In the world today people are talking about prosperity even some preachers are preaching it. But my friend let me tell you that there is false prosperity and we must be careful. Genesis chapter 4:17-26 gives us a contrast between the wicked family of Cain and godly family of Seth.
If you read these verses carefully you will see a list of items making Cain’s prosperity. In this verse you will notice a series of firsts. For example you will see the first case of polygamy, animal husbandry, art of music and metal craft.
It is sad that in many of our pulpits today the preaching is centered on good houses, big cars, money and happiness.
False Prosperity
1. Cain was building a city ( v17)
Cain has just walked out of God’s presence and remembers that God told him that he will be a fugitive and a vagabond.
Outwardly you can say that Cain is prospering because he is building a city. The word city refers to any human settlement whether big of small. Here we are seeing Cain working extremely hard to settle on earth, his thinking and energy is directed or centered on this present life. He wants to be safe from men who can slay him. This is the first time we are reading about the city that was being built and may be Cain is thinking that this will make him and his family have less reason to fear God’s judgment. You can see here that Cain is trying to make a name for himself “called the name of the city after his son- Enoch (Gen 4:17)”. This was one of greatest social progress, but the sad part is that Cain was without God. He walked out of His presence.
Even today men are struggling and working hard to settle here on earth. People are saying if I get a job , a wife, a husband I will settle and others want to settle in this present world. Many are following the way of Cain. Here we must be warned. Things may look good outwardly, but spiritually we may be in great danger. Here we are seeing that even a city or a big house is not necessarily evidence that one is right with God, but rather a radical change in our inner most being. This is how the Lord Jesus put it, "you must be born again."(Jn 3:7)
My fellow preacher there are two cities which one are you preaching, my fellow believers which city are you pursuing whole heartily?
In Genesis 4:17 we have seen the beginning of a city which is meant for man’s glory “ called the name of the city after name of His son – Enoch” Here we see man’s zeal to establish his name on earth. This city is built for man’s glory and honor. This city will fail and it leads to destruction “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it, unless the Lord guard the city, the watchman stay awake in vain [Ps 127:1]. This phrase shows man determination to build a name for himself “The Father of those” vv 20 and 21.
On the other hand, God is building the city which is for His glory. True believers are looking forward to this heavenly city. “But they desire a better that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not a shamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them (Heb 11:16).
“ For here we have no continuing city but we seek one to come” (Heb 13:14)
“ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ( Phi 3:20)
It is sad that many preachers are no longer preaching about this city but they are busy preaching the worldly city. I once heard a prosperity gospel preacher accusing missionaries that they preached to us heaven and not how to be wealthy in this present world.
My dear friend which city are you comfortable with? Can you sing this hymn with your whole heart?
1. We’ve no abiding city here
This may distress the worldly mind but should not cost the saint tear
Who hopes a better rest
2. We’ve no abiding city here
Sad truth were this to be our home, but let this thought our spirit cheer
We seek a city yet to come
The city of Cain is not abiding, some commentators says that he was building a city but never completed it.
True Prosperity vv25-26.
Contrary to what we have been reading in the preceding verses, here we are seeing true prosperity.
“Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord”. Here we are seeing that God is central. He is trusted ,remembered and worshiped. Worship is what man was created for as the Westminster shorter catechism put it “ Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever”.
Men began to call upon the Lord shows that men were not only worshiping God in private, but also in public. They gathered together to worship God and therefore we are seeing that public worship is important. Even the early Church devoted themselves to public worship.
The descendant of Seth are distinguishing themselves as worshipers. My dear friend, let me tell you that God’s people are separate from the world as we can see here. God’s name, honor, glory and reputation is what thrill them most.
May God help us to be those who God is their only hope of salvation. May preachers of the Gospel proclaimed the Lord Jesus alone, and plead with boys and girls, men and women, to call upon the name of the Lord.
