https://youtu.be/ZIlP150I6t4

The third day he will. Matthew 17:22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.He prophesies the end of his ministry-  Betrayal, death, resurrection. All of these things happen.The disciples are ‘exceedingly sorrowful’ which isn’t that they are sad that Jesus is prophesying this- they are sorrowful because they don’t understand why this is the storyRemember- These are oppressed people who have been waiting for a savior to save them.The part of this story I want to focus on today is this- “the Third day he will”Do you have movies, songs, books you read repeatedly because of how they affect you? We all doThe resurrection is the most important event in all of Christianity. Period. That should be our thing1 Cor 15:17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!And that’s true! If Christ is not risen the Bible says “we are of all men the most pitiable.”McKim- Consider this: approximately 40 percent of the first three (synoptic) Gospels focus on the last week of Jesus’ life. That percentage increases to about 66 percent when we come to the Gospel of John. If the Gospels were simply biographies of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we would expect a more balanced treatment of the various seasons of his life. But that is not what we find. A vastly disproportionate focus is given over to the last week of Jesus’ life, as if to say, “Whatever else you miss, please, don’t miss this.”Preaching about, ingesting, understanding, walking, living, believing, trusting, rejoicing, resting, and celebrating the resurrection is central to our faith! In three days he will- affects all of our life!If the Gospels spend that much time on it- I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us spending more time on it!

“The Third day He will ”- The most important thing you need to knowThe truth of the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection is the most important thing you need to know about being Christian and following Christ- It’s the beginning of our Faith.Paul- when with the Corinthian church said this- 1 Cor 2:2 For I determined not to know and anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.Now you have to understand the literary license that Paul uses here- He obviously didn’t just preach the resurrection when he was in Corinth. He preached much more than that.There is a lot to learn about Jesus- a ton- and Paul covers a lot of it- but in this instance he’s saying, this is the most important thing- nothing is more important than this.When I was in the Army- right place, right time, in the right uniform 99% taken care of.This is why he said-  1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

First of all- This is where I think that many Christians miss the mark- they talk to people about Jesus without leading with the death, burial and resurrection- central to our faith- this is the foundation

This is so important? Because without Jesus death burial and resurrection we are under wrathJohn 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”We must believe this- or God’s wrath is upon us- or to say- because we believe this- God’s wrath is not upon us! That’s where we want to be- living in peace with God01 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.That’s what the resurrection does! Puts us in a righteous relationship with God- so we can be in relationship w...

https://youtu.be/GEFRd2ZdzqY

“Love is Not Love” (All Scripture is in NKJV)

Romans 12:9-16 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient[a] in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given[b] to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

The great requisite in love is this, that it be without hypocrisy; i.e. that it be sincere and not artificial. Love must be genuine and pure. Sugar v. artificial sweetener. People do not want the calories from sugar, but sugar is a pure and natural substance, thus easily accepted in the body. Artificial sweeteners are dangerous. An artificial sweetener duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, but has less food energy. Animal studies have convincingly proven that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain, brain tumors, bladder cancer, diabetes (because it still triggers an insulin response) and many other health hazards. Hypocritical love is artificial love and is dangerous.

Jesus tells us that Matthew 5:20  “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

He said that the scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites, in that they taught the things of God, but did not do them and those who did such things, their heart and motives did not match up with their actions:

The Beatitudes: Matthew 5: 21-22; 27-28; 38-41 (Roman law); 43-48; Matthew 6:1; 16-18

Our actions cannot be artificial, just mimicking the taste of the genuine; they MUST align with our heart.

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth [a]through the Spirit in [b]sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

Let love be without hypocrisy. The apostle Paul proceeds to stir up to the exercise of grace, and the discharge of such duties as were common to all the members of the church. He begins with "love", which is the cement of saints, and the bond of perfectness; without love all the gifts that we have received, or the profession of faith that we make, or the works we do are of no benefit, and we ourselves are nothing but clanging, noisy gongs.

1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Love- agape, sacrificial kind of love of the will and purpose, not an emotional, feeling based love.

