Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

Justified by Grace

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus 3:7

7 That we, being justified by his grace, should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Brethren:

This is another way and means, as well as regeneration, by which God saves his people; for he saves no unjustified ones; no unrighteous persons shall inherit the kingdom of heaven; such as are without the wedding garment, and robe of Christ's righteousness, shall be cast into outer darkness: whom God saves, he justifies by the righteousness of his Son; and whomsoever he justifies, them he saves. The justification here spoken of is a declarative one, which takes place in regeneration; and which that is in order to, as here expressed, "that being justified": regeneration does not justify any, but makes the justified to appear to be such; justification is an act of God's gracious will conceived in his mind from eternity, by which he wills not to impute sin to his people, but to Christ their surety; and that they should be accounted righteous through the righteousness of his Son; in which act of his will the whole essence of justification in his sight lies: this was pronounced on Christ, as their head and representative at his resurrection, when he, as such, was justified, acquitted, and discharged, and they in him; and this is declared in the conscience of a sinner, by the Spirit of God, at his regeneration, when he passes from death to life; and this declaration is here intended, and which is the same with justification by faith; and is here said to be by the grace of God, as justification in every view is, and stands opposed to works of righteousness done by men, by which no man can be justified in the sight of God; in what sense justification is by the free grace of God.

Eternal life is an inheritance, and so is not acquired by labour and industry, nor purchased, but is a free gift; it is a bequest of God the Father to his children, of his own free good will and pleasure; and it belongs only to children; they only are heirs, and they become such by adopting grace; neither regeneration, nor justification, make them the children of God, and heirs of the grace of life, but make them appear to be so: God, by his gracious act of adoption puts them among the children, and gives them the goodly heritage; and this adoption lies in eternal predestination in Christ, in whom the inheritance is obtained on that account. Regeneration shows them to be the adopted ones, and gives them the nature of children, and a meetness for the inheritance; and justification gives them a right unto it, upon the foot of justice, and opens a way for their enjoyment of it, consistent with the justice and holiness of God; wherefore such as are washed with the washing of regeneration, and are renewed in the spirit of their minds, and justified by the grace of God; these are manifestly heirs of eternal life, of salvation, of a kingdom and glory, of all things, even of God himself, who is their portion, and exceeding great reward; and such in regeneration are begotten to a lively hope of it, and by this they are saved. And thus the apostle makes regeneration by the free mercy of God, and justification by his grace, and special adoption, and heirship, with a good hope through grace, the way and means in which God saves his people, who were like others by nature, and brings them to the enjoyment of eternal happiness.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

This Present Age

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus 2:11-12

11 For that grace of God, that bringeth salvation unto all men, hath appeared, 12 And teacheth us, that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that we should live soberly and righteously, and godly in this present world.

Brethren:

First it must needs be that in today’s study we must recall the fact that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Hence, His word remains the same eternally. Scripture tells us that there is nothing new under the sun, all is vanity. What was made known and true centuries ago is still made known and true today, or as is written above “this present age. Therefore let us focus on these three words.

The fact is, that today, as was true in the time during which Paul wrote those words, man still follows carnal and worldly lusts. His nature is no better now, than it was over two thousand years ago. However, there exists one thing, that makes us different; this is to say we now have Christ as Redeemer and Savior. We have an advocate to the Father, who will speak on our behalf, for His righteousness has now been imputed unto us.

Therefore it behooves us to act and behave in the manner as prescribed by God’s word, and by His definitions of what entails righteousness. Let us proceed to walk circumspectly knowing that the time is short. Let He that redeemed us from sin, and the curse of sin, death, find us ready and as spotless as may be so. For no one knows the time of His return except for the Father.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Godly Qualities That Are Required

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus 2:1, 7-8

1 But speak thou the things which become wholesome doctrine

7 In all things show thyself an example of good works with uncorrupt doctrine, with gravity, integrity, 8 And with the wholesome word, which cannot be condemned, that he which withstandeth, may be ashamed, having nothing concerning you to speak evil of.

