GOD COMMANDS CHRISTIANS “TO STOP” STORING UP TREASURES FOR THEMSELVES !!! (Matthew 6:19-21)

GOD HAS NOTHING GOOD TO SAY TO THOSE WHO CLAIM TO BE CHRISTIANS, BUT STORE UP WEALTH FOR THEMSELVES ALONE

Matthew 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.)

 

Matthew 6:19-21

(“Do not [which is properly translated “STOP STORING”] store up FOR YOURSELVES for treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But STORE UP FOR YOURSELVES treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.)

Zeph. 1:18

(Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.)

Matthew 19:23-30

(Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife^[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.)

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11

(Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.

As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
    except to feast their eyes on them?)

Proverbs 23:5

(Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
    for they will surely sprout wings
    and fly off to the sky like an eagle.)

Ezekiel 7:19-20

( “‘They will throw their silver into the streets,
    and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean.
Their silver and gold
    will not be able to deliver them
    in the day of the Lord’s wrath.
It will not satisfy their hunger
    or fill their stomachs,
    for it has caused them to stumble into sin.
 They took pride in their beautiful jewelry
    and used it to make their detestable idols.
They made it into vile images;
    therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.)

Mark 4:19

(but the worries of this life, the DECEITFULNESS OF WEALTH and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.)

Luke 18:18-23; Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31

 (A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.  You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’^[a]”

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.)

Luke 6:24

(“But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have already received your comfort.)

2 Corinthians 9:11

(You will be enriched in every way SO THAT YOU CAN BE GENEROUS ON EVERY OCCASION, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.)

1 Timothy 6:17-19

(Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.)

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PROVERBS 3:27

[Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.]

 

(DUE, H1167: owner, husband, lord, master)

 

Let us consider the commentary of Adam Clarke (1760-1832) on (Prov.3:27):

 

(WITHHOLD NOT GOOD FROM THEM TO WHOM IT IS DUE - from the lords of it. But who are they? The poor. And what art thou, O rich man? Why, thou art a steward, to whom God has given substance that thou mayest divide with the poor. They are the right owners of every farthing thou hast to spare from thy own support, and that of thy family; and God has given the surplus for their sakes. Dost thou, by hoarding up this treasure, deprive the right owners of their property? If this were a civil case, the law would take thee by the throat, and lay thee up in prison; but it is a case in which God alone judges. And what will he do to thee? Hear! “He shall have judgment without mercy, who hath showed no mercy;” Jas_2:13. Read, feel, tremble, and act justly.)

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Brethren, we are no longer the masters of whatever God has given us beyond the satisfaction of our NEEDS; prayerfully, it must be shared with deserving Christians who are wanting in food, clothing, the sick, and those in prison for their faith.

 

This simply means that our money is not our own; that beyond the satisfaction of our needs and that of our family’s, whatever is in our possession is no longer ours, but, instead are owned by other deserving Christians who are in need.

This is a command, and failure to comply to what God has ordered will lead to dire consequences.

CHRISTIAN, OUR MONEY IS NOT OUR OWN

CHRISTIANS CLAIM THEIR LIVES TO BE NOT THEIR OWN, THAT GOD OWNS THEIR VERY LIVES,

BUT WHEN IT COMES TO MONEY, THEY DO NOT HAVE THE SAME CLAIM.

TO MANY, MANY, MANY CHRISTIANS, THEIR MONEY IS NOT GOD’S, BUT THEIR OWN.

1 COR. 6:19-20

(What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, WHICH ARE GOD’S.)

COL. 1:16

(For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and FOR HIM.)

Now, if a Christian has the guts to claim that his money is God’s, then he cannot spend it as he wants.  He has to consult the rightful owner of his money, GOD, before he spends it.  And God allows us to spend HIS MONEY on our needs alone, right?

Matthew 6:19

(Give us today our daily bread.)

Christian, is the money in your bank account yours or God’s?  Then, if you claim it to be God’s, you must start using it for God’s purpose: HELPING HIS PEOPLE.

HEB. 6:9.10

(But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.)

MATT. 25:31-46

(“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”)

OUR MONEY IS NOT OUR OWN, BRETHREN.

Think about it, because this is a very serious matter when we consider the words of the Lord Jesus in (MATT.25:31-46).

