Thoughts on John 3:14-18

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:14-18

Here Jesus talks about Himself the Son of man. He says that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so He must be lifted up. What is He talking about? Numbers 21 gives the account of God telling Moses to make a serpent of brass. Why did God do this? Earlier the people sinned against the Lord, and so He judged them and sent poisonous snakes among them, and they bit them. But the Lord was merciful. He told Moses to make a brass serpent on a pole, that anyone who looked on it would be healed. If people believed God and turned to look  they would be healed.This represents Jesus. 

Why was it a serpent on a pole? The people were bitten by serpents. It represented the judgment of God. Jesus on the cross shows the judgment of God. God couldn’t let sin go unpunished. And even when our sins were placed  on  His only begotten Son Jesus, God judged.

But like the brass serpent was for healing and not for condemnation, so the Father didn’t send Jesus into the world for condemnation. He sent Him to be a Saviour. If we just look to Jesus, acknowledge our sinfulness, and ask for forgiveness, we will be healed.

Just like the people bitten by the snakes were already doomed to die, so is every one of the human race condemned already who hasn’t trusted Jesus as Saviour.

“ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:17-18

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12

Jesus says, “ . . . I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”(John 14.6).

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation . . .” (Heb 2.3).

Unless we ask Jesus to save us, we will have to face the judgment of God.

Thoughts on the Appearance of Evil

I Thessalonians 5:22 reads, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

When I was younger I thought that “abstain from all appearance of evil” meant that if even something just looked evil to stay away from it. It sounds good, but I don’t believe this is what the Bible is teaching. Here is why.

Jesus said in John 7:24, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” The Pharisees were angry with Jesus because He healed a man on the sabbath. They thought he was doing evil. 

Isaiah 53 has a well known prophecy about the Saviour. Verse two reads, “[T]here is no beauty that we should desire him.” The Jews didn’t recognize their Saviour that God had promised  when He was standing right in front of them. 

Eve thought something bad was good. Genesis 3:6 reads, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes . . .”

We don’t always know what something is by appearance. We need to know what the Word of God says about something before we make a decision.  We should also hear the matter out before we judge it. Proverbs 18:13 reads,“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” We also need to be listening to the Spirit of God.

I remember reading  at different times the history of Baptists. The history contained things that Catholics wrote about Baptists. If I had not been a Baptist, and also had accepted at “face value” what the Catholics wrote about them, I might think that Baptists were no good.

Proverbs 22:28 reads, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.”  In my life I have heard that things were bad, but then I learned more about them and they weren’t bad at all. It seems to me in the Bible it is the Devil’s work to change men’s perception on things, and to change history. It seems more true today that men are tearing down good things, landmarks, without knowing what they are. That is not to say that if our father’s did evil that we should carry on the tradition. Gideon tore down his father’s altar to Baal (Judges 6:27-28). But we should examine what it is and why it is there. If it is something our father’s set up the Lord would like us to put great weight upon it. Leviticus 19:32 reads,”Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.” The first commandment with promise is “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Ex. 20:12). 

Sometimes they just give us good advice.  When we are little our parents may tell us things like “don’t touch this” “or don’t go over there”. Maybe it isn’t in the Bible, or morally wrong to walk on a patch of grass, but  there probably is a good reason. Maybe there is a mean dog that will chase us if we go over there. This is still true of other matters that our forefathers have set up.

II Corinthians 8:21 reads, “ Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”  I believe this is  basically saying the same thing as “abstain from all appearance of evil”.  First we should be honest in truth, and in the sight of God. Then we should try to no look evil to others. We may not be doing evil, but we don’t want to get a bad testimony from doing something either.

These have been just a few thoughts.

God bless.

A Scripture for Today, October 4th, 2021

“ And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? . . .” Exodus 2:14
When Moses tried to stop two Hebrews from fighting, one moreless said 
“Who made you a judge”?
The men of Sodom said the same thing to Lot.

“And they said . . . This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.” Genesis 19:9

Today we still hear, “Who made you a judge”? Or “You aren’t supposed to judge.”
God’s Word is judge. Telling someone what the Word of God says isn’t judging. God has already judged right and wrong. And in the last day those who reject Jesus will be judged by the Word of God.

Jesus said in John chapter 12, “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” John 12:47-49

They Judge Not

“ Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” I Corinthians 6:4

“Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

“Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:9

“[I]n righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.” Leviticus 19:15

“Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.” Deuteronomy 16:18

God commands us to judge! And God curses people who don’t judge!

“Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness . . .But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.” Jeremiah 22:3-5

“ Thy princes are rebellious. . . they judge not . . .Therefore saith the Lord . . .  I will turn my hand upon thee. . .” Isaiah 1:23-25

“I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; Because they had not executed my judgments. . .” Ezekiel 18:23-24

The Bible does tell us not to judge. But we aren’t to judge appearance and the heart. 

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24

“Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” James 2:4

It wasn’t just the nation of Israel. God said that He will judge any nation that forgets Him.  

 ”The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth . . .The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalms 9:16-17

God bless.

Thoughts On the Accuser of the Brethren

I had meant to post something else today, but the Lord brought these old thoughts I had to my attention and I wanted to share them.

“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.” James 4:11

A name for Satan is “the accuser of the brethren”.

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:10-11

In this verse, he accuses before God, but, it surely doesn’t seem as though, our Heavenly Father is the only one to whom Satan takes these railing accusations to.

Jesus said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. (Mk. 3.35) Satan’s house isn’t divided,  but he tries to divide God’s people! Satan takes those accusations to us as well.

The Bible says he tries to provoke us and tries puts things into our hearts.
He provoked David to number Israel in I Chronicles 21:1.

He put something in Ananias and Sapphira’s heart in Acts 5:3.

He put something into Judas heart in John 13:2.

He also can take good things out of our hearts if we let him.

Mark 4:15

The Bible speaks of the  children of Israel’s discontentedness when they came out of Egypt. The “mixed multitude,” the Egyptians that were with them provoked the children of Israel. They complained about God and His provision. They said that they had it better back in Egypt. They “remembered the fish they used to eat”. They remembered the fish in Egypt, but they didn’t remember being slaves, or being treated cruelly. They didn’t remember the miracles that God did on their behalf, and that He supplied their every need.

The influence of Satan causes us to remember the wrong things, and to have a skewed image of reality.

I think of Eve in the Garden of Eden. He drew her focus to the one tree God said she couldn’t have, rather than upon the overflowing blessings of God that surrounded her.

Satan would like us to forget the good things, and focus on the bad whether that bad is real or imagined.

But God’s people are not our enemy!
” For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

He wants us to focus so much on the bad, that we forget how much someone may love us. He did this to Eve. He didn’t point to every tree in the garden that God gave Eve, but he pointed to that one poison tree that God said not to eat from.

God tells us what to think on.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

A Scripture for Today, January 25th, 2020

“I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” John 12:46-49

Jesus says that if anyone hears His words, and doesn’t believe Him that He’s not judging them.

Whoever rejects Jesus and His Words, has one that judges them.

The word that Jesus speaks will judge that person in the last day.

Why? Because Jesus just wasn’t speaking as a man. He was speaking what God commanded.
He was speaking the Word of God.

As Christians when we tell someone what the Bible says, we aren’t judging. God has already delcared what is right and what is wrong. And even if they reject Jesus, and don’t hear they will be judged rightly, and according to God’s book. And that book is going to be around even until the last day.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. . .And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12,15