Watch Out

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."  1 Corinthians 10:12

In continuing through the 10th chapter of 1st Corinthians we come to the above verse, and it should make us stop and think.  It is an easy thing to look at the faults and failures of others, quickly condemn them, and then provide commentary as to how "that would never happen to me", "I would never let myself get in that situation", ect.  The writer here is finishing up his admonition to the church at Corinth after reviewing the previous failings of the Israelites.  He caps it off by saying "If you think you're standing tall without fault right now, watch out, because a fall is coming".  He undercuts the natural thought process that runs through all of our heads when we compare ourselves to former Israel.  We begin to throw out statements like "Well if I had seen all they had seen, if I had walked through the Red Sea, if I had eaten mana from heaven I would never have done the things they did".....  Take Heed.  We are not as holy as we think we are.  We are not as sturdy as we think we are.  We need to take heed lest we fall.

How does this play out in our lives?  Besides the above mention scenario we all to often doubt the strength of our sins, or we over estimate our own strength. Romans 8:37 will tell us that we are "more than conquerors" through whom?  Ourselves?  Through our resolve, and maturity? Through our theological prowess?  Through our self discipline?  No.  We are more than conquerors through Christ.
Therefore taking heed to ourselves means for us that we should be constantly evaluating our weaknesses, and realizing that it is only through Jesus Christ that we will ever overcome.

Listen to the podcast series at: http://www.zionrestpbc.org/Zion_Rest_PBC/Corinthians_Series.html

Tempt Not...Lest Thou Be Bitten By Serpents

1 Corinthians 10:9 - "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents."

Obviously the title isn't literal, but don't let that bother you.

This verse really carries with it two different teachings.  The first is obviously about not tempting Christ.  We will get into that in just a little bit.  The other is that we are told to not tempt Christ "as some of them also tempted".  Paul in keeping with the fashion he has in this entire chapter is telling us that we shouldn't tempt Christ as the Israelites tempted Christ.  Now wait a second?  You mean Christ was in the Old Testament?  I thought Christ was just a New Testament person?  

In verse four Paul had already linked together the two testaments.

10:4 "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

In today's Christian theology there is the idea that the testaments are completely separated, and that the God of the Old Testament is this mean, hateful, vengeful God who likes to smite people, and the God of the New Testament is this loving, gracious, roses and rainbows God who works through Christ.  These verses remind us that that is not the case.  Hebrews 13:8 tells us "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to day, and forever".  John 1 will tell us that Christ was in the beginning (as the Word) with God, and that by Him (Christ) all things were made.  Christ was very much present in the Old Testament as we can plainly see.  Obviously He didn't take on the bodily form that He took on out of the womb of Mary, but He was present.  Paul therefore tells us not to tempt Christ as the Israelites did.

I don't know if you're picking up in these verses but these verses are, in general, coming from around the time the Israelites were just getting out of Egypt, and starting to find their identity.  That's important I think because the church at Corinth is in the same situation.  They've just being doing this whole "Christian" thing for about 100 years or less.  They're still very young in it.  

So how do we tempt Christ?  Well the example given to us about Israel involved a time in Israel's life when they had been delivered from 400 years of Egyptian slavery, had been led out of that country by amazing signs and wonders performed by their God, had walked through a sea that was parted for them, had been being led around by this flaming / smoking pillar day and night, but they were doubting God could provide some food and drink for them.  They had murmured already many times about the provisions God had provided for them.  If they didn't have water, God would give it to them, and they would complain that it was bitter. Give them food literally dropped out of heaven, and they complained it was too bland.  In Numbers 26 we see this play out.  The people complained about God, and Moses, and doubted.  They tempted (tried, pushed) God saying He couldn't do what He promised, that He had just led them out in the wilderness to die.  God then sent the fiery serpents into the camp to chastise them.

What's the big picture.  In our lives we are called by Christ to "follow me".  We are told to "seek the kingdom first, and all it's righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you".  In life when we are trying to seek God's will, His path for us, and we begin to question Him in His execution of the plan we are tempting Him.  I give you an example:  

"God I thought you had a plan for me.  I just lost my job.  How's that in your plan?  I thought you had thoughts of peace for me, this isn't peace.  How are you going to provide for me when you don't even have a job for me?  How can I believe what you say if you don't uphold me in all things?"

