"THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY" Do Not Be Ashamed (1:8,12) INTRODUCTION 1. Imprisoned and facing death, Paul encouraged Timothy not to be ashamed... a. Of the testimony of the Lord (i.e., the gospel, doctrines) - 2 Ti 1:8 b. Of Paul himself as a prisoner of the Lord - 2Ti 1:8 -- For Paul himself was not ashamed, nor Onesiphorus who visited him - 2Ti 1:12,16-18 2. It is important that one not be ashamed... a. Of the Lord and His gospel - cf. Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26 b. Of suffering in His name - cf. 1Pe 4:16 -- Have you ever been ashamed of Jesus? His gospel? Suffering in the name of Christ? [If you have ever been embarrassed about being a Christian, let the apostle Paul share with you the reasons why he was not ashamed. He overcame any shame...] I. BY KNOWING THE LORD A. HIS IDENTITY... 1. "I know whom I have believed..." - 2Ti 1:12 a. Paul had knowledge of the true person and identity of Jesus Christ b. This knowledge gave Paul courage to suffer any price - cf. Php 3:8 2. Who is this Jesus we follow as the Christ? a. In the words of Isaiah - Isa 9:6-7 1) Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God 2) Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace b. In the words of Peter - Mt 16:16 1) The Christ 2) The Son of the Living God c. In the words of Paul - Col 1:15-18 1) The image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation 2) By Him, through Him, and for Him were all things created 3) He is before all things, and in Him all things consist 4) He is the head of the body, the church 5) He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence! d. In the words of Jesus Himself - Re 1:10-11,17-18; 22:16 1) "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last" 2) "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore." 3) "I have the keys of Hades and of Death." 4) "I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." -- When we know our Lord's true identity, how can we ever be ashamed of Him? B. HIS FAITHFULNESS... 1. "I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." - 2Ti 1:12 a. Paul had committed his very soul to Jesus b. He was confident that Jesus was able to save him on the day of Judgment 2. How faithful, dependable, is this Jesus in Whom we trust for salvation? a. He is able to aid those who are tempted - He 2:18; cf. 1Co 10:13 b. He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him - He 7:25 c. He is able to transform our lowly bodies into glorious bodies - Php 3:21 d. He will give eternal life to those who come to Him, and nothing can snatch them out of His Father's hand - Jn 10: 28-29 -- When we know our Lord's faithfulness, how can we ever be ashamed of Him? [The more we know and appreciate our Lord, the less likelihood we would ever be ashamed of Him. The same is true regarding His Words. Again, Paul provides an example: he overcame any shame...] II. BY KNOWING THE GOSPEL A. THE POWER OF GOD... 1. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God" - Ro 1:16 a. Paul knew that the message he proclaimed was powerful b. Even though to some it might seem foolishness - cf. 1Co 1:18 2. What power is contained in the gospel of Christ? a. The power to save those who believe - Ro 1:16 b. The power to cause one to be born again - 1Pe 1:22-25 c. The power to work effectively in those who believe - 1 Th 2:13 d. The power to produce fruit in those who know and understand it - Col 1:6 -- When we know God's power in the gospel, how can we ever be ashamed of it? B. THE WISDOM OF GOD... 1. "but we preach Christ crucified...the wisdom of God" - 1Co 1:23-24 a. Paul knew that the gospel contained the wisdom of God b. Even though it contained that which was considered foolishness to Greeks 2. What wisdom is contained in the gospel of Christ? a. Wisdom beyond the ability of natural man to discern on his own - Ro 11:33 b. Wisdom hidden for ages, but now revealed to the Lord's apostles - 1Co 2:6-10 c. Wisdom that we can now learn by reading the apostles' writings - Ep 3:3-5 d. Indeed, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, especially for the truly abundant life and life eternal - Col 2:3; cf. Jn 10:10; 1Jn 5:11-13 -- When we know God's wisdom in the gospel, how can we ever be ashamed of it? CONCLUSION 1. Yes, we have very good reasons not to be ashamed... a. The Lord we serve is a great and marvelous Lord! b. His Word we proclaim is a great and marvelous message! -- All it takes is for us to be diligent in our study of such things - 2Ti 2:15 2. Here are two more good reasons we should not be ashamed... a. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren - He 2:11 b. God is not ashamed to be called our God - He 11:16 -- If They are not ashamed of us, how can we be ashamed of Them and Their Word? Do Not Be Ashamed (2 Timothy 1:8,12) Finally, our greatest concern should be whether we will be ashamed when the Lord returns: "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." - 1Jn 2:28 Are we abiding in Jesus by obedience to His Word...? - 1Jn 2:3-6; cf. Mk 16:15-16; Ga 3:26-27
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011
January 19, 2014
From Mark Copeland... Do Not Be Ashamed (2 Timothy 1:8,12)
From Jim McGuiggan... BIG, PLAIN, RICH TRUTHS
BIG, PLAIN, RICH TRUTHS
What is “sunrise”? It’s when the sun first appears
over the horizon as the result of the earth spinning on its axis. This is true
and we’re glad. But that isn’t “sunrise”! GK Chesterton would say: Sunrise is
when God says to the sun, ‘Get up!’ GKC liked dictionaries but he knew they had
real limits. They reduce everything to bare definitions but we’re not to
criticize them for that—they’re doing the best they can.
