More Milk and the Meat is Still Tender- A Little About Hell

God justice demands the penalty be paid for sin. What is that penalty? It is death.

 

 

Romans 6:23

New International Version (NIV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 6:23 Or through

Look at that verse very closely. This verse has both bad news and good news in it. The bad news is that we are all sinners and that we now see the result of sin is death. The Good News is that we have a redeemer in Christ Jesus. Lets examine the first part of that verse for a moment. “For the wages of sin is death” Death is separation, separation from God’s presence. I am going to discuss something here that we do not like to talk about and that is hell. The only way to Heaven is by coming to Christ and accepting the free gift of salvation. There is no other way. Jesus holds the keys and it is He that must let you in. This cannot be made clear enough nor can I state it strongly  enough. There are only two locations that one can pass onto at the moment of physical death that is either heaven or hell. Hell is a real place and that is taught irrefuatbly throughout scripture. Hell is both a place of the evil and wicked dead(unsaved) and a condition of retribution for the unredeemed. Sheol is in one sense the undifferentiated place of all the dead. (Job 3:13-21) and in another sense the special doom of the wicked. (Psalm 49:14). What is the nature of hell? What is hell like?

1.eternal punishment (repeated references to this) Matt 25:46

2. eternal fire ( 18:8, Jude 6
3. the pit of the abyss ( Rev 9:2,11)
4. Outer darkness (Matt 8:12)
5. the wrath of God ( Rom 2:5)
6. the second death (Rev 21:8)
7. eternal destruction from the face of God ( 2 Thess 1:9)
8. eternal sin (Mark 3:29)

We see here three concepts of what hell is and they are:

1. The absence of rightenouss(Mark 3:29)
2. Separation from God ( John 3:36)
3. Judgement ( Matt 8:12 ; 25:31-46)

The above is what the consequences apart from Christ are of sin and of rejecting the gospel message. Lets recap the scriptures that we have been looking at:

Romans 3:23

New International Version (NIV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

1John 1: 8, 10

 

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us

 

10f we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

 

 

Romans 6:23

New International Version (NIV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes:

2. Romans 6:23 Or through

Milk is Sweet but Meat is Better- Are You a Sinner?

Well, now Easter is over and we must move on, the crucifixion and the resurrection, sin and eternal life are the milk of the gospel, that is easy to understand if not accept. Sin, death, eternal life, salvation are all what is the milk of the gospel , we must drink the milk if we are to grow, we will not grow if we do not drink the milk, but our strenght comes from the meat of the gospel. Putting these things to work in how we live our lives. No, I am not talking about a salvation by works, but a salvation that leads to doing good works, not out of a compulsory command but out of heart felt desire to reflect the love of Christ through our actions and our words. We cannot do enough good works to outweigh the evil that lies within us all- the world says that mankind is bascially good but God says that the heart of man is continually evil. The sins of the heroes of the faith stick out like sore thumbs throughout the Bible. Paul was a persecutor and murderer, Abraham was a liar, Jacob was a con man and a thief, King David was an adulterer and murderer and possibly even a rapist(yet he was a man after God’s own heart), Noah was a drunk, Peter was a liar( denied he even knew Jesus, not once but three times as Jesus predicted he would), There are countless other examples, I mean no disrespect by pointing this out, these examples are stated to make the point- we are not good by any means, these men were all very close to God yet they fell into sin, like the rest of us, they tried to be good people yet they fell short or missed the mark. This is what is the common thread of humanity is sin.

Romans 3:23

New International Version (NIV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

1John 1: 8, 10

 

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us

 

10f we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

 

Sin is what nailed Jesus to cross. This is the meat of the gospel, it was not the Romans that crucified Jesus, it was not the chief preists or elders, it was not Judas that betrayed Him, yet in a sense it was. It was and is the sins that we all have committed. Perhaps the hardest teaching of Christianity is that the first thing one has to do is to admit to being a sinner, an evil vile sinner, admit to being a bad person, that one has to confess to the crimes that they have committed to a wrathful vengeful but just God. When you stand in God’s court are you going to demand justice or plead for mercy?

What Happened on Friday?

What Happened on Friday?