What we're doing in situations like that is tempting Christ.  When He says "I'll never leave you nor forsake you" then we need to bank on that no matter how rough the situation may be.  When He asks us to "come follow me" it's not conditional on the fact that the following will lead to a path that is always pleasant without any conflict.  As we are traveling in the "wilderness" like the Israelites we have to remember that Christ has promised that He will take care of us.  It may not always be in the way we think, or the manner with think it should be accomplished, but He will take care of us.  It's not our duty to tempt Him in it, it's our duty to obey Him in all things trusting in His grace.

To listen to the podcast for this series: Zion Rest PBC | Corinthians Series

Our Bodies Are Not Our Own

1 Corinthians 10:8

“…Neither let us commit fornication….”

Paul discussed the issue of fornication in depth in chapter of 1st Corinthians.  Since we are diving in the middle of this book lets look at the subject.  Paul tells the church at Corinth, again, to stay away from fornication.  Remember that in each of these cases Paul is point back to Israel.  It’s interesting the timing of both Israel and the New Testament Church.  The time period Paul is referencing in Israel’s life is the time when they were just getting started in the land of Canaan.  These four verses from 7 to 10 highlight four areas where Israel failed in their beginning.  Paul seems to be admonishing the Church to not make the same mistakes.

In pertaining to fornication it seems there is not a consensus on what this word actually covers.  If we look at the greek word for fornication we find the word “porneuo”.  Yep, that is the word, and yes it does form the common word we use today for “pornography”.  

The word means: to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another, to give ones’s self to unlawful sexual intercourse, and to be given to idolatry, to worship idols.

Given this definition we find that fornication covers a wide range of personal, and public sins.  Anything from pornography & masturbation, to adultery, to homosexuality, to beastiality: there is a lot covered in this one word.  Sometimes we try and side step God’s word to justify our own action.  We will question whether what we are doing is actually fornication, and therefore a violation of God’s law.  

Examples: 

 “If we aren’t marry and we just have oral sex is that fornication?”

“If I just look at pornography, is that fornication?”

“If I’m just kissing with someone who’s not my spouse, is that fornication?”

Basically we try to do what we wickedly desire to do, but still want to feel like we’re following after God.

1 Corinthians 6

18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19 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?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

As we see by Paul’s admonishments our bodies are not our own.  When Christ died on the cross and shed his blood He purchased us, both body and soul.  Since our bodies are not our own we don’t have the choice to choose fornication.  We are to use our bodies for the glory of God.   

That means the answer to the questions listed above is: YES!

We need to quit trying to "prostitute our bodies to the lust of another", and "giving ourselves to unlawful sexual intercourse", and quit trying to justify it.  This is an easy answer, if the act you're trying to justify begins or ends in "sex", and your not married, yes it is fornication.  If you're married, and you're engaging in these actions with anyone or anything beside your wife/husband then you're committing fornication.

In conclusion, we find that in this verse Paul references an occurrence in Numbers when the children of Israel, after being warned of God not to commit whoredom with the surrounding nations, entered in with the daughters of Moab.  After their fornication, and betrayal of God’s commands, they left serving God and began serving Baal-Peor.  Subsequently God slew 23 - 24,000 of them.  Taking that into consideration we would have to assume that God is pretty serious about fornication, and we should be too.

Listen to the Podcast for the series: 1st Corinthians Series - Zion Rest PBC

This Little Idol Of Mine...I'm Gonna Let It Shine

Anyone can start from a beginning, and begin a story.  It takes a really talented person to start in the middle of something.  Or at least that's the excuse I'll use for the fact that I started this blog in July of 2013 with all good intentions of making regular postings.  That obviously didn't work out.  So here we are 6 months later.  My intentions now are, again, to make regular contributions from studies I am conducting.  Hopefully they will be insightful to you as they are to me.

