HOLY WEEK SERIES: CLEARING THE SACRED PLACE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” He said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Matthew 21:12-17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It was the day after Jesus had entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey to the shouts of “Hosanna” as the gathered crowd hailed Him as the coming King of all kings. The symbology of riding in on a donkey was to indicate He was coming in peace but as we see in today’s message, this calm demeanor didn’t last long as He entered the temple courts on Monday and witnessed a scene that angered Him. Look at these words from today’s passage found in Matthew, chapter 21:

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” He said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Matthew 21:12-13

It was a decisive and aggressive action as Jesus “drove out all who were buying and selling there”, overturning the “tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves”.

Why did He do this?

What got Jesus so fired up?

To find the answer, it helps to know that the Temple consisted of four courts, each segregated from one another. Of interest, one of those courts was for the Gentiles, those non-Jews who weren’t permitted in the Temple proper. It shouldn’t surprise you that the Court of the Gentiles was the outermost court, distanced from where the Jews worshiped and offered sacrifices. Of interest, the designated area for the Gentiles ranged back to Old Testament times as we see in the words of the prophet Isaiah who wrote:

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant—to them I will give within My temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.

And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to Him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be His servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant—these I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:4-7

From these words, we glean that God cared for all those who believed and worshiped Him. Yes, the Israelites were His people and He was their God but He didn’t snub those non-Jews who placed their faith and trust in Him, wanting them to have the privilege to pray at the temple. With this, the Court of the Gentiles was to be a holy place, a place ordained by God as a “house of prayer for all nations” but what Jesus saw on that Monday was anything but that. For what the Lord intended for reverence had been converted into a marketplace.

We read where there were money changers there who were converting foreign currency to the accepted temple shekel. There were also vendors present with doves to sell for the various prescribed sacrifices within the temple grounds. Both had a reputation for gleaning profits from anyone who did business from them and it was this unscrupulous behavior that earned the “robbers” title Jesus labeled them with.

And so Jesus did what He always did. He went about His Father’s business and cleansed the Court, restoring it to the sanctity it deserved. The Gentiles would once again have a place where they could respectably devote themselves to the God they loved.

So how does this apply to our lives today as we continue to move through Holy Week?

We all need to remember that Satan is trying every day to corrupt the inner courts of our spirits and souls, attempting to set up and establish things that would defile the purity God intend, just as the money changers and vendors did in the Court of the Gentiles. In those instances, when we sense the enemy is trying to steer us from where the Lord wants for us to be, we need to turn our attention to Jesus, knowing He will always bring His power to bear to clear and cleanse out inner temple.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

HOLY WEEK SERIES: THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING OF KINGS

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

As Jesus and His disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into that village over there,” He told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”

The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and He sat on it.

Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of Him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around Him were shouting,

“Praise God! Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest Heaven!”

So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple.

Mark 11:1-11 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It was a Sunday unlike anyone that had come before and there would never quite be one like it afterwards.

This is because on the day referred to during Holy Week as Palm Sunday, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords came riding into Jerusalem for what would be His final week of life before being crucified. It was a triumphal entry that fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah who said:

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

This was God speaking through His messenger, Zechariah, and we know that whatever God speaks in prophecy will happen in the future, just as He said it would.

With this, we join Jesus and the Twelve, fresh off of their dinner at the home of Lazarus the day prior, the dinner where Mary anointed Jesus feet with expensive nard in a beautiful display of adoration, dedication, and honor. We know that get together was in Bethany and afterwards, Jesus and the disciples started out for Jerusalem.

First having to pass through the village of Bethphage, Jesus dispatches two of His disciples to get Him a young donkey. He shares that they would find the donkey tied up, adding that it had never been ridden. He adds that is anyone challenged them taking the donkey, they were to simply say:

“The Lord needs it and will return it soon.”

And so the pair went into Bethphage and the scriptures tell us they “found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door”. As they were “untying it”, there were “some bystanders” looking on and they confronted the disciples saying:

“What are you doing, untying that colt?”

By all appearances, it looked like a sure act of thievery was taking place to the witnesses and Jesus already had known this would take place. This is why He had prepared his disciples as to what they were to say if challenged.

