This is the seventh part of going through Romans chapter 6 and living the Christian life. We have spent a lot of time looking at the effect death has of the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus Christ paid the debt our sins have accumulated and that debt is paid when a person has accepted and trusted Jesus Christ for salvation. The apostle Paul tells us in the Book of Romans that believers have died with Jesus Christ on the cross and believers have been raised with Him from the dead. Why do believers have to die with Jesus Christ on the cross? Because a person cannot be born again if they have not first died. And a dead man cannot sin. If a person continually follows the leading of the Holy Spirit, then they would not sin, because the Holy Spirit does not lead anyone to sin. Before we continue on, let us sum up a few things that we have covered over the last six Sundays:

First, Jesus Christ died. It is a historical fact that Jesus Christ did live here on earth. He is not a made up character or a legend or a myth. It is a historical fact that He died on the cross of Calvary. He did die on the cross – He did not swoon or fake His death.

Second, Jesus Christ did rise from the dead. This is again not a legend or a lie or a myth made up by His followers. Considering all of the martyrs deaths that believers have endured over the centuries, they would not have been willing to die for a lie. You might think: what about the Muslim martyrs there have been over the last twenty or so years, are they willing to die for a lie? Apparently the answer is “yes” because look at the difference between the Christian martyrs and the Muslim martyrs. The Christian martyrs were willing to die alone for their beliefs. The Muslim martyrs are also willing to die for their beliefs and take as many others as possible with them when they die.

Third, believers died with Jesus Christ when they accepted Him as their Saviour. The individual Christian’s salvation is rooted in two space-time historic points. The first is the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, and the second is the point of time when, by the grace of God, the individual accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour [Francis Schaeffer]. Turn to Romans 5:1.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Note the two tenses here: Therefore being justified by faith is past tense, and we have peace with God is present tense. Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Again “that are dead to sin” points to the past for the believer and “live any longer” points to today and the future. Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Again, the past and the present are emphasized: believers are to be dead to sin so that we can then walk the way we are suppose to walk: in path of Jesus Christ as led by the Holy Spirit. As Francis Schaeffer wrote: The Bible says that in the present life we are in practise to live by faith as though we are dead now.

Romans 6:10-11 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ did not sin and with His death on the cross, He died unto sin once. Likewise, as believers, we are to figure ourselves to be dead everyday and live each day as if we are dead. Why? Because a dead man cannot sin. A dead man cannot control him or herself but is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: As believers we are to mortify the deeds of the body – in other words set aside the desires we have in favor of God’s desires and will. If we are following the Holy Spirit, then there will be no desire to sin and do the deeds of the body. Those deeds of the body are in the old man, but when a person is born again, they have put on the new man and have become a new creature in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. When people have become born again, then they should want to act as that new creature – the things that pleased the old man should no longer please the new man. If the things that please our old man would not please God, then as new creatures, we should not want to do them! If an action or a thought would not be pleasing to God, then we, as new creatures, should not do them. By faith in Jesus Christ, we are new creatures and should look to only please God. If God does not like something, then we should not like it – or even make jokes about it. As children of God, if God warns us not to do something through His Word, the Bible, then we should not do it. Children sometimes do not listen. They hear what they want to hear. We, as their parents, often strive to work in their lives and give them guidelines to follow for their own good and because we love them. We know and understand this, but many times our children do not. They become angry and resentful towards us because they believe we are robbing them of fully experiencing life, and we are taking away their opportunities for fun and happiness. We sometimes want to beat our heads against a wall in frustration.

I wonder if God feels that way also in regards to us, His children? Listen to this story:

There was once a lamb and its mother. It seems the lamb passed a pig pen each morning on the way to pasture with its mother. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like fun to the lamb, and on an especially hot day the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, “No.” Then the lamb asked the question, “Why?” The mother just said, “SHEEP DO NOT WALLOW.”

This did not satisfy the lamb. He felt she had “put him down and exercised force she should not have,” etc. So, as soon as the mother was out of sight, the lamb ran to the pig pen and jumped the fence. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, his legs, and soon his stomach. After a few moments he decided he had better go back to his mother, but he could not. He was stuck! Mud and wool do not mix. His pleasure had become his prison. He cried out and was rescued by the kindly farmer. When cleaned and returned to the fold, the mother said, “Remember, sheep do not wallow.”

Lets continue to read Colossians 3. Verse 5 tells the believers what they should be avoiding and mortifying their members from: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness.

Colossians 3:5-11 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: (7) In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. (8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Verse 6 states that the children of disobedience do these things therefore the wrath of God is upon them. In verse 7, Paul points out the the saved Colossian believers used to do those same sins when they were unsaved. Verse 8 tells believers that since they have gotten saved, they have stopped the previous named sins and are to put off the following as well: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying. We have to be very careful about what we are saying, how we are saying it and where we are saying it, as Paul wrote: 1Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. And note the last half of verse 9: seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;We are to no longer do the deeds that our old man did – Essentially we are to take off the old man suit that we were wearing as unsaved people and put on the new man suit that Jesus Christ provides for us. Jesus Christ wants everyone to come to Him as they are, but they should not go away the same as they were before. I heard a preacher once say: “The saying should not be ‘a new suit for every man’, but instead: ‘ a new man for every suit!’” Being a Christian is suppose to be different from everything else, because nothing else works except Jesus Christ! Verses 10, 11:

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Believers are to be new people in Jesus Christ. Believers should put on the mind of Jesus Christ and follow what is told to us in the Bible. There should be no compromise – we cannot mix the world and God’s Word together. There should be no compromise – you cannot mix truth and lies together and

get the truth.

