Whose Fool Are You???

I Cor. 4:10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.

The Bible has much to say about the fool. When a man calls another man a fool, he may or may not be speaking the truth. However, when the Holy Scriptures refer to a man as a fool, we can be sure that the title he is issued is the truth about his identity!

The Scriptural warning in Matthew 5:22 applies to the constitution for the millennial reign of Christ. It is not a mandate for the Church Age. This truth can be easily proven by the fact that both the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul called several people fools in the New Testament.

"Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?" (Matthew 23:17)

"Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?" (Matthew 23:19)

"Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die."
(I Corinthians 15:36)

There are several types of fools found in the Holy Scriptures.

I. The CORRUPT Fool

"THE fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
(Psalm 14:1)

Theology is how a man deals with the concept of God!

A. The Atheist is a Fool.
B. The Agnostic is a Fool.
C. The Evolutionist is a Fool.

II. The CARELESS Fool (Luke 12:16 - 21)

A. He Loved his Possessions. (v. 16 - 18)
B. He Lived for Pleasure. (v. 19)
C. He Lost his Prosperity! (v. 20 - 21)

"But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:20)

III. The CONFUSED Fool (Matthew 23:17 - 19)

A. Hypocrites in their Actions

"All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."
(Matthew 23:3 - 4)

B. Hypocrites in their Appearance

"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi."
(Matthew 23:5 - 7)

C. Hypocrites in their Attempts

"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
(Matthew 23:13)

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."
(Matthew 23:15)

IV. The CHRISTIAN Fool "We are fools for Christ's sake..." (I Cor. 4:10)

A. Positive about Salvation

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
(I John 5:13)

B. Persuaded about Scripture

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
(II Timothy 3:16)

-The Scriptures are Inspired!
-The Scriptures are Inerrant!
-The Scriptures are Incorruptible!

C. Passionate about Souls

"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."
(II Corinthians 5:20)

Many of us were not ashamed to be fools for Satan when we were lost. May God help us not to be ashamed to be called fools for Christ's sake now that we are saved by His grace!

A Message by Evangelist Jeremiah Dixon

When We Don't Humble Ourselves, God Will Humble Us

Deut. 8:2-3, 16 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

1. God does not take pleasure in embarrassing us but He is certainly willing to embarrass us.
2. God is jealous of His good name and will not allow us to disgrace His name. Ex. 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
3. God is no respector of persons. Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: Rom. 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God. 1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
4. God does not care what may be your title or position, whether President, Pastor, manager, layman, laborer, etc.
5. If we continually hide sin in our lives we can be sure that it will come out. God is not afraid to humiliate any one of us. Num. 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
6. God hates pride. Just as surely as Satan fell in his attempt to exalt himself so our pride will lead us to a fall. Prov. 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

NewsWithViews Excerpts Worth Reading

Just catching up some of my email tonight, and I thought I would pass a thought or two (or three) your way from my reading of several articles from the NewsWithViews.com mailing list I received this week. Comments are welcome but I am sure the article authors would appreciate your feedback just as well.... and allow me to say I do not agree 100% with the entire views and language and theology of these authors, but most of the time, they do make me think!!!!!

"SOCIAL JUSTICE" IS NOT CHRISTIAN CHARITY by Paul Proctor
http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor204.htm

You will find the word “justice” in scripture, as you will the word “gospel” – but you won’t find the word “social” in front of either of them because “social justice,” like the “social gospel,” is the wily work of men, not the Will and Word of God. Jesus Christ did not suffer and die on a cross so we could repair, remodel and rehabilitate a wicked world for Him to rule over, but instead to redeem us from it for a “kingdom not of this world.”

If someone doesn’t speak up and point this out, the issue will be forever confusing, controversial and divisive and the Church will continue to be swayed off course by those with political ambitions.

Scriptures containing the words “justice,” “justly,” and “judgment” that progressives handily quote to try and validate “social justice” as a Christian concept and mandate for the Church are predominately from the Old Testament, which is ironic considering progressives by and large prefer to dismiss or discount much of the OT and its so called “legalism” because it inconveniently clashes with their no-absolutes and no-authority philosophies, theologies and lifestyles. Frankly, it is God’s justice and judgments throughout the Old Testament that confound and offend progressives the most about the Bible resulting in the sleazy greasy grace they preach and practice as “Christianity.”

DOUBLESPEAK: THE LANGUAGE OF DECEPTION PART 4 by Martha West
http://www.newswithviews.com/West/marsha189.htm

Christendom has its fair share of doublespeak within its ranks. Conservative Christian apologists and those involved in the counter cult and discernment ministries who dare to expose apostates are accused of being divisive. For example, if a conservative attempts to combat the spread of the social justice gospel that emphasizes good deeds without the power of the gospel, their liberal critics cry “Pharisee!” Implying that these critics are Pharisees is another way of saying that they are narrow-minded, mean-spirited and unloving -- and yes, even intolerant and bigoted.