And so we read where the disciples said just what Jesus had told them to say and “were permitted to take it”. No confrontation or conflict. Just submission to the desires of the Lord Jesus. They took the donkey to Jesus and after placing their garments over its back, Jesus sat on it and the young colt offered no resistance. None.

Now, if you know anything about donkeys, you will know they are a stubborn lot and an unbroken, untrained, untamed donkey would be expected to quickly try to throw off anyone who would try and mount. But note that didn’t happen with Jesus. The spirit of the beast of burden was as peaceful as the man who rode it, the Prince of Peace who we know was Jesus (Isaiah 9:6).

To further expound on the matter of peace, we need to remember that there were many kings who had entered Jerusalem before Jesus did. Too many to mention but when they came, it would only be in a spirit of war or peace. When a king would come in a spirit of war, he would always ride into the holy city on a horse. At all other times, times defined by peace, the king would come riding on a donkey.

Don’t let this symbology escape you within the context of this special triumphal entry. For Jesus, the Prince of peace rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, signaling His Spirit of peacefulness. And going back to Zechariah’s prophecy, He rode in as a righteous and victorious King.

The scriptures convey to us that the turnout to welcome Jesus was impressive as a crowd lined the road he traveled and they were in a worshipful mood as they spread garments and leafy branches on the path in front of Jesus while shouting:

“Praise God! Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest Heaven!”

It was a scene filled with celebration and adoration, one that would make anyone wonder to themselves:

“What happened?”

For in less than a week, the cries of Hosanna and praise underscored by wishes of blessings on Jesus would be replaced with the call to crucify Him. As we move through this week, we’ll walk with Jesus to the cross and then to the tomb before He departs it in resurrection power.

As we move to darker times in the life of Christ, let’s not lose the spirit of rejoicing we find in the crowds who welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem. For just as He was then, He is indeed the King of kings and Lord of lords over all, reigning in full sovereignty and supremacy over all creation as He sits at the right hand of God, His Father and ours.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

PRE-HOLY WEEK INTRUCTORY MESSAGE: ANOINTED

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of My burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.”

John 12:1-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we get set to enter Holy Week and walk with Jesus through His final week, culminating with His death and then resurrection, I am taking a pause from our study of Hebrews to do a special series of messages. We will return to finish the final chapter of Hebrews after Easter.

Today, we begin with the day before what is known as the Triumphal Entry as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey to great fanfare. This would have been Saturday and as we read in the following passage, six days before Jesus would observe His last Passover with His disciples. Look at this passage from the Gospel of John:

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of My burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.” John 12:1-8

The road into Jerusalem passed first through Bethany and then the village of Bethphage where Jesus will get the donkey he will ride into Jerusalem on. More on that tomorrow but for today, we find Him stopping in Bethany at the home of His good friend Lazarus for a dinner held in His honor, their first get together after Jesus had resurrected him from the dead. It shouldn’t get lost for us that Jesus Himself would experience His own resurrection in a just over a week.

Now, we don’t know exactly how many people were present at this gathering but we know Lazarus and the disciples were there along with Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary. Of little surprise, Martha was doing the serving. It was her modus operandi as you may remember the first documented visit by Jesus was punctuated by her being upset over Mary not helping tend to the guests. In response to her request, Jesus rebuked Martha saying that Mary had chosen the better thing to do, sitting at His feet and listening to His teaching (Luke 10:38-42).

Fast forward to this Saturday before Jesus entered Jerusalem and we find Mary once again treating Jesus with the greatest respect and honor. This time however she wasn’t simply sitting near Jesus feet to merely listen. Rather, the scriptures tell us that she “took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume”, and “poured it on Jesus’ feet” before wiping “His feet with her hair”.

Immediately, “the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”, a beautiful sensory indicator of the beautiful, blessed action she had carried out.

Unfortunately, not everyone saw Mary’s action as a thing of beauty. For we read where Lazarus gets worked up over what happened and decides to openly object saying:

“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

Having spent the better part of three years with Jesus, you would think Judas would have learned something and allowed his heart to be shaped by His Master but when it came to this particular disciple, it was all about him. He didn’t care about the poor or that Jesus was being treated in such an honorable way. Rather, we see in our passage where he only was interested in losing the opportunity to sell the nard for a steep price before filling the money bag so he could steal more from his Savior and fellow disciples.

Two people here, Mary and Judas. One showed a spirit of self sacrifice and selflessness and the other, greed and selfishness.