There’s a habit of thinking that reduces so much. We
can be carried away with information, explanation, definition and cognitive,
rational instruction. We need information, don’t you know, but it’s too bad
when we allow information to limit our vision to the dictionary or a grammar or
even a pursuit of correctness.
Ask Jesus about
that field of flowers and he’d say,
“Beautiful isn’t it! Solomon in all his grandeur never looked that good.
My Father
clothed that field.” He goes onto say that before you know it the
flowers will wither and be burned and yet the Father never tires of
pouring out such glory. How gloriously generous He is in his giving.
Jesus would look at sparrows and speak of his Father’s generous
and faithful provision. He’d pass a woman adding yeast to her dough and he’d think
of his Father’s kingdom and say something like, “Remind me to look at this on
our way back.” He’d see tired oxen with ill-fitting yokes that rubbed their
necks raw, dragging a plough up and down, up and down, up and down a field and
donkeys, heads down and burdens up to the sky on their backs. He sees them and
thinks of the burdens of people and how he had come to deliver them and wishes they'd come to him. He looks up
into the limitless heavens and sees them as his Holy Father’s “theater of
glory”. Everything he saw, even the sadness and hurt of the world, made
him think and speak of and act for his Father and his Father’s eternal purpose.
I’m for exegesis; I’m for the use of grammars,
lexicons, literary models, sociological insights, hermeneutical approaches—or
anything else within my reach and competence—that help us to grasp the meaning of a text, section or book. Of
course! But all the Bible study,
however rich in technique and however successful in getting at “authorial
intent”—if it doesn’t lead us to the massive subtext that lies beneath all the
verses and all the books, if it doesn’t open out eyes to life and all there is
and help us to see as Jesus saw, it’s worse than wasted time [note John 5:39]. I
don’t say I know very well how to gain such insight much less that I have
gained it to a marked degree. But I know as sure as I live that I know the kind
of writing or speaking that doesn’t carry us there.
I’ve seen more than one lovely young person carried
away by scholarship, seduced by literary and philosophical conundrums; left
close to speechlessness. Well, at least, left not knowing what to do with the
biblical witness to feed the people of God. Every text and even the Bible
itself, becomes problematic; every biblical claim has to be rigidly scrutinized
in the heady realm of academia before the scholar can make use of it for Church-feeding—especially
in the presence of his scholarly peers. And while they talk to each other
the People of God starve [or are left to the ceaseless and banal moralizing
that passes for Church-feeding or to the rigidly religious with their
exhaustive blueprints, slide-rules and books on logic placed in the church pews for the listeners to become acquainted with].
One of the leading gurus of a generation or two ago,
one who specialized in the biblical Wisdom literature, ended up believing in
virtually nothing distinctively Hebrew/Christian though his understanding
of OT biblical texts is still highly regarded. Sigh! We can end up “correct” or
seriously seeking to be and end up clinically depressed or without convictions
or hope—ceaselessly on the probe for intellectual consistency and "integrity"; worshipping at the shrine of the goddess, Knowing All.
We all begin with some “givens”; with convictions we
take as the foundation of whatever we’re going to build on them. Everyone
does! There's no getting to a place where we can prove beyond debate and with
“geometrical certainty” what we believe. The ceaseless search for indisputable
truth is a
losing game. God hasn't left us in the dark or short of truth and
there's something sinister about our insatiable hunger to make our
claims academically respectable.
