Background Passage: Exodus 13:17–15:21
Lesson Passages:  Exodus 13:17-18; 14:9-18,31

LESSON PASSAGES OUTLINE
1. Following Where God Directs (Ex. 13:17-18)
2. Standing Firm When Fears Arise (Ex. 14:9-14)
3. Obeying What God Commands (Ex. 14:15-18)
4. Attesting What God Accomplishes (Ex. 14:31)

BIBLICAL TRUTH
God wants His people to persevere in their faith and encourages them about how they can do so.

LIFE GOAL
To help adults persevere in their faith in God

Galatians 1:6-10

1:6. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
1:7. which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
1:8. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
1:9. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
1:10. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
–NKJ

This passage picks up right after Pauls opening greeting to the Galatian church, and where he has come to them with Jesus as the sole authority behind his message. He cuts right to the problem the people were having with falling away from their faith.

Read More…

Deuteronomy 4:1-14

4:1. “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you.
4:2. “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
–NKJ

Let’s look at some keywords in this passage. Listen, observe, live, possess, given, add, take, keep, and command. If you notice, these are all verbs. All but two are things that we humans are to do. The others are A promise from God and his command that this is true, and the right things he wants for us.

God is speaking to the nation of Israel as they are about to enter the promised land. They have been wandering in their sins in the desert, and are on the threshold of something good. It is a message that we can still experience in our own parallel lives. We get into a rut of daily drudgery, but that isn’t what God wants for us. At some point he gets our attention. Are you out there, blaming God, or going through thoughts of doubt. Good, that means that thoughts of God are going through your mind. He has blessings and promises he wants to give.

Read More…

Matthew 3:13-17

3:13. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
3:14. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
3:15. But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
3:16. Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
3:17. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
–NKJ

One of the few sacraments of the Christian church is Baptism. What is a sacrament? It is an action that has deep religious meaning attached to it. The act should be considered an act of worship, and an expression that demonstrates our faith.

Baptism completes our faith. The word complete can also be said as finish, or perfection, or fulfillment. It puts the final touch to our coming to terms with who Jesus is, and the acceptance of his payment for us, and our salvation into his kingdom. It marks the moment of the time when we begin our life, dedicated to his service. It is a personal statement, and is why Baptists don’t believe in baptizing babies. How can you put a seal of completion on a work that hasn’t been done yet? Babies can and should be dedicated, but that is a commitment that is more for the parents to dedicate themselves to raise their child according to the teachings of the Bible.

How important is Baptism? Even Jesus went to be baptized as he left his former life as a carpenter and began his service of teaching and healing. John the Baptist recognized Jesus as more than being just a regular man. He was surprised and even reluctant to baptize him.

Baptism is a matter of putting the seal on your faith. It isn’t a matter of being worthy. It isn’t a magical ritual that washes you any cleaner than another. It isn’t a magical charm against falling into evil. In fact, as soon as Jesus came up from his Baptism, the next passage tells about how he faced temptation.

John’s preaching had brought the message to the people to, “repent and be baptized to prepare the way of the Lord.” Baptism comes at that moment when we turn our backs on our former lifestyle. It marks the time when we have discovered our wrong doing, face towards God, and begin a life where we do things to honor God. Jesus may have been a special man, one without sin, but at this moment he turned away from his work, family, and lifestyle to turn entirely towards God and live according to the mission that God had for him.

God is pleased to see believers make this statement of faith. He had a special message for Jesus when he was baptized. Some people have a fear of water, or of the ordeal of beingplaced under water, and having faith they will be brought up without problem. God knows those concerns and to overcome those kinds of obstacles is all that much more a demonstration of faith and symbol of the dedication to him that a person has.

Why not sprinkle? Does a person have to be emmerwsed in water? The word Baptize itself means to dip. Discriptions of baptisms in the Bible all indicate being emmersed under water. I won’t debate the merits of sprinkling over emmersion, or the other way around. There is nothing magical about the water. It doesn’t have to be holy water, any water will do. With that in mind, the important thing is that once a believer wants to complete the demonstration of their faith, don’t hold them back. Baptize them with what ever water is handy. The attitude of worship is the important thing, not the ceremony, water, or method.

If I’m Baptized do I need to leave my life behind and become a preacher or teacher? Not necessarily. It means that all sinful elements of our life need to be put behind us. Replace those activities with ones that please God. If God is calling you to a particular work, then by all means, drop any activity that might keep you from it.

Use Jesus as your model. Whether you feel worthy to be baptized or not, it is the sacrament that is right to do in worship, and to let others know of your changed life.