My friend if you are not saved I beseech you in the name of the Lord to call upon His name for it is written “ For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’’[Ro 10:13]
As I conclude this is what I want you to know, the prosperity Gospel distract people from focusing on the central truth of the Gospel -- namely Calvary, the substitutionary atonement, the crucified life, holiness and transformation to a subsidiary issue, really blessing.
God saves us first and foremost not to bless us materially, but to change us to be like Christ that is transformation[Rom 12:1ff].
These are some passages on the atoning death of our beloved Lord
Isaiah 53:5
2Cor 5:21
Jn 1:29
1 Jn 4:10
Showing posts with label Sermon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sermon. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The foundation for a Godly living (Titus 2:11-14)
In this present world what do you think can help us to live godly lives.
In this chapter Paul addresses various groups how they should conduct themselves.
The people addressed or are given instruction by apostle Paul are the following:-
i.Older men (VV1-2).
ii.Older women (V3).
iii.Younger women (VV4-5)
iv.Younger men (V6).
v.Titus (VV7-8,15)
(a)Older men are told to be sober, reverent, sound in faith, in love and in patience.
(b)The older women are told to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine and teachers of good things.
(c)Younger women are to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, home makers, good, obedient to their own husband.
(d)Young men are not left out they are told to be sober minded, a pattern of good-works, in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility and sound in speech.
(e)Slaves are told to be obedient to their own masters, well pleasing in all things, no answering back, not pilfering and showing all good fidelity.
Then in (VV11-14) we are given the reasons why these groups can obey and practice the admonitions Paul has been giving them.
The first foundation is the manifestation of God's grace (VII).
The grace of God has shone forth. It has come openly to view.
The grace of God here is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the one who came full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14)
The grace of God appeared in the first advent of our Lord, His entire life on earth and His atoning work on the cross of Calvary (Titus 3:4).
Paul is telling these people that the grace of God has penetrated your spiritual darkness and moral darkness and now you can live godly lives.
The grace of God has chased the dark night of sin away (Mal. 4:2, Titus 3:4).
The reason why this grace was revealed was to bring salvation and not only to the Jews or a certain class of people but all men both Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, the educated and illiterate in other words all class of people.
Therefore various groups which Paul has been addressing are able to follow his instructions because the grace of God has appeared to them.
William Hendriksen in his commentary on 1 Timothy 1:15 gives us the best definition of salvation.
In Paul's writings the expression to save means:
Negatively Positively
To rescue men from sins To bring men in state of
(a) Guilt (Eph 1:7 Col 1:4) (a) Righteousness (Rom. 3:21-26;5:1)
(b) Slavery (Rom 7:24,25 Gal. 5:1) (b) Freedom (Gal 5:1, 2Cor. 17)
and and
(c ) Punishment ( c) Blessedness
(1) Alienation from God (Eph. 2:12) (1) Fellowship with God (Eph 2:13)
(2) The wrath of god (Eph 2:3) (2) The love of God (Rom 5:5)
(3) Everlasting death (Eph 2;5, 6) (3) Everlasting life (Eph.2:4 Col 13:1-4)
Hendriksen concludes by saying that to be saved means to be emancipated from the greatest evil, and to be placed in possession of the greatest good. The state of salvation is opposed to state of perishing or being lost (Lk. 19:10, John 3:16).
You now know what Paul meant when he said that grace of God bring salvation. The second thing we are seeing is the training by God's grace (V12). Paul here is telling various groups of people he has been instructing that God's saving grace has brought them under discipline or training that they should be separate from the world.
Paul is telling older men, older women, young women, young men and slaves that they can live godly lives because grace of God has saved them and also is training them to be more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here we are seeing that the grace of God is teaching us to say no or deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The grace of God is disciplining us to be the kind of people that glorify Him ( 1 Jn 2:15-17)
The grace of God teaches negatively to deny whatever is unlike God and worldly and positively it teaches us to be sober, righteous and godly in this present world (Gal. 1:4, Rom 12: 1-2)
What is ungodliness? Ungodliness is anything that does not bring glory, praise, and honour to God.