Word Faith (false) teachers use “heresy hunter” to define the opposition. But in reality discernment ministries are “truth-seekers.”

Most mature Christians recognize heresy when it rears its ugly head. But when they speak out against prominent false teachers who are leading the Body of Christ astray, their bamboozled followers invariably play the Matthew 7:1 card:

“Judge not, lest you be judged.”

This is doublespeak for: Shut the heck up!

First of all, discernment demands that we make judgments. As my pastor, Stan Way, said in a recent sermon, faithful Christians live their lives in a new center of gravity — the biblical worldview. Serious Christians must stand up and speak the truth with conviction and courage. We must be willing to lose our life for Christ and the gospel. In other words, for truth! Further, we must be willing to be treated with contempt by the world. Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

I don’t know about you, but I’m not ashamed and I will not be bullied into shutting up!

INTELLECTUAL BIGOTRY By Coach Dave Daubenmire
http://www.newswithviews.com/Daubenmire/dave187.htm

Bigotry—a stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.

Am I the only one who is sick of it or are we just so conditioned to sit obediently in the pew that we have forgotten how to stand up and fight? How long are we going to allow ourselves to be treated as second-class citizens in the land for which our fathers fought and died?

My blood boils over the way Christians have permitted the elitists to have silenced us. I can think of no other people-group who has permitted their system of beliefs to be so totally disregarded as those of us who proudly espouse Faith in Jesus.

In America, the new caliphate are the scientists and the academicians. They are the one’s who determine what will and will not be permitted. Anyone who stands on the authority of the Word of God is automatically written off as “religious.” Holding firm to faith in Jesus is secular apostasy and requires censorship so that the public will not be influenced by such fables.

They are very subtle, these secular bigots. They know that they can not get away with attacking the Truth of Christianity, but they can get away with a “reclassification” of Christianity. In their particular form of bigotry it is not that Christianity is “wrong” but that it is “religious” and religious views are not to hold equal sway with “science”. Science is head-knowledge (facts) while Christianity is heart knowledge (faith).

If you even hint of bringing Christian beliefs into the discussion you automatically become the law breaker and deserving of rebuke. “Religious beliefs belong in church, not in public discussion.” The “tolerant” intellectual bigots are only protecting innocent minds from “religious indoctrination” while they preach their secular gospel free of opposition. Soon we will be able to demand a Christian-history month in our schools.

How to Make Spiritual Progress

The complacency of Christians is the scandal of Christianity.

Time is short, and eternity is long. The end of all things is at hand. Man has proved himself morally unfit to manage the world in which he has been placed by the kindness of the Almighty. He has jockeyed himself to the edge of the crater and cannot go back, and in terrible fear he is holding his breath against the awful moment when he will be plunged into the inferno.

In the meantime, a company of people exist on the earth who claim to have the answer to all life’s major questions. They claim to have found the way back to God, release from their sins, life everlasting and a sure guarantee of heaven in the world to come.

These are the Christians. They declare that Jesus Christ is very God of very God, made flesh to dwell among us. They insist that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. They testify that He is to them Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption, and they steadfastly assert that He will be to them the Resurrection and the Life for eternity to come.

These Christians know, and when pressed will admit, that their finite hearts have explored but a pitifully small part of the infinite riches that are theirs in Christ Jesus. They read the lives of the great saints whose fervent desire after God carried them far up the mountain toward spiritual perfection; and for a brief moment they may yearn to be like these fiery souls whose light and fragrance still linger in the world where they once lived and labored. But the longing soon passes. The world is too much with them and the claims of their earthly lives are too insistent; so they settle back to live their ordinary lives, and accept the customary as normal. After a while they manage to achieve some kind of inner content and that is the last we hear of them.

This contentment with inadequate and imperfect progress in the life of holiness is, I repeat, a scandal in the Church of the First-born. The whole weight of Scripture is against such a thing. The Holy Spirit constantly seeks to arouse the complacent. "Let us go on" is the word of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul embodies this in his noble testimony as found in his Philippian epistle: "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection…but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (3:7-8, 10, 13-14).

If we accept this as the sincere expression of a normal Christian I do not see how we can justify our own indifference toward spiritual things. But should someone feel a desire to make definite progress in the life of Christ, what can he do to get on with it? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Strive to get beyond mere pensive longing. Set your face like a flint and begin to put your life in order. Every man is as holy as he really wants to be. But the want must be all-compelling.

Tie up the loose ends of your life. Begin to tithe; institute family prayer; pay up your debts as far as possible and make some kind of frank arrangement with every creditor you cannot pay immediately; make restitution as far as you can; set aside time to pray and search the Scriptures; surrender wholly to the will of God. You will be surprised and delighted with the results.