Look for, ask people to help you find, ask God to
provide the help you need to find the big, plain, rich truths the Bible offers
and makes much of. Find those, purposing to throw in the stubborn ounces of
your weight into God’s glorious and loving purpose toward humanity and
cheerfully march on under the banner of Jesus Christ.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.
From Ben Fronczek... Grow Up!
Grow Up!
Most people like babies including baby
animals, like kittens, puppies, baby lambs, goats and even baby cows.
There is just something about them that’s adorable and cute. But
something would not be right if babies stayed babies, if puppies stayed
puppies, and if baby cows just stayed calves. All living things are
meant to grow and mature into something God meant them to be as they
grow older.
The same is true for each of us
spiritually. After we are born again, after we exit the waters of
Baptism we are referred to as a babe in Christ. Not only is our slate
wiped clean of all past sin, we know little about being a Christian.
Something is expected to happen as time goes on, it is only natural for
us to grow and mature into something very special, something God
designed us to be.
As I thought about this, I thought about my
role here as a teacher and preacher. What is my job here? Is it my job
to entertain you each week with a good sermon and Bible study? Is it my
job to intrigue you or tickle your ears with something you do not know
or have not heard before? Am I just a point man, someone to lead the
pack or in this case this congregation? As I thought about it I
realized it, it’s not my job to entertain you or tickle your ears with
new trivia, or intrigue you, and I am definitely not the leader or
kingpin of this church; that’s Jesus’ role.
So what’s my job here? Yes it is to preach,
yes it is to teach, but not to entertain you or tickle your ears, but
rather to feed you up to a point, and to encourage you grow and mature
and do that which our Lord has so designed you to do as an individual in His Kingdom..
Just like there comes a point in it life
where a berry bush brings forth berries and an apple tree bears apples,
and a cows produces milk, Christians are meant to grow and mature to a
point where they bear some kind of fruit.
Napoleon once pointed to a map of China and said, “There lies a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be unstoppable.” Likewise I could say, “The church in the United States is a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be unstoppable.”
Millions attend their different churches each Sunday, and that is
about as far as their faith takes them. There is simply no doubt that if
all church members were as active as Christ calls them to be, the
church could reshape our world and our culture. Oh how wonderful it would be!
According to a Gallup survey only 10% of
American church members are active in any kind of ministry. That’s why I
consider the church a sleeping giant. World-wide too many members are
sitting on their hands.
Even sadder is the fact that the Gallup
survey said that 50% of church members have no interest in serving in
any ministry at all. Think about that! Half of all church members say
that they simply want to remain spectators. When asked to serve in a
ministry, they say, “I just don’t feel led to get involved.”
After I heard those statistics I could not
help but consider or think of a couple of possible reasons why this is
so – a couple of reasons why Christians don’t want get involved in any
way or form. Here is a couple of thoughts I came up with…
#1. These members simply don’t know and
love Jesus enough. They want Him as a personal savior, but do not act
like He is their Lord. They want what He is willing give, but aren’t
moved serve Him and give back in return.
#2. Another reason why Christians may not
want to get involved is because many preachers, teachers, and elders or
shepherds aren’t doing a good job at what they should be doing. In other
words these members aren’t being fed what they need in order to grow
and mature in the faith. And even if members are being properly taught,
maybe church leaders aren’t encourage their more mature members enough
to get out there and do something!! Like a mama bird pushes it’s baby
out of it’s nest to encourages it to fly on its own, over and over the
New Testament instructs members to get out and get involved in some kind
of ministry.
Read 1 Peter 4:7-11
“7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each
of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as
faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If
anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of
God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him
be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
Peter tells these early Christians to pray,
Love each other deeply, offer hospitality. He said, use whatever gift
you have to serve others. In doing so you administer
God’s grace to others. In other words, God uses members of the church
to personally bless others when we use the abilities He gave us.
Each of us have God given abilities. You
may not be able to teach or preach, but maybe you can cook, maybe you
can make or fix things, maybe you entertain, or visit, or maybe you like
to talk on the phone, or maybe you are good at listening. Everybody
can’t do what you can do. God gave you those abilities for a reason. And
not only that, God gave us the ability to learn new talents. Many of
those talent and abilities were given to you not only for your own
benefit, but also for the benefit of others, and to glorify our God.