Brethren:

Those of us that profess to be Christians must in all ways be a doer of good works, a doer of the word Likewise be of sober judgment and discernment. Do not digress from the word of God as we have learned it, and be prepared to use it when need be to encourage, correct and rebuke as required in daily life. Be honest, showing a proper fear of the Lord our God, and do so without being or playing the hypocrite. Be aware that the ungodly are always about watching, having their minds blinded by the god of this age. They are those who if they can, find fault in you in order to that you might become ashamed. Using of the word of God acts as a shield from the fiery darts of Satan and his own. Give no cause if possible for much depends on you oh man of God, for others to find offense. Likewise be slow to be offended. Remember we are all of flesh and blood. Finally find no occasion to speak ill of another, that being both believer and non-believer for then we become the gossips of the worst order, which leads to finding nothing good in anyone else, wherein we will emerge as legends in our own minds, instead of the humble servants that Christ requires of us.

“It incident to human nature to offend. While we are in this world, we must not expect to converse with angels or the spirits of just men made perfect; no we obliged to have a communication with creatures that are foolish and corrupt, peevish and provoking, and who are all subject to like passions such as these we must live among, else must we needs go out of the world. And have we not reason then to count upon something or other uneasy and displeasing in all relations and conditions? The best men have their defects in this imperfect sate; those who are savingly enlightened, yet knowing but in part, have their blind side; the harmony, even of the communion of the saints, will sometimes be disturbed with jarring strings; why hen should w be surprised into passion and disquiet, when that which gives us the disturbance is no more than what we looked for? Instead of being angry, we should think with ourselves thus; Alas, what could I expect but provocation from corrupt and fallen man? Among such foolish creatures as we are, it must needs be that offences will come to us all” - Matthew Henry

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

Preach the Gospel

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy 4:1-2

1 I Charge thee therefore before God, and before the Lord Jesus Christ, which shall judge the quick and dead at that his appearing, and in his kingdom, 2 Preach the word: be instant, in season, and out of season: improve, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

Brethren:

We have been charged by Christ with the most awesome task, of bringing the Gospel to a sin filled and dying world. We must always ready to answer any question, and inquiry or query to the word of God. It needs be put to all peoples to bring them to the father and salvation. But be forewarned brethren, the way will be filled with divers tribulation, trails and yes persecutions. Yet fear not, for we serve a strong Creator, who will walk besides us and before us.

Likewise we must be prepared and knowledgeable in the doctrine and word that we bring forth. Therefore:

“... take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

“7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.^”

“17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.”

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

Inspired by God, not Man

Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy 3:16-17 - GNV Translation;

16 For the whole Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable to teach, to convince, to correct, and to instruct in righteousness, 17 That the man of God may be absolute, being made perfect unto all good works.

Brethren:

God’s word is all truth. It is a light that shines into and onto the lives of all peoples. The fact that the hand that physically wrought it is of man matters naught one bit. It is, however, the author that is important. Each writer is merely God’s instrument to convey His idea of righteousness to us. A barer and bringer of the light of the Gospel.

Some may make inquiry as to why He just does not come and speak to us directly? I think the answer lies in another in another epistle ( believed to be written by Paul ) wherein he says:

“Now faith is the grounds of things which are hoped for, and the evidence of things which are not seen.”

The fact that we have faith in the unseen, but believe in the tried, tested and made true word of God seems to this writer as the answer to the above question. For we do believe, therefore we have in this belief, faith, for which without, it would be impossible to please Him.

This word now equips the man of God with the tools needed to teach, correct and discipline, and guide us on the paths of righteousness for it is the path that God Himself treads. Recall if you will how on the Road to Emmanus, the two that walked along the road were joined by Christ, and how he laid open to them all the scriptures concerning the risen Messiah. Though they did not immediately recognize Him. Yet he walked with them, and as they later recounted their thoughts they stated how their hearts burned within them? That is just one of many things that the word of God is so capable of doing to one. This is to say, that it inspires one to feel awed by it’s mere presence.

“Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned. Note, It is not enough to learn that which is good, but we must continue in it, and persevere in it unto the end. Then are we Christ’s disciples indeed. We should not be any more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines; for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. And for this reason we should continue in the things we have learned from the holy scriptures; not that we ought to continue in any errors and mistakes which we may have been led into, in the time of our childhood and youth (for these, upon an impartial enquiry and full conviction, we should forsake); but this makes nothing against our continuing in those things which the holy scriptures plainly assert, and which he that runs may read.”