The worldly lusts is anything that draw us away from God. For example desires, habits, and appetites of this life (1Jn 2:16).
The grace of God is training us to know that we have a duty to ourselves. Individually grace of God teaches us to live soberly. Having control over our passion, appetites and practices of life.
To our fellow men the grace of God teaches us that we are to walk right or be just to others. The grace is training us not to injure our fellow human beings, be it their reputation, body, mind or property.
In respect to God grace teaches us to be those who seek after God's glory and honour.
Thank be to God that the same grace which saved us is also training us to live godly lives in this present world.
Paul has just given us two foundation for a godly living and now he is giving us another foundation. The third foundation for a godly living is: The expectation of Christ's return
(V 13).
Paul here is telling his readers that you can not live carelessly, know that the Lord is coming back again. We are expecting Him any time and we must be ready for Him.
The return of our blessed Lord Messiah, Jesus Christ has been described as:
i.A blessed hope or a hope that bring blessing
ii.A living hope (1 Pet 1:3)
iii.Purifying hope (1John 3:3).
Paul is saying since we are waiting for our blessed hope the appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ make every effort to be found blameless.
Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts because the Lord is at hand.
Those who expect the return of our Lord desire that the Lord find them living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age.
As scripture says,
“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless”.
The fourth foundations: The purpose of Christ's redemption (V14).
The purpose of Christ's redemption was to deliver us from sin, guilt, condemnation and from ungodly walk.
Paul says that the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for us (Cf Mk 10:45), that is to say that the Lord Jesus Christ died in our stead, he died our death. The theological word for it is substitution which is clearly taught in the Bible. For example “ The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6) “God made Him who had no sin to be sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21) “ He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1Pet 2:24). Indeed the Lord Jesus suffered the wrath of God which we should have suffered.s
Yes it is true that the Lord Jesus delivered us from guilt and penalty of sin but He also redeemed us from every lawless deed. He redeemed us from dominion or reign of sin and sin is no longer our master Rom 6:15-23).
In this verse we are seeing two reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for us negatively to rescue us or free us from every kind of lawlessness and positively to purify to be His own special people, committed, devoted to do good works.
APPLICATION
What we are seeing here is that salvation makes people different. When we are saved we become new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
When you started attending Church service or may be you went forward and gave your hand to a pastor or an evangelist. What happened? Did any of your ungodly habits fall a way? Or you are still the same person as you were before salvation?
I remember a chorus we used to sing;
“There is a high wide change since I have born x2.
There is a great change since I have been born again”.
Another question I want to ask you is this. From the day the LORD opened your heart to believe the gospel of His son, have you been sober, self-control, prudence, and restraint in your thinking and in your daily practice of life?
How about your daily living? Do you live right or wrong? Do you treat your fellow men right at your place of work, in business or in the community?
Today in our country many preachers especially in major towns are preaching wealth and health gospel. My dear friend are you obsessed with desire to be rich?
Are you still a proud person? Are you drunk on the desire to be attractive and popular in the world or society?
May the Lord help us to be godly people because He has revealed His grace to us. We are trained by God's grace, we are expecting the Lord's return and because we know why the Lord redeemed us.
If you are not saved I am appealing to you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust Him alone and He is going to save you.
My friends the good works you are doing are not good if you are not doing them for God's glory, honour and reputation.
You cannot glorify God outside the Lord Jesus Christ.
As the scripture says,
“But we are all like unclean thing
And all our righteousness are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our inequities, like the wind
Have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6)
Let me end with this Hymn.
Take time To Be Holy.
1)Take time to be holy, speak oft'n with thy Lord,
Abide in Him always, and feed on His word.
Make friends of God's Children, help the who are weak;
Forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek.
2)Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone,
By looking to Jesus like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends, in thy conduct, his likeness shall see.
3)Take time to be holy, let him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him whatever betide;
In joy or in sorrow still follow thy Lord,
And looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.