Now I want to read to you from Romans 12:3-11
“3 Because
of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you
this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest
in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God
has given us] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In
his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things
well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as
much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If
your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give
generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the
responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to
others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
Strong word here from Paul! Don’t get a big
head because we are all part of the body, the church, and we belong to
one another. Just like a family should depend on one another when in
need, so too we have a responsibility to help one another if the need
arises. Like Peter, Paul said we are to use our abilities, or talents or
gifts to serve others. If it is teaching, teach, if it is encouraging,
encourage, if it is leading, lead etc.. He ends this sections by saying
what? That we should not be lazy but work hard and serve our self and
make lots of money? No! He told Christians to work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. God
has so ordained that each Christian should us those talent He has give
us to His glory Special note: Don’t judge others because they can’t do
something as well as you ro what you consider easy. That just may be
your gift and not theirs.
I would like to read to you another verse from Ephesians 4:11-16
“11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors(or shepherds) and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until
we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and
forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching
and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the
mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From
him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its
work.”
So from this verse do you see what my job,
and what our responsibility as Elders is? Very specifically, to equip
you for works of service.
The Amplified Bible puts it this way:
“11 And
His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some
to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers
and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling
missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers. 12 His
intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His
consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering
toward building up Christ’s body (the church),”
I believe that beyond God’s intention to
save us by the blood of His one and only Son, He wanted to bring us into
a nurturing body of believers to be trained and equipped so that we
could in turn grow up and mature. Then as Peter puts it in chapter 2 of
his first letter, we are then to become a “holy priesthood, offering up
spiritual sacrifices and service acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.” (Each of us are to become one of His ministers.)
I feel like I’ve done my best over the
years to teach what I feel is some of the most important things I’ve
learned in scripture in addition to the Saving work of Jesus. And that
is to trust in our Lord with all your heart, to trust in His love for
you, and to believe that God has promised that He will work all things
out for our best interest. And also the fact that we have no need to be
afraid, because God is so near to us, watching over us, ready to guide
us. He wants to commune with us. The Christian religion is not just
about feeling like you have to go to church and do this or that, rather,
the Christian religion is all about the close relationship you can have
and enjoy with our God, as we walk together and serve one another.
So my challenge for you this day as a
teacher and preacher of God’s word, and as an elder, is to look at
yourself and consider how God has blessed you. Consider what talent or
abilities you have and then consider how you can start serving Him.
Don’t be part of that 90% who choose not to get involved and serve in
any way or form. I guarantee, if you look for the open doors of
opportunity God will show them to you. I just hope that you love Him
enough to serve Him. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to jump out
of the nest little bird and see what it is like to fly and soar with
Him.
From Jim McGuiggan... HELP ME GIVE IT UP
HELP ME GIVE IT UP
This is
a particularly difficult thing to speak about at this time. I don’t need to
develop the reason right now other than to say that the body and mind of a very
dear friend and a great man of God is under attack. I mention the difficulty of
speaking about it only so that you won’t think I’m being glib!
Life is
and should be precious to us. We see and feel that truth in a million ways
don’t we. And why wouldn’t it be this way for most of us? This means that even
Christians who believe in life with Christ after death are loath to leave this
place with all its warm relationships and sheer pleasure.
Yes, we
cheerfully sing, “This World is Not My Home” but it’s the only home we’ve known
all our lives and it is God’s gift to us so how could we not, at some level,
regret leaving it. Bless me, even at airports when our beloved is leaving for a
longish period there are tears and hugs, almost a refusal to let them go.
Should it be surprising that we express the fear of “loss” of them in the
feverish way we try to prolong their life when it seems clear they are heading
out of our lives.
Still,
in our bones we know we can’t put off the day forever. It’s appointed! Wouldn’t
it be fine if we (not just the dying one—but the family and friends) were so
shaped and assured that we could “give them up” in an assured and glorious way?
Not in a
life-denying way, mark you, but doing it after we have (as Robert Browning put
it) “earned” our death by living life to the full in joyful integrity. There are
things worth dying for and there is a time when it’s okay to “lay
yourself down with a will,” as Robert Louis Stevenson expressed it.
