Witnessing for the King (THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY, I EVER WROTE BACK IN 2001)

Esther Chapters 8 and 9，

This historical book situated in the midst of the Old testament, has much to teach us, it shows the rescue of the Israelites from their demise at the hands of a dangerous foe, and we can see the parallel as Jesus rescued us from the clutches of the devil and the power of sin and death.

The story of the rescue comes to a marvellous conclusion in Chap 8-9 the King and Esther now have the job of repealing the decree of death that has gone out, another parallel to the ministry of Jesus, he blots out the death sentence given to all mankind rightfully by God as a result of their sin.

In these last days, we are to take the gospel with ever more urgency to the world, lets learn a few lessons from chapters 8-9, and see what we need to have, to witness powerfully in today’s world:

Chap 8:3-6 Passion For the Lost

The shortest verse in the bible is “Jesus wept”, look at verse 6 Esther had the same heart as Jesus, like him, she couldn’t bear the thought of one person being lost to hell and death.

Chap 8:8 New orders

In Persian Law, the only way a decree could be invalidated was by the issue of a new one, and this has been done by God through Jesus, Jesus has fulfilled all the Law and has blotted out the handwriting of legal ordinances against us Colossians 2:14,  we can now go out into the world,  and tell them that through Jesus, their sins can be forgiven and their lives transformed. We are carrying out the orders of the King of Kings.

Chap 8:9 Access all areas

The decree went to all the provinces, just like the gospel must, Jesus said go into ALL the world, not just to the nations, people’s and groups that are receptive. Church, how often do we go for the comfortable middle-class people? We ought to take the gospel to everyone, this gospel is for everyone.. amen.

Chap 8:10 Signed and sealed

When you take the gospel out into the world, you go in the authority that God has given you, this verse is so amazing, the decree was signed in the Kings name, sealed with his seal and the riders were sent on horseback, meaning that this was a job of haste, as is the preaching of the gospel as Jesus is coming back soon. Chap 8:14

Chap 8:15-17 Joy Unconfined

Look at the result the decree had, gladness and joy erupted, the people, who had been under the death sentence, had been saved, whenever and where ever the gospel is proclaimed, joy and gladness break out, so go on, make your street happy today. Notice that many non-Jews became Jews on that day, the effects of your witness, the power of your witness will bring about results you can hardly imagine.

Chap 9:1 Unable to stand

The decree when it is told and shown to the people, makes the enemies of God crumble, nothing can stand against the power of the gospel, it scares the devil and the church moves forward with rejoicing, as it fulfils the commission, Jesus gave us to do.

Church, one thing matters in these final days, the decree ( Gospel ) of the Lord has to be preached, the decree that says “There is no other name under heaven, whereby men must be saved”- JESUS.

GENESIS  2

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[ of it you shall surely die.”

chapter 3:2-5

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

LUKE 10:18

18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

ISAIAH 14:12-15

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

THE FALL GUY

Why did the serpent or devil hate God so much?  Why did he influence them to disobey God?

Satan could have left Adam and Eve to their own devices. What did they ever do to hurt him? To understand Satan’s role in the fall of man, we must go back to pre-creation. God the Trinity was existed before anything was created. He is before all things.  He is above all things. 

Before creation there was war in heaven. Lucifer, one of the chief angels, rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven; Satan was so influential that a third of the angels of heaven followed him to his new home…hell. Satan hates God, but he can’t hurt God, so who does he go after? Man, the pinnacle of God’s creation.

Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies; he told lies to the angels he led into the rebellion in heaven.  He fell because of his lust for power.  And now he uses the desire for power to entice Eve.  After Eve told Satan that she was forbidden from eating the fruit from the Tree of Life, Satan responds with the words, “Has God said?” Satan knew exactly what God had said. Remember, he doesn’t change his tactics, he seeks to contradict God and his word and tell us that what God has said is not true.

Satan is the fall guy. And through deception he played a role in the fall of man.  Another example of Satan being the fall guy, is in the book of Job. God says to Satan, “Where have you been?” How ironic.  God knew who Satan was and where he had been. Satan was wandering around the world. The Bible says he roams around like a roaring lion; he is like a bear with a very sore head. After the first two chapters of Job, he is not mentioned. He is defeated through the testimony and faithfulness of Job. Again, he is the fall guy.