Which was better?

Well, like that previous time in Bethany, Jesus gives the verdict as He responds to Judas, saying:

“Leave her alone! It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of My burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.”

For Mary, the cost of the perfume was not more than the greatness of her Lord. He was worth surrendering anything the world might consider of value for indeed, soon He would give up Himself so to bear the sin of the world and save anyone who would simply place their belief in Him.

Mary anointed Jesus with the expensive nard. We can anoint and honor Him with the best we have to give as well. As we enter into Holy Week, I pray you will join me in recommitting yourself to do just that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DON'T REFUSE GOD'S OFFER

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven? At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Hebrews 12:25-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God’s grace and mercy are sure for those who place their belief and trust in Jesus.

This is an absolute truth and here’s another one:

God’s wrath and judgment is sure for anyone who refuses His offer of salvation through His Son.

No one should want to experience the latter for only a sheer fool would willingly put themselves in a place where the full brunt of God’s power is brought to bear upon them, a power that we about in our passage today as we finish our study of Hebrews, chapter 12. Look again at what the author shares with the Jewish Christians he is writing to:

See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven? At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Vv. 25-27

Here we read clearly of the incredible, unsurpassed power of God’s might, a might that not only was capable of shaking the earth but the heavens above as well. It was a might displayed on many occasions in the Bible, particularly in Old Testament times when God judged the Israelite people, the people He called His own.

Why did He punish His people using His wrath-driven power?

Simply put, it was because the people of Israel chose to refuse Him.

They refused to respect Him.

They refused to honor Him.

They refused to worship Him and Him alone as the only true God.

And they refused to obey Him, choosing to chase after their own desires.

When this happened, God would give His chosen people a chance to repent and turn from their sinfulness. He selected and empowered men within the Israelite nation to serve as His messengers and spoke to His people through them, but unfortunately the messages fell on deaf ears, evidenced by the continuation of transgressive behavior despite God’s warnings.

And so God sent the judgment He promised in such a way that the Israelites couldn’t escape it which always led to them crying out, admitting their wrongs, and petitioning the Lord for His forgiveness, removal of punishment, and restoration.

Today, more than 2,000 years later, the message is still the same:

Don’t refuse God.

Don’t refuse to respect Him.

Don’t refuse to honor Him.

Never refuse to worship Him alone as the One true God.

Never refuse to place His will over your own.

And don’t refuse His offer of His salvation that leads to eternal life, a salvation that can only be gained by believing in Jesus, His Son.

Going back to yesterday’s message, God has set forth two destinies and every single person will end up in one or the other.

Those who refused to believe in Jesus as Savior will not escape the wrath of God that will condemn them to everlasting damnation, torment, and suffering in Hell. They will be removed from the earth easily because through their disrespect of God, they put themselves in a place where they could be shaken.

Conversely, those who humbly accept God’s offer of salvation through His Son will not be shaken because they will be washed white as snow by the redeeming blood of Jesus, a redeeming blood that cleanses them from their sins. These Christian believers will take up residence in the blessed Kingdom of God (aka Heaven) and will live there with God and Jesus for all eternity.

As we approach Passion Week and once again follow Jesus through His final week on earth - a week that would find Him arrested, wrongly conflicted, brutally beaten and abused, and then crucified before rising from the dead on the third day - let us give thanks for how God loved us so much that He didn’t wish for us to perish but to have eternal life simply by not refusing Him and believing in His Son Jesus. For through faith and trust in Jesus, we have a hope that no one can ever take away.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

TWO DESTINIES

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:18-24, 28-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s message, we looked at how there are only two categories that people can be grouped:

1. Those who accept God’s offer of salvation through Jesus

and

2. Those who don’t

In the case of both of these people sets, there are associated destinies because the truth of the matter is that everyone will live forever after death.

Those who placed their belief in Jesus will go onto Heaven and eternal life, receiving a share of the kingdom inheritance God promises.

Conversely, those who chose to snub God’s blessed offer will go to Hell and experience an eternity of damnation and torment.

I think you can see that a person can choose which of these everlasting, after-worldly-death experiences they will go through and to reinforce the two possibilities, we look to today’s passage drawn from some of the closing verses of Hebrews, chapter 12. Look again at these words now:

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”  Vv. 18-24, 28-29

Here we find two mountains center stage, one connected to Hell as depicted in terms of Old Testament scriptures and the other depicting Heaven and the glorious new heavenly Jerusalem to come.

