WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
The church is the body the people of God – 1 Pet. 2:9; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16
The ones who have hearkened to God’s call to come out of darkness and into the light.
As Peter said, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (1 Pet. 2:9)
Men and women who believed the good news that God has provided salvation for sinful man through Jesus Christ.
Men and women who by faith take God at His Word, expressed by their obedience to His divine commands to “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38).
These are the recipients of Christ’s blessings, having received “remission of sins”.
According to the scripture because they have believed and been baptized, they are the saved. (Mark 16:16).
The church, then, in the universal sense is the body of believers – all of the saved persons in the world.

What may be more important to learn is what the Church is not! Many today view the church as a mystical body which has no visible organization…

Faith Triumphs Over Trouble

Have you ever felt like you cannot go on? Ever felt like you cannot trust God one day more? Ever felt like you can’t wait for God a moment longer? This account from the record of 2 Kings 6:24-7:20 paints a picture of a cycle from the depths of base depravity to the greatest heights as God’s deliverance turns sorrow to joy. The cycle we want to see is:

Faith under siege
Bring on the blame game
Realized God is the God of the Impossible
The God of the weak
Our response to God’s blessing

We must understand waiting is a hard thing, but God In His Time He makes all things beautiful (Eccl. 3:11). Silence doesn’t mean God is absent but we must continue to trust for “tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5:3-4).

God is the God of the Impossible “…With God all things are possible” (Mk 10:27)…

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

With contentment in mind, Paul brings another lesson to Timothy and us beginning with verse 11 where he says, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness”  (1Tim. 6:11). Let’s zoom in on the words Paul used here, “flee these things”. Some examples, it was the angel of the Lord that told Joseph to “flee to Egypt”, to avoid the wrath of king Herod. Paul is saying that you must run away from a place or situation of danger.

As you flee from these things you must also pursue something, that is to say, you are not just running away from something—you are also to run to something. Running away from danger and running to safety.

Verse 12 Paul says we are to, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses”  (1 Tim. 6:12). The road that leads to eternal life is paved with obstacles, with temptations, with hard choices—and it is an uphill battle. Now listen to me carefully: The latter means you have set aside everything pertaining to this life, everything, even some relationships, in order to pursue Jesus, purse your King, having all you focus all your desire for eternal life.

If that is true then brethren, fight the good fight, lay hold of eternal life…

SEEING JESUS
John 12:20-21 “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’”

There are many great men from the past that we would like to see but none as much as Jesus. In our text men desired to See Jesus while He was here on the earth, what did men see when they saw Jesus?

Isaiah saw a suffering Savior. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).

John the baptist saw, “The Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus, the Lamb of the New Testament did what all the lambs from the Old Testament could not do – “Take away the sins of the world”
Stephen saw Jesus glorified At the Right Hand of God (Acts 7:56).

Where can we see Jesus and how will we see Him? Where is simple, look in the pages of your Bible and you’ll see Jesus. How depends on whether or not you’ve obeyed the gospel of Christ…

CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER

Acts 4:32-37 They shared physically, because they cared about each other no one said, “that any of the things he possessed was his own”  (v.32), No one lacked – in (v.34) we are told that “all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold”. It was not “every man for himself” – but they, “distributed to each as anyone had need” (v.35).

Clearly—a matter of caring for one another—love and concern for others that led to great and willing personal sacrifice. They Shared Emotionally – Rom. 12:15, Paul said, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Showing the importance of sharing our mutual feelings, trials, triumphs, but it also implies there was to be a “closeness” between brethren, their hearts were one—that is how they could come to know the individual needs.

When we have the sincere, genuine desire to “care for one another”, providing for the needs of our brothers and sisters—whatever that need is—will be a reason to rejoice, will be uplifting—and unites us in the common faith. This principle is written and proven all throughout the Bible both old and New Testaments…

AM I MY BROTHERS KEEPER?