Winter was coming on and a hunter went out into the forest to shoot a bear out of which he planned to make a warm coat. By and by he saw a big bear coming toward him and raised his gun and took aim.

“Wait,” said the bear, “why do you want to shoot me?”

“Because I am cold,” said the hunter, “and I need a coat.”

“But I am hungry,” the bear replied, “so maybe if we just talk this over a little, we could come to a compromise.” So the hunter sat down beside the bear and began to talk over the pros and cons. In the end, the hunter was well enveloped with the bear’s fur, and the bear had eaten his dinner. We always lose out when we try to compromise with sin. It will consume us in the end.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Note that Paul is telling us that we can walk in newness of life NOW! Believers should be walking in newness of life NOW! Believers should not be walking the same way that they use to walk before salvation and there should be a difference in their lives and a desire for Jesus Christ. Consider the caterpillar, it spends its days eating leaves and other parts of plants. If they eat too much of the plant, the plant will be damaged or die. However, after the caterpillar has made a cocoon and emerged from it as a new creature – a butterfly, does it continue to eat leaves and damage the plant? No, it does not, the butterfly drinks nectar or other liquids from the plant. The butterfly – the new creation – no longer behaves the same way as it did before as a caterpillar – the butterfly now walks in newness of life. It no longer has a desire to eat leaves as it did as the old man, the caterpillar.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

How can true believers no longer serve sin? By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When does this happen? At the moment of salvation and everyday. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

This only can happen when believers humble themselves before God and state: “Not my will, but thy will, God.” Believers need to be usable by God. A businessman told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.”

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over. He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build. [Ian Wilson]

2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

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.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that the Holy Spirit is restraining the devil and his plans, but a day is coming when the Holy Spirit will be removed and the devil will be let loose on earth. Verse 7 shows us that because the “he” refers to the Holy Spirit and when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, then the devil’s plans can go forward unimpeded. When will this happen? We simply do not know other than it could happen at any moment. Right now believers should be focused on spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The harvest is ready, but the workers are few.

James 5:7-8 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (8) Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

God is patient and wants everyone to come to Him, but not everyone will. Right now He is trying to draw everyone to Him, but not everyone will come. 2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God is long-suffering and patient with us, but that patience will end at His discretion. He wants everyone to repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ, but not everyone will. Sadly, I believe that there will be less people that will be raptured out than people expect. When the rapture happens there will be people left behind because they only had a head knowledge of Jesus Christ and had not truly placed their faith in Him.

2Thessalonians 2:8-12 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (9) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Believers do not know when Jesus Christ is coming, nor should we. It will be a surprise and you know why? Because if we knew when Jesus Christ is coming, we would wait until the last minute before trying to let people know. Remember as children, if your parents left the house and they left you chores to do, did you do them right away or did you wait? Most people tend to wait and then at the last minute hurry to wash the dishes or mow the lawn or whatever the chore was. “Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?” Believers in Jesus Christ will not see the revealing of the antichrist. We simply will not know the time of His coming. It will be a surprise. We will not see the Antichrist make his covenant with Israel. We will not see the Antichrist stand in the temple and announce himself as God. We will not see the mark of the Beast forced upon the world. We will not see the great judgments poured out. We will not see the northern power of Ezekiel 38-39 descend upon Israel and be destroyed by God. We will not see the armies of the world congregate in the middle east to stand against Christ at Armageddon.

The Apostle Paul warned us that there will be many false teachers and false prophets in the world. These false teachers will lead people astray. What is even sadder yet, is the many that are lead astray actually willing to be led astray. They will pursue their own desires rather than God’s desires. They will decide upon their own version of holiness rather than follow God’s holiness.

2Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (6) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, (7) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The false teachers may even deceive themselves into believing they are following God but they actually going further away from God. As it says in verse 5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. These false teachers may appear to be holy and godly in some fashion, but ultimately they are known by their fruits. Listen carefully to what they say. Pay attention to what they do. That is what Jesus Christ warned:

Matthew 7:15-23 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

A man predicted that the end of the world was coming this weekend. It did not happen, not yet, but it will happen soon. Are you ready?

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.

Born To Die by Ron Hamilton

On the night Christ was born

Just before break of morn,

As the stars in the sky were fading,

O’er the place he lay,

Fell a shadow cold and gray

Of a cross that would humble a King.

(chorus) Born to die upon Calvary,

Jesus suffered my sin to forgive;

Born to die upon Calvary,

He was wounded that I might live.

Jesus knew when He came

He would suffer in shame;

He could feel ev’ry pain and sorrow.

But He left Paradise.

With His blood He paid the price –

My redemption to Jesus I owe.

(chorus) Born to die upon Calvary

Jesus suffered my sin to forgive;

Born to die upon Calvary,

He was wounded that I might live.