2. Put away every un-Christian habit from you. If other Christians practice it without compunction, God may be calling you to come nearer to Him than these other Christians care to come. Remember the words, "Others may, you cannot." Do not condemn or criticize, but seek a better way. God will honor you.

3. Get Christ Himself in the focus of your heart and keep Him there continually. Only in Christ will you find complete fulfillment. In Him you may be united to the Godhead in conscious, vital awareness. Remember that all of God is accessible to you through Christ. Cultivate His knowledge above everything else on earth.

4. Throw your heart open to the Holy Spirit and invite Him to fill you. He will do it. Let no one interpret the Scriptures for you in such a way as to rule out the Father’s gift of the Spirit. Every man is as full of the Spirit as he wants to be. Make your heart a vacuum and the Spirit will rush in to fill it.

Nowhere in the Scriptures nor in Christian biography was anyone ever filled with the Spirit who did not know that he had been, and nowhere was anyone filled who did not know when. And no one was ever filled gradually.

5. Be hard on yourself and easy on others. Carry your own cross but never lay one on the back of another. Begin to practice the presence of God. Cultivate the fellowship of the Triune God by prayer, humility, obedience and self-abnegation.

Let any Christian do these things and he will make rapid spiritual progress. There is every reason why we should all go forward in our Christian lives and no reason why we should not. Let us go on.

Taken from: A.W. Tozer's book Man: The Dwelling Place of God (What it really means to have Jesus Christ living in you).

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

(Here is an article by Coach Dave Daubenmire published this week in NewsWithViews for your review....)

You are the one who chooses the shepherd under whom you sit. Explaining to our Lord that you followed the advice of some Christian CEO will not hold much sway in Heaven’s Hall’s of Justice. Although works are not necessary for salvation, the Apostle Paul makes it very clear that works are the fruits of salvation.

Do you have any fruit? You, I’m talking about. Not your church, not your pastor. You.

On the awesome moment when you stand before Him and cast your crown at His feet, will there be any jewels in your crown?

Listen folks, the arrival of Jesus Christ into the earth realm transformed the Faith of our Fathers from a religion to a personal relationship. No longer do you access The Christ through Rabbis, Priests, and Pastors, but through the Spirit of the Living God given on the Day of Pentecost. He lives in you. It is to Him that you will give account.

With that in mind, let me ask a question that is intended to pierce your conscience. Some my call it harsh, some will complain that I am too direct, but I pray that this question will serve as a floodlight into your heart.

What have YOU done?

Don’t tell me you have prayed. Praying is not doing. In the Garden Jesus prayed…but He got up and went.. Where would man be today if Jesus had not been spurred to action? What if he had never gotten off of His knees? What if he has counted on others to do the dirty work?

For God so loved the world that HE DID SOMETHING….what about you? I ask you again…what have you DONE?

• About the slaughter of 50 million little baby boys and girls.
• About the pornography gushing down the streets of our cities.
• About the homosexual indoctrination of children in your government school.
• About the laissez faire attitude towards divorce in the church.
• About the spiritual abuse doled out by church leadership in some “churches.”

What have you done?

• About the legal terrorism directed at those who publicly proclaim Christ.
• About the promotion of “self-help” books over the Bible in your “church.”
• About the transformation of the Constitution to nothing more than toilet paper.
• About the lies of humanism superseding the Truth of the Scriptures.
• About the perpetuation of war in the name of peace.
• About the loss of liberty in the pursuit of comfort.

WHAT have you done? What HAVE you done? What have YOU done? What have you DONE?

The Scriptures teach us that one day we will all stand before the Lord and give an account for the deeds we have done in the flesh. That we will be responsible for things we have done, and things we have left undone. It is our ACTIONS that will be on trial; Not our thoughts, not our wishes, and not our intentions.

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” When was the last time your church CEO told you that?

If I understand the concept correctly, the jewels in your crown represent the souls you brought to the Lord, the things you did for the sake of the Gospel.

What a shame to stand before the Lord with only a dime-store tiara to cast at His feet.

So tell me….what have you done?

THE RUSH TO RELEVANCE IS THE ROAD TO RUIN

(Here is an article by Paul Proctor published in the NewsWithViews for your review....)

I’d love to know who sold Christians and clergy the bogus notion that the church somehow needs to be more “relevant” to the culture in order to win it for Christ. You can hardly escape the word in Christian circles today. It’s absolutely everywhere believers are, and is used incessantly alongside other trendy terms like “connect,” “passion,” “purpose,” “awesome” and “tolerance” – flying out the mouths of church leaders as if it were some sacred biblical principle that should be worn like a phylactery on our foreheads and proclaimed from the rooftops lest we forget and, Heaven forbid, be a contrast to the culture in which we live.