Here it is to be taken, in the most comprehensive sense, that love to God and others is to "be without hypocrisy". Genuine not artificial. Love to God should be with all our heart, soul, and mind, otherwise the fear of Him, and obedience to Him, will be only outward, formal, customary, and hypocritical. Love to our Lord should be with sincerity, and so it is right, true, and genuine; and love to one another should be not in word, and in tongue only, but in deed and in truth, with a purity of heart. The love professed to others should never be through fear of men, or a desire to please man; but honest, upright, and sincere.

So then, how can we be sure that our love is true and not hypocritical love? Paul tells us

Abhor that which is evil; do not only avoid it, but hate it,

https://youtu.be/1ZVbnWx_rDg

Mustard Seed FaithWe all want to see God move in our lives- or at least we SHOULD. I don’t want to just know the Bible stories- I want to experience the Bible stories in my life. not historical- right now-I want to see healings. I want to see deliverance. I want to see mountains moved. BIG STUFFMatthew 17:14-20 READLove this story- Guy has a son who is epileptic- goes to the disciples to have his son healed, they don’t have what it takes, so he Goes to Jesus. Jesus is indignant, heals the boy and then tells his followers that if they would have had faith the size of a mustard seed- they could have done itNow a mustard seed is only 1-2mm across. It’s a very small seed- and Jesus uses this seed as an example of what kind of faith these people should have had to be able to see this boy healedIn my life, I have heard people say before “they didn’t have enough faith” or “they didn’t believe enough” or “ their faith wasn’t strong enough” to get healed, or delivered or whateverThat’s demonic abusive language to use on someone who didn’t see God movePuts the onus on the individual and not on God and we were never intended to be in that placeMatthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;” not “your amount of faith”The problem with these disciples was not that they didn’t have enough faith- it was that they had no- faith- they didn’t believe in God- they didn’t believe God or Jesus- no mustardAnd so Jesus challenges them- and says you have NO belief but if you ONLY Had ANY amount of belief in God- you would see AMAZING THINGS- just a small amountLets read the whole verse- Matt 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.This is Bible faith- just believing God. The tiniest amount-not a huge amount, just a tiny amount.Think about Abraham- God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, but he was old and his wife was past child rearing age- Seems pretty impossible doesn’t it?Romans 4:18-20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”Abraham believed God- He didn’t waver- against hope- That’s that ‘Mustard seed faith” I’m talking about. Its not a huge faith- its just a little bit of faith that says “I’m gonna believe God’Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.God wants us to have faith- He wants us to believe in him- He doesn’t want us to doubtJames 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.And if we want to see God move- we have to have Faith in him. (Faith is not what you can see)And I get it- sometimes we don’t put our faith in God because we think we’re doing God a favor- if we don’t believe him, and he doesn’t move we don’t make him look badListen- God can take care of himself- he does not need you helping him out by not believing himJesus said- John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Here’s what happens when you have mustard seed faith-

Mustard seed faith Cast out demonsThis story is a story about a boy who has epilepsy-I always have to clarify this- everything isn’t a demon- sometimes its just medicalBut sometimes it IS a demon- Jesus healed blind people of their blindness because they were blind- it wasn’t a demon of blindness that was upon them- they were just blind.In THIS story They didn’t have the faith of a mustard seed- so they couldn’t...

https://youtu.be/GG7QuKskTnE

Sober Judgement                                                                                 Roman 12:3-8

Romans 12:3-8 (Esv)For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members,[a] and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,[b] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.Paul is speaking to an audience that is big on status and standing in the society. Judging on what abilities each person brought to the table and classifying them as suchThat is why he uses words like:Grace Given – That all they have has been given to them not self-acquired by meritSober Judgement – Don’t think you all that and moreOne body – We are all the same though different

