Last week we looked at New Year’s resolutions and saw that there is nothing wrong with them, but they should focus on the spiritual first before we resolve to do the physical resolutions. Each of us are able to keep New Year’s resolutions if we have Jesus Christ at the center of them. It is only through His influence and guidance that we can accomplish anything worthy in God’s eyes. That is because Jesus Christ is suppose to be our foundation and it is on Him alone that we can truly solidly stand. A short man wanted to drive a nail in a wall to carry a big picture. He stood on a chair, but it was not high enough. His wife set out a small box and, balancing himself precariously, he began to give the nail hesitating taps with the hammer. His wife said, “Why don’t you give a brave blow or two, and settle it?”

He replied, “How can a man give a brave blow or two when he is standing on a foundation like this?”

That settles the question of certainty or uncertainty. It depends upon the foundation upon which the person is standing. The Hebrew prophets never sounded a note of uncertainty, for God Almighty was their Foundation, and they knew that He stood behind their “Thus saith the Lord.”

Every believer should be able to speak with surety about Jesus Christ because they know Him and know who He is. The more time we spend with Him, the better we will know Him. And He must be the foundation of our faith. If we replace Him with any other foundation, we will no longer stand on sure, holy ground.

Matthew 21:42-44 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? (43) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (44) And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

In Matthew 21, Christ calls Himself the measuring stone, or, as it is translated in our Bibles, the cornerstone. He is quoting Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. The cornerstone, in the minds of most Americans, is the stone that tells that a building was erected at a certain time, when a certain person was mayor, and so on. It is merely an exaltation of man. But when the Bible refers to a cornerstone, it refers to the first stone laid for the foundation. The builders would get a stone from the quarry and chisel it carefully to get as near a right angle as possible. They would measure the placement of all the other stones against that cornerstone, that first measuring stone. It was the standard by which all the walls of the building were determined.

When Jesus Christ is called the cornerstone, God is saying, “I measure everything by Jesus Christ.”

Because it is God’s standards that He measures everything by Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the believer’s faith, that people should heed the warning Jesus Christ gave in Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. It would be better to be on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ rather than under the foundation. Turn to 1 Peter 2.

1Peter 2:1-8 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (3) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (4) To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, (5) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (7) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, (8) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jesus Christ is the Rock of all believer’s foundations. People try to replace Him with other things, but they are like shifting sand and will not hold the person up in the long run. The foundation will shift and the person will sink or fall over. Think about the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower was built over a time frame of 177 years and is seven stories tall with a bell tower. After two floors were built, it began to shift in the ground and tilt. The name of the city, Pisa, means “marshy ground” which explains part of the problem. The other problem is that the foundation of the Tower is only about ten feet deep. As they continued to build the Tower, they began to build the walls on the side that was leaning taller to compensate for the lean. If the Tower were made to stand up straight now, it would appear curved. The builders constructed the Tower on a poor foundation and the results are obvious. The top floor of the Tower leans over almost thirteen feet from where it would be if it stood straight.

Likewise, in a person’s life, if the foundation is not Jesus Christ the person will eventually topple over into sin. Why? Because they do not have the right foundation. Jesus Christ is the solid rock on which we are to stand. Look again at verses 6 and 7 in 1 Peter: Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (7) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,. The person that trusts on Jesus Christ as their foundation will not be confounded. That word “confounded” is interesting: today people define the word to mean “confused or perplexed” but Webster’s Dictionary of 1858 states: “To mingle and blend different things, so that their forms or natures cannot be distinguished; to mix in a mass or crowd, so that individuals cannot be distinguished. To throw into disorder. To mix or blend, so as to occasion a mistake of one thing for another.” Think about that for a moment: Peter wrote, under Holy Spirit inspiration: Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. When Jesus Christ is the foundation, believers will not be confounded. That means than that the believer will not be confused: remember the definition from Webster’s Dictionary: “To mingle and blend different things, so that their forms or natures cannot be distinguished; to mix in a mass or crowd, so that individuals cannot be distinguished.” When a person has made Jesus Christ their foundation, when a person has made Jesus Christ their corner stone, then they will NOT be confused with other people! One person should be able to look at a believer in Jesus Christ and see that there is something different about the believer through their words and actions. It should be difficult to mix up a believer from a non-believer. He or she that believes in Jesus Christ should be distinguishable from the rest of the world! “We are not to be isolated but insulated,” said Vance Havner, “moving in the midst of evil but untouched by it.” Separation is contact with contamination. Jesus was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26), yet He was “a friend of tax publicans and sinners” (Luke 7:34). All believers must be careful about what their words and actions say about Jesus Christ to non-believers. Look at verse 8.