The word “relevant” is not even in the Bible – except in one so-called bible version and verse – if you can bear to call The Message a Bible. But, the amazing irony of its brief appearance there, is that it points out perfectly why Christians should avoid being relevant:

"Don't be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don't reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you're only being cute and inviting sacrilege.” – Matthew 7:6

Does that not accurately describe the relevant church today: cute, flippant, silly and full of slogans and sacrilege? Sounds just like the seeker-sensitive, purpose driven and emerging church to me!

Throughout scripture, in both the Old and New Testament, God’s own are repeatedly referred to as a “peculiar people.” (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 14:2, 26:18, Titus 2:14 & 1st Peter 2:9) I’ve written about this many times over the years.

That means we ought to be viewed by the world around us as distinctive. But how can Christians be both distinctive and relevant? And just how does one “connect” with a culture and not be “unequally yoked” to it?

Being distinctive is what being sanctified and set apart for God is all about. We’re not suppose to look and act like the rest of the world. We’re not called to blend in.

We’re called to “come out from among them” and stand out as a testimony to God’s power and presence in a corrupt kingdom! You see, if we don’t look or act any different from the world around us, then we’re probably not any different.

But the church isn’t teaching sanctification anymore because it’s an unfashionable, unpopular and outdated word that scares sinners and separates Christians from the culture of cool. No, today’s church has, instead, set its heart on being more relevant to the culture than righteous before God in a prideful and egregious effort to help Jesus get the numbers up.

“Go ye into all the world and be relevant?”

I don’t think so.

In my estimation, the word “relevant” was simply another devilishly dialectic term marketed to the church as a clever way to help Christians appeal to the flesh of the lost and buddy-up to the Beelzebub Club without appearing to compromise one’s Christian faith. But, that’s exactly what it does. And the more relevant one becomes to the enemies of Christ, the more irrelevant they become to God.

A preacher at a local megachurch my wife and I recently visited proudly told me a few days ago that he’s known as the pastor of the “coolest church in town” – using the word “cool” in various forms repeatedly in his email message, as if that would somehow impress me and make membership there more attractive. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that it would actually have the opposite effect. So, he was a little surprised and offended when I told him that “cool is not a fruit of the Spirit.”

If Christians have any relevance to this world, it is that we currently share it with unbelievers, who, like us, have a sinful nature. That’s all the relevance to this world Christians need in order to bear witness of the saving grace that came by Jesus Christ. It certainly isn’t necessary that we seek out more relevance than we already have.

Shall we now imitate more perfectly the hell-bound culture we were saved from as a means to win its favor, cooperation and participation? That’s not evangelism – that’s capitulation.

Being sanctified means we belong to Someone else now – Someone Who has forgiven our trespasses and sins and called us out of our old lives of depravity and rebellion to be “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.”

Suffice it to say, our time as Christians would be better spent swimming upstream against the currents of compromise and corruption than finding some fashionable flotilla with which to comfortably fit in and ride the rapids of relevancy over the falls to our spiritual demise.

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” – 1st Kings 18:21

© 2009 Paul Proctor - All Rights Reserved

Five Consequences for a Nation that Rejects God

THE ROMAN ROAD TO WRATH

Ideas, and the actions they product, have consequences, and the Bible is very specific about what a nation will reap when it rejects God. Lawlessness and disorder have their roots in our continually snubbing the God of the Bible.

Chapter 1 of the book of Romans in the Bible delineates five specific national consequences for denying God. Paul's warnings written here in this passage as given to him by God are so explicit and frightening relevant to what is happening in America today.

1. The nation that continually rejects God becomes a nation of fools. Rom. 1:21-22 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Men will go to all kinds of extremes in order to justify their sin and false beliefs about God. Situational ethics, moral relativism, and postmodernism are all methods used to justify rebellion against the character and nature of God.
2. The nation that continually rejects God accepts pagan spirituality. Rom. 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Pagan spirituality centers on the worship of nature and the planet Earth, yet its ultimate goal is to sidestep feeling guilt, for anything. Our world has moved from theism to atheism to pantheism.
3. The nation that continually rejects God accepts homosexuality as normal. Rom. 1:26-27 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. Acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle as "normal" is pushed as a priority during the past several years as evidenced in our nation's schools, television programs, movies, music, and even in some churches.
4. The nation that continually rejects God becomes debased and violent. Rom. 1:28-31 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
5. The nation that continually rejects God produces judicial, legislative and executive branches of government that approve of and encourage immorality and corruption. Rom. 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

My point is outlining these five indications of national moral failure is not that I want God to judge our nation. I fear His wrath too much for that. However, there is hope in knowing that a just judge is in charge and that He will not wink at sin. He holds everyone accountable which means that all have the potential to repent. We can pray God's judgment will cause people to turn from their sins and trust in Jesus Christ. We can also pray that His call to accountability will purify the church and ultimately take our country on a new road to God's glory and honor.