In the
movie, El Cid lies mortally wounded with an arrow deep in his chest. He’s sure
to die but his adoring wife wants to prolong it by mere hours by having the
arrow removed even though it will weaken him. He resists her pleas because he
must address the army that has lost heart because they think he’s dead and
think they will have to face the enemy without him. He keeps the arrow and
speeds his death so that he can do something worthy of his having lived—a life
he has lived so well and honorably. He tenderly tells her, “You can’t save
my life. You must help me to give it up.”
We all
need that kind of help. When Death comes calling, and will not this time go
away without us, we need friends and family to help us give it up in a way
that’s appropriate. There aren’t many scenes more impressive than those where
vibrant faith in Jesus Christ is facing death with assured sorrow.
But long
before we’re on our deathbeds we need that kind of help. We need
people to help us not to hoard the life we’ve been given. We desperately need
help to keep us from spending it selfishly on our own ease and we need people
around us who will help us to be generous with it.
During a
dangerous viral outbreak a husband didn’t want his doctor wife to put their
life together at risk by getting involved. Who can’t understand that? But who
can’t be thrilled and pleased by her response? She told him, “I love you with
all of my heart, my dear, but you mustn’t make it hard for me to do what’s
right.”
She was
telling him, “Help me give it up.”
And then
there was the One who faced the most momentous moment in his life and he called
on three of his dear friends to come with him to a garden and help him give it
up.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.
From Mark Copeland... Death, Life, And Immortality (2 Timothy 1:10)
"THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY" Death, Life, And Immortality (1:10) INTRODUCTION 1. In Paul's last epistle, written shortly before his death, Timothy is encouraged to remain steadfast and not be ashamed of the gospel - 2Ti 1:8-12 2. In his words are things that have been of interest throughout the history of mankind... a. Death, life, and immortality b. Upon which the appearing of Jesus Christ has made great impact - 2Ti 1:10 [What the coming of Jesus has done in regards to death, life, and immortality should be of interest to all who have ever contemplated them. Let's examine what Christ has indeed done, beginning with death...] I. JESUS CHRIST HAS ABOLISHED DEATH A. WHICH KIND OF DEATH HAS JESUS ABOLISHED...? 1. There is physical death a. Which occurs when the spirit and body are separated - cf. Ja 2:26 b. Which began when Adam and Eve lost access to the tree of life - Gen 3:22-24 2. There is spiritual death a. Which occurs when the spirit and God are separated - cf. Isa 59:1-2 b. Which happens because of sin - Ro 6:23 B. JESUS HAS ABOLISHED SPIRITUAL DEATH... 1. Through His death on the cross! - Ro 5:6-10 a. Providing justification (freedom from guilt) b. Providing reconciliation (bringing us back to God) 2. When one accepts the gift of Christ's death, spiritual death is abolished! - 2Co 5:18-6:2 a. The gospel is a ministry of reconciliation b. God was in Christ seeking to reconcile man back to Him c. To be reconciled, we must receive the grace of God C. JESUS WILL ABOLISH PHYSICAL DEATH... 1. Again, through His death on the cross - He 2:14-15 a. Through death He overcame the one who the power of death b. Through death He released us from the bondage of death c. Thus Christians need not fear death - e.g., Php 1:19-23 2. But also through His resurrection - Ac 2:23-24; 1Co 15:20-26 a. God loosed the "pains of death" to raise up Jesus; but Christ is only the beginning b. When He comes again, He will totally abolish death! - cf. 1Co 15:50-58 [Spiritual death is abolished when one turns to the Lord. Physical death will be abolished when the Lord returns and raises the dead. This leads naturally to our next point for consideration...] II. JESUS CHRIST HAS BROUGHT LIFE AND IMMORTALITY TO LIGHT A. IS "LIFE AND IMMORTALITY" A HENDIADYS...? 1. Definition of 'hendiadys' (No, not some cross between a chicken and insect ) a. Literally, "one through two" b. "the expression of an idea by the use of usually two independent words connected by and (as nice and warm) instead of the usual combination of independent word and its modifier (as nicely warm)" - Merriam-Webster 2. If so, then "life and immortality" means "immortal life" 3. No way to be sure, so we'll look at both nouns separately B. JESUS HAS BROUGHT LIFE TO LIGHT... 1. This pertains to the "eternal life" or "abundant life", not simply existence - Jn 10:10 2. Jesus has shed light on eternal life as a present possession a. The relationship one can have with the Father and the Son - Jn 17:1-3 b. A quality of life that one can enjoy even in this life - 1Jn 5:11-13,20 3. Jesus has shed light on eternal life as a future hope a. A promise of an existence we have yet to receive - Tit 1:2 b. A gift to receive at the end, following the Judgment - Ro 6: 22-23; Mt 25:46 C. JESUS HAS BROUGHT IMMORTALITY TO LIGHT... 