Luke 22:55
"And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them."
Throughout my lifetime, I have watched many strong men who once stood firm for the old paths waver in their later years. These men were men who once preached on national platforms of conferences that promoted the old paths. Yet, I have watched them change throughout the years to the degree that you would never know that they once stood strongly for the old paths.
Luke 12:31
"But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Jesus tells the story of a farmer who was rich. One year his harvest was much better than normal. Because of the great harvest, this man decided to build more barns and lay up his harvest to the point that he thought he would have no more cares in his life. This farmer was foolish in the fact that he had no power over the harvest. He became so confident that the harvest was because of what he did that he thought he could do it again. As I look at this parable and Jesus' response throughout the rest of the chapter, I find several lessons that will help to keep us from entering into the foolishness of this farmer.
Mark 11:24
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
If you have been saved for any length of time, then you have heard of people whose prayer lives were able to make great changes. The disciples saw this first hand with Jesus Christ. Jesus cursed a fig tree because it had no fruit on it, and the next day when they passed the same tree Peter noticed that the tree had withered up and died. That impressed Peter so much that he reminded the Saviour of His words, as if Jesus didn't know this would happen. Jesus then used this opportunity to teach His disciples how to pray so that they also could have a prayer life that changes situations.
The 11/16/14 FBC Hammond bulletin is up at Baptist City.
Proverbs 29:11
"A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards."
A person says, "I'm just going to give you a piece of my mind." This is what a person does when they are upset and want to unload their feelings. They want to tell the person with whom they are upset just how angry they are about them and what they did. I often say that you better be careful about giving a piece of your mind because you might not have a mind left after you are done.
Matthew 15:3
"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"
It is amazing how powerful traditions are to many. The scribes and Pharisees were caught up in the traditions of men so much that they ignored the commandments of God. They saw the disciples of Christ eat bread without washing their hands, and they thought that Jesus should rebuke His disciples for doing so. Instead, Jesus took the opportunity to teach the importance of traditions and commandments. Let me show you several things you must learn from Jesus' response.
1 John 5:4
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
The greatest battle that has ever been fought and is continuing to be fought is the Christian's battle over the world. There have been great battles fought throughout history, but this battle will be ongoing until the LORD's return. The difference between the Christian's battle with the world and other battles throughout history is that the Christian's battle is a spiritual battle; it is a battle that is unseen.