Matthew 16:15-19

16:15. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16:16. And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
16:17. Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
16:18. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
16:19. “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
–NKJ

The events leading up to this passage has Jesus talking to his disciples and asking them what others are saying about him. The disciples named off a few prophets. Most people, even today will concede that Jesus was at least a great teacher and prophet. Jesus doesn’t stop there, next he gets personal.

Deciding who Jesus is, and what he is all about is a personal decision. You can’t take what others are saying and claim it as your own. At some point you have to turn to him face to face, and decide for yourself. Who is Jesus to you? He is who he is, and you can’t mold him into your own convenient god. Until you come to understand who he is, as Peter did, the rest of this passage can hold no meaning to you.

Now, in this passage Peter steps up as the spokesmen for the disciples. I’m sure they were silently deciding the matter and arriving at their own, similar conclusions. In simple terms, Peter claimed that he believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Christ. Also that Jesus was the son of God. Doesn’t that seem like such a no brainer? But is it? Think about all those times when the disciples had to pull Jesus aside to explain a parable. Even as late as the day Jesus ascended to heaven, ten days before Pentecost they were unsure of what would happen next.

Jesus knew all about the thick heads of his students and acknowledged that this revelation of truth could only be known because it came from God. Look at what Jesus does. He addresses Peter directly. He answered him, not he answered them. Each individual has to come to make his own decision. Each individual gets a personal responce.

Due to his desire to seek after Jesus, and his new discovery by God, Peter is given his new name which means rock. Though he might only be just a little rock, he would be the beginnings of the foundation that the rest of the house of Jesus will be built upon.

The shape and strength of a building’s foundation determine the shape the building will take. Peter was being given the keys of the kingdom to unlock a little of what heaven is like here on earth. The traditions he started are to continue their patterns all through the building that would come. The things that he restricted would become the taboos of the church that would later come.

Ask that God will reveal Jesus to you so you can believe and be a part of his kingdom. As believers, we have our own part of the building. Much of the shape of the building has already been set in place. There’s still room to fit in and be part of the finished structure. The rocks of the foundation are way different from the shingles that cover the top of the roof, but all parts of the building are needed and important. There’s a place that is empty and waiting for you to fill it in.

Come face to face with Jesus. Ask God to reveal the secret of who Jesus is as his son and savior of the human race. He has a key for you as well to unlock your part of his kingdom. Get involved and be part of his building, his church, his body of believers. Through fellowship in a body of believers, start today to discover what the keys of the kingdom will unlock.

Genesis 12:1-3

12:1. Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.
12:2. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
12:3. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
–NKJ

God is good. He has a plan. Maybe Abram didn’t fully know what it was to be, but he knew that God was about to use him, and bless him in a big way. I like the way it appears in the original Hebrew grammar. Using double words to show the emphasis on the actions that Abram is to do, and the actions that God will do.

GEN 12:1 And said, Yahweh to Abram, “to walk to walk from your land, and from your birthplace,
and from house of your father, unto the land which I show you.
GEN 12:2 And I’ll make you into a nation great, and I’ll bless you,
and I’ll enlarge you, your name, and you’ll be a prosperity.
GEN 12:3 And I’ll bless you, and from blessing you, and from you acutely curse,
and please to bless them, in you, all, families, of the earth.

Now you can appreciate your nifty, easy to read, English translation a little better.

Because of the context that this incident takes place, and the grammar style, the English version comes out slightly different. Here’s why. Abram was told to leave, or walk and walk, away from his country and family. Literally the word can mean birthplace, but the land where Abram was living was not the place where he was born. Several years earlier, he and his entire family transplanted themselves there. So the correct sense this word means is to leave the country that he was living, and to leave the family who he was born among. Abram was being commanded to strike out on his own. Abram was to leave his father’s household because God wanted his entire blessing to be channeled through Abram alone.

For that total dedication, God would do a few things for Abram. He would be made into a great nation. The word nation is actually a borrowed word. It was normally used to indicate a foreign nation, because the Hebrew people at the time were so small, it was inconceivable that they might have numbers so large as some of the neighboring, foreign nations. Abram was to become a great name, and be blessed. The words for great and enlarge come from similar root words. Also the words for bless and prosperity come from similar root words. But wait, there’s more words about blessing.

Although the actual phrase reads, “And I’ll bless you, and from blessing you, and from you acutely curse,” the thing that God is really saying here is that he is bestowing a tremendous blessing on Abram, one that will spill out from him and bless all those around him. Then if anybody should hold a grudge and deserve a curse poured out on their head, it is given to Abram to have authority to do so. The follow up phrase, “and please to bless them,” shows that it is actually Gods pleasure and desire to bless all the families of the earth.

When we follow the will of God, we also are granted blessings, even to the point of being a blessing to those around us. The source of those blessings come from God.