GOD COMMANDS THE MAN OF GOD/THE PASTOR NOT TO GET RICH, NOT TO PURSUE AFTER RICHES, BUT WITH JUST A SUFFICIENCY OF FOOD AND RAIMENT, AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BASIC NECESSITIES FOR HIS AND HIS FAMILY'S SURVIVAL, HE MUST BE SELF SATISFIED WITH THAT

1 TIMOTHY 6:3-11

Title: But if we (Paul, Timothy, and all pastors) have food and clothing, we will be content with that

Theme of 1st Timothy: The Pastor's Conduct

Without a doubt, the Apostle Paul was referring to the man of God in these passages, and God commands the pastor to "run away from all this," namely: conceit, unhealthy interest in controversies, quarrels about words, use of the ministry as a means to financial gain, the desire to get rich, and love of money.

FLEE, for the man of God/pastor who would cater to personal financial gain via the ministry of the body of the Lord Jesus will ultimately have a destructive departure from the sound doctrine of our Lord Jesus, the Christ, and from godly instruction, in order to tickle the ears of those from whom the cash flow trickles into his coffers, just to fall into a pit of his own design and filled with sharp stakes and spikes.

Pastor, are you rich financially?

If your answer is "yes," I can tell you now that your preaching is getting shallower each passing Sunday, and that you can no longer shout in rebuke: "THUS SAYETH THE LORD!!!"

And Thus sayeth the Lord (1TIM.6:3-11). Amen.

GOD COMMANDS CHRISTIANS NOT TO GET RICH FOR THEMSELVES (2)

CHRISTIAN, YOUR MONEY IS NOT YOUR OWN

MATTHEW 6:19-21

[Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.]

At the time is was written, readers of the Gospel according to Matthew would have understood verse 19 as a command saying, “STOP storing FOR YOURSELVES treasures on earth…”

What many Christians fail to consider is that God owns everything, and all things were created for His glory and pleasure. If that was the case, and it is, the only right we have to material things in our possession is for our daily needs: food, clothing, shelter, medication (essentials to life); as exemplified by the existence of Adam and Eve in the garden.

We may acquire wealth, but not for ourselves and our family alone. This means that from day to day we must consider the needs of others also (for FELLOWSHIP means just that), specifically those of the household of faith, for that is the underlying meaning of “store up”.

God must have complete control over what He has given us: life, talents, wealth, etc. If the Lord Jesus did not live for himself alone or lived to please himself, then, if we claim to be His disciples, we must follow His example.

“STOP,” the Lord commands.

If we ignore this order, we are bound to lose all. What a scary thought.

GOD COMMANDS CHRISTIANS NOT TO GET RICH FOR THEMSELVES (1)

CHILD OF GOD, YOUR MONEY IS NOT YOUR OWN

PROVERBS 3:27

[Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.]

(DUE, H1167: owner, husband, lord, master)

This simply means that our money is not our own; that beyond the satisfaction of our needs and that of our family’s, whatever is in our possession is no longer ours, but, instead are owned by other deserving Christians who are in need.

Let us consider the commentary of Adam Clarke on (Prov.3:27):

(Withhold not good from them to whom it is due - from the lords of it. But who are they? The poor. And what art thou, O rich man? Why, thou art a steward, to whom God has given substance that thou mayest divide with the poor. They are the right owners of every farthing thou hast to spare from thy own support, and that of thy family; and God has given the surplus for their sakes. Dost thou, by hoarding up this treasure, deprive the right owners of their property? If this were a civil case, the law would take thee by the throat, and lay thee up in prison; but it is a case in which God alone judges. And what will he do to thee? Hear! “He shall have judgment without mercy, who hath showed no mercy;” Jas_2:13. Read, feel, tremble, and act justly.)

Brethren, we are no longer the masters of whatever God has given us beyond the satisfaction of our NEEDS; prayerfully, it must be shared with deserving Christians who are wanting in food, clothing, the sick, and those in prison for their faith.

This is a command, and failure to comply to what God has ordered will lead to dire consequences.

CAN A CAMEL PASS THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE?

No! That is not possible!

THEN IT IS ALSO HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD !!!

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Matthew 19:23-30
(Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.)

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But with God, that is possible.

God will command the rich person who truly wants to be saved to "sell everything" and share with the poor. But can anyone do it with his own strength? No. God will give him the strength and willingness to do it, if the desire of his heart is truly forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

Luke 18:18-23; Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31
(A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’[a]”
“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.)

GOD will always have the same response to every rich person who confronts him: the response he gave to the rich young ruler.

IT IS HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD !!!

NO RICH MAN WILL EVER ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD !!!

