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.
___________________________________________
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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