Have you ever been in a situation where your world seemed to be falling apart, yet your life reflected joy? So much so that other people noticed and had to stop and ask, “How do you do it? With all that is happening to you, you don’t seem to let it ruffle you. I’d be falling to pieces if it were me?” Maybe you have never been the joyful person in that scene. Maybe it’s been you who have asked that question to someone else. The answer is simple. That joyful person isn’t doing it. They aren’t strong. There is no joy except what comes from God. You follow and do his will, and he carries you. You focus on him and he outshines the troubles of the world. It’s his joy pouring into you, and overflowing out of you to others.

There’s one more concept here. I’ll be as brief as possible. In English versions it seems to state that God will bless any others who bless Abram, and curse any who would curse him. The original language seems to be saying that God is a one way channel of blessing. A source from where only blessings can come. The mention of cursing others seems to make Abram the source of the curse that might come. It is almost as if God is saying, “I’m going to bless and bless, and there will be so much overflow that others will be blessed. But if in all this blessing, if somebody crosses your path who you feel deserves a sharply bitter curse, go ahead and I’ll back you up.” The source of curses towards other humans comes from other humans.

Using Abram’s example, he found himself in various conflicts. After traveling to his promised lands he continued to Egypt where his wife was taken from him. He never broke down and claimed a curse upon the land or people. He had conflict with his nephew Lot and between their shepherds. Abram chose to resolve the conflict in a peaceable way and not to place curses. Take time to look for other events in Abram’s life and notice the lack of curses when he might easily have done so. God gives us that same set of blessings, curses, and the choice to make our own decisions.

Just because a power is within our ability, doesn’t mean we have to act that way. Show grace and choose to not curse others. God’s preference is to be a blessing to all the wworld, keep his preference and keep extending grace and blessing to others.

Andrew Murray

XIII.

1 Corinthians 15: 24-28.–”Then cometh the end, when He shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put
down all rule, and all authority and power. For He must reign till He hath
put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith, All
things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put
all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then
shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him, that God may be all in
all.”

This will be the grand conclusion of the great drama of the world’s
history, and of Christ’s redemption. There will come a day–the glory is
such we can form no Read More…

Andrew Murray

XI.

John 4: 50.–And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto
him.

Let me quote from the Gospel according to St. John, the 4th chapter,
beginning at the 46th verse: “So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee,
where He made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son
was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come up out of Judea
into Galilee, he went unto Him, and besought Him that He would come down
and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto
him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” There you have
the word “believe” the first time. “The nobleman saith unto Him, Sir, come
down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth.
And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went
his way.” There you have that word the second time. “And as he was now
going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said
unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father
knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy
son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house.” There you have the
word “faith”.

This story has often been used to illustrate the different steps of faith
in the spiritual life. It was this use made of it in an address that
brought the sainted Canon Battersby into the full enjoyment of rest. He had
been a most godly man, but had lived the life of failure. He saw in the
story what it was to rest on the Word and trust the saving power of Jesus,
and from that night he was a changed man. He went home to testify of it,
and under God, he was allowed to originate the Keswick Convention.

Let me point out to you the three aspects of faith which we have here:
first, faith seeking; then, faith finding; and then, faith enjoying. Or,
still better: faith struggling; faith resting; faith triumphing. First of
all, faith struggling. Here is a man, a heathen, a nobleman, who has heard
about Christ. He has a dying son at Capernaum, and in his extremity leaves
his home, and walks some six or seven hours away to Cana of Galilee. He
has heard of the Prophet, possibly, as one who has made water wine; he has
heard of His other miracles round Capernaum, and he has a certain trust
that Jesus will be able to help him. He goes to Him, and his prayer is that
the Lord will come down to Capernaum and heal his son. Christ said to him,
“Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” He saw that the
nobleman wanted Him to come and stand beside the child. This man had not
the faith of the centurion–”Only speak a word.” He had faith. It was faith
that came from hearsay, and it was faith that did, to a certain extent,
hope in Christ; but it was not the faith in Christ’s power such as Christ
desired. Still Christ accepted and met this faith. After the Lord had thus
told him what He wished–a faith that could fully trust Him–the nobleman
cried the second time, “Sir, come down ere my child die.” Seeing his
earnestness and his trust, Christ said, “Go thy way; thy son liveth.” And
then we read that the nobleman believed. He believed, and he went his way.
He believed the word that Jesus had spoken. In that he rested and was
content. And he went away without having any other pledge than the word of
Jesus. As he was walking homeward, the servants met him, to tell him his
son lived. He asked at what hour he began to amend. And when they told him,
he knew it was at the very hour that Jesus had been speaking to him. He
had at first a faith that was seeking, and struggling, and searching for
blessing; then he had a faith that accepted the blessing simply as it was
contained in the word of Jesus. When Christ said, “Thy son liveth,” he was
content, and went home, and found the blessing–the son restored.