Excerpted from a longer article written by Brannon S. Howse and published in WorldViewTimes.

The Truth

1 Tim. 2:1-4 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Believers are encouraged to be in prayer "for all men," including "all that are in authority," that our own lives might be "quiet and peaceable," as well as for their personal salvation.

God, who abhors and promises to judge sinful individuals, does not desire to punish anyone. His desire is for "all men to be saved," and He has done all that is necessary to bring this about, by paying sin's awful penalty of death. While not all will prevail themselves of this opportunity, choosing instead to continue in their own sin, our prayers somehow are used by God to bring some "to the knowledge of the truth."

The truth necessary for salvation follows:

1 Tim. 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

In order to be saved, we must embrace the fact that there is only "one God" who alone holds the key to eternity, and that there is only one way by which we can reach that God, "the man Christ Jesus." We, in our natural state, are at war with God, estranged from Him, and separated by the presence of sin in our lives. Christ Jesus, acting as our mediator, our peacemaker, our advocate, being both fully God ("one God") and fully man ("the man") bridges the gap between the Father and men.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

How has He bridged the gap? He "gave himself a ransom for all." The Bible teaches that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23) but that "Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3). Since He willingly "gave Himself" as a punishment for our sins, we can stand before God the Father in Christ's sinlessness.

And the World Wept

(Here is an article by Jeff Straub submitted in the newsletter "In the Nick of Time" published by Central Baptist Theological Seminary for your review and meditation.... )

I was about to board a plane for Budapest, Hungary, to teach for a week in Arad, Romania, when my eyes were drawn to the TV monitors across the JFK airport. Every monitor that was not giving passenger information was carrying the story—Michael Jackson was dead. From my accommodations here in Romania, the TV news (Romanian) carries the story as a lead feature, showing video clips from London, Paris, India, the Philippines, Japan, and finally, the National Stadium in Bucharest, Romania, where Jackson once performed. The flowers and candles are piling up, and the tears are flowing. There have even been reports of fans committing suicide. The world weeps at the loss of the “King of Pop.”

Jackson’s death will likely be a major story around the world for at least the next few weeks, and maybe longer. Perhaps some think that the death of one so detached from Christianity is of little consequence. After all, people die. I wondered how many others died in the world the day Michael Jackson died—Farrah Fawcett, at least, and hundreds more, no doubt. And why should the Christian even care?

It behooves believers to pause and reflect on this cultural phenomenon, especially in these days. I don’t know where Jackson is today. To my knowledge, he never professed faith in Christ, without which, no man can stand justified before a living God. But his death does remind us of several things that we would all do well to ponder. I pen these few words for believers to stop and consider, amidst the world’s fixation with the death of such an iconic figure.

1. For most unbelieving humanity, death is the inevitable and certain conclusion to life. The majority of the human race―now numbered at more than 6.25 billion―has little hope of bypassing this ultimate end, and many face their approaching demise with a great sense of foreboding. As of this writing, coroners have not determined the cause of Jackson’s death, so whether he had sense of death’s imminence, none can say. But when one so well known dies so young (he was 50), many of those still left living are filled with a greater sense of fear and uncertainty because they realize just how tenuous life really is. Death appears certain and all, it seems, will face it. For the world, this is a frightening reality. At this juncture, believers ought to hear the Word of God echo in their ears: “it is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27) which, in turn, should remind us of Gen. 3:19, that we come from dust and to dust we will return. Death is the great certainty in this life, especially for those who live without divine grace. It is approaching, it cannot be avoided, and it is a thing to be feared.
2. Death is the great equalizer: rich and poor, famous and obscure, male or female. Death, when it hits, brings the same physical end to all of humanity. The brain quits, the heart stops, and life, as humans define it, is over. Not even one’s personal fortune or social status can bring relief of this destiny. Again the Word of God ought to echo in our ears: “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Since all of us have sinned (Rom. 3:23), all of us can expect to receive the due recompense—the cessation of life itself. No one lives forever . . . at least not in life as we know it now. The world intuitively knows this despite all protestations to the contrary.
3. Physical death is not the end of all things; it is only the beginning. For the believer, death is the beginning of life eternal, when we are ushered into the presence of God to enjoy Him forever. For the unbeliever, death is the beginning of unparalleled judgment and unending chastisement. Though a great debate rages today on the existence of future punishment, the Bible portrays the prospect for the lost as never ending torment, “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:48). If the Bible is true, then the greatest tragedy is not physical death itself, but a failure to get ready for the inevitable and to die unprepared. How many of those in our acquaintance stand at the threshold of death, even now, unprepared? Life is short, and judgment is certain.
4. Finally, God is the measure of all things. Regardless of who dies or what the circumstances of one’s death are, the final assessment of one’s life rests not in the accolades we receive from those who survive us. It comes from the perfect and final judgment of One who knows the end from the beginning. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us that judgment is coming, and Rev. 20:12 describes that judgment at which the unconverted, small and great, will stand. It will be a fearful day, for none may avoid it. Hades yields up its occupants, and even the sea cannot contain all whose remains were lost in its vastness.