4)Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each temper beneath His control,
Thus led by His Spirit to fountain of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted fro service above.
The Outline
Foundation for a godly living Titus 2:11-14
1.The manifestation of God's grace (VII)
2.The training by God's grace (V12)
3.The exception of Christ's return (V13)
4.The purpose of Christ's redemption (V14)
In this chapter Paul addresses various groups how they should conduct themselves.
The people addressed or are given instruction by apostle Paul are the following:-
i.Older men (VV1-2).
ii.Older women (V3).
iii.Younger women (VV4-5)
iv.Younger men (V6).
v.Titus (VV7-8,15)
(a)Older men are told to be sober, reverent, sound in faith, in love and in patience.
(b)The older women are told to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine and teachers of good things.
(c)Younger women are to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, home makers, good, obedient to their own husband.
(d)Young men are not left out they are told to be sober minded, a pattern of good-works, in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility and sound in speech.
(e)Slaves are told to be obedient to their own masters, well pleasing in all things, no answering back, not pilfering and showing all good fidelity.
Then in (VV11-14) we are given the reasons why these groups can obey and practice the admonitions Paul has been giving them.
The first foundation is the manifestation of God's grace (VII).
The grace of God has shone forth. It has come openly to view.
The grace of God here is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the one who came full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14)
The grace of God appeared in the first advent of our Lord, His entire life on earth and His atoning work on the cross of Calvary (Titus 3:4).
Paul is telling these people that the grace of God has penetrated your spiritual darkness and moral darkness and now you can live godly lives.
The grace of God has chased the dark night of sin away (Mal. 4:2, Titus 3:4).
The reason why this grace was revealed was to bring salvation and not only to the Jews or a certain class of people but all men both Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, the educated and illiterate in other words all class of people.
Therefore various groups which Paul has been addressing are able to follow his instructions because the grace of God has appeared to them.
William Hendriksen in his commentary on 1 Timothy 1:15 gives us the best definition of salvation.
In Paul's writings the expression to save means:
Negatively Positively
To rescue men from sins To bring men in state of
(a) Guilt (Eph 1:7 Col 1:4) (a) Righteousness (Rom. 3:21-26;5:1)
(b) Slavery (Rom 7:24,25 Gal. 5:1) (b) Freedom (Gal 5:1, 2Cor. 17)
and and
(c ) Punishment ( c) Blessedness
(1) Alienation from God (Eph. 2:12) (1) Fellowship with God (Eph 2:13)
(2) The wrath of god (Eph 2:3) (2) The love of God (Rom 5:5)
(3) Everlasting death (Eph 2;5, 6) (3) Everlasting life (Eph.2:4 Col 13:1-4)
Hendriksen concludes by saying that to be saved means to be emancipated from the greatest evil, and to be placed in possession of the greatest good. The state of salvation is opposed to state of perishing or being lost (Lk. 19:10, John 3:16).
You now know what Paul meant when he said that grace of God bring salvation. The second thing we are seeing is the training by God's grace (V12). Paul here is telling various groups of people he has been instructing that God's saving grace has brought them under discipline or training that they should be separate from the world.
Paul is telling older men, older women, young women, young men and slaves that they can live godly lives because grace of God has saved them and also is training them to be more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here we are seeing that the grace of God is teaching us to say no or deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The grace of God is disciplining us to be the kind of people that glorify Him ( 1 Jn 2:15-17)
The grace of God teaches negatively to deny whatever is unlike God and worldly and positively it teaches us to be sober, righteous and godly in this present world (Gal. 1:4, Rom 12: 1-2)
What is ungodliness? Ungodliness is anything that does not bring glory, praise, and honour to God.
The worldly lusts is anything that draw us away from God. For example desires, habits, and appetites of this life (1Jn 2:16).
The grace of God is training us to know that we have a duty to ourselves. Individually grace of God teaches us to live soberly. Having control over our passion, appetites and practices of life.
