Sermon: Pathway Lights - Part 2
Let us begin today by turning
to Psalm 119:105, where we began Part 1 of this sermon.
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
We are in the way or journey of life and the Word of God is a light unto our
path. It is as if each scripture was one of those lamps we see along a path or
walkway in the evening.
The purpose of my sermon today is to make each scripture a lamp for your feet as
you travel through the Salvation Process. That is, “Light your path.”
I am going give you a number of lights in the form of a set of questions. Each
question will lead us to a scripture you can use as a light for your path.
In Part 1 we made it through Light 25. We will begin Part 2 with Light 25.
Light 25: What is your highest responsibility regarding the power of God that
is in you, the Holy Spirit?
1 Thessalonians
5:19
Quench not the Spirit.
Notice the Matthew Henry commentary on this…
Quench not the
Spirit - for it is
this Spirit of grace and supplication that helpeth our infirmities, that
assisteth us in our prayers and thanksgivings. Christians are said to be
baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. [It]
worketh as fire, by enlightening, enlivening, and purifying the souls of men. We
must be careful not to quench this holy fire. As fire is put out by withdrawing
fuel, so we quench the Spirit if we do not stir up our spirits, and all that is
within us, to comply with the motions [workings]
of the [Holy]
Spirit; and as fire is quenched by pouring water, or putting a great quantity of
dirt upon it, so we must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit by
indulging carnal lusts and affections, or minding only earthly things.
~ Matthew Henry
Light 26: According to 1 Thessalonians 5 what are you commanded to do
regarding the Bible?
1 Thessalonians
5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Now wouldn’t it be simple if this was the only verse on this element that you
had to know but here are many. From all those verses I came up this this list:
1] Know the scriptures.
2] Know and review often, the doctrines of the church.
3] Renew your mind by full immersion into the Word of God, thus proving what the
will of God is [Romans 12:2].
4] Speak to God [pray]
(1 Corinthians 14:27-28).
5] Be sincere and without offence (Philippians 1:10).
6] Try all spirits and all your thoughts (1 John 4:1).
7] Prove your teachers and ministers (Matthew 7:15-20 and Revelation 2:2).
8] Have readiness of mind by being immersed in the Word of God (Acts 17:11).
9] Do not believe anything, including sermons, papers, booklets, tapes,
doctrinal explanations, ministers or teachers until you prove it yourself with
your Bible.
10] Never become a victim of a slick but false argument or a powerful and
dynamic but false speaker or teacher.
11] Know the difference between
Good and Bad theology.
12] Hold fast and protect what you have proven as true. Embrace it. Make it a
part of your mind and character.
Light 27: According to 1 Timothy 4, we are to be an example of the believers
in the church. How are we to do that?
1 Timothy 4:12-13
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word,
in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give
attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Light 28: Sometimes when we are moving forward in the process we get
rebuked. What, in this regard, are we working toward? What is the ultimate
goal regarding the rebuke we receive?
1 Timothy 6:14
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing
of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Now a couple of commentaries and a remark:
So that there be no occasion for reproach or reproof. –Barnes
Let there be nothing in thy conduct or spirit contrary to this truth. Keep the
truth, and the truth will keep thee.--Clarke’s
Most biblical
rebuke is from the Lord and this is the clear intent here. These elements of
being without spot and unrebukeable are personal and between God and the
firstfruit. The verse is not an encouragement for one in the congregation to go
looking for "spots" in their brethren or to personally rebuke them. The whole
verse is taking about the overall concept of lifelong character development in
the Salvation Process rather than the event of a sin being committed. In other
words, a "spot" is not necessarily a committed sin. It is development of
conduct, habit or thinking that is contrary to doctrine and the character of
Christ. Only God can ultimate judge this. If we, over a period of time [a
process], stray
from the doctrine and the Salvation Process [backsliding],
we open ourselves to rebuke from God.
Light 29: We are to be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. How is
that done? By what power?
2 Timothy 1:8-9
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his
prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Let me give you a verse regarding the power of God in our lives:
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Light 30: What have we learned lately about the pureness coming from the
throne of God? What have we learned in the past about “improper mixtures?”
James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from
the world.
Note:
If a person's religion is impure, it will be found out. True religion is
diligent and goes beyond the simple gesture of mercy. It is founded on one's
character and the invoking of the Holy Spirit. It is selfless and is often done
with only God watching.