First, we look at those who will refuse to gladly accept the gift of eternal life extended by God out of love, grace, and mercy for all created people.

These people, unbelievers who Jesus referred to as goats at the end of Matthew 25, will experience the “consuming fire” of the God they disrespected and dishonored, a judgment that will bring utter terror, darkness, suffering, misery, and gloom to the convicted sinful offender forever.

Compare and contrast this with what awaits the person who believed in Jesus. For anyone who did this, meeting the qualification for God’s salvation, will “come to Mount Zion” which is the “city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”. This is what we find John referring to when he writes about what will happen when Jesus comes to judge the world.

After receiving Jesus’ intervention, mediation, and justification at the judgment throne of God, Christ believers become Heaven-dwelling Christians, those who have their “names...written in Heaven”, and they will get the opportunity to share the kingdom with “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly”, joining them in worshiping God and His Son Jesus “with reverence and awe”.

This is the destiny option every person should want, to forever inhabit “a kingdom that cannot be shaken”, a blessing from God that leads to great thanksgiving and rejoicing, a thanksgiving and rejoicing reflected through the chorus of this old great hymn, We’re Marching to Zion:

We’re marching to Zion,

Beautiful, beautiful, Zion:

We’re marching upward to Zion,

The beautiful city of God.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

AVOID GODLESSNESS!

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

See that no one is...godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

Hebrews 12:16-17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

All people fit into one of two categories.

Either they are godless or they are a child of God through belief in Jesus (aka a Christian).

There is no third possibility.

Those who are godless (the unbelievers) are destined for Hell and eternal damnation, the ones referred to as the goats in Jesus’ discourse on the sheep and goats found at the end of Matthew 25.

Conversely, Christians, as the children of God, are heirs to His eternal Kingdom (Heaven) where they will abide with Him and His Son Jesus forever in peace, light, and love, free from any affliction or hardship.

Given these truths, it’s of critical importance for every single person to assess which category they are in, and if it’s the godless one, relocate and join the sheep flock through believing in Jesus as Savior, the One who said there was still room in the sheep pen.

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:16

Why this message on godlessness and Hell versus saved Christians and their destination of Heaven?

Because today’s passage from our continuing study of Hebrews, chapter 12, addresses the matter of godlessness as the letter’s author writes to the Jewish Christians of the first century A.D. Look again at his words here:

See that no one is...godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. Vv. 16-17

You remember the story of Esau, don’t you?

He was the eldest son of Isaac, Abraham’s son, but only by a matter of seconds because as he emerged from Rebekah’s womb, his twin brother Jacob had a death grip on his heel. Given that he was born first, Esau automatically gained the birthright and ultimate blessing of his father which essentially meant that he would gain more inheritance than Jacob, to include carrying on his father’s name. This was a rich gift from God, one that only Esau could mess up and the scriptures tell us that he did just that (Genesis 25:29-34).

For we read where one day when Jacob had cooked up some red stew when his brother came in “from the open country” very hungry. Esau asked Jacob for some of the stew but Jacob placed a condition on the request. Before he could get some of the stew, Esau had to give up his birthright.

Think about this a moment.

God had given Esau an incredible gift in being the firstborn son. It was an honor that should have been highly esteemed and protected above anything else. And yet, Esau discarded it as if he had thrown away a piece of trash, reasoning that the birthright was useless to him for he would die soon anyways. This is why the Bible says he “despised his birthright”.  

Later, after Esau rethought his poor decision, he begged to get the blessing back but it was too late. Jacob ended up with everything God had first granted to Esau and after all was said and done, Esau only showed remorse for his material, worldly loss instead of the way he had sinned against God. Foolishly throwing away God’s gift so sinfully wasn’t on his heart and ultimately he was rejected by Lord for his blatant display of godlessness.

Today, the scriptures are loudly proclaiming this:

Avoid godlessness!

If you are reading this and have rejected Jesus in the past, know that through godlessness you are rejecting the birthright God is offering you through His Son, a birthright that allows you to be a co-heir to Heaven (Romans 8:17-21).

Don’t be like Esau and be willing to foolishly miss out on the greatest blessing God is offering you. Right now, you can leave the company of the goats and join the sheep pen of the Good Shepherd (John 10) where I and all other Christians are kept in perfect peace and safety.