1. The word immortality (aphtharsia) means "incorruption, perpetuity" - Thayer 2. The Scriptures use the word (or its adjective, aphthartos) to describe: a. God - Ro 1:23; 1Ti 1:17 b. The Word of God - 1Pe 1:23 c. Our inheritance in heaven - 1Pe 1:4 d. A meek and quiet spirit, metaphorically spoken of as incorruptible apparel - 1Pe 3:4 3. It is also used to describe the resurrected body of the righteous - 1Co 15:50-54 a. Pagan philosophers frequently applied it to soul, but never to the body b. This is a 'mystery' the gospel brings to 'light', that one day our souls will be given incorruptible bodies (i.e., put on immortality) c. This will occur at the resurrection, when Jesus completely abolishes death! CONCLUSION 1. The truth about death, life, and immortality has been brought to light through the gospel - 2Ti 1:10 2. Jesus wanted this 'gospel' (good news) proclaimed to every one - cf. Mk 16:15 a. That all might benefit from the blessings available through His death, resurrection and return! b. A new life in Christ now, no longer experiencing spiritual death c. A strong hope in the life to come, overcoming physical death through immortal bodies Have you responded to the gospel of Christ in order to receive these benefits both present and future...? - cf. Mk 16:16; Ac 2:38; Ro 6:3-8
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011
From Gary... Bible Reading January 19
Bible Reading
January 19
The World English Bible
Jan.
19
Genesis
19
Gen
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of
Sodom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them. He bowed himself with
his face to the earth,
Gen
19:2 and he said, "See now, my lords, please turn aside into
your servant's house, stay all night, wash your feet, and you will
rise up early, and go on your way." They said, "No, but we
will stay in the street all night."
Gen
19:3 He urged them greatly, and they came in with him, and entered
into his house. He made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and
they ate.
Gen
19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of
Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from
every quarter.
Gen
19:5 They called to Lot, and said to him, "Where are the men
who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us, that we may have
sex with them."
Gen
19:6 Lot went out to them to the door, and shut the door after him.
Gen
19:7 He said, "Please, my brothers, don't act so wickedly.
Gen
19:8 See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them
out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only don't
do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of
my roof."
Gen
19:9 They said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This
one fellow came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a
judge. Now will we deal worse with you, than with them!" They
pressed hard on the man Lot, and drew near to break the door.
Gen
19:10 But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the
house to them, and shut the door.
Gen
19:11 They struck the men who were at the door of the house with
blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to
find the door.
Gen
19:12 The men said to Lot, "Do you have anybody else here?
Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whoever you have in the
city, bring them out of the place:
Gen
19:13 for we will destroy this place, because the outcry against
them has grown great before Yahweh that Yahweh has sent us to destroy
it."
Gen
19:14 Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged
to marry his daughters, and said, "Get up! Get out of this
place, for Yahweh will destroy the city." But he seemed to his
sons-in-law to be joking.
Gen
19:15 When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying,
"Get up! Take your wife, and your two daughters who are here,
lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city."
Gen
19:16 But he lingered; and the men grabbed his hand, his wife's
hand, and his two daughters' hands, Yahweh being merciful to him; and
they took him out, and set him outside of the city.
Gen
19:17 It came to pass, when they had taken them out, that he said,
"Escape for your life! Don't look behind you, and don't stay
anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be
consumed!"
Gen
19:18 Lot said to them, "Oh, not so, my lord.
Gen
19:19 See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you
have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in
saving my life. I can't escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake
me, and I die.
Gen
19:20 See now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one.
Oh let me escape there (isn't it a little one?), and my soul will
live."
Gen
19:21 He said to him, "Behold, I have granted your request
concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of
which you have spoken.