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ADAM CLARKE commentary on [Matthew 19:24]
(A camel - Instead of καμηλον, camel, six MSS. read καμιλον, cable, a mere gloss inserted by some who did not know that the other was a proverb common enough among the people of the east.
There is an expression similar to this in the Koran. “The impious, who in his arrogance shall accuse our doctrine of falsity, shall find the gates of heaven shut: nor shall he enter there till a camel shall pass through the eye of a needle. It is thus that we shall recompense the wicked.” Al Koran. Surat vii. ver. 37.
It was also a mode of expression common among the Jews, and SIGNIFIED A THING IMPOSSIBLE. Hence this proverb: A camel in Media dances in a cabe; a measure which held about three pints. Again, No man sees a palm tree of gold, nor an elephant passing through the eye of a needle. Because these are impossible things. “Rabbi Shesheth answered Rabbi Amram, who had advanced an absurdity, Perhaps thou art one of the Pembidithians who can make an elephant pass through the eye of a needle; that is, says the Aruch, ‘who speak things impossible.’” See Lightfoot and Schoettgen on this place.
Go through - But instead of διελθειν, about eighty MSS. with several versions and fathers, have εισελθειν, to enter in; but the difference is of little importance in an English translation, though of some consequence to the elegance of the Greek text.)

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Matthew 19:23-30
(Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.)

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But with God, that is possible.

God will command the rich person who truly wants to be saved to "sell everything" and share with the poor. But can anyone do it with his own strength? No. God will give him the strength and willingness to do it, if the desire of his heart is truly forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

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Luke 18:18-23; Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31
(A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’[a]”
“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.)

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GOD will always have the same response to every rich person who confronts him: the response he gave to the rich young ruler.

GOD HAS DEFINED FOR US AFOREHAND HIS BASIS FOR JUDGMENT (Matthew 25:31-46)

WHICH MEANS, IF YOU ARE A GENUINE CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE DOING THESE THINGS, AND WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM, AND THOSE WHO DON’T WILL GO AWAY TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.

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A Christian is someone who loves God, and the only way we can show our love for God is by loving his people, the church, the men and women comprising the body of the Lord Jesus.  Indeed there is no other way (Heb.6:9,10; 1 John 4:20)

And the ways we can show our love for God are these:  Feeding deserving brethren who are hungry and thirsty; showing hospitality to Christians; clothing deserving Christians who are in need of clothes; looking after deserving Christians who are sick; visiting Christians imprisoned for the gospel (Matt.25:35,36).

And in the process we use what is in excess of the substance God has given us to answer to our needs and that of our family’s. 

Our money is not our own, Christian, brethren.  It is God’s; and He wants to provide for our needs, but beyond that that money is no longer ours.  It is now under the authority of DESERVING Christians who are destitute in life (Prov.3:27).

Brethren, we are no longer the masters of whatever God has given us beyond the satisfaction of our NEEDS; prayerfully, it must be shared with deserving Christians who are wanting in food, clothing, the sick, and those in prison for their faith.

This simply means that our money is not our own; that beyond the satisfaction of our needs and that of our family’s, whatever is in our possession is no longer ours, but, instead are owned by other deserving Christians who are in need.

This is a command, and failure to comply to what God has ordered will lead to dire consequences.

Boys and girls, how can we say:  “we love God,” if we are not doing these things?  He has given us the norm of who a Christian is, who will enter the kingdom, who are truly saved, who truly love him.

Now we know.  Now we have no excuse.

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1 John 4:20New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sisteris a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

MATT. 25:31-46
(“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”)

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PROVERBS 3:27

[Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.]

(DUE, H1167: owner, husband, lord, master)

Let us consider the commentary of Adam Clarke (1760-1832) on (Prov.3:27):

(WITHHOLD NOT GOOD FROM THEM TO WHOM IT IS DUE - from the lords of it. But who are they? The poor. And what art thou, O rich man? Why, thou art a steward, to whom God has given substance that thou mayest divide with the poor. They are the right owners of every farthing thou hast to spare from thy own support, and that of thy family; and God has given the surplus for their sakes. Dost thou, by hoarding up this treasure, deprive the right owners of their property? If this were a civil case, the law would take thee by the throat, and lay thee up in prison; but it is a case in which God alone judges. And what will he do to thee? Hear! “He shall have judgment without mercy, who hath showed no mercy;” Jas_2:13. Read, feel, tremble, and act justly.)

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HEB. 6:9.10
(But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.)

1 Peter 4:7

Title:  The end of all things

Christians have the unique advantage over the heathen in the sense that we know that the present political, economic, social systems, etc., even the order of nations and the physical appearance of the material universe will not endure forever.