I pray you will do just that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

PRACTICE SEX PROPERLY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

See that no one is sexually immoral...

Hebrews 12:16a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In today’s message, we find seven words that serve as its foundation.

See that no one is sexually immoral... Hebrews 12:16a

We know the writer of Hebrews is writing to the Jewish Christians in particular but this doesn’t remove the overall responsibility for all Christian believers to exercise complete sexual purity in the way that they live. Anything outside of sexual relations as God has set forth in the scriptures falls under the category of sexual immorality. Let’s look at some other passages from the scriptures on this subject:

Jesus talks about this matter frequently as He calls out sin across the four Gospels. In fact, lest someone think that sexual immortality isn’t a serious transgression, consider that Jesus included it with murder in the seventh chapter of Mark (Vv. 20-23). He also mentions specific sexual iniquities such as adultery, referring to all as evil.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes that our bodies belong to the Lord and not ourselves. In other words, we don’t have the right to dictate how we use our bodies and that goes for sexual behavior (6:13). This is why he exhorts the Corinthians to “flee sexual immorality” (6:18) but unfortunately, people then and now seem to run toward it instead.

So what is the prescription issued by the Word of God so to ward off sexual immorality?

Going back to 1 Corinthians, we find it in the seventh chapter:

“...since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Vv. 2-5

God designed and created sex to be a beautiful gift, something to be thoroughly enjoyed but only in the context of marriage. This is why premarital sex falls under the category of sexual immorality because a man and woman snub their noses at the Lord and fulfill their desires when they want to, rejecting His will.

Need an example of how this was practiced in biblical times?

We need only look at the story of Jesus’ miraculous conception by way of the Holy Spirit and how this impacted her betrothal to Joseph. Her sudden pregnancy was seen immediately as a violation of the engagement. The community was certain she had adulterous relations with another man and it’s important to note that engagement was treated as if the man and woman were actually married to one another before they actually wed and both the man and woman were to remain celibate until after they were married, after which time, sex was permissible, a beautiful consummation of a lifelong commitment. Given the sudden conception of a child that he knew was not his own, the scriptures tell us that Joseph decided to quietly divorce Mary.

Why could he do this?  

Because adultery was the only legal reason to break a covenant marital agreement before the marriage took place. Thankfully, the angel Gabriel intervened and the rest, as they say, is history.

Regarding sexual immorality, Paul also wrote these things:

To the Galatians, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 5:19-21

Here we find orgies mentioned which are nothing more than gatherings of people who are interested in only one thing: sex with one another.

To the Ephesians, “...among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.” 5:3-7

Christians aren’t to befriend and hang out with people who choose to be sexually immoral. Both this passage and the one before it from Galatians carry the additional warning that the sexually immoral are destined for God’s wrath because of their disobedience and even worse yet, are not worthy of an “inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God”.

To the Colossians: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” 3:5-6

Christian believers are to eradicate sexual immorality and lust from their lives as these matters of the flesh are incompatible with the kind of holy and righteous life God expects and Jesus, the One Christians are to emulate in every way, never ever engaged in sexual sin or any other sin for that matter.

To the Thessalonians: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.” 4:3-5a

God demands that Christians set them apart from the world and it’s ways, trading in sinful behavior they engaged in before coming to Jesus, sinful behavior like pagan passionate lust for the holiness that comes when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide, gaining the fruit of self control (Galatians 5:22-23).

In the end translation, God instituted sex but with boundaries. As He designed, sex was to be between one man and one woman within marriage. It was intended to be a wonderful, fun, and fulfilling physical consummation of a commitment to a life time relationship, a physical yoking of two becoming one flesh which could possibly also lead to the blessing of procreation.

But as in so many cases, mankind, through its sinful disobedience, has decided to violate God’s restrictions on sexual conduct and it has done so since the earliest biblical times. It has erased the lines the Lord drew so to chase after and satisfy lustful desires in direct defiance of their Maker and Master God.

Friends, I don’t know where you stand on this matter today but if you have committed sexual immorality, now is the time to confess, repent, and recommit to being obedience to God and His commands. And then wait patiently for the day when He might bring a person to you to marry and share sex with for the long haul, a devoted sex that stands until death does the marriage part.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.