1 Peter 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jesus Christ, as the Rock, is the foundation for the believer, but for the non-believer, Jesus Christ is the stone that trips people and offends people. Why? Consider when you are walking across a field, especially one you are familiar with, when you suddenly trip over something unexpected. For the next few moments you are confused and confounded, because you did not expect to trip. That is exactly what Jesus Christ does to the lost, the non-believer: they are comfortable in their own little world until Jesus Christ trips them up through His Word. They stagger at His Word and cannot regain their balance because Jesus Christ is a large rock to stumble over. And think about this Christmas season we just finished celebrating: people have celebrated Christmas and, at the same time, have rejected Jesus Christ! The Apostle John wrote: John 1:10-11 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Can you imagine celebrating someone’s birthday and not inviting the one whose birthday you are celebrating? But that is exactly what is happening in the world today. Go back to Hebrews 10.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Note that the writer of Hebrews tells believers to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. That means believers are to grab on and not let go and it also means that the faith is something tangible – someone we CAN grab onto. Remember from last week, it is not the amount of our faith that is first important, no, what IS important is WHO we have our faith in: Jesus Christ. We can sit down in the same chair everyday for year and feel confident that that chair will not break. But if we sit down in that chair every day for twenty years, we probably should not have the same amount of faith in that chair. Plus the chair will not look as good as it did twenty years earlier because of wear and tear. However, Jesus Christ can be trusted everyday forever and He can always be the only object of faith and always looks better the longer we know Him. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Jesus Christ is the only solid foundation that believers can always trust and believe in. Believers can hold fast onto Him and not waver or have any doubts while doing it. If we would always keep our eyes on Him, then we would not waver or lean. When you have a little child, you teach them to carry their dinner plate with both hands. Why? Because using both hands makes the plate more stable and food is less likely to fall off. But what happens as the child grows older? They want to start using one hand because they believe they are older now and can carry the plate that way. They have faith in their ability, but what happens? At some point the plate tips and loses food, because they were not really ready to carry the plate with one hand. Believers in Jesus Christ are the same way, we grab onto Him in faith with both hands, but then, after a while, we slowly start to let go and our grip loosens and what happens? We have begun to waver. We are no longer holding fast onto the object of our faith and have replaced Him with a different object: ourselves. And we are a poor foundation to build upon. Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Jesus Christ is faithful and true to His promises – it is us that waver and doubt. Hebrews 13:5b, 6 …for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Because Jesus Christ is the foundation, believers should hold fast onto Him. He is faithful and will never forsake His children. He is the Good Shepherd that will go after that one lamb that has gone astray. Believers should never doubt Him, but when we do, we must realize that we have taken our eyes off of Him and realize that we are no longer holding fast to Him. When we have done that and come to our senses, then we must repent and ask God for forgiveness. It is humbling, to be sure, but we must repent and hold fast to Jesus Christ again. Charles Spurgeon wrote this about doubt: There are many who cannot believe in Jesus because they have a besetting sin that they cannot give up. There is the bottom of most men’s doubts. They would not doubt if they did not sin. If they could have their sins and be believers, they would be believers fast enough. But there is that company that must be given up, that company which, instead of sanctifying the soul, depraves it. Salvation is by faith. Damnation comes by doubt. Of all of God’s creations, only one doubts. Do you see the animals ever doubt? No, man does doubt, but when man holds fast to Jesus Christ, he never needs to doubt.

Let me meet you on the mountain, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn’t have to burn a whole bush.
Just a few smoking branches
And I would surely be …your Moses.

Let me meet you on the water, Lord,
Just once.
It wouldn’t have to be on White Rock Lake.
Just on a puddle after the annual Dallas rain
And I would surely be…your Peter.

Let me meet you on the road, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn’t have to blind me on North Central Expressway.
Just a few bright lights on the way to chapel
And I would surely be…your Paul.

Let me meet you, Lord,
Just once.
Anywhere. Anytime.
Just meeting you in the Word is so hard sometimes
Must I always be…your Thomas? – Norman Shirk

The Book of Proverbs is an exhortation to the believer in Jesus Christ that is as true today as it was thousands of years ago when it was written and compiled. The book is a wonderful source for daily obedient living for the believer toward Jesus Christ. Here in Chapter two we are told to seek after wisdom and understanding and then use them every day of our lives. We are to seek God’s wisdom, however, not man’s wisdom. Man’s wisdom will always lead the believer away from Jesus Christ – maybe not right away, but eventually man’s wisdom will pull the believer toward following man. Why does this happen? Because unsaved mankind looks at the cross of Jesus Christ and considers it to be foolishness that one man should die for everyone else. Or for those that claim to believe in Jesus Christ, they look at the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and believe that they must do something more in order to earn salvation or to keep salvation.

1Corinthians 1:18-21 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (19) For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. (20) Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (21) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

God uses the “foolishness” of preaching to get His Word out to others. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith only through the hearing of God’s Word. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, those that are wise by the world’s standards will perish and will not truly know God. 1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Paul states God is far wiser than any man and far stronger than any man, therefore it is wiser for mankind to follow God rather than other men. We must always look to God’s Wisdom over man’s wisdom. Wisdom comes from reading and believing God’s Word, the Bible. I took part in a discussion the other day and a person declared that she had read the Bible from cover to cover and then asked, “What does the Bible have to do with anything?” I replied, “The Bible has everything to do with anything.” Man will always lead you astray at some point, God will never lead you astray.