At the cross, he suffered a terminal defeat. The power of Satan was completely destroyed, his weapons of death and sin were smashed. Finally, at the end of time, Satan will be the ultimate fall guy, when he is sentenced to eternal punishment, him and his rebellious angels, who will have their own sentence of death.

Satan chose to rebel; he made the wrong choice; he sought power; he was proud. And he will pay…big time!

Remember that we have the weapons to defeat Satan: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Romans 16:19-20 and Ephesians 6:10-18. We cannot be like the sons of Sceva, who sought to fight him in their own strength. As a young Christian, I sought to answer the devil in my own power, but he defeated me, I was often left in tears and my faith in tatters.

How did Jesus defeat him?  By speaking and using the word of God (see Matthew 4:1-11). Remember, the tactics of Satan are the same, the truth sadly is that they often are successful. But when he comes to tempt us, we have the Armor of God. 

When Satan tempts Jesus, he misuses the Word of God; he misquotes Scripture; he takes verses out of context; How do we answer him?  We don’t. We ignore him.  Satan can only do what God allows him too. He is on a very short lease. We have the victory over him, by the power of the Holy Spirit and also when we praise God.  Worship is a powerful weapon.

JAMES 4:6-8

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

How do we submit to God? We humble ourselves; we denounce our pride; we cannot fight the devil on our own; we have to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If we are submitted to God, we can resist the devil, and he has no option but to flee. Why? Because when he tries to tempt us, he meets not us, but Jesus who lives in us, by the Holy Spirit.

Don’t be the fall guy…trust God and let Him fight your battles.

GENESIS 3

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

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

THE DEVILS FAVOURITE COLOUR

The devil has been attacking God’s people from day 1, because he can’t hurt God, so he goes after the ones who love God.  He started with Adam and Eve and he continues until he is finally defeated when is thrown into hell.

What is this tactic?  Well, it is to make everything that God says in black and white a murky kind of grey.

He loves to say HAS GOD SAID THAT?

There are some truths we can learn:

Satan never tells the full story verse 1.  He contradicted God, who never said that they couldn’t eat of any tree…  just the ones he told them not to.

He pictures God as some cruel tyrant who withholds things from his children, when God is a loving and gracious Father who knows what is best for his children.

God’s word is black and white…  it is Yes and No on most major issues.  Let me give you an example.

Should a Christian date or marry and unbeliever?

What does God’s word say, well all through the OT God warns his people about this and we see the consequences throughout the OT, it leads them into sin and rebellion.  In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul reinforces this with these words.

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?  and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial?  or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?  for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

What happens to many young Christian men and women, they fall in love with an unbeliever, they know God’s word says no, but the devil comes and makes it a grey area.  They end up marrying unbelievers and many strong Christians are now far from God because of this choice.  God does overrule and saves some spouses, but he does not approve.

God set things before the children of Israel, so that they stay close to HIM.  Did they obey HIM?  The consequences were severe.

Likewise, HE has given us commands for us to live by, they are black and white.  The devil is seeking to make these commands into grey areas.

The devil says to the Christian, if you disobey God, in this area, you will not surely die.  But remember that Adam and Eve did die spiritually.

All through the bible, people who dabbled with sin, like Saul, Ananias and Sapphira and Balaam, came to a very sticky end.

When The devil says to you…  Hath God said?  you reply like Jesus did in Matthew Chapter 4.  Use the Bible to refute his lies, use God’s promises to defeat him.  

The devil has weapons, but they are blunt.  The devil fires bullets but they are rubber ones.

We diffuse his efforts by relying on God and his word.  When he says Hath God said

SAY YES, HE HAS AND HIS WORD IS TRUTH

Do not be deceived…  God has said it in black and white in his word…  not in grey！！！

God Bless You,

Keith

3) We have to be surrendered to the Lord. We must have a close and deep relationship with Him. That means spending lots of time in prayer, reading and studying His Word, and being in fellowship with His people.

Many brothers and sisters all over the world are suffering terrible persecution and over the coming years, the western world, will start to see more and more persecution of the Church. We really need to be so close to the Father in fellowship, so that we can stand up to the coming persecution. Christian, you may say, that I am speaking idle words, but persecution is coming.

