Meekness and Fear

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

1Pe 3:16  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Other Bible translations use other words for "meekness and fear"

...gentleness and respect, 

...answer them in a gentle way with respect

...gently and respectfully

We are not to be afraid to share the good news about Jesus saving us from eternal damnation. The message is so important that we are to deliver it with reverence and respect, first because it is from God and we respect the message and lastly we want the hearer who is lost and away from God to be able to receive the message of hope.  We humans were created in the image of God. We are to respect each soul and desire that all be saved by receiving the free gift of life in Christ Jesus. We want Jesus to be seen in our lives so that no one will have anything to accuse us of, to distract from our message from God. Our message is holy and is for the people who were created to be in fellowship with Almighty God. We are his living temples to deliver his life giving  hope of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. This is not to be done without respect, but with meekness and fear.

...

A Living Hope

These promises are for those who trust in Jesus and receive eternal life.

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

1Pe 1:4  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 

1Pe 1:5  who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

1Pe 1:6  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 

1Pe 1:7  so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

In Jesus we are saved, we are being saved and we shall be saved when we meet him in glory

2Co 5:7  for we walk by faith, not by sight. 

2Co 5:8  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 

2Co 5:9  So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 

Mar 12:26  And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 

Mar 12:27  He is not God of the dead, but of the living...

Jesus offers the free gift of eternal life. We must willingly receive the free gift.  Thank you Jesus for coming to make the way of forgiveness of sins and eternal life in the love of God.

Time to Hear and See

Isa 6:8  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 

Isa 6:9  And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 

Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” 

Isa 6:11  Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 

The Lord asked,  “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 

Isaiah the prophet wanted to speak the message of the Lord to the people of Judah.  He was told that the people would not care to see or hear his message.  How long do I warn them? Until they are taken captive by Babylon.  These were his people who could not see or hear  God's message to them, God will give them their way.  The same things occured when Jesus came to save his people from their sins. Most rejected his message. 

John 1:11  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 

John 1:12  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 

Our nation needs to respond to the message of God, that Jesus is the way to God. He gave his life on the cross as payment for our sins. They need to believe and become the children of God. Be a proclaimer of God's grace and mercy and warn the willfully blind and deaf while they can still receive his message. Time is running out. God loves you so much.

UNFORGIVENESS

Often in my dreams I am in search of a bathroom. In my search I entered a friends house and was somewhat embarassed. I found him asleep in his bedroom. He turned in his bed and greeted me. I noticed that on his head were spikes, like nails sticking up. I said to my friend, "why don't you remove those spikes. He was kind of offended that I would ask. "They may get infected" was his response. Whatever, I saw a long fuzzy quilt on the floor and I rolled it up and set it on a couch. My friend said, it has been a while since we have been together. Come set with me on the couch and we will share the blanket. It was good to see my friend. Why is it that we have not gotten together? I remembered that we had fellowshipped together in church until he got offended and he and his family left the church. I awoke and then I remembered that my good friend had died a few years ago. I then made a trip to the bathroom. I was thinking about those spikes on top of his head. Was this a picture of unforgiveness? My friend and I always got along, but somehow he had gotten offended. Do we have spiritual spikes on our heads? Like porcupines are we carrying the quills of unforgiveness? Joseph in the Bible is an example of a forgiving man. His brothers were jealous of him because their father favored him, They sold him as a slave and told their father that a beast had killed Joseph. God had shown favor to Joseph and he became second in command in Egpypt.

Gen 50:15  When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 

Gen 50:16  So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 

Gen 50:17  ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 

Gen 50:18  His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 

Gen 50:19  But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 

Gen 50:20  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 

Gen 50:21  So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. 

Let us be forgiving people, like Joseph and the Lord Jesus who gave his life for sinners and is alive forever more. Come to Jesus and he will forgive you as he forgave me. All need to be forgiven.

TRUST

I wanted to let the Bible show me some things about trust this morning. I confess that there are few people that I put my trust in, especially if they are flattering strangers. I trust God that he will show me the way. I need to submit all to him. Have your way Lord.

 Psa 18:2  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

Psa 40:4  Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! 

Psa 71:1  In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. 

Psa 118:8  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 

Psa 118:9  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. 

Psa 143:8  Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 

Psa 143:9  Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge. 

Psa 143:10  Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! 

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

Jer 9:4  Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. 

Jer 9:5  Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. 

Jer 9:6  Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the LORD. 