The doubleheader train was bucking a heavy snowstorm as its engines pulled it west. A woman with a baby wanted to leave the train at one of the little stations along the route. She repeatedly called, “Don’t forget me!” to the brakeman responsible to call out the stations they approached. Her husband was to meet her. The train slowed to a stop, and a fellow traveler said, “Here’s your station.” She hopped from the train into the storm. The train moved on again. Forty-five minutes later, the brakeman came in. “Where’s the woman?” “She got off at the last stop,” the traveler said. “Then she got off to her death,” the brakeman responded. “We stopped only because there was something the matter with the engine.” They called for volunteers to go back and search for the woman and child. When they found her, she was covered with ice and snow. The little boy was protected on her breast. She had followed the man’s directions, but they were wrong-dead wrong.

What had happened in this illustration? When the train stopped, a fellow traveler told her it was her stop – not the brakeman. She did not double check what the traveler had said and paid for it with her life and almost the life of her son. Why? Because she did not wait to hear from the authority – the brakeman who was responsible for calling out the stops. The woman relied on the foolishness of a man

that did not really know what he was talking about. This illustration shows each of us (including me) the dangers of following man’s wisdom rather than God’s. The decisions each of us make affect not only ourselves, but also the others around us. Our loved ones see the choices we make and will base their decisions on what we do. Dr Crowley taught: What is improper that is accepted with limitations by Dad will be acceptable by the son without  limitations. What we show to be important to us, will be accepted as being important to our loved ones or those watching us. What is a priority to us will be a priority to others. Likewise, if we do not show something to be a priority to ourselves, then it will be even less of a priority to others.

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; (2) So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

The Book of Proverbs was written to the believer to encourage them to seek knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. The first basic lesson to be learned is found in Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. We see in Proverbs 2:1 that the believer is to learn the words of the father and to study them and know them. Psalm 119:9-11 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. (10) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Charles Spurgeon wrote this about about Psalm 119:11 – The place for God’s Word is not an outside place, but an inside place. It is infinitely better to have it hidden in your heart than it is to have many copies of it laid among the furniture of your house. It may be that your having the Word of God so plentifully at home may increase your damnation, rather then lead to your salvation. Why Charles Spurgeon speak so harshly? Because he wanted people to use their Bibles for more than dust collectors. If the Bible is not opened and read and studied, then it does not do you or anyone else any good.

Believers cannot not only crack open their Bibles on Sunday and neglect them the rest of the week. George Muller wrote: It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer. The truth is that in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray. A telephone company once used the following as its advertising copy: Born to be battered…the loving phone call book. Underline it, circle things, write in the margins, turn down page corners, the more you use it, the more valuable it gets to be. That is true of the Bible as well: the more we use it, the more valuable it becomes to us. The president of American Bible Society, received a letter asking a question: “What do you recommend for keeping the leather on the back of Bibles from getting stiff, cracking and peeling? His reply was, “There is one oil that is especially good for treatment of leather on Bibles. In fact it will insure your Bible will stay in good condition. It is not sold, but may be found in the palm of the human hand.”

Proverbs 2:1 if thou wilt receive my words,– we are to receive the Word of God and take it into ourselves and store it there – and hide my commandments with thee; We are to keep God’s Words inside us so that we are then able to apply them to situations in our lives and be ready to use them to talk to others and answer their questions. As Peter wrote: 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Proverbs 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Incline thine ear unto wisdom means to keep your ear open when listening to the Word of God. J. Vernon McGee wrote: Something is to enter the head through the ear gate, but its final destination is the heart. When the Word of God gets into the heart, it brings understanding.

Proverbs 2:3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

Think about that for moment and think back to your days in high school. Who usually did better in class? Those that came to class prepared and studied and took notes or those that only showed to class? Those that studied and prepared usually received the better grades. The same is true in the life of the believer: those that cry out for knowledge and understanding will receive it. Those that study and read will receive knowledge and understanding. Peter wrote: 1Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: Think about how cats react when they hear a can being opened, they come running. Our cats know when they are about to receive canned cat food and as the can is being opened they stand on the back legs with their front legs reaching up as high as they can in anticipation of food. Think how babies are when they see a bottle in front of them: they excitedly start to flail their arms and kick their legs waiting for the food. That is how the believer should be about the Word of God: we are to cry out for knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding – anxious to be fed the Word of God. You will never be spiritually fed if all you eat is spiritual fast food. If all you read is books and devotionals about the Bible, but never really study the Bible, you will not be fed spiritually.

Proverbs 2:4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

If we look for treasures in the Bible, then we will find them. If we look at Bible reading as drudgery, then that is what we will find. Reading the Bible should be like mining for silver by looking for the vein of silver everywhere until we find it. What we put into our Bible reading is what we will get out of it. While studying in the Holy Lands, a seminary professor met a man who claimed to have memorized the Old Testament–in Hebrew! Needless to say, the astonished professor asked for a demonstration. A few days late they sat together in the man’s home. “Where shall we begin?” asked the man. “Psalm 1,” replied my professor, who was an avid student of the psalms. Beginning with Psalm 1:1, the man began to recite from memory, while the professor followed along in his Hebrew Bible. For two hours the man continued word for word without a mistake as the professor sat in stunned silence. When the demonstration was over, my professor discovered something even more astonishing about the man–he was an atheist! Here was someone who knew the Scriptures better than most Christians ever will, and yet he didn’t even believe in God. (Jack Kuhatschek) Even though this atheist knew the Old Testament better than most Christians, he obviously had not cried out to God for knowledge or sought silver among its pages. The Bible should not just sit on a shelf and seldom be opened. If we are to grow closer to God and have our faith grow, then the Bible must be opened and read and re-read! By every believer!