4) We need to grow into the very likeness of Christ – Ephesians 5:1-2 

Peter 1:13-17

Here are more things for you to consider:对你来

We need to have on the armour of God – Ephesians 6:10-17

We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit – Ephesians 5:18

We need to have our minds renewed by the Word of God – Romans 12:1-2

and Colossians 3:16

We need to be ready in season and out of season to share the gospel – 2 Timothy 4:2

Time is very short my brothers and sisters. Every day is one day nearer the glorious appearing of our wonderful Lord and Saviour. Let us not debate when Jesus is coming back, but let us rejoice that He IS coming back to take us to be with Him – John 14:1-6. We need to be about our Master’s business.

Matthew Henry Comments on the Apostles Question in Acts 1:

“…They (the Apostles) were earnest in asking about that which their master, never had directed or encouraged them to seek.”

You know every single prophecy about the first coming of Jesus, was fulfilled, and likewise, every prophecy about His second coming in power and glory, will be fulfilled, also. Christian, your job is to look forward with joy to that glorious day and to spend your time in fruitful service, so that you will hear the words…”Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.” If you disagree with me on what I have written, then please give feedback.

I owe everything to God. I am a blood-bought child of God who loves God, His Word, and His people. I have shared texts from the Holy Scriptures…the book I reverence and love. I long for that day, when my Saviour I will see. I hope you do too.

Scriptures for further study:

Mark Chapter 13

Matthew chapter 24

Matthew 25:13

1 Thess 4:16-18

1 Thess 5:1-4

2 Peter 1:20-21

2 Peter 2:1-4

2 Peter 3:8-12

Titus 2:13

God bless you!

My Dearly beloved Friends,

I have been led of the Lord to write on the most wonderful event, that is yet to happen in this world, and that is the wonderful second coming of Our Lord and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST. In writing this, I am not going to take a position on when the rapture will happen. I am someone who just believes that we will be raptured and am looking forward to that great event.

Please feel free to share this message with everyone you can, the Word of God needs to get out into the world. The church needs to awaken, and I just hope that God through His Precious Holy Spirit, uses this message to encourage and bless my fellow believers in their most holy faith.

All bible quotes are from the Amplified Bible.

“WE DO NOT KNOW THE DAY OR THE HOUR”

Mark 13:32-37

32 But of that day or that hour not a [single] person knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

33 Be on your guard [constantly alert], and watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come.

34 It is like a man already] going on a journey; when he leaves home, he puts his servants in charge, each with his particular task, and he gives orders to the doorkeeper to be constantly alert and on the watch.

35 Therefore watch (give strict attention, be cautious and alert), for you do not know when the Master of the house is coming–in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning–

36 [Watch, I say] lest He come suddenly and unexpectedly and find you asleep.

37 And what I say to you I say to everybody: Watch (give strict attention, be cautious, active, and alert)!

！

Acts 1:6-7

6 So when they were assembled, they asked Him, Lord, is this the time when you will re-establish the kingdom and restore it to Israel?

7 He said to them, It is not for you to become acquainted with and know what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power.

My Brothers and Sisters,

In the church today, there is much debate, about the exact time Jesus will return. Indeed some people are even saying, that they know the day and hour of His coming. HAROLD CAMPING and others are WRONG…AGAIN!!!!!

Please note from the words of Jesus, that the time of his return, is entirely in the hands of the Father and no one else. If you hear people say, they know the date and time of the rapture, do not believe them. They are deceived, and they are attempting to deceive others. However, the Lord gives us clues regarding His return. If you read Mark 13 and Mathew 24, Jesus tells us that there will be signs that we should look for that may indicate His return is near. Two significant signs are: “Nation shall rise against nation and the gospel will be proclaimed to all people.” Jesus warns the disciples that many will say, “Look here is Christ.”  

He gives us these words of warning in Matthew 24:23-27

23 If anyone says to you then, Behold, here is the Christ (the Messiah)! or,

There He is!–do not believe it.

24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).

25 See, I have warned you beforehand.

26 So if they say to you, Behold, He is in the wilderness (desert)–do not go out there; if they tell you, Behold, He is in the secret places or inner rooms–do not believe it.

27 For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines and [h]is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.  

So how is Jesus going to return to Earth? We are told in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons,

with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God.

And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously

be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the

Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we

shall be with the Lord!

18 Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.

We are also told that it will take the world by surprise. Jesus says that it will be the same as in the time of Noah.

Mathew 24:38-39

38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking,

marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;

39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and

took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of

Man.  

I Thess 5:1-4

1 But as to the suitable times and the precise seasons and dates, brethren,

you have no necessity for anything being written to you.