In keeping with my fashion of starting in the middle I'm not going to go back to the beginning of my most recent study of 1 Corinthians 10, but rather....start in the middle.  (At some point in time I promise to review the first 9 chapters)

In first Corinthians 10 we find Paul reiterating some of his earlier comments to the church at Corinth.  He emphasizes again the importance of staying away from idols, fleeing fornication, ect.  He does something slightly different in chapter 10 though.  For a group of predominately Gentile believers he uses the example of the Jews in their initial "launching" from Exodus as a way of communicating how not to live in God's grace.

The first hurtle he tackles, and what we will focus on for a brief, thought provoking moment is in vs. 7
"Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them..."

Now our immediate response to this is "Easy....I don't have any idols."  Whereas I would agree that as a whole American homes lack Buddha's in our closets, or Vishnu's in our living room, but I would not agree with the fact that we have no idols.  We have idols they just aren't statues in our homes.

America has developed a mentality that is pure idol worship.  Consumerism being a big one.  We worship sports teams to an insane degree.  Now I love college football, but I had to make the decision a couple of years ago to break myself of my idol worship. "What do you mean Adam?"  Glad you asked.  Think about that big game you were waiting for.  You waited all week.  You got geared up.  Put on your teams outfit.  Grilled some amazing ribs.  Watched intensely.  Yelling,  Screaming.  Singing the fight song.  Then as the game turned south for your team so did your emotional state.  Anger.  Depression.  Then they lost, and for four days you pouted acting like the world wasn't as bright a place as it was before the game.
That my friends is idolatry.  If something other than God evokes such a emotional response, and consumes such fervent worship it's idolatry.

Sometimes it's easier for us to just get back to the basics.  God said have no other gods before me.  Lets just keep it simple, and remove the idols from our lives.  If you evaluate yourself, and find things you're investing too much idol worship in (family, jobs, money, sports) it's time for a New Years resolution.  Clean house for 2014 of the idols to enjoy a closer walk with God.

Link to the 1st Corinthians Series -
http://www.zionrestpbc.org/Zion_Rest_PBC/Corinthians_Series.html

The Hardest Battle To Fight

For the child of God we often talk of the looming battles that face us in life.  We caution 12-20 year olds that there are going to arise new temptations such as lust, lying, cheating, and other sins that will start bombarding them as they navigate the teenage years.  We strive with 18-22 year olds who are leaving for college to be wary of all the freedom that college brings, because with that freedom comes more temptations, and occasions to deviate from the path of God.  As we "mature" into adulthood we still impress the need to vigilant because the temptations are on every door step, and the pitfalls around every turn.  When we examine these situations we have to realize that there is one constant variable in this equation:  The Individual.

While thinking on these things I realized that all too often we characterize the battles in our lives with temptations as just that: a battle.  We do this because there are passages of Scripture, such as Romans 7, that paints a picture of a one one one, mono y mono, fight between the child of God and whatever sin is attacking us that day.  We tend to isolate each sin as an individual assassin who is trying to attack, infiltrate, and destroy us.  In our discussions with young men, in particular, we identify their main enemy as lust, we give them strategies to attack that enemy, ammunition, fall back positions, ect. (excuse my overly used military analogies) all in the effort of equipping that child of God to do battle with their enemy.  We use scriptures like "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7 KJV), and "Put on the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:11 KJV) as a means to support this battlefield mentality.  You get the picture of the child of God standing in armour, waiting for the attack with sword and shield in hand, ready to fight off any onslaught that is coming.  The problem with taking this analogy in that direction is its the wrong direction.  The hardest battles we fight are not some outside opponent assaulting the gates, but the nature of our hearts.

Paul in Romans 7 AND 8 addresses this very issue.  He states in Romans 7 that he "serves the law of God with the mind; but with the flesh the law of sin."  Paul states in Romans 7 that even though he kept the law of God in his mind his flesh, working through sin, would corrupt the law of God, and cause him to sin even more.  "I had not known sin, but by the law", he says, "but sin, taking occasion...wrought in me all manner of concupiscence." (v.7-8).  He basically says the law taught me what was sin, but then once I knew what was sin the flesh made me desire that sin even more.  That is how the child of God is today still.  We know what lust is because God tells us what is lust.  However, when we know what it is to lust, and even though we know it is a sin against God, the flesh (sinful) side of us pushes us to desire it even more.  Now going back to our military analogy:  In this instance our current method of dealing with this issue is to equip the child of God with all sorts of tools, and practices to keep lust at bay.  We use books like "Every Man's Battle" to try and coach a child of God in avoidance as a means to starve the flesh.  Basically a war of attrition.  Now there is nothing wrong with this book, and there is nothing wrong with that approach.....until it fails.  Which it will ultimately do because we are not addressing the "heart" of the issue.