Matthew Henry - Theologian

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and which are committed unto thee, knowing of whom thou hast learned them: 15 And that thou hast known the holy Scriptures of a child, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3;14-15

Brethren:

When we’ve come to the knowledge of the truth, that is to say the Gospel of Christ, it behooves us to hold on with tenacity and to not let go of what we have learned. Indeed we are to go forward and continue to learn. Each word from Scripture is given unto us for our own betterment and by extension the betterment of man. Recall if you will that the word is better than all the wisdom as put forth by man. Yea, it is sweeter than honey, and purer than the most refined of gold. For what gain we if we prefer the former over the latter? Naught but the riches of this world, that decay, and pass away. For the wisdom of this world can be likened to the body of man, that arises at birth fresh and full of enticements, but in the end dies and goes to corruption in the grave. It is as is written a vapor that vanishes in the morning sun. But the latter, which is the word of God is truth and the bringer of life eternal, wherein there is no moth to destroy the garments of imputed righteousness which God has provided for and given unto us by the sacrifice of His only Son Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore seek all things that come from above that all might be well with us, and that would equip and allow us to preach this truth and good news to all people. Let us endeavor to bring light to the darkness that it will shine upon the prince of this world that is the Devil and his lies, and those that would perpetuate these lies. Seeking as prey all those that would cross his path that he would deny them that light, and keep them blinded by the darkness.

“Through faith which is in Christ Jesus: wisdom to salvation lies not in the knowledge of the law, nor in the works of it, at least not in a trust and confidence in them for salvation; for by them there is no justification before God, nor acceptance with him, nor salvation: but true wisdom to salvation lies in faith, which is a spiritual knowledge of Christ, and a holy confidence in him; and that salvation which the Scriptures make men wise unto, is received and enjoyed through that faith, which has Christ for its author and object; which comes from him, and centres in him, and is a looking to him for eternal life.” - John Gill

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

Suffering for Christ

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution. 13 But the evil men and deceivers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Brethren:

What shall we say, that the road to eternity with our Creator will be an easy path? This, while nice is not necessarily the row that we hoe. Today, in our perilous times, we see false teachers, who preach  a Gospel that was not the intent of God. ( I speak of the prosperity Gospel ), wherein it’s all we need to do is to bless the preachers and increase the building which house them, and we shall be saved. Does God wish us to be poor, certainly not. He pours down His blessings upon us, but even if He should will it for whatever His reason we are to count any circumstance we find ourselves in as joy. Yet I digress. 

My brethren, we are witness to an era when the violence of man has increased tremendously. Wherein we are indeed persecuted by those who deny Christ, whether it be physically, or verbally. We are being told to be silent, to not even mention the name of God, nor speak upon His glorious creations.  Sadly, I fear it will become worse. 

But there is good news. All these things portent the coming of our Savior. The day of the Lord will arrive and all those that deny Him will be put underfoot. 

By "evil men" are meant, not sinful men in common, as all are by nature and practice; nor only open profane sinners but rather wicked men under a form of godliness, as before; and who are full of wickedness and malice against truly godly persons, even as the devil himself, of whom the same word is used, when he is called the wicked one; and this is a reason why true professors of religion must expect persecution, seeing as there ever were, so there ever will be such sort of men, who will not grow better, but worse and worse. The word for "seducers", signifies sorcerers, enchanters, a sort of jugglers; who pretend to miracles, and do lying wonders, and by their sorceries deceive all nations, and these "shall wax worse and worse"; in principle and in practice, in ungodliness, and in error, in wickedness and malice against the saints, and in the arts of deceiving. They shall be deceiving: not God, but themselves and others even all nations, excepting the elect of God; which they do by their good words and fair speeches, and by their show of devotion and religion, and by their pretended miracles and lying wonders. Likewise they themselves will also be deceived by the old serpent, the devil, under whose power and influence they are, in whose snare they are taken, and by whom they are led captive, and will at last share the same fate with himself, and be cast into the same lake of fire and brimstone. - John Gill

