The Temptation Of The Servant

Mark 1:12-13

As soon as the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized, the Spirit of God moved on Him in a strong manner and led Him into the wilderness to be tested.

*******

The Timing Of His Temptation (12)

The trial the Lord Jesus Christ faced in the wilderness occurred just as His baptism was completed.

*******

The Territory Of His Temptation (12)

The Lord Jesus Christ was sent into the wilderness to do battle with the devil on his own territory.

The wilderness represented everything that was evil and separated from God.

*******

The temptation of Jesus served three purposes:

• The devil found out just who he was dealing with.
• The Son experienced the Father's ability to take care of Him.
• We can see that there is help for us when we face our own times of testing.
  

*******

The Trials Of His Temptation (12-13)

The Leadership

The Spirit of God is the One Who caused the Lord Jesus Christ to go into the wilderness.

God will send us into periods of testing to help us grow in the Lord.

*******

The Loneliness

In that wilderness, the Lord Jesus Christ was cut off from friends and family.

He was shut off for a time so that He might be tested.

His only companions were the wild beasts, the angels and the devil.

*******

The Length

This time of testing lasted 40 days.

The number 40 is a number associated with testing.

The Lord Jesus Christ fasted those 40 days.

He was in close communion with His Father.

He was getting ready for the battle.

*******

The Load

The Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan.

He was attacked by the devil during the entire 40 day period.

*******

The Testimony Of The Temptation (13)

The Lord Jesus Christ won a great victory over Satan in that temptation.

The temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ proved that He is the sinless Son of God.

*******

How can we obtain victory in our own battle?

We need to be sure that we are living lives that are controlled by the Spirit of God and filled with the Word of God.

We need to be sure that we are in a personal faith relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

*******

We all need help from the Lord God.

He is waiting to save us if we are lost.

He is waiting to strengthen us if we are weak.

He is waiting to forgive us if we have fallen.

*******

Let us draw near to our God.

Will Jesus Come Again?

2 Pet. 3:1-9 (NIV)

More than 2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ walked upon this earth.

He was God in the flesh.

He came to this world to live a perfect life and to die a perfect death.

He came to make a sinful people perfect and to give them eternal life.

*******

After He died and rose again, He returned to His Father.

Before He left, He made the promise to come again.

*******

Many people doubted the truth of His promise.

*******

The apostle Peter had to deal with a doubting crowd.

He had to handle their objections and provide genuine hope for all those that believe the Lord Jesus Christ would come again.

*******

His Coming Is Doubted (3:3-4)

The apostle Peter sheds some light on the nature of the doubters.

They are called scoffers.

They delight in making fun of the Word of God.

They make light of God’s coming judgment.

They look back over the years and conclude that He hasn’t returned.

Therefore there is no reason to believe He will.

*******

His Coming Is Determined (5-7)

Peter tells us that the critics "deliberately forget."

They have a very limited vision.

They fail to remember that God is in control of the universe.

He can do as He pleases, and He will do exactly what He says!

*******

Peter gives three instances when God has, and will, stepped into time and changed the world: the formation of the world, the flood in Noah’s day, and the fire that is to come.

*******

The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is a certain event.

The scoffers can have their laugh.

But God will keep His promise.

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming again!

*******

His Coming Is Delayed (3:8-9)

God doesn’t view time as man does.

God is totally unaffected by time.

*******

God is a God of order.

He has a purpose in everything He does.

*******

Why does God delay His return?

He tarries to give lost men an opportunity to make things right with Him.

*******

The final decision lies on our shoulders.

We must repent of our sins and receive Him into our lives.

God is waiting for us to come to Him!

*******

God’s delay is to give us the opportunity to repent.

Will we do it?

God will not wait forever.

*******

It is a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again!

He is returning for a people who are ready to meet Him.

He delays His return because He loves us and doesn’t want us to die lost.

He tarries to give us an opportunity to repent and to turn to Him.

This is an offer based totally in His love.

*******

Are we ready to receive Him?

*******

The world can scoff and they can mock.

*******

But when He comes, will we be taken to Him, or will we be found lost, judged and sentenced to Hell?

*******

God has already made His decision.

He loves us and has made a way for us to be saved.

Now, we have to make our own decision.

What will it be, Heaven or Hell?

What will we do with the Lord Jesus Christ?

Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus

1 Peter 1:18-25 (NIV)

*******

Nothing But The Blood Can Produce A Savior (1:20)

The Lord Jesus Christ was chosen before the creation of the world to become the Sacrifice for sin.

The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished many things during His walk on earth.

But He never became the actual Savior of men until He climbed Calvary, was nailed to the cross and shed His Precious Blood.

In His death, the Lord Jesus Christ became our Savior!

*******

Nothing But The Blood Can Purchase The Sinner (18-19)

Sinners were redeemed.

They were liberated by the payment of a ransom.

Sinners need redemption.

They are slaves to sin.

They are lost and separated from God.

They are hell bound and hopeless apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s Blood offers the redemption sinners need.

The Blood frees us from sin’s power.

The Blood brings us into fellowship with the Father.

The Blood gives peace and assurance.

It changes our eternal destiny.