2 For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the]

Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night.

3 When people are saying, all is well and secure, and, there is peace and

safety, then in a moment unforeseen destruction (ruin and death) will come

upon them as suddenly as labour pains come upon a woman with child; and

they shall by no means escape, for there will be no escape.

4 But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that

day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.

So in light of all this, what is to be our attitude? How does the return of Jesus affect our daily lives? Here are some principles for you to consider:

1) Keep looking up.. Amen. I don’t know about you, but I am always scanning the skies, eagerly looking for as Paul puts it…the glorious appearing of our Lord. I hope your eyes are turned upwards…looking for Jesus.

Titus 2:13

13 Awaiting and looking for the [fulfilment, the realization of our] blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One)…

2) Continue living for Christ.

One of the greatest things we can do is share the gospel. Every day over 150,000 people die. The vast majority of them are going to die in their sins and go to hell. Many will have never heard the gospel of Jesus. Why? Because the church did not take the time to reach them. CT Studd said, “Some wish to live within the hearing of church or chapel bells. I want to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell.” Time is short, people are sick and dying and you believer have the cure; if you saw someone dying and you had medicine to cure him/her, wouldn’t you give it to them?”

Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 1:8, tells us what we are to do, and it is not to debate and speculate on when He is coming back. To do this is to fall into a trap of the devil. He wants us to be side-tracked from our main task of sharing Christ, and will do whatever it takes to keep us from doing so.

Psalm 27

4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

What is the one thing you truly desire? David knew what it was, and it was to dwell in God’s presence and to behold God’s beauty.

Now you may say, “I can’t stay in that state forever, as we have to work in the real world.” But there is a real sense that we can dwell in God’s presence. David wanted an ongoing minute by minute communion with his Lord and Creator.

Matthew Henry Comments

With what a gracious earnestness he prays for a constant communion with God in holy ordinances.  It greatly encouraged his confidence in God that he was conscious to himself of an entire affection to God and to his ordinances, and that he was in his element when in the way of his duty and in the way of increasing his acquaintance with him.

Look at the words David is using here: seek after, enquire, behold. He is in earnest here; it is in the middle of a busy life for David, but he wanted God more than anything else. He wanted to know God’s word, and he wanted to see God’s beauty.

Is this your one desire Christian above everything else?

PHILIPPIANS 3

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

So, you think you know it all? If anyone knew it all, it would have been the apostle, Paul! He wrote the amazing epistles, but what’s Paul saying here?

He writes in earlier verses of apprehending something, of attaining something, and the concept of apprehending is one of earnestly seeking after something. Paul hasn’t found it yet, but is still seeking to know what it says in verse 10, and what a verse that is!!

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.

To apprehend this, he must do one thing and that is to let go of his past. He totally let’s go of everything in his past, his achievements, his life, and more, because it was a hindrance. You cannot reach forth if you are carrying the chains of your past!

Have you tried to reach up to the top shelf of a cupboard with a lead weight around your leg? You can’t do it. You have to take the lead weight off to reach up to get the cookies. Likewise, in the Christian life, if you wish to reach forth, you must get rid of the sin and guilt which is holding you back. Anything that is holding you back must be cast off.

Do you want to win the prize? In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul uses the analogy of a runner. Do you see a runner going round the track in his tracksuit carrying his sports bag? Of course not! He lays it to one side so he can compete effectively in the race.

Christian, you need to get rid of any hindrance in your life; anything that stops you from reaching forth to win the prize. Maybe it is sin, maybe it an idol, or maybe it’s something that has taken the place of Christ on the throne of your life.

You need to do one thing and forget your past and move forward to win the prize.

2 Peter 3

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

We end on a note of absolute joy, because if you aren’t excited by the return of Jesus, then as a Christian you need to wake up!

This verse is in the middle of Peter refuting people who say, “Jesus will never return… show us the evidence.”

Peter gives the reasons in the early verses of this chapter and reminds believers that God is completely above our heads. He doesn’t think about time like we do, thankfully.

We have to live in the light of Christ’s return, looking for that blessed hope.

In verse 9, Peter says that God does not forget His promises; He is not like man, who breaks his promises, but He is waiting until everyone has had a chance to hear the gospel and for everything to be fulfilled.

We are not to worry about when Jesus will come back, but be ready and live as holy people in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, anticipating His return.