We must remember and proclaim that death is certain, it equalizes, it brings judgment, and that God is the final arbiter of life. The world will weep in the days ahead because they have lost an icon. Believers should not merely sit by and gawk, or worse, turn away in apathy. We too should weep. We weep not because we lost someone dear to us. We weep for those Jackson left behind—for the world itself. Most of humanity is fixated on the wrong things. The great tragedy in all of this is not that Jackson is dead, though that is a sad fact, especially if he failed to prepare to meet the Lord. The great tragedy is that so many fail to see the hand of God in all of this; so many have failed to submit their lives to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Who, then, should be weeping?

What Might Have Been

It's not the thing you do, dear,

It's the thing you leave undone

That gives you a bit of heartache

At the setting of the sun.

The tender word forgotten,

The letter you did not write,

The flowers you did not send, dear,

Are your haunting ghosts at night.

The stone you might have lifted

Out of the brother's way;

The bit of heartsome counsel

You were hurried too much to say;

The loving touch of the hand, dear,

And the gentle winning tone

That you had no time or thought for,

With troubles enough of your own;

These little acts of kindness,

So easily out of mind,

Those chances to be angels

Which we poor mortals find-

They come in nighttime silence,

Each sad, reproachable wrath,

When hope is faint and flagging

And a chill has fallen on faith.

For life is all too short, dear,

And sorrow is all too great

To suffer our slow compassion

That tarries until too late.

And it isn't the thing you do, dear,

It's the thing you leave undone

That gives you a bit of heartache

At the setting of the sun.

Written by Homer A. Rodeheaver

GOD IS TRUTHFUL

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

God is truth. It is impossible for God to lie. His promises will never fail. God's veracity knows no equal. Many have asked, "What is truth?" Jesus told us what truth is. He proclaimed in John 14:6, "I am . . . the truth." Everything He says is true. "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). God is honest in every way. There is no deception, falsehood, or fiction in Him. God is real and not imaginary. His truth will never change, for "his truth endureth to all generations" (Psalm 100:5). God would have us to know that in every way and in every word, He can be trusted completely. His Word is the standard for truth. The Word of God is the supreme test for every doctrine and every opinion of man. When anyone or anything is in disagreement with the Scripture, we can be certain that the Bible is true. Romans 3:4 says, "let God be true, but every man a liar." God wants us to know the truth and be people of the truth.

From the beginning, Satan has attempted to cause men to doubt the Word of God. Jesus said of the enemy that he is the father of lies, and there is no truth in him. The devil's first words to Eve in Genesis 3:1 were "hath God said." The wiles of our adversary have not changed. He is vigilant in his attempts to cause men to question the trustworthiness of God's Word. Lies and deception bring men into bondage, but the truth is liberating. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Satan has brought many into bondage through falsehoods and empty promises. In order for us to endure the spiritual attacks of the enemy, we need to be saturated in the truth. The first part of the armor of God mentioned in the Scripture instructs us to have our loins girt about with truth. Multitudes have been led into error because they were not grounded in the truth.

Because God is truth, He hates lying. Lying takes many forms, such as hypocrisy, exaggerations, and deception. God desires "truth in the inward parts" (Psalm 51:6). One of the most important commitments we could ever make is a commitment to walk in the truth. We need to be truthful and honest with ourselves, with others, and with God. Because God is truth in its highest and holiest form, if we are to walk with Him, we must walk in sincerity and in the truth.

A devotional thought by Pastor Smith of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

The Whole Law

Lev. 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

The absolute holiness of God is emphasized throughout the book of Leviticus, and this is the standard for all those created in His image. This is made clear, beyond question, when the verse above is quoted in the New Testament:

Gal. 3:11-12 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

It is not enough that a man keep most of God's laws.

Gal. 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

It is obvious, therefore, that while "the law is holy, and the commandments holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12), no man (except Jesus Christ, God appearing in flesh) has ever been able to keep God's perfect law, and all are therefore under God's condemnation.

Rom. 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The widespread delusion that a person can be saved by good works is dangerous, and many are on the road to Hell smug in their supposed goodness. To keep the law, however, the Creator Himself had to become man, and He did fulfill the law as our representative before God. Then, when He died, Christ "redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." (Gal. 3:13).

Rom. 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

The Folly of Humanism

Pslm. 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Despite all their pretense of scientific intellectualism, those who deny the existence of a personal Creator God are, in God's judgment, nothing but fools. Psalm 14, Psalm 53, Romans 3, etc. all describe the inner character of all such people - whether they call themselves atheists or humanists or pantheists or whatever. This repeated emphasis indicates how strongly God feels about those who dare to question His reality. It is bad enough to disobey His commandments and to spurn His love; it is utter folly to deny that He even exists!!!