Then came the third step in his faith. He believed with his whole house.
That is to say, he did not only believe that Christ could do just this one
thing, the healing of his son; but he believed in Christ as his Lord. He
gave himself up entirely to be a disciple of Jesus. And that not only
alone, but with his whole house. Many Christians are like the nobleman.
They have heard about a better life. They have met certain individuals by
whose Christian lives they have been impressed, and consequently have felt
that Christ can do wonderful things for a man. Many Christians say in their
heart, “I am sure there is a better life for me to live; how I wish I could
be brought to that blessed state!” But they have not much hope about it.
They have read, and prayed, but they have found everything so difficult, If
you ask them, “Do you believe Jesus can help you to live this higher life?”
they say, “Yes; He is omnipotent.” If you ask, “Do you believe Jesus wishes
to do it?” they say, “Yes, I know He is loving.” And if you say, “Do you
believe that He will do it for you?” they at once say, “I know He is
willing, but whether He will actually do it for me I do not know. I am not
sure that I am prepared. I do not know if I am advanced enough. I do
not know if I have enough grace for that.” And so they are hungering,
struggling, wrestling, and often remain unblessed. This state of things
sometimes goes on for years–they are expecting to see signs and wonders,
and hoping that God, by a miracle, will put them all right. They are just
like the Israelites; they limit the Holy One of Israel. Have you ever
noticed that it is the very people whom God has blessed so wonderfully
who do that? What did the Israelites say? “God hath provided water in the
wilderness. But can He provide the table in the wilderness? We do not think
He can.” And so we find believers who say, “Yes, God has done wonders. The
whole of redemption is a wonder, and God has done wonders for some whom I
know. But will God take one so feeble as I, and put me entirely right?” The
struggling and wrestling and seeking are the beginnings of faith in you–a
faith that desires and hopes. But it must go on further. And how can that
faith advance? Look at the second step. There is the nobleman, and Christ
speaks to him this wonderful word: “Go thy way; thy son liveth;” and the
nobleman simply rests upon that word of the living Jesus. He rests on it,
and without any proof of what he is to get, and without one man in the
world to encourage him. He goes away home with the thought, “I have
received the blessing I sought; I have got life from the dead for my son.
The living Christ promised it me, and on that I rest.” The struggling,
seeking faith has become a resting faith. The man has entered into rest
about his son.

And now, dear believers, this is the one thing God asks you to do: God has
said that in Christ you have eternal life, the more abundant life; Christ
has said to you, “I live, and ye shall live also.” The Word says to us that
Christ is our Peace, our Victory over every enemy, who leads us into the
rest of God. These are the words of God, and His message has come to us
that Christ can do for us what Moses could not have done. Moses had no
Christ to live in him. But it is told you that you can have what Moses had
not; you can have a living Christ within you. And are you going to believe
that, apart from any experience, and apart from any consciousness of
strength? If the peace of God is to rule in your heart, it is the God of
peace Himself must be there to do it. The peace is inseparable from the
God. The light of the sun–can I separate that from the sun? Utterly
impossible. As long as I have the sun I have the light. If I lose the sun;
I lose the light. Take care! Do not seek the peace of God or the peace of
Christ apart from God and Christ. But how does Christ come to me? He comes
to me in this precious Word; and just as He said to the nobleman, “Go thy
way home; thy son liveth,” so Christ comes to me to-day, and He says, “Go
thy way; thy Saviour liveth.” “Lo, I am with you alway.” “I live, and ye
shall live also.” “I wait to take charge of your whole life. Will you have
me do this? Trust to me all that is evil and feeble; your whole sinful and
perverse nature–give it up to Me; that dying, sin-sick soul–give it up to
Me, and I will take care of it.” Will you not listen and hear Him speak to
your soul? “Child, go forward into all the circumstances of life that have
tempted you; into all the difficulties that threaten you.” Your soul lives
with the life of God; your soul lives in the power of God; your soul lives
in Christ Jesus. Will you not, like the nobleman, take the simple step of
faith, and believe the word Jesus hath spoken? Will you not say, “Lord
Jesus, Thou hast spoken: I can rest on Thy Word. I have seen that Christ
is willing to be more to me than I ever knew; I have seen that Christ is
willing to be my life in the most actual and intense meaning of the words.”
All that we know about the Holy Ghost sums itself up in this one thing:
The Holy Ghost comes to make Christ an actual, indwelling, always-abiding
Saviour.