Matthew 5:28 "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."  
Here Christ tells us the issue with this person isn't the outward look, but the heart.  That is where we come back to with the child of God.  We can put on all the armour we want, we can set up boundaries, and guidelines to keep us from lust, but in our hearts if we desire lustful things we will always fail.  Armour can protect a soldier from an arrow, but not from a heart attack.  With this in mind we turn back to Romans 8 which is where Paul turned from Romans 7.  Given the nature of knowledge of sin, and subsequent resulting sin from that knowledge Paul ends Romans 7 with "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?.....I thank GOD through JESUS CHRIST."  As Paul then continues his thoughts into chapter 8 he tells us that we still have the issue of the mind serving through knowledge the laws of God, the flesh still being present with us, pushing us to follow the laws of death, but now a new character comes on scene: The Spirit.  "...That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (v. 4)  Now there is a way out.  The battle isn't a mono y mono warfare of a well equipped child of God, who through training, and diligence has "whooped" this devil, but rather a realization that my mind and my flesh will fail me if I'm not rooted in the Spirit of God.

Paul goes on to tell us how this Spirit working in accord with Jesus Christ takes care of all things pertaining to our care through intercession, and "groanings which cannot be uttered".  So the battle plan needs to be changed.  Yes there are steps, guidelines that can be implemented in the short term to help shut down some of the outward influences a child of God faces, but if the issue of the heart is not addressed then the walls are only protecting a rotting inside.  The child of God instead must rely on humble prayer to God for the changing of his/her heart, as well as verses such as Romans 6:10 which assure us that we are indeed dead to sin through the amazing works of Jesus Christ.  It's not a matter of trying to become dead to sin, or killing the sin ourselves, but rather accepting the fact that Jesus crucified our lust, ect, on the cross.  Let us then not let sin reign in our mortal bodies.  I have found in thinking on these things recently that in my own life this is the issue I've always had: accepting the battle as one I had to fight, and the sin as something that will always defeat me...eventually.  However the scripture in Romans 8 tells us we are MORE than conquerors through HIM.  We must then quit accepting defeat, and rather accept the fact that Christ has already won the battle, He is the Captain of our Salvation, and go to Him for our fight instead to our own devices.  Through reliance of Christ we can look the devil in the face, resist him, and he WILL flee from us.

Simple Explanation of John 3

If you're like me then you like simple.  Over the years I've heard so many ways PBs try to prove out John 3:16 not to mean an open ended invitation for the whole world to be saved eternally.  All of which are very good, but in some ways very complicated.  Case and point:  If I have to use the phrase "Well, in the Greek the word 'World' can mean..."  then I've probably lost 90% of the population I've been trying to talk to.  I therefore love a very simple, Bible based answer which the other day God blessed me to see.  Maybe you all have already seen this, but I found it to be so marvelously simple that I thought worth sharing.

John 3:14-16 - "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Now the first thing we see right off the bat, and what a lot of the Christian world sees is: a person believes, and then they have eternal life.  However if we look at the verses we see that Christ isn't saying that at all.  He is simply stating that if someone believes in Him they will not perish.  I will give an example that is relative to what Christ is saying but to the opposite direction.  

We are all going to die.  There is not way around that fact.  Now, I can deny that all my life if I want to, and never accept or "believe" in the fact that I'm going to die, and I will still die.  On the other hand lets say after I get out of my teenage years I finally come to realize that fact, and "believe" now that I will actually die one day.  My belief in the fact that I will die does not confirm, or even initiate the dying process, nor is it necessary for my eventual demise.  I'm dying whether I believe in it or not, but my belief in it is a testimony to the fact that I will indeed die.