In reality, the body of prophetic utterances is addressed solely to the people of God because only the saints have the imputed right and capacity to understand and envisage the series of calamitous episodes that will precede the End of the Age.

If so, the believer must conduct his life in conjunction with the dissolution of matter; he must have a world view that anticipates the culmination of history and all earthly institutions, and as a consequence conduct his affairs in agreement with his portion in the body of the Lord Jesus, the church, until His parousia and time is no more.

Ephesians 5:1

Title:  Be imitators of God

Only God's children can imitate Him, because they only have the spiritual propensity to follow after their Father.  And in the process of acting just like He did, they begin to give evidence that they are worthy of the inheritance afforded them by the acceptable, fragrant offering of the Lord Jesus, the Christ.

Romans 8:38,39

Title:  For I am persuaded

First, let us go over the list:
1]  death: separation of body and soul; separation from the earth
2]  life: natural, temporal life
3]  angels: evil angels
4]  principalities: civil magistrates
5]  powers: false teachers w/ power of working miracles
6]  things present: present evils, afflictions
7]  things to come: whether good or bad
8]  height: honor
9]  depth: disgrace
10]  any other creature

As Christians, we must be as much convinced as Paul that none of the things listed above can derail God's plan and continuing work in us in molding us to conform to the image of His Son;

That if any affliction or tribulation, or any evil thing we could imagine would come to touch our lives in diverse ways, we should not view them as signs that the Lord had left us and that we shall not reach the point of being jointly formed with the Lord Jesus.

But are we affectionately in-love with God, and are we living in the spirit of obedience to Him?

If our answer to this question is "yes," then nothing can stop us from being like the Lord Jesus, which is the "good" (Rom. 8:28) that God has ordained for us.

Psalm 23

Title: The Lord is my Shepherd

The Christian who obediently follows God’s voice remains in a perpetual state of helplessness and dependence on the Lord, as the sheep is to the shepherd.  There is nowhere he could go where he is not led to, and nothing he could do that he is not gently and lovingly compelled to.

From the ordinary pasture to the great feast, he is revived when weary, protected when threatened by danger, restored when he goes astray, and nurtured to perfection, when only goodness and love would follow him all the days of his life.

Sodomy is an Abomination to God

Read: [Romans 1:18-32; Lev. 18:22; Lev. 20:13; Deut. 22:5]

The issue of sodomites/lesbians, really, is not with Christians, but with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Bible and with the Lord Jesus.

Homosexuality is not even a gender issue because gender is the "distinction of sex based on the reproductive organ,"; and we know of only two reproductive organs: that of the male and of the female. In reality, sodomy/lesbianism is a "sin" issue and must be dealt with with God's standard of righteousness through His Word.

And when it comes to the topic of homosexuality and lesbianism, the Christian has no opinion but what the Bible teaches and which is sanctioned by patterns in nature.

Furthermore, the sodomite/lesbian must admit that even he/she was the result of a heterosexual relationship, and that a homosexual union is not viable in the sense that it cannot produce life. If every union on this planet was of the same sex, the population of the world would decrease immediately and dramatically and life would cease to exist inside a century; whereas marriage would guarantee the continuation of life.

Homosexuality is a grave sin in the eyes of the Creator, and it is so abominable to God that this transgression is already a judgment in itself, and where the offender is given over to the full course of his/her indecent acts, receiving in themselves the due penalty of their perversion.

But, as in the case of any other sin, homosexuals who would REPENT and believe the gospel (1Cor. 15:1-4) would be cleansed of their sins and receive the gift of eternal life (1Cor. 6:11)

[The average lifespan of a sodomite without HIV is 45 years; while the average lifespan of those with HIV is 35 years. Homosexuality is death!]

The Deity of the Lord Jesus, the Christ

(The Lord Jesus is GOD in human flesh)

(Alpha & Omega) Isa. 44:6; Rev. 1:8; Rev. 1:17; Rev. 2:8; Rev. 4:8-11; Rev. 11:17; Rev. 22:13

(Immanuel) Matt. 1:23

(Divine Names) Isa. 9:6; Mic. 5:2

(Jehovistic "I Am") Isa. 42:8; John 6:35; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 8:24; Jn. 8:58; Jn. 14:6; Jn. 18:6; Jn. 13:19

(Identity with the Father) Matt. 28:19; Jn. 10:30; Jn. 10:33; Jn. 14:8,9; Jn. 17:5; Jn. 5:18