As brothers and sisters in Christ we are commanded to love one another, and to care for each other and carry one another’s burdens, and abound in the work of the kingdom together. We must know that spiritual devastation awaits all who ignore the commandments of God our Savior, and they are commandments: Jesus, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”  (John 15:12). Paul “there should  be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12:25).

Paul: Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”, and  1 Corinthians 15:58,  “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Are we spiritually killing ourselves, o’ so slowly by our indifference to our brethren, BECAUSE we “don’t know, where our brother is”, by our absence in the assembly, or by our lack of work in the kingdom. In our text as read this morning, perhaps one of the more thought-provoking questions in the Bible is that one asked of Cain by God.

GOD’S THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUESTION?
• Cain had killed his brother because God had accepted Abel’s offering, but not his own – (Gen. 4:3-8)
• When the Lord inquired concerning Abel asking “Where is Abel your brother?”
• Cain’s response was: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” – (Gen 4:9)

This is a question we would do well to ask ourselves today. “Am I truly our brother’s keeper?” Understanding that being our brother’s keeper means that we love and care for one another, that we bear one another’s burdens and that we always share in the work of the kingdom. Do I accept the God given responsibility to watch out for and care all my brothers and sisters?

 You’re Killing Me

By this I mean we need to understand that two deaths occurred that day: Able was murdered and physically died, and Cain murdered his own soul, and spiritually began to die. So, it is most important that each of us ask ourselves this question, “AM I MY BROTHERS KEEPER?” When we turn to the New Testament, it is overwhelmingly clear that the answer is “You Better Be!”…

TRUE CONTENTMENT

We have been in the first letter of Paul to Timothy – learning about our Faith’s Foundation. (1.) Learning of how to prevent the practice of false religion by teaching no other doctrine – 1:3, (2.) Learning the power of God’s grace – 1:14, (3.) That we must be a people of prayer – 2:1 and all according to the will of the Lord – 2:8,
(4.) How to be good leaders and servants – chapter 3, (5.) Exercising ourselves toward godliness – 4:7, (6.) And living honorably toward all – 5:3.

All these lessons require that we are members of the body of Christ, that is members of one another, and that we love God above all, then we love one another before all. In our lesson today we first want to see what doesn’t bring True Contentment and then what does.

Notice with me then in verses 3 through 5 as Paul explains where we don’t find true contentment, or what robs us of true contentment…

AFTER THE HEART OF GOD

In Paul’s sermon at Antioch, he recounts the history of Israel, and refers to the statement made by God concerning David: “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” – Acts 13:22. God removed Saul, and raised up David. I have little doubt that if a local congregation is doing the work God has called them to do, that God will bless them, and just the same if a local church does not fulfill its duties, God will remove it. 

What a beautiful hope we have, being upheld by God for walking in His ways, for seeking after His Heart! And this beautiful compliment FROM GOD, “a man after My own heart”, is one that should characterize every soul who wears the name of Christ: a. For David was not only the ancestor of Christ according to the flesh… b. But he possessed many of the attitudes that Were later perfected by Christ, And should characterize all those who are disciples of Christ…

All of chapter 5 through chapter 6 and verse 2, is about living honorably before God.  We have already considered two, how we are to honor widows who are truly widows, and how we are to honor others, older men as fathers, women as mothers and the young as brothers and sisters.

In this lesson First, Paul teaches how we are to act honorably toward those who are elders, overseers of the local church. (5:17-22). Secondly, how we act toward false disciples (5:23-25), and Third, how we act with our employers (6:1-2).

Always in every way to act honorable as God desires in these various life areas. Honoring Your Elders “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine”  (1 Tim. 5:17)…

REASON FOR OUR HOPE
Many today, and over the centuries have dismissed Jesus’ resurrection as a fairy tale or just another story, like Robin Hood, or King Arthur.

And many have been conditioned just not to believe—and there best defense is to remain uninformed.
That is to say—unwilling to look into the subject. But our hope of the resurrection is not without proofs. And these – “proofs” if the subject were anything other that Jesus would be more than sufficient in any court of law.

As Christians we need to be ready to share the proof of the resurrection to any and all people—willing or not world. Here is the proof….