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Tuesday, November 8, 2022

The Chief Sinner says Vote JESUS – Purity 883


 

The Chief Sinner says Vote JESUS –  Purity 883

Purity 883 11/0/2022 Purity 883 Podcast

Purity 883 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of the Easton Sunflowers of Summer comes to us from TammyLyn Clark who shared this photo back on social media back in July.  

Well, I can testify that those sunflowers really flourished in the backyard of our countryside home but are all but gone on this Tuesday in November.  

And as today is election day, I would encourage all my Christian friends to vote their Christian consciences in hopes that those who promote policies that are contrary to Christian principles of morality, and basic common sense, would no longer be aloud to flourish in the halls of our governmental institutions. It’s harvest time, so why not take advantage of our right to vote in hopes that our voices would be heard?  

Anyway, I didn’t mean to get political but if you enjoy complaining about things, and most people do, I suggest you renew your legitimate right to complain by actually voting, that way at least you can say you tried to change things.    

I have to admit that I don’t have a lot of faith in the government or institutions in general to affect change because I don’t trust people to choose what’s right over their personal preferences.  And one of our preferences as people is to be loved rather than hated,  and so we have a natural inclination to not cause offense and will hesitate to tell people that the way they are living is wrong according to God’s word. Our silence indicates that we would rather that others suffer, die, and go to hell rather than to run the risk that we might be seen as unloving.  

I know I’m guilty of people pleasing.  But in my defense I have shared those unpopular verses in the Bible that call people out for their sin.  I think my favorite is:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV) that says:
9  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10  nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.   

So, shots fired! Duck everybody because I’m pretty sure the Apostle Paul got everybody with that one. 

Politically incorrect too! Calling or homosexuals! My goodness.  Some may think that’s messed up, but unfortunately when it comes to what is right and wrong, we only express opinions. 

God the Creator of all things determines what is right and wrong and his word is clear on homosexuality, and all other sins including all on my former pet sins.   

Fornication and adultery is ANY sex acts outside of a marriage covenant, which biblically would be between one man and one woman, – Guilty. 

Theft – Guilty

Idolatry – worshiping things other than God? – Guilty, in basic principles of selfishness and materialism and a specifically to a false religious system for years of my life!

Drunkenness?  - Oh so Guilty! “Drunken Verses” like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 caused me to repent and to go into recovery when I decided to be a “Real Christian” – to be authentic in my faith, to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.  

Covetous? – to want what other people have, as if it would satisfy or fulfill me (a form of idolatry) – Guilty

Reviling? – to abuse, or to attack with evil words – Guilty! (https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/revile/)

Extortion?  -I had to look that one up – According to Bible study tools dot com,  an extortioner is guilty of snatching away from another by strife, greed and oppression that which does not lawfully belong to him. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/extortion/#:~:text=eks%2Dtor'%2Dshun%3A,not%20lawfully%20belong%20to%20him.)   -- 

I wasn’t sure about that one – It sounds like a sophisticated form of theft and I was never too sophisticated in taking from others what didn’t belong to me, but I am ashamed to admit that I did bully a couple of kids on a few occasions in my childhood and I would say that I snatched away their peace via oppression, so – Guilty!

Now I have never been guilty of a homosexual encounter, sorry fellas, but I was guilty of all the rest, and I know that without Christ I was headed on the highway to hell.   

Although a lot of my former identity was caught up in all of my sins, when I surrendered to Christ I realized that I would have to change. The word of God indicates that our former lives were darkness, and the Lord calls us to live in the light by turning from these things.  

Was it easy? No, I thought it would be impossible to give up living the way I used to, but with God all things are possible, even giving up the sins of the flesh that we identified with for all of our lives.   

But when we understand that our way of living was wrong according to the One who gave us life, we should be ashamed and seek to follow Him and live according to the way He intended for us to live.  

While there may have been some pleasure associated with the things listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, none of those sins were good things and the Lord declares that if we live in them, we will be separated from Him, suffer for our rebellion, and the word of God indicates that the suffering never ends.  