Thursday Jesus and the disciples obesrved Passover and Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. Jesus was betreayed on Thursday evening as He and the disciples prayed. It is in the Garden of Gethsame where they prayed and Judas brought the temple guards to arrest Jesus. It is then that Peter cut off the ear of one of the guards. Then Jesus underwent bascially three trials on Thursday exteding into Friday morning very early. Pilate caved into the political pressure of that day and finally gave the Sanhedrin what the wanted- Jesus to be put to death- they meant it for evil but God meant it for good. The trial in the Jewish court was a knagaroo court which was an illegal trial held in the middle of the night with witnesses which were paid to lie. They meant it for evil but God meant it for good. It is now Friday- but Sunday is coming! It is Friday- Jesus is mocked and crowned with a crown of thorns and beaten so badly that He is beyond physical recognition – it’s Friday- But Sunday is Coming! Jesus is led to the Golgatha and stipped and beaten and nailed to the cross- it is Friday- Sunday is coming! The Apostle John is there as is Jesus Mother Mary- Jesus speaks from the cross- the pain, the blood, the shame, the humiliation, Jesus speaks from the cross- what an effort even that must have been- Its Friday- Sunday is coming- From the cross Jesus forgives, makes arrangements for His Mother’s care, shows His full humanity – and asks, prays, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” Did God really forsake His Son? I do not believe so, Jesus here is being human, what one of us in that situation would not feel like God had forsaken us? This is a very human question and came from the human nature of Jesus. He was letting the world know that at times we make feel as if God has abandoned us- that is how we feel( our emotions) but God’s promise is that He will never forsake us. And He will not and he did not forsake His own Son! It is Friday- Sunday is Coming!

Jesus forgives from the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” Jesus here is interceding here for all sinners throughout eternity. He is looking into the time before the cross and the time after the cross and seeing not only the sin, but the sinner- it is here that the gift of grace is being granted to all who would accept it. Even as he is feeling the nails piercing his wrists and feet, as the thorns punture clear through the skull into the brain tissues, as the pressure on the chest becomes unbearable and breathing causes excruciating pain- He is suffering the torture that we (sinners) deserve as He is interessing with the Father for us. Its Friday, Sunday;s Coming! He cries out “I thirst” again showing His frail human nature. At last the Suffering Servant cries out – IT IS Finished! And says Father into Your hand I committ my Spirit. And He gives up the ghost. It is Friday- Sunday is coming! Jesus is then taken from the cross and laid in a borrowed tomb- it is Friday- Sunday is coming!

The disciple have gone into hiding where the remain all day Saturday, the Sabbath. What a dark sabbath that must have been! It is now Saturday- the Sabbath- but Sunday is coming!

Jesus Last Week Cont – The Passover Meal and The Last Supper

Lets jump to Thursday now when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper. This I s found in Mark 14:22-25 but the backgroud leading up to this is found in Mark 14:12-16 and Mark 14:17-21. Lets look at Pass Over first, that is what Jesus and the disciples were preparing to celebrate was actually Passover. Passover was the first of all the annual feasts and the most important. (see Lev 23:4-8) It celebrated on the 14^th of Nisan the first month of the religious year. This would fall sometime in our March or April. Passover commerates the deliverance of the Jews from Eygpt and the establishment of Israel as a nation by God‘s redemptive act. The Feast of Unleavend Bread began in the day after Passover and lasted seven days.

Mark 14:12-25

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Last Supper

12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples.[a] 18 As they were at the table[b] eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”

19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”

20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man[c] must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

22 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”

23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant[d] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 14:17 Greek the Twelve.
2. Mark 14:18 Or As they reclined.
3. Mark 14:21 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
4. Mark 14:24 Some manuscripts read the new covenant.

Here Mark is speaking of the events of Thursday. Apparently Jesus had already made arrangements for a place to eat- He announced the location in a very inconspicuos manner. Now, it would have been highly unuasual for a man to be carrying a picther of water, this was nornally a woman’s task. It is thought that this man may have been a servant. It is thought that the owner of this house may have been Mark’s father. Tradition has it this is the same “upper room” of Acts1:13 whereover 100 believers met on Pentecost.

There were actually two memorial meals observed here- one was the Passover meal during which Jesus predicted that one of the disciples would betray Him. After Judas left Jesus then observed the Last Supper which was in anticipation of the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood. The phrase “one of you who eats with Me will betray is reminscent of the messianinc prophecy found in Psam 41:9

Psalm 41:9

New Living Translation (NLT)

9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

Matthew and John both identify Judas as the betrayer though Mark never mentions it.