The new pastor was asked to teach a boys’ class in the absence of the regular teacher. He decided to see what they knew, so he asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. All the boys denied having done it, and the preacher was appalled by their ignorance. At the next deacons’ meeting he told about the experience. “Not one of them knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho,” he lamented. The group was silent until finally one long time deacon spoke up. “Preacher, this appears to be bothering you a lot. But I’ve known all those boys since they were born and they’re good boys. If they said they didn’t know, I believe them. Let’s just take some money out of the repair and maintenance fund, fix the walls, and let it go at that.”

Proverb 2:1-5 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; (2) So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; (3) Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; (4) If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; (5) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

That is all one sentence, by the way. If the believer in Jesus Christ does what is in the first four verses, then verse 5 comes to pass. Remember Proverb 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Devotional reading is very good, but most devotionals only center around a few verses. To truly study the Word of God, we need to dig in and look for the hidden treasures and the silver; we need to cry out and lift up our voices for knowledge and understanding; we must listen for the wisdom found in the Bible and have God’s Words deep inside of us. If our only Bible reading is only devotionally based, then we will not grow in knowledge, understanding, and in the fear of the Lord.

An unknown writer said, “This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.

Joshua 8:30-35 Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal, (31) As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. (32) And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. (33) And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. (34) And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. (35) There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

At this point in history, the Israelites have conquered Jericho and marched on to Ai. Sadly, at Ai, they fell in battle because of the sin of Achan. Furthermore, they had not talked to God first before deciding to go to battle. When we plan to do something, the first thing we should do is pray to God for guidance before attempting the task. Too often we get ahead of God or do not do what God wanted in the first place. After the Israelites separated out the sin that was in their camp, they went to God and He guided them to victory over the people of Ai. Now they have come to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal and will do what Moses had directed the Israelites to do.

Where are Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim? About twenty miles north of Ai, which is just a few miles north of Jericho. These two mounts form a valley and in the center of the valley is the city of Shechem. It was in Shechem that 600 years earlier, Abraham stopped as he traveled from Ur and built his first altar to God. Jacob had gone to Shechem during his escape from his father-in-law, Laban. Joseph looked for his brothers in Shechem before they had sold him to the Midianites and into slavery. Jacob also dug a Shechem – the same well that Jesus Christ sat at as He talked to the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4.

Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are about a mile and a half apart at the top, but are only 500 yards apart at the bottom. Mount Ebal is taller than Mount Gerizim. Francis Schaeffer wrote: There are two interesting things about there mountains. First from the top of Ebal or Gerizim we can see a great deal of the promised land. Second, at one place a natural ampitheater exists, and as we stand on the top or on the sides of these mountains, we can see and hear everything occurring on both of the mountains and in the valley below. Through the years many people have tested this. They have stood on one of the mountains and had other people stand on other parts of the two mountains or in the valley. As they read something in a loud voice but without amplification, the other persons were able to hear all that was spoken. This is God’s own ampitheater.

Deuteronomy 11:29 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.

Every one of the Israelites was to be at one of the two mountain sites – not just the men. Mount Gerizim was to be the place of blessing and Mount Ebal – the taller mountain – was to be the place of curses. This was to be a very real lesson to the Israelites as they were in the land that God promised to them: were they going to choose to live in the blessings announced on Mount Gerizim by keeping God’s Law or were they going to be in the curses announced on Mount Ebal because of their rejection of God. They had a choice to make and God wanted to be sure that they understood the consequences of their decision. When the Israelites arrived at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, they had to build an altar. What is very interesting is on which mountain the altar was built.

Deuteronomy 27:1-8 And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day. (2) And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster: (3) And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee. (4) Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. (5) And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. (6) Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God: (7) And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the LORD thy God. (8) And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

The altar was built on Mount Ebal – the mountain where the curses were going to be proclaimed. Note that God’s Word was going to be prominently displayed on the altar, just as God’s Word was to be placed on the doorposts of each home as taught earlier in Deuteronomy. The Word of God had been written down so it could be read and re-read – this was not oral tradition as some will try to teach. Oral tradition always changes something along the way through time, but the written word does not change.

Today I want to focus on the King Zedekiah’s reign over the kingdom of Judah. Zedekiah had been made king over Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians came against the kingdom of Judah three times – the first two times they took into captivity Judah’s royalty (including Jehoiachen the previous king) and the talented people of the land: the military, the skilled workers, and such. Nebuchadnezzar left behind the so-called lower class people and the criminals and the poor. When the Babylonians came back the third time, they destroyed the city of Jerusalem and ransacked and burned down the Temple of God. Zedekiah had been taken into captivity originally, but was brought back to reign as a puppet king for Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah had pledged loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar, but he ended up rebelling against him instead.