God knows the times and seasons; He has all things in His hands.  This verse should give us so much confidence…

One thing to remember: God is still in charge and one day we will be taken home!

Let us live in the light of that amazing fact!

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

To complete this study, I must finish by saying ONE LAST THING.

The final words of Jesus in Matthew 28 should be etched on our mind. They are OUR commission, our charter, and our motivation.

Our Lord has given us our orders. These are not options; they are commands. So why aren’t we obeying them?

When was the last time you?

Led someone to Christ.

Led someone deeper in their faith.

Shared the gospel with someone.

Gave out a gospel tract.

Showed the love of Christ in practical ways.

God is watching us all, me included. Before you say how difficult it is, remember I know it is! I live in China and my Chinese is so limited. But I can and do share with the Chinese and have been privileged to share with many foreigners that God has led me to.

It is scary! Believe me, but we do this because we know the love and terror of the Lord. We have to share, because we know the consequences of millions going to a Christ-less eternity.

It is not enough to go to church on Sunday and Wednesday nights! Have you little/no concern for sharing your faith? Spurgeon put it like this, “If you have no concern for the lost, then you aren’t saved yourself”. 

Believe me… you cannot share something that isn’t a reality in your own life.

We have a twofold purpose in this world:

TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN

May this ONE THING be our consuming passion!

God bless you,

Keith

ONE THING

John 9

25 He answered and said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

This is the testimony of every true believer… I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I CAN SEE.

The blind man was probably not educated, and certainly not up to the level of the Jewish elite. But knowing this simple fact made him more educated than a thousand professors. Something amazing had happened to him, and this was beyond the understanding of all these “wise” men.

Paul knew this fact, and knew something happened to him on the road to Damascus, as he recalls in 2 Timothy 1. Remember that Paul is a short time from death when he wrote these words:

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Paul met Jesus! He knew this one thing; eyes that had been darkened had been opened to the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.

John Newton in his great hymn, Amazing Grace, puts it like this:

    Amazing grace! How sweet the sound

    That saved a wretch like me!

    I once was lost, but now am found;

    Was blind, but now I see.

Of all the facts we can learn, this is the one thing we need to know. People can put forward all their theories, all their new and old ideas, but the Christian is the only person in the world who can say.. THIS ONE THING I KNOW, ONCE I WAS BLIND, NOW I CAN SEE.

Can you say that with confidence and full assurance? If not, you need to come to the foot of the cross in repentance and faith.

LUKE 18

22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

What a fascinating conversation this is! The rich young ruler seems to have done everything right. He had kept the commandments relating to others, and if anyone was to get into the Kingdom of God, it would be him.

But he forgotten the commandments that said in Exodus 20:

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me

Jesus puts His finger on this man’s problems and there were many.

One was of spiritual pride. He thought he had kept all the commandments of God, but it says if you keep all the law and fail in one point, you are guilty of breaking the whole law.

The riches he had were an idol in his life. He was being asked to tear down that idol and follow Christ, which he was not prepared to do.

When Jesus saves us, He sits on the throne of our life: not money, riches, power, or prestige. This man wasn’t prepared to do the one thing that was needed to have Jesus in his life. He wanted eternal life, but on his terms.

Look further on in this chapter and typically Peter makes another of his big boasts. We don’t know this, but perhaps the rich young ruler was still close by. Jesus says that the benefits of following HIM far outweigh the sacrifices you feel you have to make.  You will receive much more in this life and here’s the icing on the cake, we get eternal life also!

28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.

29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,

30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Is there something stopping you from coming to Jesus and following HIM? 

Luke 10

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Jesus had come into Martha’s house. He had His disciples with Him, and they needed food and drink.

Martha was doing the right thing; she was taking care of the needs of Jesus and His disciples.

The words of Jesus in verse 42 are so amazing.. ONE THING IS NEEDFUL.

So many of us like Martha are doing what is needed on a physical level, but the real need for the believer is to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him, and then we can truly serve others. The real need of the believer is communion with Jesus. 

A question: Are we doing what is needed or are we doing the needful thing, the ONE THING that matters, sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from HIM?

A challenge: Take your Bible into a bedroom, shut the door and just be alone with God, or go to a place where you won’t be disturbed, and take time to be alone with God. Spend an hour alone with Him, and turn off all the noise of the world: the TV, the computer, or your cell phone.