Seeing it in this light we see that Christ is making a statement of fact.  If you believe in Christ it is a testimony to the fact that you ALREADY have everlasting life not an initiatory action to BEGIN eternal life.

SECOND SIMPLE STATEMENT

I love when the bible explains itself and this is one of those moments.

John 3:18-21- "He that believeth on him is not condemned:  but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

I guess in however many times I've ready this passage of scripture I've never really grasped what these verses were saying.  See, with these verses the previous verses gain new light.  Now when we are talking about v. 16 we have a better framework for what is happening.  A truer statement has never been made: "whosoever believeth in Him (Christ), should not perish but have eternal life."  That statement of fact is expounded upon in these last three verses.  The common mistake is to think that from v. 16 you can make a worldwide call to whomever for salvation, and anyone COULD make a choice to be "saved" that day.  However, vs. 19-21 point out clearly:  there are those who love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil, and that they hate the light, neither will they come to the light.  This is a group of people who , no matter how many times, or how many ways you preach the "light" of the gospel to them they will always flee from it because their works are evil, their hearts are evil, they are not children of God, and they will always run from Christ instead of to Him.  There is no opportunity for them to "accept Christ" because they flee from Christ, and would never run to Him unless there has been a change in their heart (i.e. New Birth).There is, thought, the last group.  This group is described as a people who "do the truth".  When they hear the "light" of the gospel they are drawn to it light a moth to a flame because they are "wrought in God".

In conclusion I find the simplest way to explain John 3 is not a Greek lesson the word "kosmos", but rather the explanation Christ Himself gave:  The ONLY people in the world that God so loved that will ever believe on Him, and have eternal life are those who "doeth truth" that are "wrought in God", and are drawn to the light.

Fight...and fight some more

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

- 1 Timothy 6:12 KJV

At Zion Rest Church, where I attend and preach alongside Elder Charles H. Kitchens, and Bro. Derrick Kitchens, I have been going through the book of 1 Timothy.  Subsequently we finished this series last Sunday  afternoon.  The whole book, to me, is very important for the Church today given the prevailing attitude of "Laodicean Contentment" I've noticed among a majority of churches.  

In the beginning of chapter 6 Paul will tell Timothy "Godliness with Contentment is great gain."  Obviously the two characteristics there should not be separated: godliness WITH contentment.  When we start separating godliness FROM contentment then we end up in a state much like the church at Laodicea which was very content in their present state, but lack a key aspect of godliness that's inherent in the true Church: Love of Jesus Christ.

The entire book of Timothy from the first chapter to the last is stressing the importance of the Church to not become content in the bad way.  In the first chapters Paul tells Timothy the church is to be focused on the essentials of Discipleship which is "...charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned..." (1 Timothy 1:6 KJV).  He then goes on in chapter 2 to stress the need to pray for "all men".  All men believed here to be all the different KINDS of men, as he addresses 2 in particular ("...kings and all that are in authority..") with the goal in mind for all these kinds of men to be "saved, and come to a knowledge of the truth." Paul echoes this same idea in Romans 10 for all of his Jewish brethren that are children of God to be "saved" because they have a "zeal of God but not according to knowledge".  

At the end of the book Paul wraps up the commandment to Timothy with the above stated verse: "fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life..."  This encouragement is here to remind us that whereas we set out to keep charity out of a pure heart, faith unfeigned, being instant in prayer for others, it gets difficult, and we get lazy. Therefore Paul tells Timothy, and us, fight...and then fight some more.  Keep up the battle.  Never faint.  Lay hold on that eternal life that we profess to believe in, and live a life in this world that sheds light on that "life and immortality" that we have through Jesus Christ alone. 

Here then in 1 Timothy Paul gives us 3 main bullet points for the Disciple of Christ to latch onto for continued growth, and continued "light-shedding" here in this world.

1. 3 attributes every Disciple of Christ must hold to: charity out of a pure heart, good conscience, and faith unfeigned
2. Prayers, supplications, intercessions, and giving of thanks MUST be made for all men - even those in authority over us (i.e. Barack Obama) because God has a people among "all men" and it should be our desire for them to be operating "according to knowledge of the truth"
3. Fight...and fight some more