Teachings of Christ

Foxes

Luke 9:58  

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Friends

Luke 11:5-8  

5 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

7 “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.’

8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

Frugality

John 6:12  

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”

Fruitfulness

Matthew 13:23  

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Fruitlessness

Luke 13:6-9 

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.

7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it.

9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Salvation

God Works

God has prepared them for us.

Ephesians 2:10 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

After being saved by faith.

Ephesians 2:8 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

1 Thessalonians 1:3 

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

God Works demonstrate our Faith.     

 James 2:14-20

14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Revelation 2:13 

I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Receiving the Holy Spirit

John 7:9

Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

John 20:22

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:38

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:15

When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

Acts 10:47

“Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”

Acts 19:2

And asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Qualifications for Eternal Life

He that has not exalted his soul to vanity of idols and sin

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

  9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19-21

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

God Did

 “The Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”  Isaiah 60:2 NKJV

When we create a redeemer, we keep him safely distant in his faraway castle. We allow him only the briefest of encounters with us. We permit him to swoop in and out with his sleigh before we can draw too near. We wouldn’t ask him to take up residence in the midst of a contaminated people. In our wildest imaginings we wouldn’t conjure a king who became one of us. But God did.

People say, "God is love." What does that mean?

God is Love. Those are words said by John in 1 John 4:8. I believe that what John was saying is that God’s character is the very personification of love, that in His actions we see His love poured out for us. 1 John 4 goes on to say: “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

The amazing thing about the kind of love that God shows for us is that it is not dependent on anything we did, are doing, or will ever do. He loved us without our ever knowing one thing about Him. It was enough that God knew about us. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The disciple John wrote more about love than any other biblical author. In his letters (1, 2, and 3 John), he wrote much about it being a word of action. He admonished us to love one another because God is love.

John repeatedly stated that in one action, God absolutely demonstrated His love: He maintained that we could find God’s love in the life and death of Jesus, His son. Jesus left the comfort and beauty of Heaven to become man -- in every way. He was tempted; He suffered pain, thirst, hunger, sleep deprivation, grief, and loneliness -- all the things we might encounter. He experienced life and then He died the death of a criminal on a cross after being nearly being beaten to death. He did nothing to deserve death. He was totally without sin. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In perhaps John’s most famous words of all, he said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God allowed all men to have eternal life and become joint heirs with His son just by believing that His son paid this price or ransom for their sins. “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

“The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). In the Old Testament, the blood of animals was used to cover up the sin. It never got rid of the sin. Romans 8:3 says, “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own son in the likeness of sinful man, to be a sin offering.” “By that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

Jesus said, “The Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:27). And so we know and can rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

Our God Gives

God will give everyone according to his/her deeds.

Scripture: Revelation 2: 18-29

Key verse – 23 “I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds”.

Even when the Lord knows the works of his people to be wrought in love, faith, zeal, and patience; yet if his eyes, which are as a flame of fire, observe them committing or allowing what is evil, he will rebuke, correct, or punish them. Here is praise of the ministry and people of Thyatira, by one who knew the principles from which they acted. They grew wiser and better. All Christians should earnestly desire that their last works may be their best works. Yet this church connived at some wicked seducers. God is known by the judgments he executes; and by this upon seducers, he shows his certain knowledge of the hearts of men, of their principles, designs, frame, and temper. Encouragement is given to those who kept themselves pure and undefiled.

It is dangerous to despise the mystery of God, and as dangerous to receive the mysteries of Satan. Let us beware of the depths of Satan, of which those who know the least are the most happy. How tender Christ is of his faithful servants! He lays nothing upon his servants but what is for their good. There is promise of an ample reward to the persevering, victorious believer; also knowledge and wisdom, suitable to their power and dominion. Christ brings day with him into the soul, the light of grace and of glory, in the presence and enjoyment of him their Lord and Savior. After every victory let us follow up our advantage against the enemy, that we may overcome and keep the works of Christ to the end.

Jehovah Titles

Jehovah-Ralpha-the Lord our healer.

Exodus 15:26  

He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

Jehovah-Shalom-the Lord our peace.

Judges 6:24  

So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Jehovah-Tsidgenuw-the Lord our righteousness.

Jeremiah 23:6  

In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

Jeremiah 33:16  

In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.’

Jehovah-Mekaddishkem-the Lord our sanctifier.

Exodus 31:3  

And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of craft

Leviticus 20:8  

Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

Leviticus 21:8  

Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy—I who make you holy.

Leviticus 22:9  

“‘The priests are to keep my requirements so that they do not become guilty and die for treating them with contempt. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.

Leviticus 22:16  

By allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.’”

Leviticus 22:32  

Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy

Ezekiel 20:12  

Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.

Killing Time

Ephesians 5:15-16

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

A friend of mine was sitting on a park bench with his hands folded, staring into the distance. When I asked what he was doing, he replied, "Oh, just killing time."

What a cruel thing to do to something as valuable as time! Why kill it? Time is given to us to be cultivated, not murdered. Time should never be wasted but used to the best advantage.

Of course, there are times when we must relax and rest. Even Jesus said to His disciples, "Come aside . . . and rest a while" (Mk. 6:31). But that was not "killing time," it was using time for restoration. After they had rested, they would be able to use their time more fruitfully and profitably.

If a fraction of the time we waste could be used to pray, read the Bible, witness to others, visit a friend in distress, or comfort someone who is grieving, what a difference it would make! Today, when you have leisure time, ask yourself how you can best improve those extra moments. You may think I am being narrow-minded, but the Bible is clear—we are to be "wise, redeeming the time" (Eph. 5:16).

Today, see how much good you can do for God and others—not how little you can get by with. It is not true that we can "make up lost time." It is gone forever!

God’s people have so much to do in serving Christ today that they should use their precious time to share, to love, to pray.

Time—use it or lose it!

Thought

God washes the eyes by tears until they can behold the invisible land where tears shall come no more.

Henry Ward Beecher