I want to pause here and say a few words about this Memorial Meal that we have come to call – The Lords Supper, the Eucahrist, The Lords Table, Holy Communion, or just Communion. No matter what name we call this meal by- that consists of the wine of Juice ( some leeway here- both are from the fruit of the vine) It was most likley wine that was served at this meal as there was no way to refrigirate in biblical times thus no way to keep the juice from fermenting and becoming wine. And the Bread or the Loaf. No matter what your view is – whether this is actually the blood and body of Christ or are symbolic emblems- they are HOLY and this meal is a special time for all who observe it. It is a HOLY time – the loaf is to be unleavend bread. That is what was served to the disciples in that upper room after the Passover meal had been observed. Jesus instituted this as a Remembrance of Him and of the sacrifice that He was about to make. This Meal has been abused over the centuries and actually did not take that long for it to be abused by the Corinthian Church- they were making a party out of it! And in doing so some that could not afford to bring a meal were left without. The called it a “Love Feast” The time of Holy Communion is to be appraoched with high reverence and Paul even mentions that one who partakes in an unworthy manner is dooming themselves to damanation. This time is a time to commune with God and to let Him commune with you, this is a time of self examination, this is a time to look back to the cross, and remember the suffering servant taking the full wrath of God’s anger on Himself to spare us all from that horrible wrath. This is a time to remember the Resurrection and know that we share in that victory over sin and death. This is a time to look forward to His return to once and for all defeat evil and set up His Kingdom and reign forever. Again, this time of observing Holy Communion is a time reverence , a time joy, a time of anitcipation and a time to speak to God and a time to just sit quitely and listen for that small whisper in the whirlwind, a time of self examination and come to God in true repentance with a broken and contrite heart- confessing your times of falling short to Him. In short – it is the most significant portion of any worship service and should not be treated casually.

 

Jesus Last Week Cont

A Synopsis of Jesus Last Week

Sunday The Triumphal Entry

Monday Cleanses the temple

Tuesday Sanhedrin challenges Jesus authority

Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and His return

Mary anoints Jesus at Bethany

Judas bargains with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus

Wednesday oddly seem to have no activity.

Thursday Jesus eats the passover meal with His disciples and institutes the Lord’s Supper( Holy Communion, The Eucharist)

Prays in Gethsemane for His disciples

Friday- Betrayed and arrested

Questioned by Annas

condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin

Peter denies Jesus 3 x

Jesus is formally condemned by the Sanhedrin

Judas commits suicide

Jesus stands trial before Pilate

Jesus appears before Herod Antipas

Formally sentenced to death by Pilate

Jesus mocked and crucifed between two criminals

The veil of the temple is torn as Jesus dies

Jesus is buried in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea

Saturday- The disciples are in hiding in fear – no activity

Sunday- Jesus is raised from the dead

In our study we are still on Tuesday, we have just covered the Sanherdrin questioning Jesus authority. We come now to Jesus foretelling the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Mark 13

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Foretells the Future

1As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”

2Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

This is also recorded in Matt 24:1-3 and Luke 21:5-7. This prophecy was fulfilled in AD70 when the Roman General Titus destroyed much of Jerusalem including the temple. immediately after making this prophecy Jesus gives what is known as the Olivet Discourse which is about His return.

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

This account is also found in Matt 26:6-13 and John 12:2-8

Mark 14:3-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,[a] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages[b] and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 14:3 Or reclining.
2. Mark 14:5 Greek for 300 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.

It seem that Jesus spent the nights in the village of Bethany just a couple of miles on the outside of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. Simon was a leper that probably had been healed by Jesus and ver well could have been the father of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.( see John 12:1,2) The woman poured the oil out on Jesus head and feet. She opened the flask in such a way that it poured out over Jesus entire body from head to foot. Jesus saw this as a preparation of His body for death. Normally the perfume would be placed on the body after death- The fact that this perfume was expensive point to two things-

1. The value of Jesus death

2. the high cost of being a disciple of Jesus.

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The Sanhedrin Questions Jesus Authority

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Mark 11:27-34

New Living Translation (NLT)

This event is also found in Matt 21:23-27 and Luke 20:1-8. The Jewish leaders were bitter and they did all they could to try to trap Jesus but the Lord was a master debater and He turned every question they posed to Him around and they ended up embarassing themselves.

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

27Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 28They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”

29“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 30“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

31They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 32But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet. 33So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The religious leaders were now plotting a way to kill Jesus. (see vs 18) and the asked Jesus about the nature and source of His authority – referring to the authority to cleanse the temple(see vss 15-17) . Jesus had not yet openly declared that He was the Messiah.

I just love the following exchange!