Let’s get into the text

Do Judge yourselfRomans 12:3(Nkjv) …. among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to thinkPaul is asking them not to think of themselves higher that they ought to but to actually take a moment to do an internal checkHe doesn’t tell them not to think of themselves, he does tell them to have a Sober Judgement of themselvesDo not exaggerate an opinion of oneself  Take time to speak life to ourselvesMotivational speaking and affirmationHow comes that our God who is real and has shown us tangible changes, has written it all down and continues to be the Same Yesterday, Today and forever, yet …we refuse to appropriate the Words He has given us? His WordI know that Paul is speaking about gifts but before we get there, we need to break down the lies of the enemy and see ourselves how God sees usWe are vessels that hold these gifts and if we have to use these gifts, we have to prepare our vessel for useI think the first step is being vulnerable before God – allowing God to truly search us and reveal those areas in our lives that are lackingAsking Him to shine a light in all corners of our livesPraying about those areas and asking God to prepare this vessel for His workI Corinthians 6:20 - For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [a]and in your spirit, which are God’s.Matthew 10:29-31(Nkjv) Are not two sparrows sold for a [a]copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear; therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.Know what you are worth in the eyes of GodNot based on the opinion of othersNot controlled by self-desires and greedNot defined by fear and insecurities Ephesians 2:10 (Nkjv)For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.Romans 12:3 (AMPC) For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.Use the Word of God to check yourself2 Corinthians 13:5 (Esv) Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!When you know your worth in Christ Jesus, you can be useful in His KingdomPaul doesn’t talk about the pa...

https://youtu.be/7jF_gJ5g12c

Eat some pork and shrimp- Matthew 15:1-20

Defile- desecrate or profane (something sacred).

Traditions can defileMens traditions defile, not God’s commandsv3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?these Jews had created a tradition, where people were supposed to wash their hands before they ate bread- Jesus disciples didn’t do this because it wasn’t a commandment from God- it was a commandment that was created by menAnd this is one of the biggest problems that was going on within Judaism during the time- man made rules imposed on others as God made laws- Jesus crushed itMark 7:13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”And that’s what the man-made traditions were doing- they were making the word of God of none effect- they had lost the awe and wonder of God’s word and weren’t following itJesus, when confronted- immediately points to the tradition that they had-v 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’What this was- was that the Jews would look at their money- call it “corban” which loosely means ‘this belongs to God” so when it came to taking care of their parents, they stated that they didn’t have to because it all belonged to God- ‘wish I could help”Jesus is calling out two of their traditions- hand washing and calling money corban and saying these traditions defile you because you think they are of God but they are not.Let me say this- there are Good traditions and bad traditions.2 Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.Paul encouraged the early church to hold to the traditions they had- I’m not exactly sure what traditions he is specifically speaking to, but its clear that there are some traditions that are to kept.2 Thes 3:6 says that we should-  withdraw from every brother who does not walk not according to the traditionSome traditions are good! But some are also bad- Also tho- Colossians 2:8 READSome traditions are bad tho- Col 2:20-23 READIts like this-Meeting on Sundays is our tradition- but its not a commandment- order of worship, types of fasts, revivals, retreats, etc. All good- but not commandments from God-Turning them into a commandment from God is when you start to defile the word of God.Titus 1:14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.Its like this- I like to dress like this- I feel like it would be disrespectful to God to come into his house to preach and wear sweats, a baseball hat, tshirt etc. Its not a requirement, there’s nothing in scripture that describes what we are to wear to church- but its my tradition I haven’t made it a law.When Christianity goes south is when we start making man made laws and passing them off as God’s commandments- that’s called legalism- putting on a law on someone and saying God demands it- (standing drinking rootbeer- told not to- not law-just don’t make sense)Our tradition is to stand in worship- not a requirement- but I can’t not.Here’s the underlying problem with man made traditions that are called a law of God-It’s hypocrisy-

Hyprocrisy DefilesExternal piety doesn’t please God ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.And that’s what Jesus was calling out in the heart of these dudes- you are acting religious with your hand washing and money holding (it all belongs to God)But you guys are a bunch of hyp...

https://youtu.be/EuN0pr5_7V4

Take me back                                                                          1 Corinthians 30:1-6