To our fellow men the grace of God teaches us that we are to walk right or be just to others. The grace is training us not to injure our fellow human beings, be it their reputation, body, mind or property.
In respect to God grace teaches us to be those who seek after God's glory and honour.
Thank be to God that the same grace which saved us is also training us to live godly lives in this present world.
Paul has just given us two foundation for a godly living and now he is giving us another foundation. The third foundation for a godly living is: The expectation of Christ's return
(V 13).
Paul here is telling his readers that you can not live carelessly, know that the Lord is coming back again. We are expecting Him any time and we must be ready for Him.
The return of our blessed Lord Messiah, Jesus Christ has been described as:
i.A blessed hope or a hope that bring blessing
ii.A living hope (1 Pet 1:3)
iii.Purifying hope (1John 3:3).
Paul is saying since we are waiting for our blessed hope the appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ make every effort to be found blameless.
Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts because the Lord is at hand.
Those who expect the return of our Lord desire that the Lord find them living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age.
As scripture says,
“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless”.
The fourth foundations: The purpose of Christ's redemption (V14).
The purpose of Christ's redemption was to deliver us from sin, guilt, condemnation and from ungodly walk.
Paul says that the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for us (Cf Mk 10:45), that is to say that the Lord Jesus Christ died in our stead, he died our death. The theological word for it is substitution which is clearly taught in the Bible. For example “ The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6) “God made Him who had no sin to be sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21) “ He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1Pet 2:24). Indeed the Lord Jesus suffered the wrath of God which we should have suffered.s
Yes it is true that the Lord Jesus delivered us from guilt and penalty of sin but He also redeemed us from every lawless deed. He redeemed us from dominion or reign of sin and sin is no longer our master Rom 6:15-23).
In this verse we are seeing two reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for us negatively to rescue us or free us from every kind of lawlessness and positively to purify to be His own special people, committed, devoted to do good works.
APPLICATION
What we are seeing here is that salvation makes people different. When we are saved we become new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
When you started attending Church service or may be you went forward and gave your hand to a pastor or an evangelist. What happened? Did any of your ungodly habits fall a way? Or you are still the same person as you were before salvation?
I remember a chorus we used to sing;
“There is a high wide change since I have born x2.
There is a great change since I have been born again”.
Another question I want to ask you is this. From the day the LORD opened your heart to believe the gospel of His son, have you been sober, self-control, prudence, and restraint in your thinking and in your daily practice of life?
How about your daily living? Do you live right or wrong? Do you treat your fellow men right at your place of work, in business or in the community?
Today in our country many preachers especially in major towns are preaching wealth and health gospel. My dear friend are you obsessed with desire to be rich?
Are you still a proud person? Are you drunk on the desire to be attractive and popular in the world or society?
May the Lord help us to be godly people because He has revealed His grace to us. We are trained by God's grace, we are expecting the Lord's return and because we know why the Lord redeemed us.
If you are not saved I am appealing to you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust Him alone and He is going to save you.
My friends the good works you are doing are not good if you are not doing them for God's glory, honour and reputation.
You cannot glorify God outside the Lord Jesus Christ.
As the scripture says,
“But we are all like unclean thing
And all our righteousness are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our inequities, like the wind
Have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6)
Let me end with this Hymn.
Take time To Be Holy.
1)Take time to be holy, speak oft'n with thy Lord,
Abide in Him always, and feed on His word.
Make friends of God's Children, help the who are weak;
Forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek.
2)Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone,
By looking to Jesus like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends, in thy conduct, his likeness shall see.
3)Take time to be holy, let him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him whatever betide;
In joy or in sorrow still follow thy Lord,
And looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.
4)Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each temper beneath His control,
Thus led by His Spirit to fountain of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted fro service above.
The Outline
Foundation for a godly living Titus 2:11-14
1.The manifestation of God's grace (VII)
2.The training by God's grace (V12)
3.The exception of Christ's return (V13)
4.The purpose of Christ's redemption (V14)
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