29“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 30“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

The intent of Jesus question to the leaders was to expose their insincereity. ‘The baptism of John, is referring to the AUTHORITY of John’s baptism- was it from Heaven and ordained by God or was it merely from men, that is of human contrivance and void of any spiritual authority and reality? The leaders repsonded with a dishonest answer-

that of Verse 33 So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” And how did Jesus respond? He kept His promise, since they did not answer His question he repsonded-

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Thus far we have covered the triumphal entry(Sunday), the cleansing of the temple(Monday) and now the Sanhedrin challenging Jesus authority( Tuesday) There are a few more events that happened on Tuesday, that we will look at next time.

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The Triumphal Entry

The Triumphal Entry

The account of the triumphal entry is also found in Matt 21:1-11, Luke 19:29-38 and John 12: 12-19) We are looking at the account given in Mark 11. This is on the Sunday before Jesus death, He had come as the Messiah. For three years He had proclimed this to the nation of Israel through never ending travel and many miracles and the miracles of the twelve as well as the miracles of the sevety two. Jesus enter the Holy City amid the shouts of the people of hallelujahs and hosannas. They thought the hour of deliverance was at hand. Even at this point the people misunderstood Jesus mission was that of a spirtual kingdom, not of a political one as they supposed. They were looking for Jesus and His band to overthrow the Roman government. We see how quickly the tide of popularity can be turned in Jesus last week. He entered popular with the people, just a few days later these same people are crying out.”crucify him!” This week we will look at the events of that last week.

Mark 11

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

11As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2“Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”

4The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. 5 As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. 7Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.

8Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. 9Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David!
Praise God in highest heaven!”

11So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

In biblical times when a king entered a city, if he was coming in as a conquerer he woud ride into the city on a horse. If the king was coming in peace he would choose a donkey or a colt and enter the city riding on the donkey or colt. Horse means war, a donkey or a colt means peace. Jesus came to bring peace in a way that was foretold 500 years earlier by the prophet Zechariah.

Zechariah 9:9

Zion’s Coming King

9Rejoice, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.

As the Isralite pilgrims were making their way to the Holy City they sang Psalms, specifically Psalms 120-134. The words the crowds shouted upon Jesus entrance come from Psalm 118 And ended with verse 19 which speak about entering the temple for worship. Psalm 118 is a Messianic Psalm and the people recited this in recognition of Jesus Lordship.

Psalm 118

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 118

1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

2Let all Israel repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
3Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
4Let all who fear the Lord repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”

5In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free.
6The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
7Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
8It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.
9It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

10Though hostile nations surrounded me,
I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
11Yes, they surrounded and attacked me,
but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
12They swarmed around me like bees;
they blazed against me like a crackling fire.
But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
13My enemies did their best to kill me,
but the Lord rescued me.
14The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.
15Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.
The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
16The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph.
The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
17I will not die; instead, I will live
to tell what the Lord has done.
18The Lord has punished me severely,
but he did not let me die.

19Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,
and I will go in and thank the Lord.

20These gates lead to the presence of the Lord,
and the godly enter there.
21I thank you for answering my prayer
and giving me victory!

22The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
23This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.
24This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25Please, Lord, please save us.
Please, Lord, please give us success.
26Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27The Lord is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
28You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will exalt you!

29Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

Next time we will look at Jesus cursing the fig tree and clearing the temple.

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Steps to Wisdom of Finances -who to listen too!!!

One of the things that having wisdom will do for us is to tell us when we need help and when we need to seek good Christian counsel. Many times as Christians we are willing to help others but refuse to ask for help when we need it. That is nothing but pure ego speaking. Everyone has difficulties that they face so each one of us needs some counsel and advice at one time or another, and some of us more often than others! Many times Christians will refuse to seek good counsel when they need it because somehow, they think it reflects on their commitment. That is total nonsense. Lets look at Proverbs 19:20

Proverbs 19:20

The Message (MSG)

20 Take good counsel and accept correction—
that’s the way to live wisely and well.

 

Here we are admonished to seek counsel and accept any corrections the reason why is in the second part of this verse accepting counsel and correction will lead to living wisely and living life to the fullest.

Now the question becomes. When we need advice – whose counsel should we seek?

Well lets look at a few more verses from God‘s Word!

 

 

Proverbs 23:22

New Living Translation (NLT)

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and don’t despise your mother when she is old.

Ephesians 5:23

New Living Translation (NLT)

23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.

 

 

 

Ephesians 5:31

New Living Translation (NLT)

31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

Proverbs 11:14

Proverbs 11:14

New Living Translation (NLT)

14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls;
there is safety in having many advisers.