Note:
Pure religion takes diligent action. When our focus is Christ, the Word of God
and action invoked with diligence and perseverance we remain unspotted from the
world.
Light
31: According to James 4 and 1 Peter 5 what are we to do in the sight of the
Lord? Now if we do this thing, what will God do to us in return?
James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you
in due time:
Light 32: As we see the coming of the Lord getting closer and it is always
getting closer, what are we to be doing according to James 5?
James 5:8
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh.
Let us explore that phrase, “stablish your hearts.”
[Stablish your hearts] Let your purposes and your faith be firm and unwavering.
Do not become weary and fretful; but bear with constancy all that is laid upon
you, until the time of your deliverance shall come. –Barnes
[Establish your hearts] Take courage; do not sink under your trials. –Clarke
"Establish your hearts-let
your faith be firm, without wavering, your practice of what is good constant and
continued, without tiring, and your resolutions for God and heaven fixed, in
spite of all sufferings or temptations." The prosperity of the wicked and the
affliction of the righteous have in all ages been a very great trial to the
faith of the people of God. David tells us that his feet were almost gone, when
he saw the prosperity of the wicked, Psalm 73:2-3. Some of those Christians to
whom James wrote might probably be in the same tottering condition; and
therefore they are called upon to establish their hearts; faith and patience
will establish the heart.
–Matthew Henry
The many elements of righteousness that we see in this study will mean little if
we lack patience and firmness of faith. We must have unwavering faith in the
fact that God is on His own timetable and His timetable is PERFECT. God is
perfect in all His ways and His plan cannot be stopped by anything in the
Universe. Regardless of what happens in the world between now and the return of
Christ [and it will
get very bad], we
must keep our eye on the perfection of Almighty God.
Light 33: God is Holy.
We know this. What are we supposed to do about it according to 1 Peter?
1 Peter 1:15-16
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Here is a commentary on the
phrase, “Be ye holy.”
Be ye holy; for I am. It is ME you have to do with. Ye are mine. We are too
prone to have respect unto men (Calvin).
Since I am the fountain of holiness, being holy in my essence, be ye zealous to
partake of holiness, that ye may be as I am (Didymus).
The creature is holy only in so far as it is sanctified by God. God, in giving
the command, is willing to give also the power to obey, through the sanctifying
Spirit (1
Peter 1:2).
–JFB
Light 34: Regarding the
brethren what does 1 Peter 3 say we are to be?
1 Peter 3:8
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as
brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
A word about the phrase
there, “Be all of one mind:”
Be ye all of one mind. This recalls the "one accord" of Pentecost, or Paul's
injunctions to the Philippians to be "in one spirit" (Philippians
1:27) and
"like-minded, having the same love, being of one mind, of one spirit" (Philippians
2:2), followed
closely by his gripping outline of the mind of Christ. Peter's catalog of
accompanying graces reads like the gracious self-effacing aspects of the fruit
of the Spirit (Galatians
5:22-23) or of the
"wisdom that is from above" (James
3:17). –Wycliffe
Light 35: 1 Peter 4:7
says, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye there __________and
_____________. Fill in the blanks with words and phrases.
1 Peter 4:7
But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto
prayer.
Light 36: According to 2
Peter 1, what are eight things are we supposed to have? In having these things
what do we learn about Process?
2 Peter 1:1-8
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have
obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the
knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto
us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and
to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Light 37: According to 2
Peter 1:10 we are to make two things “sure.” What two things?
2 Peter 1:10
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election
sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
For the word “Sure” notice:
Your calling and election sure-by 'ministering additionally in your faith
virtue, and in your virtue knowledge,' etc. God must work all these graces in
us, yet not so that we should be machines, but willing instruments in His hands,
in making His election of us 'secure.' –JFB
Light 38: According to
Revelation 2:10 we are to be faithful unto ______ what? Then is says that we
are not to fear something. What? If we do these things, what do we receive
from God?
Revelation 2:10
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast
some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten
days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
At the beginning of this
sermon I gave you
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
I have given you 38 lights this day. What is going to happen to you if you
keeping adding this lights to your path?
Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more
unto the perfect day.
So continue on and…
Light your path!!
[see
Part 1]
Note: All the lights mentioned in this sermon are taken from our Bible
study,
'How To' Instructions in Righteousness.