Sunday 022325
Ephesians 2:8 ‘…For by GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH; and this is not of yourselves, it is a GIFT of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Let’s together, open the Word of God this morning, and study what we have been given. Allow me to help you in your study and search the Bible what God has intended for us to hear.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
2 Timothy 3:16; Jonah 1:1-3; Acts 9:15; Ephesians 3:3, 4:13-16; 2 Timothy 4:3; Ephesians 4:11-12, 4:16; 1 Corinthians 14:12; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 9:15.
So, this morning, I was talking to a person about my blog, and I made the comment …
‘I don’t know how religious you are.’
And I realized that I was part of the problem, when I made that comment, about how messed up this world is in our UNBELIEF towards God.
So, in my lesson this morning, forget about ‘religion’ and let’s look at some Scripture. I’m going to use 4 different versions of the Bible this morning.
To me, this is: ‘Bible Study 101.’
These are my ‘go to versions’ when I compare Scripture against itself: AKJV, NASB, GNT and the EASY version.
2 Timothy 3:16 ‘…All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Bible)
What does ‘Scripture’ mean in the Bible?
‘Scripture’ or ‘the Scripture’ refers to writings that are regarded as Holy in a particular religion (an example of this is the Holy Bible to a Christian is Scripture).
One thing I should say about the contents in verse 16, the word FOLLOW is not used in that verse, anywhere. We are NOT told that we should FOLLOW ‘ALL Scripture’ or that ALL Scripture is meant for everyone to FOLLOW; we are told that ALL Scripture has been Inspired by God.
The example I use for my above statement is Jonah 1:1-3.
Jonah 1
vs1‘…The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying…’
vs2 ‘…Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, because their wickedness has come up before Me…’
vs3 ‘…But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
We are NOT being told to FOLLOW Jonah’s example and run from God and buy a ticket to Spain so we can flee from God.
We should ALL know the story of Jonah and how he ended up in the belly of a whale for three days; we’re NOT being taught that’s how we need to act.
We’re shown in this passage, as well as much of the entire Bible, what ‘WE SHOULD NOT DO’ so we don’t end up in the same predicaments.
So, ALL Scripture isn’t telling us that we should Follow.
In Acts 9:15, when Jesus told Ananias to go …
Acts 9:15 ‘…But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Bible)
If Jesus chose Saul, how can there be men that today choose to follow someone other than who Jesus chose?
This is just one (1) example from one (1) verse where mankind SHOULD follow Jesus’ decision, but so many in this world have just turned their backs and walked away from this verse.
Do they think they know more than Jesus knows?
Are these men claiming to be wiser than Jesus?
This has to be the greatest show by mankind, showing his UNBELIEF towards Jesus in the 21st century.
Maybe even a bigger question here is, what do you think Jesus thinks of the people that follow these false teachers of ‘His Word’ instead of following what Jesus chose?
So, if we were to actually listen to the words written by the apostle Paul … one of the things we could have learned about, is the ‘MYSTERY.’
Ephesians 3:3
‘…how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery as I wrote afore in few words…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Bible)
‘…God has clearly shown to me his true purpose. That was a secret before, but God has helped me to know it. I have written a few words about this already…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
How can mankind look past what Paul is trying to teach?
Paul continues in his writings to teach us:
Ephesians 4
vs13 ‘…until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ…’
vs14 ‘…As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…’
vs15 ‘…but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ…’
vs16 ‘…from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Unfortunately, many in this world listened to what this world was telling them instead of reading and listening to what God was telling them like the ‘tickling of our ears.’
2 Timothy 4:3 ‘…For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Is Paul NOT telling us what is going to happen today in the 21st century? People would rather visit a man-made church and hear the man-made sermon and sing man-made song instead of opening up their own Bibles and reading what God has been telling us from the very beginning of time.
Just as Paul tried to teach us in his writings, in vs13, too many fell from the faith that Jesus taught us. Too many missed out on the fullness of Christ. Too many remained ‘children’ being tossed around from wave to wave.
What Paul warned us in vs14 was never looked at.
