Brother Jim Sunday School 12/16/12

Brother Jim Sunday School 12/16/12

Heb 2:1  Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

I take this personal with no motive to anyone else.  This has been good to me; God has been working with me.  I asked God to help this to just build on what He has already started.  “Please clear all the rubbish and help there to be a good foundation.” 

‘Ought’ here means moral obligation, advisability.  Of the yellow markers that state the suggested speed to go around a corner, I would often say to my kids and my wife, “Oh that is just suggested.”  Yet they are there for a purpose.

This is the perfect law of liberty.  We all enjoy our freedom.  A friend of mine told me that they were to go to Mongolia to work on the railroad over there.  I told him that I value the freedom to be home and be with the saints.  I told him that they would put him in an advisor position and even though he was crippled in the back they’d put him back to work again.

‘Ought’ represents our obligation.  “You ought to listen to this.”  Advisability:  “You ought to be advised.”  In my older age, I want to pay attention to advice.  I have enough lumps and bumps. 

“Ought to give earnest heed”:  Heed means, to pay attention, to concern one’s self with.  I want to see those red flags and watch that horse’s ear.  There are warning flags out there, I want to see the warning flag rather than to experience the consequences. 

‘Earnest’ means a serious and intent mental state.  When I was younger, there were some things that I wasn’t serious about.  God brought me through and I survived some things that I probably shouldn’t have.  We need to listen to the older saints and be easily entreated.  I appreciated the advice I received when I worked at the mill.  Those guys that had been there for a while could teach you a thing or two.

Even a child could come to us with something that can help us.  “I didn’t see that.  Thank you.”  Not trivial but important.  I value my freedom from sin and from Burlington Northern too.  I’m glad to not be under the paw of the devil.

Heb 2:2  For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

Heb 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Heb 2:4  God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Heb 2:5  For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

Heb 2:6  But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Are we visited by God?  We are.  How thankful we need to be.  He will withhold no good thing.  If we supply the vessel, He is willing to help us.  When God visits us and with something to teach us and we share it with the saints, then it is so good.  We are family.  We get to enjoy those things. 

The insignificance of man: we are a drop in a bucket.  God created us.  We are His creation.  Our grandchildren bring such joy to our heart.  God looks at the little children and is happy too.  God has heaven’s best for us.  We are our biggest enemy.  We stand in our own way.

 He cares about us and wants us freed of things.

James 1:5 if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that gives liberally and upbraids not.

To upbraid means to criticize, scold.  He will not upbraid us if we lack wisdom and ask.  He wants to help us.  He wants to be that aid. “Lord I am going into this situation and I need your help.”  He wants us to ask and He will help us.

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Mat 7:26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

Mat 7:27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Give earnest heed.  Hear and do the sayings of mine.  Be a wise man. 

Jas 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We want to be blessed.  This all ties together like building stones.  They tie together so that the flood doesn’t overflow us.  I’ve been in situations when I felt surrounded.  We want to use these building stones and place them on the solid foundation.  God’s Word will never change or fail. 

We live in a changing world.  We want to just go on and try to be God’s servant and be used of Him. 

Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Let your speech be always seasoned with grace.  This was a challenge to me.  God has been good to me and keeps bringing the challenge back to me.

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

God’s Word is the perfect law of liberty.  It is perfect.  He has not left out anything.  It is our instruction book.  We hear of a farmer that could not read being taught of God.  He went to the preacher and said, “Does it say…”  Yes it does. 

I appreciate that liberty.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.  We get in situations where we realize that God’s spirit is not there.  Man puts his hand into things and God is not able to bless.  I appreciate our pastor.  Men without God come up with ideas and oppressively lead. 

The devil is out to attack us all.  We look at some situations where we think, “How could God let this happen?”  I tell you how, people are given into the devil and they let him use them.  They have given into that spirit.  Thank God that we don’t have to be bound even by the habits of life. 

We are free to do what God wants us to do and to do what is right.  We were all in sin; God saved us out of there and gave us a new tongue.  I had a grandma that taught us about holiness.  I thought, “Oh yeah, that is just old people.  People are not that way anymore.”  God did a lot of work on me. 

We were raised Baptist and some go to heaven in spite of the doctrines that are taught.  There are some out there that are truly honest and are God’s people that have just been raised in a religion like that.  I wasn’t but there are those that are.

The hail will sweep away a refuge of lies.  A refuge is something that you are trusting in.  There are some that God wants to rescue.  That is why He is holding this whole world in check here. 

I got to go fishing with Bob and some of his family.  They went on fishing and I heard a little lamb talking to me.  He had gotten out on a ledge and could not get off.  His mother had already given up.  She knew that she could not rescue him.  He would have been destroyed. 

The little lamb had his tail wagging as I rescued him.  As soon as the little lamb’s voice changed location, the mother came running.  She had given up, there had to be a savior in order for the lamb to be rescued.  Sometimes God can change hearts and when we hear that change in tone, then we need to be right there.