The New Life In Christ – A Warning Not to forget God in Prosperity:

Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna…in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:2-3.

For the LORD your God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe. Deuteronomy 10:17.

For I know how many are you transgressions, and how great are your sins-you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe and push aside the needy in the gate.

Hate evil and love good, establish justice in the gate; Amos 5:12 & 5:15.

“Everything they do is done for men to see:...they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces… Matthew 23:5-7.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have… Hebrews 13:5.

But godliness with contentment is great grain. 1Timothy 6:6.

Each one should test his own actions. Galatians 6:4. Amen.

The New Life In Christ: Temptation tests our Holiness. Truth, Faith.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

…Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

…Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor….

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!”…. Matthew 4:1-11.

The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” The Lord said to the Satan, “Have you considered my servant JOB? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power;… Job 1:7-12.

“Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2:10.

The Lord blessed the later days of Job more than his beginning; Job 42:12.

Then Satan entered Judas...one of the twelve…he went to chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him (Jesus) over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Matthew 26:14-16.

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit…? Acts 5:1-10.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1Timothy 6:10.

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Romans 13:14. Amen.

The New Life In Christ: But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. Matthew 12:36.

But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you? He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself,” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”… Genesis 3:9-13.

Each one should test his own actions. Then he can pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. Galatians 6:4-5.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13.

(We are the only responsible for our own temptations and sins. So let us do not try to blame others.) Amen.

The New Life In Christ - From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who want for him. Isaiah 64:4.

Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make flesh their Strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD.

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. Jeremiah 17:5-8.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. …It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD.

Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their wickedness, says the LORD.

…so they do not profit this people at all, says the LORD.

But “the burden of the LORD” you shall mention no more, for the burden is everyone’s own word, and so you pervert the words of living God, the LORD of hosts, our God. Jeremiah 23:1-2 & 23:11 & 23:32 & 23:36.

…but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 1Thessalonians 5:21. Amen.

                                                                             

The New Life In Christ – Jesus said to them, “Today salvation has come to this house…” Luke 19:9.

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zachaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of ‘sinner’.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house…” Luke 19:2-9.

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1Peter 3:4.

Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment. John 7:24. Amen.

The New Life In Christ - But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understanding it. H e produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23.

WARNING: GOD’S JUDGMENT IS COMING.

While they were listening…he (Jesus) went on to yell them a parable: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants, and gave them ten minas….He was made king, however returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

…The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more’.

…“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

“His master replied, I will judge you by your own words…Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?”… “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what ha has will be taken away.’ Luke 19:11-26.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”

Have salt in yourselves. Mark 9:50.

“You are the light of the world…Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16.

I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:12.

You search the scriptures… John 5:39. Amen.

The New Life In Christ - I am profaned among them. Ezekiel 22:26. For as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:24.

Its priests have done violence to my teaching and have profaned my holy things…they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean…

Its prophets have smeared whitewash on their behalf, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, “Thus says the Lord God.” when the LORD has not spoken. Ezekiel 22:26 & 22:28.

…you, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? Romans 2:21.

…for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is a jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? 1Corinthians 3:3.

…They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families for sordid gain what is not right to teach. Titus 2:11.

…for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. Romans 3:13. Amen.