2 Chronicles 36:13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

Sadly, when Zedekiah turned away from Nebuchadnezzar, he did not turn toward God. Instead, Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart – meaning that he determined that he would not follow God except in his own fashion. When you read the Book of Jeremiah, you see Zedekiah coming to Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord God, but Zedekiah never follows what God tells him to do.

Jeremiah 38:14-23 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me. (15) Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me? (16) So Zedekiah the king swore secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life. (17) Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: (18) But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. (19) And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. (20) But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live. (21) But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath showed me: (22) And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back. (23) So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

Zedekiah secretly came to Jeremiah to ask him to inquire of the Lord and Jeremiah warned Zedekiah to do what God said or suffer grave consequences. If Zedekiah had not hardened his heart against God, then he would have followed God’s instructions. Instead, Zedekiah made a pretense of following God, but he really just followed his own desires. And fears. God told Zedekiah to have all of Judah willingly go into captivity in Babylon. If they did that, then Jerusalem would not be destroyed and after seventy years they would be restored to the land. But Zedekiah feared man more than he feared God. Someone once said: We fear men so much because we fear God so little. Because Zedekiah refused to follow God’s instructions, and chose to follow his own poor wisdom, Zedekiah’s family was killed by the Babylonians, and his own eyes were put out before he was dragged off to captivity in Babylon.

2 Chronicles 36:11, 12 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. (12) And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.

Zedekiah followed the example of the wicked kings that had reigned in Judah. He chose to neither follow Nebuchadnezzar or God. You would think that after the trials he had already been through, Zedekiah would have turned to God as previous kings of Judah had. Zedekiah had the privilege of having Jeremiah giving him the Word of God but he rejected it every time.

2 Chronicles 36:14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

The people of the kingdom of Judah followed the example of their leadership and walked in the ways of the heathen. The last four kings over Judah had done evil in the eyes of the Lord and the people of Judah followed suit. Look at what verse 14 states: transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen – they did not just slightly follow the abominations of the heathen, they very much transgressed the laws of God and followed the abominations. Then verse 14 tells us that they polluted the Temple. The Book of Ezekiel chapters 8-10 tells us what the condition of Judah was in and what was going on in the Temple. Ezekiel 8:9-10 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. (10) So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

The people had decided to follow their own desires rather than follow God. Essentially, they chose to make themselves gods, because they had decided that they knew what was right. They may fooled themselves into thinking that they were following God, but they were not doing anything that glorified Him. God, in His great mercy, reached out to the people of Judah.

2 Chronicles 36:15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up quickly, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:

God sent out His messengers – the true prophets of God – to preach to the people and warn them of the wrath to come if they continued to refuse to follow God. The people were warned by the Word of God and look at the results in verse 16:

2 Chronicles 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

The people mocked God’s Word and His messengers. They hated His Word and murdered His prophets. And that brought His wrath down upon them. The prophet Amos warned:

Amos 8:11-12 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: (12) And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

God’s wrath was coming upon His people. The wrath would not have come if the people had repented and turned to God. If they had turned to God, He would have held off His wrath. 2Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

This is the state that the United States of America is in today. The people of America have turned away from God and have chosen to follow their own paths. There are no more moral standards or absolute standards, because the Bible is no longer being read, taught or preached. People are confused about God’s Word because of all the different translations out there. People do not want to hear the truth from God’s Word because it offends them. People will only care about in issue if it affects them, otherwise, they are apathetic. They don’t know and they don’t care. Listen to this quote by Georgia Anne Geyer:

I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to have a moral community or nation without faith in God, because without it everything rapidly comes down to “me,” and “me” alone is meaningless. Today Americans have stopped acting in terms of their own moral, ethical and religious beliefs and principles. They’ve stopped acting on what they knew was right — and the “me” has become the measure of everything. However, moral societies are the only ones that work. If anyone thinks there is not a direct and invaluable relationship between personal integrity in a society and that society’s prosperity, that person has simply not studied history. And this should not surprise us. Great moral societies, built upon faith in God, honor, trust, and the law blossom because they are harmonious; because people love or at least respect their fellowman; because, finally, they have a common belief in something beyond themselves. It simplifies life immensely; you do not waste and spend your days fighting for turf, for privilege, for money and power over your fellowman.

Alexis de Tocqueville said it best in the 1830′s when he realized even at the very beginning of our national life, “America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

America needs to turn back toward God before His wrath is unleashed upon us. Revival can still happen in this country if everyone would repent and cry out to God. This needs to happen from the President, to the Congress, the Senate, the Judicial system, the states and the people. If we do not repent and cry out soon, it may be too late.

Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. When I am not reading the Bible, how will I know where to go? His Word is a light unto my feet directing me and my direction, but if I do not have His Word, then I will drift off course.

Psa 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Again, without God’s Word in my heart and on my mind, I cannot know for sure what is sin and what is not sin. If I rely on my feelings and emotions only, then I will end up off the path that God has set before me.