The Bible describes the awful descent from true creationism into evolutionary pantheistic humanism.

Romans 1:18-32 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Certain atheists/humanists claim to be moral people, though their criteria of morality are often quite different from those of the Bible. No matter how admirable their humane acts of "righteousness" may seem, however, they are guilty of the sin of unbelief, the greatest sin of all.

Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

With all the innumerable evidences of God's reality as seen in the creation and throughout history, and then especially in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, it is utter foolishness to plunge blindly into eternity to meet the God whom they deny.

Be Truly Converted

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

To be "converted" can mean many things to men in today's world. Repent simply means to "turn" or "change directions." Christian conversion, however, refers to turning away from the whole world system and turning to God through Christ. Similarly, to "repent" means essentially to "think differently" and in a Christian context, to change one's whole thought process from worldly reasoning to spiritual, as centered in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. Genuine Christian repentence and conversion results in having one's "sins.... blotted out" and thus true "times of refreshing" from the Lord.

But without genuine repentence and conversion, there is no salvation.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Matt. 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

There are, sad to say, multitudes of men and women who think they are Christians, but are not. This is evidenced by the lack of real change in their thinking and living from the beliefs and practices of this world.

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Jesus Christ himself warned that:

Matt. 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Therefore, it behooves all who profess Christ to seriously review their personal belief and behaviours in terms of their conformity to the world of men or to the Word of God.

2 Cor. 13:5a Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.

Friend, only you know deep down in your heart whether or not you possess Christ in your life, or are simply professing Christ in your life. Possess/Profess; two similar looking and sounding words, but they mean an extremely opposite destination for all eternity on the day of your pending death. Heaven or Hell??? Eternal life or eternal damnation??? The choice is your's..... don't blame God for your final destination. Hell wasn't made for man originally (created by God for the Devil and his angels)....... but because of man's sin, that is his final destination unless he personally accepts and confesses the blood of Christ to cover his trangressions. What will it be???

2 Cor. 6:2b (.... behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

A Tale of Two Murders

(Here is an article published June 5, 2009 in The Washington Flyer that is an interesting read; I had thought of the same thing earlier this week..... I wondered about the difference in response?!?!?!)

This past week Americans profiled two horrific acts of violence as Dr. George Tiller, known for his heinous acts against the unborn, was murdered in his church. A day later, America also witnessed a United States Army recruiter be murdered and another seriously injured, as they were fulfilling their duties in the great country they serve. Both acts of violence were horrific and unacceptable, yet the difference in response to both incidents is perhaps even more chilling. Within hours of the announcement of George Tiller’s murder, the President appropriately released a statement:

“I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence.”

Attorney General Eric Holder also dispatched U.S. Marshals to protect “appropriate people and facilities around the nation,” in response to the murder of George Tiller. While authorities believe Tiller’s murderer acted alone, precautionary steps were taken.

In response to the murder of a U.S. Army Private, William Long, on home soil, the President stated absolutely nothing. Attorney General Eric Holder also made no comment and no U.S. Marshalls were directed to other recruiting stations, despite authorities, including the FBI, unsure if the suspect, a newly converted Muslim, acted alone or as evidence may be suggesting had ties with other domestic terrorists.

It was not until three days after the attack and an outcry from conservative media links and American citizens alike, that the President released this statement:

“I am deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence against two brave young soldiers who were doing their part to strengthen our armed forces and keep our country safe. I would like to wish Quinton Ezeagwula a speedy recovery, and to offer my condolences and prayers to William Long’s family as they mourn the loss of their son.”

Understanding the busy schedule of the President, it is still difficult to believe a simple statement or condolences to the family were not a priority. In fact, the President was even given a superb opportunity to denounce the actions of the perpetrator and give his respects to the soldiers and their families not even 24 hours after the attack when he announced the new Secretary of the Army. Again, nothing was said or mentioned. Some critics believe the President did not make comments regarding the attack earlier, fearing its impact when he traveled to the Middle East later in the week to reach out to Muslims.

While the President may not have made his remarks as hastily as many would have hoped, others were perturbed even further by the choice of words the President used and his ignorance to denounce the reasons behind the attacks. Bloggers criticized his word usage in response to the attack on the recruiters claiming “senseless act of violence” was a ignorant view of the evidence that suggests the actions were not senseless but rather planned and operated with a goal in mind. The President’s comments of being personally “shocked and outraged” when learning of the death of an abortion doctor compared to his “deeply saddened” statement of the attack on the U.S. soldiers also seemed a bit out of touch with many Americans.

