2025.04.27 - Holiness - Weight Of Sin

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. KJV

     I.         Weight

a.     We think we can handle it – we can’t

b.    We cannot control sin once it is loosed – but with God we can control US and keep us bound – 

                                               i.     Bound to holiness

                                             ii.     Bound to doing the right things

                                           iii.     Bound to pleasing God and not ourselves

 

·      It may seem that there is no way out - but rest assured it only seems that way. 

·      God is Master of making a way where there seems to be now way. 

·       He works best in the realm of impossible!!

 

What Do We Choose Over God?

   II.         Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. KJV

a.     Achan chose 

                                               i.     A garment over God

                                             ii.     Silver  over his family & all those around him

                                           iii.     Gold over his holiness and integrity

 III.         Less Than God 

a.     Anything that is less than God – IS LESS THAN GOD!

b.    Anything that takes more of me, my time etc is my idol

                                               i.     What am I bowing down to?

 

 IV.         Results of Sin

a.     Separated from God 

b.    Could Not Stand Before Enemies

                                               i.     Joshua 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy th e accursed from among you. KJV

b.     Loss of faith when I need it most

   II.         Joshua 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.KJV

 III.         Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! KJV

 

Sin Sight

·      When I am far from God I see the faults of others – when I am closer to God I see and work on my own faults!

 

 

Crowd Of Witnesses

 IV.         Moses

a.     Refused to be called son of Pharoahs daughter

b.    Had respect of the reward of righteousness

c.     Forsook the things of Egypt

d.    Endured the process of leading Israel out of Egypt

e.     Was baptized in the Red Sea and crossed over!

   V.         Jesus

a.     Had a choice

 VI.         Lucifer

a.     Free moral agent

b.    Had a choice 

c.     Fell from Gods presence

 

Is there anything at all that is keeping you from God?

2025.04.13 - Jesus - Was One Of Us

 

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth KJV

 

Tempted

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. KJV

 

Suffered Loss And Felt Pain

Wept over Lazarus 

 

Lost his earthly dad

·      Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? KJV

o   Had at least 4 brothers and 2 sisters

§  Since he was the first sibling, he was at least 7 or 8 when Joseph died but his exact age is not certain.  

 

Messy Life All Around

His life was a mess from which He brought order.  HE was not a mess, but all around Him life was messy, look at Matthew 8

·      08.02 – delivered a man from leprosy

·      08.05 – healed the servant of a Roman soldier

·      08.14 – Peter’s mother was healed b/c she was sick

·      08.16 – dealt w/ those who had sickness and demons

·      08.16 – had to essentially hide from the crowd just to have prayer time 

·      08.21 – dealing with people who did not have their priorities straight

·      08.23 – had to calm a storm 

·      08.24 – he actually was able to get some sleep

·      08.26 – dealt w/ the crisis of faith in His disciples

·      08.28 – dealt w/ another who had demons 

·      08.32 – whole issue w/ pig farmers and demons

·      08.34 – entire town came out to get rid of Him

None of this meant that He was ineffective – to the contrary – this is why He came – this is why you were sent as well!

 

Prophesy Fulfilled

Post Resurrection 

Acts 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. KJV

·      Peter was quoting from OT Psalms -prophecy that he was litereally seeing played out before his very eyes

·      I wonder what that felt like . . . .I wonder if we realize . . .Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18.They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. KJV . . .we are able to share the same view of prophecy being played out in our own lives!  

·       

2025.04.09 - Genesis - Light

Genesis 1:1-4

1:1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. KJV

     I.         Moved – 

a.     OT:7363 rachaph (raw-khaf'); a primitive root; to brood; by implication, to be relaxed: KJV - flutter, move, shake. 

   II.         John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was  made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. KJV

a.     Life -  life, quickening 

b.    Light of men – to shine or make manifest, fire

c.      Think about Acts 2, when they

                                               i.      were moved to an upper room

                                             ii.     Were moved to speak on other tongues

                                           iii.     Were moved to preach the Gospel

                                           iv.     Were moved to prophesy 

                                             v.     Were moved to boldness

d.    Light went every place that Jesus went

e.     We want to use flashlights instead of being light

f.     The degree to which I can see, understand, discern, recognize is the degree to which the light is shining

g.     That which is found in the dark cannot be fully understood until it is examined in light

                                               i.     Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. KJV

1.    Think about what grows in darkness

a.     Strange creatures that live at the bottom of the sea where light does not penetrate

b.    What grows and thrives in the darkness of night, what fears come from those things that we cannot see

2.    1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. KJV

3.    James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning . 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. KJV

 III.         Lights Out

a.     Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  KJV

                                               i.     gods - 'OT:430 'elohiym (el-o-heem'); plural of OT:433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: KJV - angels, exceeding, God (gods)- dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty. 

                                             ii.     He was referring to fallen angels, who had tasted of temptation and partaken, in their first estate they knew only holiness, but now had fallen and just as he, satan, knew of good and evil so did those angels of which he spoke.  He wanted man to feel his pain, his anger and to join him in his fallen state.

                                           iii.     It is interesting that even though their eyes were "opened" to things that they had not seen before, they were now blinded to a point to what they had been used to seeing.  What once was light was not darkness and the things they were seeing were now obscurred - suddenly they  "saw though a glass darkly"

                                           iv.     Opened means to become observant - once sin enters you will notice things that you did not notive before and not in a good way - in the daylight you would not notice the chair, but at night in the dark you would smack you toe on the chair that you knew was there all along and now it hurt you

 IV.         Knowledge Lost 

a.     Jealousy and pride travel together - in Job satan is jealous that Job has Gods attention, same story as in Genesis Cain and Abel, Cain was jealous and slew Abel with a rock but God saved   the future "abel" from the wicked Cain with a Rock.

b.    What satan fully understood at one point in Heaven he no longer could comprehend in darkness on earth because the Light had been turned off

c.     This is why you cannot reason someone into understanding Bible Truth - they either get it or they don’t - it is no gray - literally the perfect inspired Word of God or just another book of rules.

                                               i.     1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned . KJV

                                             ii.      

                                           iii.      

   V.         Final Thoughts

a.     Psalms 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night. KJV

                                               i.     Old and New Testaments, day and night, separation, Law and Grace, 

                                             ii.     Cloud by day - fire (Holy Ghost) by night