How can we be so blind and rebellious to ignore God’s word and jeopardize our very existence?

Trust me I don’t offend anybody, but Ibecause I was so lost in darkness and have not only seen the light but now flourish in it, I will take the risk of offending all in the hopes that it will encourage some to repent and pursue the peace that the Lord makes available through Jesus Christ.

Hey like Paul, I was chief sinner too. And if the Lord could save me and transform my life, there is no one He can’t make brand new.  

So VOTE JESUS! -Put your Faith and Trust in Him.   In Him you f are orgiven of all of these sins, and through Him and the power of the Holy Spirit in ever born again believer, you receive the power to turn from any and all of these ways of darkness, and can experience of freedom, victory, peace, love, and joy.  

If we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and instead can reap an experiential harvest of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  

Experienceing our new life in Christ, might take a while but if we keep walking and talking with God our lives will get a whole lot brighter as we progressively move from darkness to light.     

 

 

 

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Luke 16:10 (NLT2)
10  “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

Today’s verses  are the words of Jesus who encourages us to be faithful in the little things as a foundation of our faith, knowing that faith in the little things will help us ot be faithful with greater responsibilities. 

I will leave the Bible commentary on the Parable of the Shrewd Manager for another time, it is one of the more perplexing parables of Christ because it seems to praise some one who made some shrewd deals with someone else’s resources to gain the favor of men. I suggest looking up John MacArthur’s exposition of the text for a sound teaching. 

Because I am out of time, I would just offer that the encouragement to be faithful in the little things is a great piece of advice for the Christian disciple.  In essence, Christ is saying to be faithful to follow His example in all the things that we do, that there is no area of our lives where we shouldn’t consider “What would Jesus Do?” And as Christ points out that if we are faithful in those little things, our capacity for faithful living will increase and assist us when we are called to be faithful with greater responsibilities.  When we practice faith in the little things, we just learn to do “what is right”?    So follow the Lord in the little things and the big things won’t seem so big because we will become increasingly more skilled in living like Christ.  

 

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Discipleship”, also known as “The Cost of Discipleship”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6

On the Hidden Nature of the Christian Life

The Hiddenness of Prayer continues

“Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but rescue us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:9–15).

Jesus told his disciples not only how they should pray, but what they should pray. The Lord’s Prayer is not an example for the prayer of the disciples. Rather, it is what should be prayed as Jesus taught them. God will hear them praying this. That is certain. The Lord’s Prayer is the essence of prayer. The essence and limit of all the disciples’ praying may be found in it. Here again, Jesus does not abandon his disciples to uncertainty. Instead, with the Lord’s Prayer he leads them to complete clarity in prayer.

“Our Father in heaven”—together the disciples call upon their heavenly Father, who already knows what God’s dear children need. They have been made into sisters and brothers by the call of Jesus, who binds them together. In Jesus they have come to know the kindliness of the Father. In the name of the Son of God they may call God their Father. They are on earth and their Father is in heaven. The Father looks down on them, and they lift their eyes up to the Father.

“Hallowed be your name.” God’s fatherly name, as it has been revealed to the disciples in Jesus Christ, should be kept holy among them, for the entire gospel is contained in this name. May God keep the holy gospel from being tarnished and spoiled by false teaching and an unholy life. May God reveal in Jesus Christ God’s holy name to the disciples forevermore. May God lead all preachers to pure proclamation of the gospel which makes people blessed. May God turn back the tempters and convert the enemies of God’s name.

“Your kingdom come.” In Jesus Christ the disciples have experienced the inbreaking of God’s kingdom on earth. This is where Satan is overcome, the power of the world, sin, and death broken. God’s kingdom still is found in suffering and in struggle. The small community of those called forth will participate in such suffering and struggle. They stand under the rule of God in new righteousness, but also in enduring persecution. May God grant that the kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth grow in his community. May God soon put an end to the kingdoms of this world and bring about God’s own reign with power and glory.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, ed. Martin Kuske et al., trans. Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 155–156.

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