Bible Basics "Good Living", Hebrews 13:1-17

GOOD LIVING

Hebrews 13:1 - 17
GRACIOUS LIVING
1. Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

A. The Bible says keep on loving each others as brothers
    1. This suggest that we have established a relationship.
    2. We have had some dealings with each other,
    3. The text suggest that we have some problems with others.
    4. For God to tell me to keep on loving, I must have a problem
        loving.
B. I got to get myself right, to love
    1. I got to love God enough to love you.
    2. No matter what kind of issues we have, the Lord says,
        keep on loving.
   3. I got to put me and my problems aside to keep on loving some
       one else.
C. When, I leave the house, I need to be in a loving mode.
   1. The text says “Be kind to strangers because you never know when
       you might be entertaining an angel.
   2. God got some blessings for you in the street.
   3. God can bless your going and your coming
   4. Your attitude toward others determine your blessings.
   5. We need to be on our best behavior in the house and out the
        house.
D. My attitude determines my altitude.

LET THE CHURCH START AT HOME
V:4-5.  Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,
A. Your life ought be a refection of the Church of Jesus Christ.
    1. The body is the temple of the Lord.
    2. God’s first human institution is marriage.
    3. Honor has to start with you.
       a. You have to carry yourself  like Jesus is your  marriage
           partner and role  model.
       b. When Jesus is honored first, your spouse will be honored
           by you.
      c. How you treat those closest to you is an indication of how
          you might treat others.
B. Two types of marriages are represented here.
     1. Physical Marriage.
         a. God want us to be a comfort to each other.
         b. In a marriage, two are stronger than one alone.
         c. In a marriage we must learn  trust and respect.
         d. Since the two have become one, when you disrespect your
             spouse, you disrespect yourself.
         e. God hates adultery.
     2. Spiritual Marriage
        a. All of us are marriage to Christ, He is the
           bride groom and we are his bride.
       b. Jesus is true to us.
       c. Jesus expects us to be true to him.
       d. Spiritual adultery is putting something or
           someone before Jesus.
       e. No one can do you like Jesus.
C. Contentment in life is loving what you have.
    1. Money will not buy happiness or contentment.
    2. There will always be something newer, something bigger
        and something more exciting than what you have.
    3. If you are grateful to God for what you have, He will give
        you more.

CONFIDENT LIVING
because God has said,
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
6 So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
A. With Jesus on our side, we have nothing to worry about.
    1. When things don’t go our way, trust Jesus.
    2. Philippians 4:6
       Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and   
       petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
B. God has given us shepherds of His Church.
   1. The vision of the Church has been given to our pastors. 
   2. God gives our pastors an understanding of His Word to
       enlighten us in all our ways.
   3. We should remember our pastors in words and deeds.
       a. We should remember our pastors in prayer every day.
       b. We should remember our pastors in our giving.
       c. They support us  spiritually.
       d. We should support them financially. 
       c.1 Corinthians 9:14
          In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the   
          gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
      d. Those who support their pastors will receive a pastors reward.
          Matthew 10:41
          Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a   
          prophet's reward.

TRUTHFUL LIVING
V:9-10. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
A. Our knowledge of God comes from the Word.
    1. The Word is the only truth we need.
    2. We should keep our conversations focused on the Lord.
B. We gain our strength from faith in the Word of God.
   1. God has favored believers with an understanding of the Word.
   2. Those who claim that ceremonies have value, have no understanding
        of the Word.
   3. Food eaten by man, goes in one end and come out the other end with
       no spiritual value.
   4. We have a right to the table of Jesus at which the Word is continuously
       served which provides salvation.
   4. Those who reject Christ as High Priest, have no place at the table of 
       Jesus.
 