Lastly, comes the triumphant faith. The man went home holding fast the
promise. He had only one promise, but he held it fast. When God gives me
a promise, He is just as near me as when He fulfills it. That is a great
comfort. When I have the promise I have also the pledge of the fulfillment.
But the whole heart of God is in His promise, just as much as in the
fulfillment of it, and sometimes God, the promiser, is more precious
because I am compelled to cling more to Him, and to come closer, and to
live by simple faith, and to adore His love. Do not think this is a hard
life, to be living upon a promise. It means living upon the everlasting
God. Who is going to say that is hard? It means living upon the crucified,
the loving Christ. Be ashamed to say that is a difficult thing. It is a
blessed thing.

The nobleman went home and found the child living. And what happened then?
Two things. First: he gave up his whole life to be a believer in Jesus. If
there had been a division among the people of Capernaum, and thousands of
them had hated Christ, this man would still have stood on His side. He
believed in the Lord. This is what must take place with us. Let us go
forward with our trust in the living Christ, knowing that He will keep us.
Then we will get grace to carry the life of Christ into our whole conduct,
into all our walk and conversation. The faith that rests in Jesus, is the
faith that trusts all to Him, with all we have. Do we not read that when
God had finished His work, and rested, it was only to begin new work? Yes;
the great work was to be carried on–watching over and ruling His world and
His church. And is it not so with the Lord Jesus? When He had finished His
work, He sat upon the throne to do His work of perfecting the body, through
the Holy Spirit. And now, the Holy Spirit is carrying on that blessed work,
teaching us to rest in Christ, and in the strength of that rest to go on,
and to cover our whole life with the power, and the obedience, and the
will, and the likeness of the Lord Jesus. The nobleman gave up his whole
life to be a believer in Christ; and from that day it was a believer in
Jesus who walked about the streets of Capernaum; not only a man who could
say, “Once He helped me,” but, “I believe in Him with my whole life.” Let
that be so with us everywhere; let Christ be the one object of our trust.

One thought more,–he believed with his whole house. That was triumphant
faith. He took up his position as a believer in Christ; and his wife, his
children, his servants–he gathered them all together, and laid them at the
feet of Christ. And if you want power in your own house, if you want power
in your Bible-class, if you want power in your social circle, if you want
power to influence the nation and if you want power to influence the Church
of Christ, see where it begins. Come into contact with Jesus in this rest
of faith that accepts His life fully, that trusts Him fully, and the power
will come by faith to overcome the world; by faith to bless others; by
faith to live a life to the glory of God. Go thy way, thy soul liveth; for
it is Jesus Christ who liveth within you. Go thy way; be not trembling and
fearful, but rest in the word and the power of the Son of God. “Lo, I am
with you alway.” Go thy way, with the heart open to welcome Him, and the
heart believing He has come in. Surely we have not prayed in vain. Christ
has listened to the yearnings of our hearts and has entered in. Let us
go our way quietly, restfully, full of praise, and joy, and trust; ever
hearing the words of our Master, “Go thy way, thy soul liveth;” and ever
saying, “I have trusted Christ to reveal His abundant life in my soul; by
His grace I will wait upon Him to fulfill His promise.” Amen.

Background Passage: Galatians 5:1-15
Lesson Passages: Galatians 5:1-15

LESSON PASSAGE OUTLINE
 1.  Understand Your Freedom (Gal. 5:1a)
 2.  Accept Your Freedom (Gal. 5:1b-6)
 3.  Retain Your Freedom  (Gal. 5:7-12)
 4.  Live in Your Freedom  (Gal. 5:13-15)

BIBLICAL TRUTH
Believers are to recognize and exercise the freedom they have through salvation by faith.

LIFE IMPACT
To help adults exercise the freedom they have as Christians

James 3:1-4.
3:1.  My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
 3:2.  For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
 3:3.  Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
 3:4.  Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

Learn Self Control

The call of this passage is to be careful about being a teacher of the scriptures to others. To do so requires to be in full control of our lives. Being the teacher places a load of responsibility on that person. Being in charge can bring an amount of glory and honor, but when things go wrong the blame has to end with the person in charge.

James begins to allude to how to control a huge, powerful vessel, namely a horse, or a ship. There will be more on that topic in a later passage. For now, just consider how controlling a ship applies.

Not many of us should be teachers. On a ship there is only one captain, and for times when the captain is off duty, there are only a small amount of officers. Even a smaller amount of officers who have any direct control over steering the ship. Onboard that ship are probably hundreds of people. They all have their own jobs to do to make sure the ship keeps on sailing, but they can’t all be captains. That would lead to confusion.

A sailor doesn’t have to agree with the captain, just do what he says. The best a person can do is to take charge of the small task he is given. As each little, and often unrelated task gets done, the shipkeeps sailing and arrives in harbor. With all these individual jobs functioning under the unity of the captain, everybody benefits from the blessings. Should something go wrong, the crew is rarely to blame, but the captain always is.