*******

Nothing But The Blood Can Purify From Sin (1:22)

Obedience to the truth of God’s Word purifies the soul from sin.

This has always been God’s plan.

However, even with all the blood that was shed over those many hundreds of years, not one single sin was cleansed away.

Nothing could purify us from sin until the time when the Lord Jesus Christ would go to the cross and shed His Blood for our sins.

Religion can’t do it.

Good works can’t do it.

Wishful thinking can’t do it.

Heartfelt promises can’t do it.

Only the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*******

Nothing But The Blood Can Preserve The Saint (1:23)

What the Blood of Jesus does in us is a forever work!

It guarantees us eternal security.

The Blood of Jesus gives security!

The Blood of Jesus promises absolute security in Jesus.

Only in the Blood of Jesus does a person find true, eternal salvation!

*******

Nothing But The Blood Can Promise Salvation (24-25)

Only the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can offer us hope of salvation.

That Blood has never, and will never lose its saving power.

*******

Only the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us from all sin.

Zealous For Good Deeds

Titus 2:2-3:8 (NKJV)

Paul had instructed Titus to be a teacher of the Word.

Titus was to speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

*******

What are those things?

*******

Paul was about to list many of the practical teachings that sound doctrine holds for people in every walk of life.

We are going to go through these quickly.

*******

Titus is to teach people to do good deeds, which are against their fleshly nature.

*******

Titus was to tell the older men to be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience.

*******

Titus was to tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, and not given to much wine.

They must also be teachers of good things.

*******

They must admonish the young women to love their husbands and to love their children.

They must teach them to be patient and kind, not easily provoked, and not taking into account a wrong suffered.

They must teach them to be sensible, pure, workers at home.

They must teach them to be kind and subject to their own husbands.

*******

Titus was to exhort the young men to be sober-minded.

*******

Titus was to be an example of good deeds in all things.

*******

The young men must be taught to have purity in doctrine.

They must be taught to have discipline in learning and studying sound doctrine.

They must be taught to worship God with proper behavior.

They must be taught to have speech beyond reproach. They must not give anyone any chance to say something bad about them.

*******

Titus was to exhort bondservants to subject to their masters in everything.

They must be taught to stop arguing with their masters; instead they must seek to be well-pleasing to them.

They must not steal anything at work.

*******

Why was Titus to teach all of these concepts to all of these people in the church?

*******

The grace of God has told us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires.

*******

It is hard not to gossip.

It is hard to be subject to husband.

It is difficult to be above reproach in everything we say.

And yet God's grace is teaching us to overcome the temptations to do such things.

*******

We are to watch for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are to look for His appearing.

The Lord Jesus Christ died to purify us, and He will very soon come back to us!

*******

Are we being purified?

Are we dedicated to good deeds?

Are we subject and obedient to our rulers and authorities?

Are we always ready for every good deed?

Do we malign people, or do we pursue peace with them gently?

Do we show every consideration for everybody?

*******

Before coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, we were fools.

We were deceived, disobedient, and dying for anything that felt good.

We freely hated and maligned people.

*******

Do we love those that hate us?

The Lord Jesus did.

Do we show grace to people that don't deserve it?

The Lord Jesus did.

His grace is the purifier as well as the example.

*******

Titus was to speak all of these things confidently.

It is necessary.

It is good.

It is profitable.

*******

Every person who claims to be a Christian needs to be careful to engage in good deeds.

*******

We are to go back over this list again and again.

We are to discover what is lacking and add it to our lives.

We are to discover what needs to be removed and get rid of it.

*******

We must be zealous for good deeds.

A Church Elder Is A Steward Of God

Titus 1:7a (NKJV)

For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God (Titus 1:7a)

One of the qualifications of a Church elder is he must be a blameless steward of God.

*******

What is a steward?

A steward is someone who is entrusted with various duties.

*******

As Christians, we are stewards.

*******

We've been given stewardship of many things: our talents and time, our money and resources.

The list goes on.

*******

We can take anything God has given to us and see biblically that it is for the purpose of benefiting others.

*******

The gifts God has given us are to be used to benefit other people.

*******

Our time and energy are to be spent serving others instead of ourselves.

*******

God gives us money to provide for others' needs.

*******

God gives us resources with the expectation that it will lead to distribution.

*******

A Church Elder Is Not Self-Willed (1:7a)

A good steward is not self-willed.

It is serving God for the good of others.

*******

Stewardship is for life.

No longer will we live our lives for ourselves.

We are to give our lives for the service of Christ.

*******

Church elders are God's stewards.

God has left them in charge of the task of distributing His things, including their lives, for the good of other people.

*******

The apostle Paul knew that the stewardship from God was given to him not for his own benefit, but for others.

*******

The stewardship mentioned most often in the New Testament is the stewardship of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

*******

We are stewards of the mysteries of God, entrusted with the task of distributing them.

We have been given the gospel for the purpose of distributing the gospel.

*******

Our stewardship is to reveal the mystery of the gospel by preaching the Word of God to those who do not know it.

*******

This stewardship is not suggested; it is commanded.

*******

This stewardship of preaching the gospel has been entrusted to us.

This great mystery has been given to us so that we in turn will give it to others.