Benjamin Franklin once stated, “Words may show a man’s wit, but actions his meaning.” While the President addressed both horrible incidents in words, his actions to remain silent for three days when a soldier was murdered by a terror suspect, compared to his rapid response to the murder of an abortion doctor have brought some questioning of his meanings.

The "Devices" of Satan

2 Cor. 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

1. Diversion - turning the mind from things great to small, the unseen and eternal to the visible and temporal - 2 Cor. 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2. Delusion - lies and wiles by denials, evasions, and misrepresentations - 2 Cor. 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Gen. 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
3. Doubt - inducing hesitation by a "gospel of negation" leading to uncertainty, mental and moral - Rom. 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
4. Double-mindedness - compromise, trying to serve God and mammon - Matt. 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 2 Cor. 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
5. Darkness - enveloping the soul in gloom, either of imaginary difficulty, alienation from God, or despair - Isa. 50:10 Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
6. Deadness - substituting "dead works" for living, form of godliness without its power, ritualism, etc. - Heb. 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
7. Delay - procrastinating all that is good, leading men to put off the time of decision and action - Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

From Knowing the Scriptures by A.T. Pierson

Dealing With the Devil

The best way for your family to deal with the Devil is not to make a deal with him.

You can win the victory through Christ as you:

1. "Resist the devil" in the power of the Holy Spirit - James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.


2. Do not give the Devil any room to operate in your family - Eph. 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.


3. Attack the Devil with the Word of God - Matt. 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.


4. The Devil is an accuser - he will accuse your family to God.


5. The Devil is a slanderer - he will slander your family.


6. The Devil is a destroyer - he will attempt to destroy your family.


7. The Devil is a liar - he will lie to your family.


8. The Devil is a deceiver - he will deceive your family.

Thank God, the Devil is a defeated enemy, and Jesus Christ will destroy his works. 1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

By Dr. Raymond Barber in Family Portraits

The Sins of Anxiety, Worry, and Fretting!!!

Matt. 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

The waste of it! The uselessness of it! All the worry that ever got itself accomplished in this weary, worrying world; all the sleepless nights; all the burdened days; all the joyless, mirthless, peace destroying, health destroying, happiness destroying, love destroying hours that men and women have ever in all earth's centuries given to worry, have never wrought one good thing.

It was all evil and only evil. It shut out the face of God, the loveliness of nature, the joy of love and the compensations of life. It poisoned the peace of others and cast its hateful shadow over other lives.

The very point of the sin of worry, the very reason why it is the basest, most cowardly of sins, is that it darkens the lives we are most responsible to bless - and all for no good, but only to blight and wrong.

The amazing thing about it is that no one is convicted of this mean sin! Good people live in it and with no sense of the outrage which it involves against the love of a kind, heavenly Father and against the rights of others!

By C. I. Scofield

Three Crosses

Mark 15:27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

Luke 23:39-43 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

THE CROSS OF REJECTION

One man died in sin. He was a dying sinner. He died with sin in him.

This is the cross of many living today. They sneer at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.... "Save thyself and us" ... just as this thief cried. He like many today wanted to be saved but not by the Christ of the center cross. To his many sins he added the greatest of all: UNBELIEF. Of such the Lord Jesus said; "... if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." (John 8:24)

THE CROSS OF REDEMPTION

One man died for sin. He was a dying Saviour. He died with sin upon him.

This cross is the wonder of all time. The sins upon the Lord Jesus Christ were your sins and my sins. We marvel at God's love for us, in that He would punish His own Son for the sins of the whole world. Christ suffered the agonies of hell so that His followers would be delivered from guilt, punishment, and eternal damnation.

THE CROSS OF RECEPTION

One man died to sin. He was a dying saint. He died with sin taken from him.

This cross brought about a last minute conversion. His sins were cancelled in a moment. No time for good works or sacraments; only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ of the center cross. What a change: morning in sin, noon in grace, night in glory. His home in paradise will be shared by all who repent toward God and believe.

THIS IS THE HISTORY OF THE WHOLE WORLD AND THE DESTINY OF EVERY MAN!!!

What the center cross means to you is determined by whether you are on the cross of RECEPTION or on the cross of REJECTION. If you want to be like the thief on the cross of RECEPTION then you need to repent in your heart of your sins and trust the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. Rom. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Accept the message of the cross of REDEMPTION today and be saved.

Take Heed

Acts 20:28-31 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

1. "Take heed" with your possessions - Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
2. "Take heed" with your indulgent lifestyle - Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
3. "Take heed" that you practice forgiveness - Luke 17:3-4 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
4. "Take heed" how you go about building your Christian life - 1 Cor. 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
5. "Take heed" in your exercise of Christian liberty - 1 Cor. 8:9-13 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
6. "Take heed" lest you be overcome in temptation - 1 Cor. 10:12-13 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 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.
7. "Take heed" lest you drift into carnality and fail spiritually - Heb. 3:12-13 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.