As Christians, we should strive to do what God has called us to do. Act in faith to do that task, but as long as there is another who is teacher, or captain over us, follow in unity, rather than try to take that position for yourself. We all will benefit from that persons leadership, but if there are problems, it will be that person that will have to stand before God and answer for it.

James 2:25-26.
 2:25.  Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
 2:26.  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Faith for Everybody

The concept of faith and works goes together as seemlessly as body and soul. The word used for soul is sometimes translated as spirit. It’s the word ‘pneuma’, the word where we get the English word ‘pneumatic.’ A body that has no spirit, or breath is a dead body. Compared to actions, the tangible thing that people can see, and touch, are dead actions when there is no faith in them.

The special thing here about the example of Rahab is that to have a living faith takes no special requirement on our part. Anybody can have a living faith. In fact, everybody should live that way.

Before, we had been given the example of Abraham, the father of the Israelite people, and religion as we know it from the Bible. A very upright and holy man. Of course he lives by faith.

On the other end of the scale, Rahab has everything against her. Women were considered lesser humans than men. She was the enemy that the Israelites were to conquer. Her profession was far from noble. It was,and still is, one of the furthest from all things churchy and religious. She was an outsider.

Despite all her shortcomings and humble station in life, Rahab recognized God at work. She acted on faith and helped the men who came into the town to scout it out.

In practicing a living faith, it doesn’t take any prequalifications, nobody needs to go through a preapproval process. It starts with a belief, and actions that are inspired by that belief. Those actions also become the proof to anybody who sees them what we believe.

James 2:21-24.
 2:21.  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
 2:22.  Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
 2:23.  And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
 2:24.  You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Justified in Faith

First, what does justified mean? It sounds like it’s one of those religious word, but we justify things all the time. It’s similar to some accounting words like reconcile, or to balance. To justify means to make things come out correctly, so things even up.

For an example, on my computer’s word processor there is a function called ‘justify.’ When lines are typed, each has different words, and a different amount of characters, so each line ends at a different length. To make the righthand margin come out as straight as the left, extra spaces are inserted to stretch out the line and make it come out right.

Throughout each day of our lives, we do things that falls short of God’s laws and expectations. The real justification is when we make changes to our behavior to meet God’s standard. Instead we often consider ourselves to be right and try to justify our world around us.

In Abraham’s example. The intended outcome of God was not to sacrifice his son, but instead it was just a test. Without knowing God’s intent, he could have tried to justify reasons to not offer his son. He was old, his wife was old, God had told him already that this son was to be his true heir, and not his other son Ishmael. Surely God doesn’t want me to sacrifice him. It would have been so easy to just not do anything, and ignore thise strange request that God made. Abraham didn’t know why God asked for such a thing, but he had faith and trusted God that if this was what he wanted, God would work it out.

Of course, God didn’t intend for Isaac to be killed, but he knew that Abraham was a man who needed things of faith to be demonstrated, acted out. God led Abraham through the motions that would make his faith solid for him.

James makes the claim that the works justified Abraham. If there is anything difficult about this passage it isn’t that a faith without works is dead, it’s the idea that works justifies. Action is the thing that makes faith complete. Imagine if Abraham decided to act without his being called by God to do so. It would be the same act, but for what purpose? He would have just been a guy who was out to kill off his only heir.

Faith comes first. Without faith, works don’t matter. It should be more precisely said that the works, that are done as a result of our faith, is what justifies us to God.

To wrap up: God has a standard for us to meet. We fall short. To be made right or justified, to God’s standards, we need Jesus. Believe in God. There are things he wants for us to do, ways to live our lives. Now that you have faith, take actions based on what belief in Jesus teaches.

James 2:19-20.
 2:19.  You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble!
 2:20.  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

The Secret of Faith

The thing that should be obvious is that our world, the universe, and everything in it has physical qualities. God is spirit. There is a spiritual realm that we are unable to perceive. We can’t see it, hear it, touch it, smell it, or taste it. Some people refuse to believe it is there, but that is one purpose of the bible. To put into writing, the things that we only get hints at in observing our natural world.

For some reason, people find it easier to believe in devils and emons than in God. James makes this claim that even the demons know and believe God exists. They believe and tremble. So to believe there is a god, the God, then that’s a good start.

Look at the words here in this phrase, “do you want to know,” The word “want’ is one that means to desire something. What is the thing that is desired? Not actions, not faith, but knowledge. The audience that James is speaking to just could not understand the concept of how faith is proved by actions.

Maybe it’s because God is a spirit being, and we can’t see him, that people think of matters of faith as being some sort of mental excersize. Faith is more than a mental state, or thought process. It begins there, but as faith grows, it should overflow into the way we live our lives.