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

Stay Free of All That Deny the Word of God

1 This know also, that in the (A)last days shall come perilous times. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, cursed speakers, disob dient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, intemperate, fierce, no lovers at all of them which are good, 4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, 5 Having a show of godliness, but have denied the power thereof: turn away therefore from such. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Brethren;

In this times, in our era, we see the same behaviors as written above by Paul the Apostle to Timothy in his second epistle.  Indeed prophesying that such people would come to deny the power of the Word of God. They would be as mentioned above by Paul, but perhaps even more so as they are those that would lead others on a similar path. From these we are told not to entangle ourselves.  

“...though in words they profess religion and godliness, the fear of God, and the pure worship of him, yet in works they deny all; and though they may have a set of notions in their heads, yet they feel nothing of the power of them on their hearts; and are strangers to religion, and powerful godliness: or though they profess the Scriptures to be the word of God, yet they deny the use, the power, and efficacy of them; they deny the use of them to the laity, and affirm that they are not a sufficient rule of faith and practice, without their unwritten traditions; and that they are not able to make men wise, or give them a true knowledge of what is to be believed and done, [therfore] have no fellowship with them, depart from their communion, withdraw from them, and come out from among them” - John Gill 

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

Be the Humble Servant and Teacher of God’s Word

24 But the servant of the Lord must not strive, but must be gentle toward all men, apt to teach, suffering the evil, 25 Instructing them with meekness that are contrary minded, proving if God at any time will give them repentance, that they may acknowledge the truth, 26 And come to amendment out of that snare of the devil, of whom they are taken prisoners, to do his will.
2 Timothy 2:24-26

Brethren;

Strive not with those who lack the knowledge of the truth, and be gentle with all people. For it is towards God’s glory that we work. For it goes well with you that you do so and as such no one can reproach you for not doing what is right. For doing the work of God in all humbleness and meekness is to do all good things to and for others.  Remember always that our Savior set the pattern by washing the feet of His disciples. The master must always be the master, yet he must also be the servant of all that would approach him. 

Teach them that they may come to know Him, and His offer of redemption and repentance through the sacrifice of the One who stood in our stead and paid dearly for our sins. Show them the truth so that they might be saved, and set free from the chains of sin that have been wrapped around us since the day Adam fell. The devil as compared to the fowler that traps, ensnares and us with lies, blinds us with falsehoods, and sets before us a table of carnal lusts of which one is easily tempted. Beware of and flee from those that would run likewise, for they have minds that are seared with all forms of ungodliness. 

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

Cleanse Thyself for Honorable Service to God

20 Notwithstanding in a great house are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some for honor, and some unto dishonor. 21 If any man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Lord, and prepared unto every good work.

Brethren;

Herein the Apostle Paul speaks to us on conditioning ourselves to be vessels of honor. In the O.T. we find how the prophet Ezra, spoke upon using vessels of silver and gold that were being freely offered unto the Lord, and how the priests were likewise consecrated. He was imputing to them, (the priests), that their service was of the highest value, that it was to be pure as the most rarest of metals, and freely given. Not a grudging service as would be asked of by man, but through the love of God. Also we find in Nehemiah, the using of the vessels to carry the finest oils, wine and other goods that were to be used by the temple, and that the services of all associated with the sanctuary were to be given freely and to not forsake their duties In both cases those that were performing the services and duties of the priesthood were to be of honorable character, and of the highest standards as asked for by God.

So therefore we should liken ourselves to vessels of honor. This is to say that we are to cleanse ourselves, by walking daily in the righteousness of Christ. Think naught of this world and all it's trappings and snares, but keeping our eyes on the end of the race. As stated by the Apostle Paul, we are temples of the living God, as such we should, as did Christ, cast out all things of carnality that is in our Father’s house.

It should be noted here that there should be no confusion nor is there no comparison herein between these verses and the Apostle Peter’s mention of a lesser vessel. Both are vessels of honor, both have separate duties unto God and unto each other. Yet each does his and her honorable service to God, but by doing so and going about their appointed roles as prescribed by Him.