GUARD YOUR MOUTH

Matthew 5:34-37

The subject that we are going to study is one of the most important in scripture, and is so important to the believer. We start off by taking these verses as our text, but we will be studying various scriptures, so please keep an open Bible at your fingertips.

You may have guessed that the subject is the tongue… What we say is so important… It reflects our Lord in so many ways. It is important to understand what scripture says … About what to say and what not to say.

Many Christians today say that it makes no difference to swear…  The world does it… If a Christian swears or uses bad language … Well, we are only human really. This is not what scripture says at all.

We are to be distinct and completely different from the world. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul states that we are new creations. In verse 20 he says that we are ambassadors for Christ, we are the Lord mouthpieces on this earth. Romans 12:2, states that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, and not conformed to what is happening in the world.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Jesus states in Matthew 12:33-36, these words:

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

He makes the connection between the heart and the mouth. Whatever is in our heart will eventually come out of our mouth. He gives a stern warning, that for any and every idle word, we will have to make account for before the Father.

What excuse is good enough for gossiping about another believer? The Lord is going to ask us why we did it. Can you answer Him?

Paul and James also have stern words to say: In Ephesians 4:29, Paul says ‘Let no corrupt communication come out of your mouth.’ In the very next verse, he says ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.’ Do our words grieve the spirit of God?

Colossians 3:8 is another key verse. We are to put off these things, look at this list:

8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

James, in Chapter 3:1-13, writes possibly the greatest passage on the tongue. He says so much. Please study this in detail for yourself, this is such an awesome passage.

One of the best chapters in the bible is Proverbs 15. The tongue is described here as:

Verse 2 It uses knowledge.

Verse 4 It is a tree of life.

Verse 7 It disperses knowledge.

Verse 23 It brings joy to the speaker.

Verse 26 Words of the pure are pleasant.

Does my/your tongue do these things？

Having found out that the words we speak are so important, how do we control the tongue? Well, we have to let the word of God penetrate our souls. The psalmist wrote ‘Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee.’ It is important to let the word of God penetrate our hearts – Colossians 3:16.

There are some things the Lord wants us to speak:

Speak Praise: Hebrews 13:15, Psalm 34:1 Psalm 40:3

How important this is! In Psalm 34:1, we are told that the praises of God are to be continually in our mouths. If this happens then there is no room for gossip, complaining or backbiting.

Speak Prayer: Phil:4:6, 1 Thess 5:17

What an awesome privilege! You know the more time you spend talking and spending time with the Holy one of Israel, your speech will become more and more beautiful – because you realise you are in the presence of the Holy one and therefore your speech will be reverent and good.

Speak Peace: Proverbs 15:1, 16:7, Psalm 15:3

Jesus Said ‘My peace I give unto you, my peace I leave with you.’ How often, with our words in various situations, do we bring the peace of Jesus into that situation, and leave the peace of God with the person we are talking too?

Speak Unity: John 17, Psalm 133,Ephesians 4:1-16

I was so struck with the verse in Galatians 5, which says:

15But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

This is so important – we are doing the same work for God. The devil wants to destroy the church and our fellow believers. Let us not help him by our careless use of our mouths.

Speak Love: 1 John 3:11-14

Galatians 6

10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Let us do this, in both word and deed. Note it does not say ‘be good to those in your own church’, but it means to be kind to all believers – including those of churches where we have doctrinal differences, and that means with our words.

Do we speak badly of another church?

Speak the Word: Matthew 4:1-11

Let us use the same method which Jesus used to derail the devil. The word of God – it works every time. The power of the Word will always defeat Satan; it is our sword, and we have to use it as it gives us victory every time.

Speak the Name of Jesus: Phil 2:5-8

The name of Jesus has authority. We can use this name because it has authority. Peter and John used it in Acts 3 to heal the crippled man, and still today the devil cringes at this name. Let us use the glorious name of Jesus.

Speak Victory: 2 Cor 10:4-5, James 4:7-8,Matthew 17:20

Let us always remember that we have the victory through Jesus Christ. Let us always be looking up to Jesus because He has won us that victory. Let us never speak negative words of defeat – He didn’t even when on the cross.

Speak Witness: 2 Timothy 4:1-3, Isaiah 52:7, 62:6, Romans 10:9-14,Acts 4:19-20

This is our Commission; this is our privilege: to carry the gospel to a needy world. Let us be eager and ready to do this. Let our mouths be full of the story of our Saviour.

I hope you are blessed by this study.

God bless you

KEITH