Trickery by Satan caused the men that were supposed to teach us about God, to fool many souls that longed to hear the truth, but these souls never heard a syllable of the truth, all they heard were Satan’s lies through the mouths of these men.
These souls forgot to read of what God had given to each of us in His Word and many began to follow nothing but these evil lies that began in Satan’s evilness.
But it’s not too late for this world to get itself back onto its own two (2) feet and celebrate what God originally intended for us.
The Greek words oikodomeo ‘to build’, oikodome ‘the act of building’ are used both literally and figuratively in the New Testament.
EDIFY, EDIFYING and EDIFICATION are translations used in the KJV in some twenty (20) passages.
Let’s look at a couple of them:
Ephesians 4
vs11 ‘…And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers…’
vs12 ‘…for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Bible)
God gave the knowledge to some to teach and build the ‘CHURCH’ up.
The ‘CHURCH’ is not that building you attend with the good coffee, the comfortable seats, the air conditioning that works in the summer and the heater that keeps us warm in the summer.
The ‘CHURCH’ is those that have been CALLED OUT, those to assemble together to worship God and thank Him for His Word and BELIEVE what He is telling us.
Ephesians 4:16 ‘…from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Bible)
God is supplying the ‘CHURCH’ to become strong. When the word ‘church’ is used, God is talking about the ‘Body of Christ.’
God never meant a building with four walls, a floor, a steeple and a bell … that kind of church, is nothing but mankind.
1 Corinthians 14:12 ‘…So you too, since you are eager to possess spiritual gifts, strive to excel for the edification of the church…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
One of the more difficult things to understand about mankind, and this has happened since the beginning of time, God has tried giving mankind everything we need, but man keeps wanting it the way that man wants it, instead of the way it’s being served to them.
Another words, I know it’s FREE ‘BUT’ if it were blue I’d take it. For the NC State fans: if it was only red.
Do you understand what I’m trying to say to you?
Ephesians 2:8 ‘…For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
God is giving you the GIFT of Life. All you have to do is Believe, through FAITH that He can do that.
Man-Made Churches don’t like the word ‘FREE.’ They can’t charge anything for something that’s being given away for FREE.
You MUST open your Bible, for yourself and read it. Read and find out the parts that have been written to the Jew and then read what has been written for the Gentile Christian Believer.
Jesus chose Paul to teach us Gentiles.
Jesus chose Paul to teach the kings.
Jesus chose Paul to teach the children of Israel.
JESUS CHOSE PAUL TO TEACH THE ENTIRE WORLD ABOUT HIMSELF.
(ACTS 9:15)
Paul wrote thirteen (13) epistles found in the New Testament.
Why are these verses not what our churches teach to our kids?
Why do parents not make these churches teach these verses to our kids?
The reason is because no one is opening up the Word today to read what Jesus wants us to do, and if these parents are opening the Word of God, they are reading the words that have not been meant for us today.
READ ACTS 9:15.
Too many enjoy their ‘ears being tickled’ on Sunday mornings.
Keep your Bibles opened and continue to study the words that God has chosen for our ears to hear.
Read the words that God chose for you.
Eventually, one day, God is going to determine we have been given enough time to change our ways.
When God makes that determination, life as we know it, is finished. We’ve been given this prophecy years in advance; many, many years in advance.
You have been given the opportunity to choose for yourself.
Be wise.
Open your Bibles and read what God has in store for your future.
I love every one of y’all.
Acts 9:15 ‘…But the Lord said unto him, go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel…’ AKJV
This is Jesus telling Ananias to go.
This is the Ascended Jesus Christ, that was crucified for you and me.
This is the Jesus that left His Father in heaven and returned to this earth to pick Saul of Tarsus to be the new apostle to teach this entire world about Him.
Ask your priests and pastors why they don’t talk about this verse in Acts 9.
Jesus CHOSE, how can anyone decide for themselves or for those they are supposed to be teaching, that they have decided to choose someone different than JESUS CHOICE?
Open your Bibles and read the Word of God for yourselves … begin in Acts 9.
Read the Words that God has given to us to FOLLOW, let God lead the way.
I love ALL of y’all.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>