2 Cor. 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Let us break this verse down phrase by phrase: Every man according as he purposeth in his heart – the word “purposeth” does not allude to the quantity the man should give, but points to the willingness to give. Every man means everyone and each man and woman should decide in their heart how they are going to give. In other words, what is the motivation in the giving. Is it to bring attention to yourself? Or do you give less to God because you are hurt or angry? Do you give because others are giving? Are you giving because you expect something back?

so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity – means that we should give willingly and we should not be forced into giving.

A blind Indian beggar sat beside a road, fingering the rice in his little bowl. Wearing only a loin cloth, he sat in poverty beside a road that stretched into nowhere both ways. The scarce travelers occasionally gave him a little rice. One day he heard the thunder of a chariot in the distance. It was the grand entourage of the maharajah. This was a moment that had never come before. Surely the great one would stop and give him baskets of rice.

Indeed, the golden chariot of the maharajah stopped before the poor beggar. The great one stepped down and the beggar fell before him. Then the sky seemed to fall in. “Give me your rice,” said the great one. A fearful, hateful, scowl masked the face of the beggar. He reached into his bowl and thrust one grain of rice toward the maharajah. “Is that all?” said the great one. The beggar spat on the ground, cursed, and threw him one more grain of rice. The great one turned, entered his chariot, and was gone.

The beggar-angry, empty, and crushed-fingered the remaining rice he had hoarded in his bowl. He felt something hard, different from the rice. He pulled it out. It was one grain of gold. He poured out his rice, caring nothing for it now. He found one other grain of gold. Had he trusted the great one, he could have had a grain of gold for every grain of rice.

2 Cor. 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. God wants us to willingly and cheerfully give to Him. Again, let me repeat that Paul is not talking about just financial giving, but the giving of ourselves to others and to God. Giving can be difficult and painful, but only if we have purposed it in our heart that it will be difficult and painful. Giving can be uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing, but only if we have purposed it in our heart that it will be uncomfortable and embarrassing. The giving can be telling someone the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The giving can be volunteering somewhere that needs volunteers. The giving can be teaching someone what needs to be taught. We have to decide in our hearts that what we are giving is what God wants us to give and then give it fully, willingly, and cheerfully.

2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

God is able. When we have the proper motivation in our hearts and we cheerfully give, then God is able to make all grace abound toward us. That means He is going to give to us abundantly. So does that mean if I give $100, then God will give me $200? Not necessarily, because God’s blessings are not always material. There have been times when we have given financially and God has resupplied that back to us, but that does not always happen. There is no prosperity Gospel which teaches that if you give a ton of money, God will automatically double it. God’s spiritual blessings can be greater than material blessings. Note what Jesus Christ declared in Luke 6:

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

He did not say that He will double our money as some will teach. Instead Jesus Christ is teaching that what we give and how we give will determine the bounty we receive back. So much of the Christian life depends upon our motivation in doing what we do.

Two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, joined a party that was going around the world. Before they started, their minister earnestly asked them to observe and remember any unusual and interesting things that they might see in the missionary countries through which the party was to travel. The men promised – carelessly, perhaps – to do so.

One day in Korea, they saw in a field by the side of the road a boy pulling a crude plow, while an old man held the handles and directed it. The lawyer was amused, and took a snapshot of the scene.

“That’s a curious picture! I suppose they are very poor,” he said to the missionary who was interpreter and guide to the party.

“Yes,” was the quiet reply. “That is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.”

The lawyer and the businessman by his side were silent for some moments. Then the businessman said, “That must have been a real sacrifice.”

“They did not call it that,” said the missionary. “They thought it was fortunate they had an ox to sell.”

2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

The Corinthians did not lack anything materially or spiritually, but they were not using the bounty from God properly. Paul encouraged them to give willingly and cheerfully. When we are obedient to God, He will bless us in ways we do not expect. Why? Because He loves us. Why does He love us? Because He loves us. That is all the reason we need to know. Drop down to verse 15:

2 Cor 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

What is God’s unspeakable gift? The better way to phrase that question is to say: Who is God’s unspeakable gift? No matter how much we give of our time, energy, strength, and money, we can never ever outgive God. Because He gave us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Go to 2 Corinthians 8:9

2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

J. Vernon McGee wrote: Though He was rich, He left Heaven, left all the glory, came down as a missionary to this world. He came not only to live but to give His life in death for you. He came to die on the cross. He came to be brutally killed in order that you and I might have eternal life. He paid the penalty for our sins. There is no better gift than that.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul is teaching the Corinthians the importance of Christian giving. Let me start off by stating that Paul is not only teaching about financial giving – he is also teaching the importance of giving all of yourself to God and to others. I read the whole chapter to provide the context for what Paul is teaching, but we see in the first five verses that Paul was exhorting the Corinthians to make good on the pledge they had made in providing relief to the believers in Jerusalem. It was not easy to be a Christian in Jerusalem at this time. Just because Paul was no longer persecuting the Christians does not mean that others had not continued the persecution. The Corinthians had pledged to help and Paul reminding them the importance of keeping a pledge or promise. God takes vows very seriously and we need to very careful about promises we make to God.