SPIRITUAL LIVING
V:11-14. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
A. In the temple, all the Old Testament sacrifices were made inside
     the city wall by the temple priest.
    1. Jesus who the temple priest rejected, was wrongly accused inside the
        wall by the Chief Priest and all religious leaders.
    2. He was taken outside the temple wall and crucified on a hill call
        Golgotha for the sins of all men.
B. It was outside the temple and outside the wall of the city
    where our salvation was gained though the blood of our High Priest
     on the cross. 
   1. The temple and the city of Jerusalem was burned to the ground in
        seventy AD.
   2. We have no city on earth built by human hands to look forward to.
   3. Our eternal city will be established when Jesus come back for
       his elect which includes all believers.
   4. Our faith in His Word gives us joy as we wait for His return

SACRIFICIAL  LIVING
V:15-16. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
A. We are commanded to give God praise and glory.
    1. Our job is to confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
    2. In our conversation, let our testimony draw others to Christ.
B. The life of a believers should be one of sharing with others what
     God has blessed us with.
   1. Doing good should be our motto. Do unto others as you would have
       them do for you.
   2. Jesus sacrificed his life for us. It is not to much for us to make
       sacrifices  for the good of others.
C. Pleasing God should be our first priority.

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "God Has Planned A Blessed Life For You", Genesis 15:1-17. 6/23/2019

GOD HAS PLANNED A BLESSED LIFE FOR YOU

Genesis 15:1-17

ASK FOR YOUR BLESSING
V:1-3. After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
A. After Abram was successful in battle against four kings who had
    taken Lot, his family and all the goods from Sodom. Abram restored
    the goods taken from the King of Sodom.
  1. Abram gave God the credit for his success in battle.
  2. God visited Abram in a dream with a promise for his future and
      his descendants.
  3. God will reward those who put their trust Him.
B. If you are for God, He will be for you.
   1. God is our protector and the reason for our being.
   2. God promises to be our guide and the reason for our success.
   3. Notice,  in the vision, it was a two way conversation,
   4. What was on Abram mind was the desire to have a son.
       a. He had given up on God and reasoned that his estate
          would be inherited by someone  outside his family.
       b. God’s silent is not always no, but wait.
       c. Abram recognized that children were a gift from God.

BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD
V:4-6. Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars — if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
A. The word of the Lord filled with promises for His elect.
    1. If you want to know what God says about our future, we need to
        look no further than His Word.
    2. God keeps His promises.
    3. In different time and different places, God will confirm His promises
        to us.
     a. God promised descendants to Abram in Genesis 12:7 and 13:14.
     b. Abram had a “wait” problem.
     c. Those who learn to wait on God receive His blessing.
  4. Sometimes God will give us a visual picture of His plan for us.
      a. God showed Abram his future in the counting of stars.
      b. They are two numerous to count, therefore nations would be
          his descendants.
   5. We have to learn to never get discouraged while waiting on God.
   6. We may not understand it, but God’s timing is the right time.
B. Notice, God gave us a definition for faith.
    1. Believing God is counted as righteousness.
    2. Abram had no children, but he believed that he would.
    3. Studying the Word will convict you of it’s truth.

REMEMBER WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE
V:7-8. He also said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"
A. Sometimes, God has to remind us of what He has already done and
    what He is currently doing to stir up our spirit.
   1. It is ok to ask God questions on that we do not understand.
   2. We have to believe that what is impossible for us is possible for
        God.
B. We have to give God credit for being God.
   1. How we address God is a response of how we see him as Lord.
   2. Abram recognized that God is the ultimate authority,
   3. Regardless of how we feel about things, God is still the authority.
   4. Any request we have need to be directed to Him.


FOLLOW GOD’S DIRECTIONS
V:9-10. So the Lord said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
A. Three is a divine number.
     1. Jonah stayed in the belly of a fish for three days
     2. Jesus took three disciple with him on the mount of transfiguration;
         Peter, James, John.
     3. Jesus stayed in the grave for three days.
     4. It was on the third day that Jesus got up with all power.
     5. It was the third day of the week when Jesus did His first miracle
         at a wedding.
     6. There are three in the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and
          God the Holy Spirit.
B. Each of the animals God told Abram to get make have a spiritual
     significance,
     1. The heifer speaks of Christ as a willing servant of God and man
     2. The goat represents the sins of man
     3. the ram represents Christ as High Priest
     4. The dove portrays Christ as the heavenly one
     5. The young pigeon portrays Christ as the heavenly one
C. There are spiritual reasons for the splitting of animals in half.
    1. Those who follow Christ must die to self to be born again.
    2. The splitting of the animals expose their inward parts is
        symbolic to the declaration of truth  that God sees the heart of
       man devoted to Christ.
    3. The arrangement of the animals represents in halves  represent that
        Christ died for the Glory of God and the sins of man who would be
        brought into His glory.