Its 2020 February- and I am excited about life, new businessI left my past company I was working for 5 years I had started a new companyTwo weeks in – I owe contractor- I have a mortgage, wife, and kidsI had to draw back to the conversations I had with God.I had to encourage myself in The Lord!Take me back to yesterday when things were betterThis happens when we are come face to face with unpleasant reality- our hope is dashedAnd this is what is happening to David and the men1 Samuel 30: 1-2 - Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way“On the third day indicates that David and his men covered about twenty-five miles a day on the march south from Aphek to Ziklag, where they would have arrived tired, hungry and expecting all the comforts for a welcome home.”The Bible says “1Corinthians 30:4 -Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.Where is the reset button? – Memories come rushing in and you are in a place of desperationIt’s not a surprise that most people spend a significant part of their lives wishing that they can go back to a particular place, a certain time, a thing they said, a thing they wish they could undo, a lost love and so forthThis is where the enemy needs you, in a place of desperation – where he keeps you hostage  We end up spending useful resources trying go back to what it used to be, hence the people wanted to stone DavidOther times we try to strengthen ourselves with the skills we have or the connections we haveBut David strengthened Himself in the LORD HIS GOD!

When we get to this place, we have a choice to make

We must decideEverything has its time and Solomon puts it perfectly in Ecclesiastes 3:4 - A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to danceI Samuel 30:6 - Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was [a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his GodDavid strengthens himself, not during natural crying moment, he strengthens himself when he realized that the men, he thought were on his side were no longer for himAt that time there was truly only one who was for him and that is our LORD His GodHard thing will come our way and honestly, they will catch us off guard, we will lose strength, wail and hurt …and at point we have to draw all our strength to stop, strengthen ourselves to hear what is being said around us.And its only then that we have to make a decision…close churches or cling to the cross And at that moment, we must decide which voice to follow and believeFear or faith – you choose one – When you say yes to one thing – you are saying no to anotherDavid had to make a decision and he choose to Praise God – He strengthened himself in the LORD It’s hard the same people that went to Battle with you, are now the same people that wanted to stone himSounds like Covid times, how the enemy has been successful drawing lines in family relationship and friends – he found his perfect toolPeople that were very proud of you- they are no longer approve of you because of the stand you tookIts hurts and its unbearable – But it’s at this moment of distress that “when we call upon the name of Jesus, we are savedPsalms 46:1 - God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.Tonight,

https://youtu.be/kfR0Goipiqw

A Commission of Submission

Romans 7:1-6

7 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law [a]has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Judaism’s relationship with the Law of Moses began in a solemn covenant-ceremony performed at Mt. Sinai. Large sections of the Torah record the terms of this covenant. So for a Jew to walk away from the Torah was to violate the sacred vow they had made with God as a people. The result of that violation would be to bring upon themselves the curses contained in the covenant. No observant Jew could just decide to stop following the Law. To do so would make them nothing less than an infidel. This is the underlying issue Paul is addressing here. He wants his Jewish readers to see that following Christ is not a breach of the covenant, and the way he does this is to compare the covenant made at Sinai with a marriage covenant. The central point of the argument is this: the vows of a marriage covenant cease to be in force when one of the parties dies, and the same thing is true of the vows made at Sinai. He has just shown us that the person who puts their faith in Christ is counted in the spiritual world as having died with Him. (this was preached 2 weeks ago) As far as God and the Law are concerned that person has died and therefore is released from obligation to the Law. They are free from their vows, and its power to curse them has ended. The ultimate demand of the Law is death, and that demand has been met.

A woman who has entered into a marriage covenant cannot leave a faithful husband. Marriage is a solid, binding agreement that cannot be broken without bringing God’s judgment, unless the spouse dies. Paul explains that just as death releases a spouse to remarry, the spiritual death that takes place when a believer dies with Christ frees a Jew from their obligation to the Law. Our death with Christ is not just a mere figure of speech, but rises to the level of our own actual physical death. Nothing less than death could free a Jew from the authority of the Law, and that death took place when by faith we joined Christ in the grave.

So Paul tells these Jews, because they died with Christ the covenant made at Mt. Sinai lost its power to hold them and they are free to enter a new marriage. Their new groom is the resurrected Messiah. And just as marriage produces the fruit of children, so a believer’s marriage-like covenant will produce fruit for God. They now enter an entirely new relationship with the Law. They no longer have to fulfill it down to the smallest detail, fearing the curse it threatened. The radical change which took place in their own spirits set them free to fulfill the true intent of the law. Being married to Christ, they have the power to successfully serve and obey God. While we are not under Mosaic Law, we are not lawless.