Numbers 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon warns about making foolish vows.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. (5) Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

How often do you hear about someone in troubles that prays to God, “God if you will do this for me, then I will do this ___.” But when the trial or trouble is over and passed, the person does not keep his end of the bargain. That is why we are warned that it is better to not make a promise rather than make a promise and not keep it.

The Corinthian church had been very blessed by God. They were in a fairly wealthy city and they had all the spiritual gifts given to them by God. They made a pledge and when we make a promise, it is between us and God and God keeps His promises and He expects us to keep ours. Note that is verse 5 of 2 Corinthians 9, Paul uses the word “bounty” twice. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. Bounty is more than a paper towel, a bounty is a generous gift given from the overflow of blessings from God. J. Vernon McGee wrote: I know a wealthy man who was asked, “How in the world did you become so rich when you give so much of it away?” “Well,” he answered, “The Lord shovels it in and I shovel it out and God has the bigger shovel.” My friend, we can never outgive God.

Please see that Paul says at the end of verse 5: that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness,meaning that Paul wanted the Corinthians to give willingly and not greedily hold onto the bounty.

A woman took her two small boys and a daughter to see Peter Pan at the matinee one Saturday afternoon. The tickets were two dollars and fifty cents each. The young daughter watched as the mother pushed ten one dollar bills under the window and received four tickets.

The next day the same mother and daughter were at church. When the collection was taken the child saw her mother open her purse, take out a quarter, and put it in the plate as it passed them.

The little girl looked up at her mother and in a clear stage whisper which everyone around could hear said, “Mother, church is a lot cheaper than a movie, isn’t it?”

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, Paul is giving his final message to the church of Ephesus and he tells them a similar statement.

Act 20:35 I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Interestingly, the four gospels do not record Jesus Christ ever saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” However, the gospel writers do not claim to have recorded everything said by Jesus Christ during His time here on earth. What this does show is the thought that the apostle Paul was personally taught by Jesus Christ after his conversion on the road to Damascus. How often do we hear that phrase today, “It is better to give than to receive” but how little it is practiced. It truly is a blessing when we give and the word “blessed” means “happy.” We have been blessed with a bounty, even if we do not realize it and we should be willing to share it with others. Dr Dan reed wrote:

Serving others was what our Lord fed upon. Giving His life for us was His meat! The discontentment of our age shows a change in the way we view service. We want to be served. But happiness and contentment was in looking after the welfare of others and getting our focus off of ourselves and onto others. I find that when I am down, a visit to a hospital room helps me. I find that when I am down, visits to some bus children help me. I find that when I am depressed and feeling blue, some phone calls to sick and hurting people help me. I find that it is not the gift you give to me that helps me most, but it is the gift I give to you (Dr. Dan Reed).

On the other hand, Paul also warned the Galatians:

Gal 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

What is sowed, is what will be reaped. That can be applied to all areas of our lives, not in just financial matters. If a farmer plants corn in the ground, he will reap corn. If that farmer plants very few kernels of corn, then he will reap very few ears of corn. If he plants many kernels, then he will have a bounty. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap. If that same farmer that has just gained a bountiful harvest, not only plants half as much corn the next season, then he will only receive half as much corn. It is the same concept in how we treat ourselves physically and spiritually. If I only eat Twinkies morning, noon, and night, then I will reap a large weight gain and poor health. If I seldom read my Bible, then I will not grow spiritually and will remain a babe in Christ. If I am not planting the seed of the word of God in my heart, then I will not be able to withstand the wiles of the devil.

Romans 14:14-17 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (15) But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. (16) Let not then your good be evil spoken of: (17) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

A believer in Jesus Christ has liberty, but they must not abuse their liberty. That abuse may cause a weaker brother to stumble and fall. Liberty is not the same as license. Liberty in Jesus Christ means that the believer is given the ability to choose to do the right thing. The main right thing to do is to glorify God in everything.

Luke 13:10-17 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. (11) And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. (12) And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. (13) And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. (14) And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. (15) The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? (16) And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? (17) And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

The right thing for Jesus Christ to do was to heal this woman who had bent over for 18 years. The ruler of the synagogue felt that keeping the Sabbath was of all importance and chastised Jesus Christ for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus Christ points out that these same people will make sure their livestock has water to drink on the Sabbath. Why would these people make sure their livestock has water to drink on the Sabbath? Because they want to take care of their animals. Likewise, Jesus Christ wants to take care of His children and that is why He healed the woman – because He loves His children. It comes back to motivation, why do I do the things I do?

Galatians 5:13, 14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (14) For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

The next right thing is to not be a stumbling block for others. Just because I have liberty in Jesus Christ does not mean I should exercise it if it is going to be problem for others. Whether I eat meat or do not eat meat does not make me special in the eyes of God. Whether I wear a white shirt or a colored shirt does not make me special in the eyes of God. If I keep every commandment does not make me special in the eyes of God. Just because I keep every commandment does not mean I will be living the Christian life. And the other side of that is that I cannot do as I please and be living the Christian life. Everything we do should be because we love God and then because we love our neighbor.

