heaven to think differently, have a heavenly attitude and behave differently. We must humbly receive God’s grace if we’re to walk in true holiness. Obeying God’s moral law but not coming under the yolk of trying to obey His law by the law. We obey by the spirit.

Conclusion:

Philippians 3:16
16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

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Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.  Jubilee Family Church's FM radio station.


Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501


(870) 793-9124


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