Acts 20:33 I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
Paul is talking to the leaders of the church in Ephesus. Paul is warning them of the various ways that Satan will attack the church. Paul then goes on to remind these leaders that he did not covet the possessions of others. Paul had […]
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
In the Ten Commandments, we were taught that one should not commit adultery. However, when Christ came to this earth, HE did not destroy the law, but called us to […]
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
In this passage, Jesus […]
Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
The knowledge of the ways of the Lord are preserved from generation to generation. How many kings have tried to destroy Christianity? How many rulers have attempted to get rid of religion? Ever since the resurrection of Jesus, there […]
John 8:5-6 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
The scribes and the Pharisees came to Jesus […]
Proverbs 6:17 a lying tongue,
In this passage Solomon enumerates seven abominations unto the Lord. The second item in this list is a lying tongue. Jesus told us that HE is the truth. HE also taught us that it is the truth that will set us free.
When you tell a lie, your actions are not pleasing […]
I John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
It is real easy to become materialistic and start to love the things of the world more than God. Most people spend most of their week […]
Exodus 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
The nation of Israel had sinned in worshiping a golden calf. Moses had been up in the mountain receiving the tablets […]
Judges 7:6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
Gideon had blown a trumpet and had sent messengers across the land and 32,000 men answered the call. However, 22,000 men were […]
Psalms 106:37-38 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
Today we live in a society that does not think twice about killing the unborn […]
Psalms 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
Is God first in your life? There are a lot of things on this earth that are desirable, but nothing compares with God. Some people desire long life, others riches, and some fame, but God […]
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
You desire for God to hear your prayers and answer them, but the first question you need to ask yourself is whether your heart is right towards God. You are a servant of God and you have dedicated your […]
Psalms 41:4 I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
When was the last time you confessed your sins to God? I do not mean where you just confessed the big sins, but that you took the time to examine your life and find all the times that […]
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
A lawyer asked Jesus which of the commandments was the greatest and Jesus replied that you should love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. This verse summarizes the first four of the Ten Commandments by simply stating the principle behind the commands. In order to demonstrate your love for God you must have no other gods. You must not make any graven images. You must not take the Lord�s name in vain. You must honor the Lord�s day and keep it holy.
Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
A rich man came to Jesus and asked HIM what he had to do in order to have eternal life. Jesus told this man that he needed to obey the commandments. The man acknowledged that he had kept the commandments but he asked Jesus what he still lacked. The man knew in his heart that there was something more he needed to do in addition to just obeying the law of God.
While this rich man claimed to obey the commandments, Jesus was able to ask one question that revealed this man was actually violating the Ten Commandments. Jesus asked the man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor and then follow HIM. By refusing to obey Jesus and sell his goods, this man showed that he had made money his god and that he had placed money and the security it could bring HIM above his relationship with God. In James 2:10 you learn that �whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.�
Acts 23:12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
Over 40 Jews had so much hatred for Paul that they were willing to abstain from eating or drinking until they had killed him. Not only were they willing to abstain from eating or drinking, but they were willing to bind themselves with an oath. Most likely these 40 Jews were religious leaders. If they were religious leaders, they should have understood from the reading of the scriptures the significance of an oath. Nonetheless, these 40 men were willing to make an oath because of their agreed hatred of Paul.
Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Paul and Barnabas went to Atioch in Pisidia. While there, they went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day where they read the law. The Jews invited them to share any exhortation that they might have. Paul was not going to pass up on this opportunity and he shared the history of Jesus Christ starting with the nation of Israel leaving Egypt to claim the Promise Land. After this sermon, many Jews were persuaded to believe.
The gentiles heard of the words of Paul and they requested that the next Sabbath day that they too be allowed to hear the good report that Paul had to share. Nonetheless, when the Jews saw that the gentiles were going to hear Paul, they were filled with envy and began to work against Paul. The Jews were more concerned about being different from the world then they were in changing the world around them.
Philippians 3:9-10 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
The word righteousness means the state in which we are approved by God. Righteousness is our integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking, feeling and acting. Paul tells us in this passage that we are not righteous because we have followed the law but that we are righteous and thus acceptable to God because of our faith. By following the law, our outward actions are the things that are judged. However, it is our faith in Christ that dictates to us that we are accountable to God for our thoughts and feelings.