It is God’s grace and not the Law that frees us to do the right thing and to not do the wrong thing. Grace does not allow the believer to sin, but sets the believer free from sin. The believer should desire to please God, not because he has to but because he wants to and loves God. The believer does what God wants because he or she loves God. The believer serves God, not because of the Law, but because he or she loves Him.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

True obedience to God comes from truly loving God and the desire to serve Him the way He wants to be served. The Law does not accomplish that. The Christian life should not be filled with “I don’t do this. I don’t do that.” It should be filled with, “I do this because I love you, God, and this glorifies you and pleases you.” The believer must use discernment to determine what does please and glorify God. Just because it pleases me, does not mean it pleases God. Just because I am sincere, does not mean it pleases God. If the action goes against what the Bible says, then it will not please God. So how can we know how to please God?

Galatians 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (18) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to know what pleases and glorifies God. And how does the believer accomplish that? By reading God’s Word, believing it and following it. By prayer to God for wisdom and guidance. Believers must realize that they cannot live the Christian life on their own, but only because Jesus Christ resides within them.

Galatians 2:19-20 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. (20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Our main focus today is going to be verses 11 through 18, but I wanted to give the context of the passage by reading the first 18 verses of Galatians 5. After Paul had started the churches in Galatia, he left to start churches elsewhere. Sadly, Judaizers came in and began teachings the Galatians that aspects of the Law that was given to Moses had to be followed as well. Essentially, they were teaching another Gospel that required works as well as faith for salvation. Paul was saddened and distressed at how quickly the Galatians chose to listen to these false teachers and follow what they taught, rather than cling to the teachings that Paul had founded their churches upon. Go to Galatians 1:

Galatians 1:6-9 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (7) Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (9) As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

These are very strong words condemning the misuse of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul does not mince words here, the Gospel cannot be changed or added to or have things taken from it, because then it turns the Gospel into a lie. In Galatians chapter 5, Paul is showing that circumcision or no circumcision does not bring a person into a right standing with God.

Galatians 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Once a person decides that they need to keep part of the Law, then they are required to keep all of the Law – there is no picking and choosing. We cannot state that we will keep the dietary portions of the Law and ignore the rest. We cannot state that we will keep the Sabbath, but ignore the Feasts of the Lord. James 2:8-12 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: (9) But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. (10) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (11) For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. (12) So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

People will say that The Book of James and the Books that Paul wrote are contradictory, but note what James wrote in verses 8, 9: If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: (9) But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. And what Paul wrote in Galatians: For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (15) But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Both verses discuss loving your neighbor and point out the proper way of treating them. The point is that believers need to choose to live in the liberty of God’s grace or live in the bondage of the Law.

Galatians 5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offense of the cross ceased.

Paul is pointing the position that he is being put into: if Paul preaches that circumcision and other works of the Law doing nothing for salvation, then he is persecuted; and if he were to preach for circumcision, then he is persecuted. The problem is this: the Gospel of Jesus Christ offends the natural man – the unbeliever, the lost person. Whether it is the idea of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross or His shed blood or His burial and resurrection, the truth of the Gospel upsets people. John the Baptist’s message from the wilderness was not, “Smile, God loves you.” It was “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come.” Jeremiah was not put into a miry pit for preaching, “You can have your best life now.” It was for crying against the adultery, idolatry and other wickedness of his nation. Noah’s message from the steps of the ark was not, “Something good is going to happen to you.” He condemned the world and was a preacher of righteousness. Jesus Christ was not crucified for saying, “Consider the lilies, how they grow,” but for saying, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…children of hell …fools and blind guides … whited sepulchers…generation of vipers.”

then is the offense of the cross ceased. What does that phrase mean? It means that the cross of Jesus Christ is offensive to those who do not truly believe in Him. It is offensive to man because the cross was something that only Jesus Christ could do, and man believes that he has to do something in order to be saved. Billy Sunday told of a man who came to him and said, “I will cut out the booze and get on the water wagon,” “Good; what else?” “Of course, I am a gambler; I will quit gambling and I will never touch a pack of cards.” “All right; what else?” “I am a bad man, and I will live a clean life.” “Good; what else?” He said, “If I quit these things, I think they cover about all. I will quit drinking, swearing, stop gambling, and I will quit being impure.” Billy said, “Good. Give me your hand and say you will accept Jesus Christ as your Savior,” He said, “No, I will not. If I stop those things, I won’t need to do that.” The cross is offensive to man’s pride because God accepts those that are meek and lowly and humble and mankind is not naturally any of those things. The cross is offensive to man because shows him his sinfulness and need for salvation.

Galatians 5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you. The Apostle Paul desires that the Judaizers would have nothing to do with the Galatians.

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

There are three methods of trying to live the Christian life – two of them will not work. One is a life of legalism, which Paul has been discussing. The other is the life of license, which Paul discussed in Romans 6: After we are saved by grace, can we live in sin? Paul’s answer is:”God forbid.” You cannot live in sin and be a Christian. Now you may fall into sin, but you will get out of it. The Prodigal Son can get in the pig pen, but he won’t settle down there – the pig pen won’t be his forwarding address. He will leave it. The Christian life is neither the life of legalism nor the life of license. (J. Vernon McGee)