Don’t be fooled. The secret is, there is no secret. God really does exist, and the bible is the true source where we can get to know all about him. Read about his promises. Put it to the test and live according to the laws we are to live by.

Having a faith with actions is more than just a good way to reach other people and have them join the kingdom of God. Living out faith is the way we can have an abundant life here on earth. God’s desire is for his people to thrive. The promise is complete when we live in the way he intends for us to live. We can know and experience a little slice of heaven on earth when we do.

James 2:17-18
 2:17.  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
 2:18.  But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

A Dead Faith

The real definition of our own personal faith is in the way we act.
How does a person show faith?

James askes, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

You can’t really show faith. You can talk about it. Our actions always demonstrate what we believe. Think about all the daily deeds you do. We get a glass of water from the kitchen tap. We expect to get water because we paid our bill, and we have faith the city will supply water. We have faith that the city has properly purified the water and it’s safe to drink. We have faith that our glass will hold water and nobody is trying to pull a prank and replaced it with a dribble glass or something. We are demonstrating what we believe. Our faith has actions.

Our faith is assured because at some point we tested it. On our first day living in the house, we opened the tap and water came out. We have assurance in our faith because of the reputation of the city, that it operates on good will, for the benefits of it’s citezens, that the water service is reliable.

Our faith is continuously strengthened as we daily take actions.

God is far better than the city water department. The bible records his promises. God’s promises can be trusted, and take action on them.

Luke 23:31
23:28-31
 23:31.  “For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Background:
Jesus is being led away with Simon of Cyrene to help bear the cross. Women of Jerusalem are weeping over him. Jesus turns to them to tell them not to weep for him, but for themselves and their children.

A day is to come when those who never bore children will be called blessed.

Those people in that time will desire, to ask, that the mountains and hills fall on them. They will want to just be dead, rather than live through such times.

Now for the featured verse:

What does this mean exactly? What is the green tree, what is the dry tree that Jesus talks about? Is it life in general? Society, morality? Probably a question for theologians to debate over until the end of time, or at least until Jesus returns.

I have my own idea, but first, a word from a couple famous theologians.

<blockquote>
Therefore weep not for him, but let us weep for our own sins, and the sins of our children, which caused his death; and weep for fear of the miseries we shall bring upon ourselves, if we slight his love, and reject his grace. If God delivered him up to such sufferings as these, because he was made a sacrifice for sin, what will he do with sinners themselves, who make themselves a dry tree, a corrupt and wicked generation, and good for nothing! The bitter sufferings of our Lord Jesus should make us stand in awe of the justice of God. The best saints, compared with Christ, are dry trees; if he suffer, why may not they expect to suffer? <br>
– Matthew Henry
</blockquote>

So, Matthew Henry puts the trees to be people. those who believe being as green trees and the dry tree as the sinful unbelievers. Actually the dryness itself is sin and even the highest saints among us is still counted as dry wood. If even Jesus, the only truly green tree suffered, why should we expect to not suffer?

Sounds good, but it somehow seems to be missing something.

<blockquote>
“If the innocent substitute for sinners, suffer thus, what will be done when the sinner himself-the dry tree-shall fall into the hands of an angry God?” <br>
– Spurgeon
</blockquote>

Again, he seems to say that Jesus is the green tree, If he, the innocent, is being made to suffer for sinners, then how greatly will the real sinners, dry trees, suffer at the hand of God in the final judgement.

The problem I have with these two similar ideas is the whole context of where these words are spoken.

Let me review it again. On his way to the place of his death some women were weeping over him. Not everybody is joining the mob mentality that surround this tragic event. As sorrowful as they are, Jesus stops just long enough to tell them don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves and your children. He knew, though they didn’t, that a infinitley better blessing would come out of this.

Jesus goes on to say that a time is still coming where people will mourn that they had kids, that a woman who never had them would be considered blessed. It will be in those future days when people will mourn and want the mountains to fall, and the earth to just swallow them up.

If that kind of mourning is to take place in this future day, and while the trees are still green, what kind of mourning will be done among the dry trees?

Let the questions roll! When is the day spoken of? The end times? The green trees do seem to be those who have an amount of faith in God, and Jesus. The dry trees do seem to be those who either are without any belief, or those who have been cut down long enough that they have dried out, and faith has leftthem.

If the day spoken of is the end times, what is the significance here? At the moment that Jesus was still standing there, and talking, the tree of the body of Christ was still green and alive. These women were weeping, but it was only the bite of the saw at the tree trunk. Jesus says basically, that a day in the future is coming. A time when there will still be green trees with dry trees. A tree can still be green even after it is cut down. It does take time for wood to cure and be dry enough to be put to use.