1Th 2:4  but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 

1Th 2:5  For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 

1Th 2:6  Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 

1Th 2:7  But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 

1Ti 6:20  Timothy, God has trusted you with many things. Keep these things safe. Stay away from people who talk about useless things that are not from God and who argue against you with a "knowledge" that is not knowledge at all. 

1Ti 6:21  Some people who claim to have that "knowledge" have gone completely away from what we believe. God's grace be with you all. 

Lord, in my caution, may I not offend anyone. Help me to not refuse your will for my life.

CARE

1Pe 5:7  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

Psa 95:7  For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the flock in his care. If only you would listen to his voice today, 

I visited my friend in the care home this morning. We were taken outside to the patio. We prayed and she shared that she soon would be going home to her son's family for care. They will care for her. She gave me new phone numbers and still wanted me to come and share the Bible with her. Our visit was soon over and we prayed again. I left her a Bible study that I had prepared for her.  Our pastor often says "people don't care how much you know, they just want to know you care.

 Rom 15:1  Now we who are strong ought to be patient with the weaknesses of those who are not strong and must stop pleasing ourselves. 

We share our love and trust God to lead us where we should be.

Ministry

What is Christian ministry? I liked an answer I read from got questions.org.

Ministry can, and should, include ministering to the physical, emotional, mental, vocational, and financial needs of others. Jesus did, and so should we!

Today I visit an 88 year old  friend in a convelesent hospital. I had talked to her on the phone and she said she and her roommate were looking forward to my visit and that they wanted me to share from the Bible. Well, I was in for it. When I checked in, I had to put on a thick mask followed by a clear plastic visor . Then a hospital gown and vinyl gloves were provided for me. I asked the nurses aid, "where is my scalpel?"  I was as a doctor or hazardous waste technician.

My friend was glad to see me and her room mate was being tended to, and would be joining us soon. When both ladies were in the room with the 6 foot distance, I opened in a prayer. I gave the room mate a Bible and she read from it. The mask I was wearing filtered out everything including air. I was soon choked up with carbon dioxide.  After a time of difficulty my friend said, that mask is hard for you. Neither of them wore masks.   She said to me" the quarantine is to be lifted Wednesday, so come back again when it will be easier to breath for you". Both Christian ladies took turns praying, yes and for me. They were my ministers. I made an appointment to return on Friday.  One thing I have seen when "ministering" to Christians in a hospital. They end up ministering to you. God is not bound by our infirmaties. I was'nt much use today, but two lonely ladies  in rehab prayed for me and were blessed by God. To God be the glory. Sometimes we just need to get out of the way.

Rom 5:1  Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Rom 5:2  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

Fellowship

Many are lonely for friendship and a deeper fellowship.

Fellowship in the Bible is from the Greek word  Koinonia; fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, a friendship based on common interests.

A simple understanding is that people of opposite beliefs cannot fellowship together. An old man had an illustration using a rope. He handed the rope to a newly married couple. If they pulled in opposite directions, then there would be strife. If they pull and walk together then they will live in harmony and accomplish things together. They may have different talents and abilities yet, they have a common belief in God. Having Jesus in a relationship brings unity.

The Bible says that there is no fellowship with light and darkness.

2Co 6:14  You are not the same as those who don't believe. So don't join yourselves to them. Good and evil don't belong together. Light and darkness cannot share the same room.

2Co 6:15  How can there be any unity between Christ and the devil? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

Jesus prayed to His Father concerning those who believe in him.

John 17:14  I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

John 17:15  I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 

John 17:16  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

John 17:17  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 

John 17:18  As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 

John 17:19  And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 

John 17:20  “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 

John 17:21  that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

Being united as one in the family of God is true fellowship. Come to Jesus, believe in him and be assured that God has given to you everlasting favor.

Faith

Heb 11:1  Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 

Heb 11:2  God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago because they had faith like this. 

Heb 11:3  Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen. 

God wants us to believe in him. The promises of God are real and we believe in them by faith. We were not here at the creation of the worlds, but God was and is.

The LORD spoke to Job and through him to us. Some things we must believe by faith.

Job 38:4  “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 

Job 38:5  Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 

Job 38:6  On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 

Job 38:7  when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 

There is a lot that we do not know. The Bible says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. 

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. 

Pro 9:11  For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. 

We are to have faith in God and Jesus the Son of God. 

Heb 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 

The world teaches you to have faith in yourself. Self is not God. We cannot save ourselves. With God all things are possible. God loves you and wants you to be the best that he created you for. It begins by having faith in Him. Without him life has little meaning.