WHEN TO SHAKE THE DUST: Jesus commanded His disciples, “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Matthew 10:14). There are conditions that require us to “shake off the dust from your feet”. In this lesson we will consider some reasons why I would be better to stand back and trust God to work on the heart of one you have tried to share the gospel with. Let us begin then with,when they refuse to listen…

What are you looking at? What is the Devil putting in front of your eyes? What images draw your attention off of purity and holiness? Uncontrolled our eyes can draw us into sin and there are many examples in the scriptures about those who simply looking at the wrong thing lost sight of purity and holiness. God says, Keep Your Eyes On What You Love: Love God – Matt. 22:37-38; Matt. 6:19-21, Love Truth – 2 Thess. 2:9-10 and Love One Another – John 13:34-35.
In this lesson we will expound on these things…

4 THINGS JESUS DID NOT KNOW

No, I am not saying that Jesus didn’t know everything. There are many things that sinful man does and many things man may think, but God is not like man, and Jesus being, “God with us”, did not know sin, that is He never committed sin. ““Remember this, and [a]show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’” (Isaiah 46:8-10). 

Yes, Jesus knew no sin for you and me, for the whole of mankind. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21). Neither did Jesus know about the second coming in the way man fabricates it. There have been hundreds, if not thousands of failed prophets predicting when and where Jesus would return and not just in the first century but from then until our day. In fact some like Alice a. Bailey predict His return will be after 2025, and Frank J. Tipler has Jesus returning by 2057. Jesus made it clear that He Himself didn’t know. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [a]heaven, but My Father only”  (Matthew 24:36). 

There are two more things that Jesus did not know…

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH – KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57). And glory be to God that we indeed are victorious through our Lord Jesus Christ, but, that does not mean the battles are over. We are still at war, and we still have a foe who will do anything and everything to wipe “the faith” off of the face of the earth. The enemy has many names and many forms. 

I know that most expect to hear of names like, the serpent, the devil, Satan and the roaring lion. These of course are accurate but have you ever thought about humanism or relativism? We are fighting daily against the father of lies, and he is good at what he does as Paul said, “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14). 

For the next few minutes let’s consider the importance of knowing your enemy…

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH PART 2

“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11)

Flee and Pursue

Similar statement in 2 Tim. 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”. 1 Corinthians 6:18, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” Summary: Flee, turn away and run from the darkness for this world, from the devil’s influence. (Don’t let the cares, riches, and pleasures of life, destroy your hope). James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Submitting to God causes the devil to leave you – Flee from music that promotes drunkenness, sexuality, divorce – pursue acapella songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, or music without impurity—that is submitting to God’s way. Flee from movies and shows that “you must make excuses for”, and pursue find family friendly movies and shows – that is submitting to God’s way….

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH – PREREQUISITES

Paul wrote, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 15:57). In this lesson we will discuss the 4 prerequisites of a good soldier of Christ.
We Must Believe in the Cause We’re Fighting for: We Must Have Faith in Our Leader – We Must Have Unity With One Another and We Must Have The Hope of Victory.

SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST
NOT ALL OF GOD’S BLESSINGS ARE SPIRITUAL AND NOT ALL BLESSING ARE IN CHRIST.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3). Paul stated that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings “in Christ.” “In Christ” designates a relationship which the believer sustains to Jesus.

The Fulness of God: The blessings which God has for us in Christ are available in the church. The church is the body of people for whom Jesus gave His life (Eph. 5:26), “that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (5:27).

Many religions look for the fulness of God’s blessings at some future time when Jesus will return to this earth and rule on this earth for a thousand years. That is in conflict with what Paul revealed. He stated that Jesus is presently reigning over everything (1:20-21) and that the church is the fulness of God’s blessings to us.

We are not looking for a future earthly kingdom. We look forward to the second coming of Christ, the judgment, and our eternal home in heaven.

GOD IS REAL! And reason Proves God is Real and we’ll discuss a few in this lesson. Example, Thomas Aquinas’ Five Ways to Prove Through Reason that God is Real. Through His Creation Psalm 139:14, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”  There is more…

THE GREATEST PROMISE FULFILLED
ANTICIPATION:  “THE ACT OF LOOKING FORWARD ESPECIALLY : PLEASURABLE EXPECTATION…”

Israel waited in anticipation for 3,000 years, waited for their coming Messiah and in their error, for a King that would rule physically in Jerusalem, on king David’s throne, over powering all their enemies. This of course is found in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

As for the word “bruise” we must not be confused with modern understanding for it is the same word is used by Job where speaking of God Job said, “For He crushes me with a tempest…” (Job 9:17).

The prophecy is an inveterate prophecy of war between the children of the devil and the children of God.

There are many promises made by the prophets – that were fulfilled in by Christ’s coming…

“1 The [a]burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see [b]trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.” (Habakkuk 1:1-3)

Why do the wicked prevail over the just? If God is just then how can God allow such evil to exist? Is it possible that the actions of the Babylonians (called the Chaldeans in this book) are beyond the control of the God of Israel? Habakkuk is not alone; he asks the kinds of questions which people in every age ask of God. I believe all of us can relate to Habakkuk when we look around at our world today.
Many to this day still question God…