(Prerogative of God) Mark 2:5-7; Lk. 7:48,49

(Mastery over nature) Mk. 4:39; Lk. 9:16,17; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 2:10; Rom. 11:33-36; Heb. 1:2; Jn. 2:9; Jn. 10:28; 1Cor. 8:6

(Divine attributes) Jn. 2:23-25; Jn. 3:13; Heb. 1:1-12; Heb. 13:8; Rev. 1:8,17,18; Rev. 2:23; Rev. 22:13

(Approved human worship) Matt. 14:33; Matt. 28:9,10

(Divine titles) Matt. 22:44; Jn. 1:1; Acts 20:28; Rom. 1:4; Rom. 9:5; 1Tim. 1:16,17; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8,9; 1Jn. 5:20

(Omniscience) Jn. 11:11-15; Jn. 21:17; Mk. 2:8; Mk. 11:2,3; Col. 2:3; Jn. 1:47-49; Jn. 2:24

(Omnipotence) Matt. 28:18; Jn. 5:21; Jn. 6:19; Jn. 17:2; Eph. 1:22,23

(Preexistence) Jn. 8:58; Isa. 48:12,13; Jn. 1:1,2; Jn. 6:38,51,61,62; Jn. 3:13; Jn. 17:5; 1Jn. 1:2

(Man) Psa. 146:3; Rom. 1:3; 1Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:14-18; Rom. 9:5

(Form of man) Jn. 1:14; Rom. 1:3; Phil. 2:6-8; Col. 2:9; 1Tim. 3:16

(Creator) Psa. 102:16-28; 1Cor. 8:6; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16,17; Eph. 3:9

(Divine works) Jn. 1:3,10; Col. 1:15-18; Rev. 4:10,11

(Worshipped by angels) Heb. 1:6

(Shared glory with the Father) Isa. 42:8; Jn. 17:5; Rev. 1:5,6; Jn. 5:23

(Death) Jn. 10:18; Jn. 2:21

(Resurrection) Jn. 10:17,18; Jn. 2:19; 1Cor. 6:14; 1Cor. 15:15

(Omnipresence) Matt. 18:20

1Tim. 6:15 --- Rev. 17:14
Jn. 1:18; Jn. 3:13; Jn. 13:19
Jn. 19:7; Acts 3:15; 1Cor. 15:47
1Cor. 2:8; Heb. 2:10; Jn. 5:21
Zech. 14:5

Christians will NOT SPEND ETERNITY in heaven

Read: Revelation 21:3

Title: Now the dwelling of God is with men

The redeemed of all ages will not spend all of eternity in heaven, for heaven is exclusively the abode of God. While it is true that departed souls of the saints go to the presence of God (2Cor. 5:8), it is just an intermediate state, and all will accompany the Lord Jesus when He returns to earth at the End of the Age, right after the period of tribulation (1Thess. 4:14).

The redeemed of all ages will spend eternity on a new earth, and it is the dwelling of God, the new Jerusalem, that will come down to earth from heaven and time will be no more.

FOR THE SLAUGHTER OF 70 MILLION BABIES IN "PLANNED PARENTHOOD" ABORTION CLINICS ACROSS AMERICA (AND SELLING OF BABY BODY PARTS), AMERICAN MOTHERS WILL EAT THEIR OFFSPRING AS JUDGMENT FALLS ON THE U.S.S.A.

"And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. - Ezekiel 16:20,21

"My eyes fall from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, 'Where is bread and wine?' as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms." - Lamentations 2:11,12

"Look, O Lord, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for?..." - Lamentations 2:20

Americans are sacrificing 3,500 babies a day (70 million babies since 1973) to the idols of ease and pleasure, disregarding the author of life, God himself; and for this sin alone, God would judge her like Israel of old when, during the siege of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., food ran out, and mothers resorted to killing their children and eating them, hiding and saving what was left for themselves.

For this horrific sacrifice of life, the church is wholly to blame because the Christian church in America failed to exert its authority over government on the issues of life and marriage and sexuality. Now the government is rearing its ugly head and threatening to annihilate Christians and get rid of the Christian faith.

Oh, Christian brethren, come out of America while the window of opportunity is still open, for it is closing fast. There is still time for the church in America to repent and turn to God, and the call remains for genuine Christians to “COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT SHARE IN HER SINS, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY OF HER PLAGUES; FOR HER SINS ARE PILED UP TO HEAVEN, AND GOD HAS REMEMBERED HER CRIMES.” (Revelation 18:4,5)