GOD MADE A COVENANT WITH HIMSELF FOR US
V:12-14.  As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
A. The custom of the time to ratify a covenant or contract between two
     parties was to cut animal in half and two agreeing parties would
     walk between the two halves.
  1. God put Abram to sleep so that he would have no part in the
      covenant He was making with him.
  2. God keeps His promises. It is us that don’t keep promises.
B. The covenant God  made with Abram had three parts.
    1. There is a land promise, called  here the country
    2.  There would be four hundred years of slavery in a foreign land,
         while being mistreated.
    3. As a nation, they would be released from slavery with
        great possessions.
C. To realize God’s promises we may have to go through trials
     and tribulation.
    1. We may be abused and mistreated on the way to the
        promise.
    2. We can be certain that God will keep his promises.

GOD PROMISES SALVATION
 V:15-17.  You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces
A. Abram would not see slavery, but would die in peace.
   1. God again confirmed His promise to Abram that nation of
       his descendants would come back to the promise land.
   2. God allowed the Amorites to inhabit the land until He
       their sins totally corrupted them.
B. The smoking pot and the blazing torch represented the
     present of God walking through the pieces of the animals.
  1. The smoking pot represented the suffering of Christ
  2. The blazing torch represented the victory of Christ over sin
      The torch represented His Word in that all believers would have
      salvation. 

Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North
Houston, Texas 77041.

For more lessons follow me on face book and visit my blogs;
revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com.

Bible Basic "What About Those Angels" 6/19/2019

WHAT ABOUT THOSE ANGELS

The Word angel means messenger.  They have a number of responsibilities.
They were created by God with the ability to make moral decisions.
They were created before God created the earth. Their number cannot be counted.
There are fallen and unfallen Angels. The fallen angels are Satan and his demons

The angels that remained holy have several classifications
The Seraphim have three pairs of wings whose responsibility is to praise God
The Cherubim are the living creatures who defend God’s holiness from any form
of defilement. Satan called Lucifer was a cherub before he fell.
There are the general messengers of God.
All the angels in the Bible that appear to human beings has been male.
Angels have no gender, so they appear as God directs.


Only three angels have names. Lucifer, Michael and Gabriel.
Lucifer means brilliant star, which denotes the glory of Satan before his fall
Michael the arch angel is head of all the holy angels. His name means
like unto God.
Gabriel is the principle messenger of God.. His name means hero of God.

THE JOB ANGELS TO PRAISE GOD
Psalms 148:2-4
2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,


Angels are Innumerable
Hebrews 12:22
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels,


Angels are powerful creatures
Psalms 103:20
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.

2 Peter 2:11-12
 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.

2 Samuel 24:16
 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people,

Psalms 78:49
He sent upon them His burning anger, Fury and indignation and trouble,
A band of destroying angels.

Angel Are Guardians
Psalms 91:11-12
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;  12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Hebrews 1:6-7
 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
"Let all God's angels worship him."  7 In speaking of the angels he says,
"He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire

Matthew 18:10
10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
NASU

Angels Are Ministering Spirits
Hebrews 1:14
Aren't they all ministering spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Matthew 28:5-6
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

HOW GOD SEES US
Hebrews 2:7-8
 You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.
8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet."


Are specific angels assigned to you?
Daniel 10:12-14
Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

1 Peter 1:12
12 To them it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.

You can meet an Angel?
Hebrews 13:2
Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.


God’s Holy Angels Keep You Close To Him

1 Timothy 5:21
21 I charge you in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality.

Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, 39 neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.


ANGELS REJOYCE FOR YOU
Luke 15:10
I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Job 38:6-7
6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—
7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy


The Work of Angels in Salvation
Mark 13:27
"And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

Matthew 13:49-50
 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,

Psalms 78:49
He sent upon them His burning anger, Fury and indignation and trouble,
A band of destroying angels.

Matthew 16:27
 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
NIV


Angels Get Involved in Your Business
Genesis 19:15
15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.