We can see from these verses we should seek counsel from parents, wives should seek counsel from their husbands and likewise husbands should seek counsel from their wives and we see from Proverbs 11:14 that a nation will fall without wise leadership, likewise with a family, a church or a business. Notice the phrase “ there is safety in having many advisers” Now the question becomes – how can we discern who is a good counselor or advisor? Once again we find the answer in God’s Word!

Titus 1:6-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife,[a] and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 An elder[b] is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker,[c] violent, or dishonest with money.

 8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.

We can add to our list of who we should seek counsel from, church leader. And the qualification listed here are the qualities of a good counselor.

1 Peter 5:2-3

New Living Translation (NLT)

2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.

This describes the role of a good counselor. A good leader will lead by example.

 

2 Peter 1:6-7

New Living Translation (NLT)

6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

And this last verse is what the result will be of a good counselor.

I would suggest these are good guidelines with which to measure any counsel you receive or give.

The Gospel of Personal Finance and Credit

Now we come to number three- reduce or eliminate the use of credit. In many situations it may not be feasible for a family to totally eliminate the use of credit but in each situation it is possible to reduce the use of credit. The family that is in financial bondage HAS to STOP the use of credit if they are ever to find fianancial freedom. Lets look at Proverbs 27:12

Proverbs 27:12

New Living Translation (NLT)

12 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

We see from this verse that one who proceeds in the face of future trouble is described as simpleton.

Now we come to the fourth and that is to seek God’s plan for living within the budget. Many times people think that generating extra income will help, such as the wife working- this is usally NOT the case. Most of the time the problem is caused by overspending -not insuffient income. ( The federal government is a good example of this- they do not have a revenue problem but a spending problem on a much larger scale than a family, but the prinicple is the same) Many times more income will actually compound the problem and make it worse. With the increase in income may come an increase in spending and there will be an increase in the use of credit also. ( See how this track? This is the trap the federal government is caught in- and it has gone on from both parties for decades) We need to put God’s plan for our budget into action first! How do we do that?

a. Extra Income- consider this only after correcting buying habits. Working Moms sometimes contribute little income but sacrifice much in family guidance.

b. Before purchasing an item, give God a chance to provide it-

If the purchase is in line with God’s will He may manifest Himself in our finances by providing from a totally unexpected source.

2 Chronicles 16:9

New King James Version (NKJV)

9For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

God searches over the whole world to find those who are loyal to Him and He will show just what He can do for those who are.

Psalm 37:7

Good News Translation (GNT)

7 Be patient and wait for the Lord to act;
don’t be worried about those who prosper
or those who succeed in their evil plans.

We see from Psalm 37 the practice of being patient and waiting on the Lord.

 

More of is it MIne, Yours, or is it God’s?

Now we come to accepting God‘s direction, look at Matt 6:31

 

Matthew 6:31

New Living Translation (NLT)

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’

We have to believe that God’s wisdom is superior to ours and that he cares about and will meet our every need. Anxiety is needless and pointless worry- which worry will gain nothing but gray hairs! Jesus here addresses and identifies our most basic needs- that of food, water, and clothing. Worry is wrong- concern is something else that is good- with concern comes some type of action. As mentioned before- pray, fast, or just believe and have faith that God will grant a means to provide these things.

Psalm 127:2

New Living Translation (NLT)

2 It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.

 

This says that God gives rest to those whom He loves. We must have God is all that we do to obtain the promised blessings. If we do not include God in our plans then all that we do or accomplish is useless.

Refuse Quick Decisions:

All “get rich quick” schemes have one thing in common- that of requiring one to make quick decisions based on incomplete information. Lets look at Proverbs 21:5

 

Proverbs 21:5

New Living Translation (NLT)

5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

We see that profit comes from good planning and hard work. And poverty comes from taking hasty short cuts. Make your plan then work your plan. No matter what we endeavor to do is going to take hard work and planning. Wheter it is building a house, building a business, buikding a ministry, a marriage, building a church, no matter what there is no easy way and without proper planning it is doomed to fail and without hard work it is doomed to fail. Even getting a handle on out of control finances takes palnning and hard work. No one ever said this was going to be easy!

Excel in Your Work:

10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

 

We are to work as though we are working for God and as if God is working through us. Excellence is the minimum quality standard for a Christians work. Often times Christians feel that they should be second or even purposely fail- that is NOT God’s plan for us!