Gen
19:22 Hurry, escape there, for I can't do anything until you get
there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
Gen
19:23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
Gen
19:24 Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire
from Yahweh out of the sky.
Gen
19:25 He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants
of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.
Gen
19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a
pillar of salt.
Gen
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had
stood before Yahweh.
Gen
19:28 He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land
of the plain, and looked, and saw that the smoke of the land went up
as the smoke of a furnace.
Gen
19:29 It happened, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that
God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the
overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
Gen
19:30 Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his
two daughters with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived
in a cave with his two daughters.
Gen
19:31 The firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old,
and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us after the manner
of all the earth.
Gen
19:32 Come, let's make our father drink wine, and we will lie with
him, that we may preserve our father's seed."
Gen
19:33 They made their father drink wine that night: and the
firstborn went in, and lay with her father. He didn't know when she
lay down, nor when she arose.
Gen
19:34 It came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said to
the younger, "Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us
make him drink wine again, tonight. You go in, and lie with him, that
we may preserve our father's seed."
Gen
19:35 They made their father drink wine that night also. The younger
went and lay with him. He didn't know when she lay down, nor when she
got up.
Gen
19:36 Thus both of Lot's daughters were with child by their father.
Gen
19:37 The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab. He is the father
of the Moabites to this day.
Gen
19:38 The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben Ammi. He
is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.
Jan. 19, 20
Matthew 10
Mat 10:1 He called to
himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every
sickness.
Mat 10:2 Now the names
of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called
Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his
brother;
Mat 10:3 Philip;
Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of
Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Mat 10:4 Simon the
Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Mat 10:5 Jesus sent
these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, "Don't go among
the Gentiles, and don't enter into any city of the Samaritans.
Mat 10:6 Rather, go to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mat 10:7 As you go,
preach, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!'
Mat 10:8 Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so
freely give.
Mat 10:9 Don't take any
gold, nor silver, nor brass in your money belts.
Mat 10:10 Take no bag
for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the
laborer is worthy of his food.
Mat 10:11 Into whatever
city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and stay
there until you go on.
Mat 10:12 As you enter
into the household, greet it.
Mat 10:13 If the
household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn't
worthy, let your peace return to you.
Mat 10:14 Whoever
doesn't receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house
or that city, shake off the dust from your feet.
Mat 10:15 Most
certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
Mat 10:16 "Behold,
I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17 But beware of
men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their
synagogues they will scourge you.
Mat 10:18 Yes, and you
will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a
testimony to them and to the nations.
Mat 10:19 But when they
deliver you up, don't be anxious how or what you will say, for it
will be given you in that hour what you will say.
Mat 10:20 For it is not
you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Mat 10:21 "Brother
will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children
will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 You will be
hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end
will be saved.
Mat 10:23 But when they
persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I
tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until
the Son of Man has come.
Mat 10:24 "A
disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25 It is enough
for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like
his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how
much more those of his household!
Mat 10:26 Therefore
don't be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not
be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.
Mat 10:27 What I tell
you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered
in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.
Mat 10:28 Don't be
afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.
Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in
Gehenna.
Mat 10:29 "Aren't
two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the
ground apart from your Father's will,
Mat 10:30 but the very
hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31 Therefore
don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
Mat 10:32 Everyone
therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before
my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 10:33 But whoever
denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in
heaven.
Mat 10:34 "Don't
think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn't come to send
peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I came to
set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her
mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Mat 10:36 A man's foes
will be those of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He who loves
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves
son or daughter more than me isn't worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 He who
doesn't take his cross and follow after me, isn't worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He who seeks
his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will
find it.
Mat 10:40 He who
receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who
sent me.
Mat 10:41 He who
receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's
reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous
man will receive a righteous man's reward.
Mat 10:42 Whoever gives
one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the
name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose
his reward."
From Gary... Who you know
OK, I have no idea what this church is, because the sign has been
blurred. However, its message is clear and worth remembering. Not
everyone will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You can't just believe any
old thing, you need to have a relationship with Jesus. A relationship
of more than mere words; one of obedience to the teachings of God's
son. Jesus puts it this way...
Matthew, Chapter 7
21 Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many
will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name,
in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ 23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
24 “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. 25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
24 “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. 25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Simply put: Be wise, listen, learn and obey. It is the wise thing to do!!!
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