Genesis 16:7-8
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

Exodus 23:20-21
 "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21
NIV
2 Chronicles 32:21
 And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king.
NIV
Daniel 6:22
22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.

Conclusion; Satan is a copy cat
Anything that he does, he got from God
He opposes God so he is evil. He influences the world.

                 
Conclusion: God influences his elect with angels

Since angels are spirit, who show up in the body of humans
The person sitting next to you, could be influence by an   angelic spirit.
                 
Be kind to strangers, you never know if you are entertaining an  angel.

Conclusion God’s Holy Angels influences the minds of His elect.
 Acts 27:23-27
23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."



Revelation 1:1-3
 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3




Rev. M. MITCHELL

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Promise Of God", Genesis 13:10-18, 6/9/2019

THE PROMISE FROM GOD

Genesis 13:10-18

CHOSE WISELY
V:10-11. “ Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:
A. Lot and Abram both became wealthy men. Their herd of animals was two
     large to be together.
    1. Abram gave lot a choice of what land he wanted to settled in.
    2. Lot chose what he thought was the best land for his herd,
B. Even though Abram was older and had the right to chose what he
    wanted first, he humble himself and allowed lot to chose first.
   1. God loves a humble spirit.
   2. He blesses those who look out for the welfare of others.

LOOKS CAN BE DECIEVING
 V:12-13. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.
A. Those who pride themselves over others will soon find themselves in
     ruin.
    1. A prideful person will soon make decisions with his eyes and the lust
        of his heart.
    2. What look good may not be the best.
    3. Lot’s choice put himself and his family in a sinful environment.
    4.You can easily become what you surround yourself with.
B. Abram ended in the place where God intended him to be.
   1. It was God’s design that Lot chose the worst place.
   2. God uses life circumstances to lead His elect to the place of
       blessings.

THE PROMISE OF LAND
V:14-15. The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.
A. Lot was blessed by his association with Abram, but he was not
     part of the covenant God made with Abram.
   1. God waited until Lot was separated from Abram before He began the
       second part of the covenant.
   2, Those who distract us from God’s purposes, can easily moved
      out of our lives.
B. The first part of the Covenant with Abram was the blessing of
     many nations from his seed,
    1. The second part of the covenant was the land blessing.
    2. This land is known as the promise land.
    3. Those who follow God are blessed multifold.
    4. God can give us what money cannot buy.
    5. First Abram was blessed with wealth.
        a. Second, he was blessed with the promise of descendants.
        b. Remember at that time Abram had no children, just a
            promise. He walked by faith.
        3. Third, he was blessed with land.
     6. Abram blessings were not all about him, but  future
         generations.

THE PROMISE OF A MESSIAH
V:6-7. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."
A. In God, we are blessed with something greater than ourselves.
    1. Abram’s offspring (singular) is more than he or anyone can count.
    2. Abram offspring was part of a plan that God put into motion in
        the Garden of Eden when He cast Satan to the prince of hell.
        a. God pronounce victory over Satan and his demons with the
            bruise on the head by a woman’s seed.
        b. The Woman’s seed is Jesus Christ.
   3. We are part of God’s plan of redemption for all His elect.
B. God told Abram to go walk the land.
   1. It is our job to walk in victory while we are on earth.
   2. God has defined our victory as a divine place of blessings.
   3. God’s grace and mercy has no bounds nor endings.
C. Our victory is not in houses, cars, wealth or material things.
   1. Our victory is in the eternal life that is Jesus Christ.
   2. God has provided a way through faith to Jesus.
       

BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES
V:18. So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.
A. Because God has been so good to us, we ought to build an altar to
     the Lord.
     1. The altar begins in our heart.
     2. Abram built a physical place to worship the Lord.
     3. It would be good if we have a place in our homes
         where we consult the Lord.
B. The altar is a reminder of how good God is, how blessed
     we are and our gratefulness.
    1. Every moment in our lives is a blessed time.
    2. We cannot count nor even understand the moment to
         moment blessing of the Lord.
    3. The altar in our hearts ought to be in use at all times.

THANK GOD FOR HIS PROMISES


Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North
Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons follow me on face book and visit my
blogs: revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com