In the day spoken of there will be something that happens to cause even greater mourning among the green trees. Those green ones being those who remain and still have that element of faith in them. The have reason to hope in God, yet they mourn so greatly they want mountains to fall and end their lives. With that level of despair, the ones who are without that hope must have a kind of mourning that goes beyond all words.

Possibly this does speak of the last day, when all people stand before God. From these statements, we can say that if the green trees, believers, mourn over the injustice done to Jesus to pay for our sins, the dry trees, unbelievers, who may not be mourning now, will be so much more mournful when standing in judgement before the face of God.

Another thought comes to mind in this word picture. The condition of the trees, going from green to dry, could mean the condition of the body of believers at large. The day that is coming, being that of Jesus return, will be one where there is still green in the wood. Those believers will face much more trying tragedies, and just want an end to it all. The dry ones being those who have fallen away, and are now without hope.

Unlike a fallen tree, that can only hope to keep drying out, faith in God is rejuvenating. Strive to keep your relation and faith alive and growing. The road won’t be easy. The going filled with sorrow and despair. As bad as that may seem, the condition of those without that relationship with God will have an even worse time of it. Keep God in the middle of the things you do.

Hebrews 10:1-18; 11:1-3: 12:1-3

Summary:
The weakness of the law sacrifices.
The sacrifice of Christ’s body once offered,
for ever hath taken away sins.
What faith is.
An exhortation to constant faith, patience, and godliness.

 10:1.  For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.
 10:2.  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purged, would have had no more consciousness of sins.
 10:3.  But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
 10:4.  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
 10:5.  Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.
 10:6.  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure.
 10:7.  Then I said, `Behold, I have come in the volume of the book it is written of Me to do Your will, O God.’ ”
 10:8.  Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law),
 10:9.  then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.

 10:10.  By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
 10:11.  And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
 10:12.  But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
 10:13.  from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.

 10:14.  For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
 10:15.  And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
 10:16.  “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”
 10:17.  then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
 10:18.  Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

 11:1.  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
 11:2.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
 11:3.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

 12:1.  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and  the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
 12:2.  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 12:3.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Comments:

The law, specifically the requirements for sacrifices, are a shadow of the true sacrifice. The old sacrifices had to be repeated every year, and never removed sins. At best, all the sacrifice could do is to remind each person of their continuous sin. God doesn’t really care for the sacrifice, but for obedience. To be more obedient, is to require less sacrifice. Jesus is the only true sacrifice that can totally remove sin.

Consider some differences in sacrifices. Animals, created and imperfect beings themselves, had to be prepared in a special way. They died an honorable and respectable death, and any remains returned to the earth to decay in the usual way. Jesus, a created but perfect being, died in the lowest, most inconsiderate and disrespectful form of death. When his sacrifice was made though, his body came back to life. Not ever seeing decay, or returning to earth. He was seen by men and later was seen to ascend into the clouds. He returned both physically and spiritually to heaven. He is there now, waiting for the day when he can return to earth and set up his kingdom.

In just one sacrifice, Jesus removed all the sins and shortcomings of all humans. More than all the centuries of animal sacrifice that just had no power at all. When the laws of God stay written on our hearts,and in our minds, we are his. Our sin is forgiven and remembered no more. In a single word, faith.

Faith is what it takes to prove those unseen things. Scientists search for what is called a ‘God Particle’. Some shred of evidence in our DNA, genes, or some sub atomic piece of material that can point to and say this unknown thing here is what God is. This is where we all came from. I have big news, there is no God particle. God made the particles. Our hope is that the unseen, spirit God exists, and it is faith that puts substantial evidence to that. The old time Bible characters knew and understood this point. Though we weren’t there at creation, we can know what happened. An unseen creator made all the seeable, touchable things that we know as our universe.

The Bible documents a list of people of faith whose stories are based on trusting in an invisible God, of his unseen power over our observable world. Just know and accept that God is God, sin is sin, and get busy living the life that God has planned for you. With Jesus as our example, we can endure hardship. Gain strength for your soul in him. Jesus saw past the small picture, and the tragedy of his death, and did it for the joy that awaits for a much longer period of time. He made himself low for a little while, before returning to his throne to reign over all his kingdom.

God is spirit, we are physical. It is human nature to have a need to prove a thing. This yet another reason that a real, physical man, Jesus was sent into our world. A tangible proof of God and his plan. His spiritual laws, put into physical demonstration. A way to get a small glimpse of the kind of spirituality that awaits in his kingdom, and desired place for us. Sometimes we think if we just do something, the result will be good enough. The only to achieve a spiritual result is beyond the ability of any person in our physical world. It takes Jesus, and his payment to make up the difference.