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Good morning. Today's video Red Flags is a friendly reminder of what a real Christian's life involves concerning the traditions and doctrines of men. You can view all previous videos by going to our YouTube channel Doctrine of Christ Ministry. Have a blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good morning. This week's video And The Oscar Goes To, is on the topic of God's Oscar for those who endure to the end. The body of Christ will be the winners of eternal life. You can view all previous videos by going to our YouTube channel Doctrine of Christ Ministry. Have a blessed and prosperous week in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labor which he takes under the sun? (KJV)
All this week we have been looking at our own walk to see if we are really heading in the right direction, or have we been sidetracked with things that are in the vain or vanity column; an empty waste of time. Have you come to the same conclusion as the writer Solomon has above, and do you remember this man was the wisest of his era, or do you need another lap around Mount Sinai before you are ready to settle down? Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (KJV) My prayer for the Church is that you may abound in judgment, which means discerning the difference between what is of God and what is not. Like we mentioned earlier this week, whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Oh and just because something feels good doesn’t always mean it is of God either folks. Philippians 3:18-21 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (KJV) Remember the many that have been called of God and yet only a few are really chosen? Yeah well, as you see many went walking a different direction and got duped by the things of this life and not the eternal one. Kind of like healthy eating, the things that are the healthiest are not always the most pleasant as compared to the junk food; that although it tastes so good it has a negative effect on your overall health. John 6:25-27 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. (KJV) Many today just consider God a meal ticket, and limit Him to just their outward desires and not the inward one. If you are truly going to last and endure to the end that process needs to be reversed. Galatians 3:1-4 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain, if it be yet in vain? (KJV) Years ago a famous song came out that said “you’re so vain”, making reference to a lifestyle based on self and not anyone else. Many begin this eternal race with good intentions, however only those that end this race on our Lord’s path will truly be crowned with eternal life. So Church let’s forget the past and not look beyond today; and take comfort in the fact that we are much closer to the end of this course than the beginning. So hang on another day and don’t be entangled with the affairs of this life. God bless dearly loved, and have a very prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. James 4:14-17 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeared for a little time, and then vanishes away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (KJV)
While watching a commercial recently the person made the statement that they have big plans in life, all these things they were going to do, none of which involved God or His leading. Do you have your life mapped out already, or have you decide to leave that up to the Lord who said that He is the only way, truth, as well as life that will get you to your eternal destination? Next time you spray something into the air think about your own life and how short a time we really do spend in this realm. Then you might ask yourself, is all that stuff I fretted about really worth it? 1 Peter 2:11-12 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. (KJV) Pilgrims are people that are passing through, heading for something better, their homeland. A stranger is someone who is not from these parts, but lives a different way according to their culture. You are in this world, but you should not really be a part of it because you are not going to be around much longer. So instead of giving ear to a bunch of silly petty fleshly lusts that will never get you to the place you need to be, cast down all those imaginations and get back into reality. James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fighting’s among you? Come hey not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (KJV) The thief comes to steal your attention from God, which will result in you dying spiritually, thus destroying you for eternity. The writer James is describing what leads to that dead end, seeking to satisfy the carnal man more than the spiritual one. James 4:4-6 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwells in us lusted to envy? 6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisted the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. (KJV) Pride comes right before the fall which is what happens when man gets more involved with the things of this world. Many relationships are based on what man’s lower nature becomes attached to and not what God would approve of, and this puts one in the category of a spiritual adulterer. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (KJV) God is very clear and specific about what He approves of concerning gaining entrance into His kingdom. If any of these labels above are still attached to your name someday then you will have an eternity to ponder what should have been. God bless dearly loved, and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hebrews 10:36-39 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (KJV)
Our time here on planet earth is a short audition to see who really desires to spend eternity with God. God set up a perfect plan of salvation, a filtering process that weeds out the pretenders. Remember, heaven has already gone through some turnover when about a third of the angels rebelled. Yet a little while is all our Lord is really asking of you today Church, just hold on a bit more and you can have eternal life. Those that are justified in Christ live by what He is asking of them, and they are not being influenced by all the other religious outward nonsense that we see many falling for. Bottom line, if you can’t do something faithfully, letting the peace of God rule then it is something you should consider no longer pursuing. I John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abides for ever. (KJV) The love of the world and the things in it is like a plague that is taking down many of God’s people. Those who have begun well in the Spirit, but now think perfection can be achieved by something in the flesh. It is up to you to know the difference between what is of God and His word, and what is a cheap temporal imitation of the world is. If the world is passing away right before our eyes then it goes without saying that those that are still hanging onto it are also passing away. Matthew 16:24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (KJV) If you decide to chase after something of this life you will lose sight of the eternal one, but if you let go of the things of this life then you will be able to grasp hold of those that involve the eternal one. So today do a bit of self examination and really determine for yourself which realm has your attention, the outward or the inward? God bless dearly loved, and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. 2 Timothy 2:15-16 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (KJV)
Whenever you see that word vain or vanity it is associated with the term empty or worthless. The enemy cannot pull you out of the kingdom of God physically; however, he tries to get people duped into wrestling with flesh and blood, people and issues, things that are of no importance as far as the kingdom of God is concerned. It is up to you personally to get to know God and His voice so that you can discern between what is of God, and what is not. Pick your battles so to speak so that you are not like a prize fighter expending a lot of energy throwing a punch, but never hitting your target. 2 Timothy 2:3-5 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 5 And if a man also strives for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. (KJV) Imagine entering the ring getting ready for your match and being tangled in your robe and unable to get free. We all desire to be crowned someday, but that will only take place for those that live the way the Lord intended; in spirit and in truth. A fighter not only knows how to throw a punch, but as verse 3 states sometimes we need to know how to take a punch and keep our feet. It’s really easy to accept the blessings and enjoy them, but persecutions are a part of the package as well. John 18:35-36 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? 36 Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (KJV) If you notice the Lord didn’t get pulled into something that His Father wasn’t asking of Him because He knew the difference between what was of God and what was of man. The Lord also knew that some of these people were not seeking a closer relationship with His Father, rather they were just looking for something to pin on Him, and given the fact that this man lived a life without sin it would have been difficult to say the least. Ask yourself honestly today ‘are some of the things that I get worked up and irked by really worth it?’ Matthew 26:50-52 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. 52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (KJV) Take note that if you get too caught up in something the Lord is not asking you to pursue you to will not last. Many of God’s people perish for lack of knowledge because they don’t know how to discern, or rightly divide the word of truth. Dearly loved, don’t let your labor of love today be in vain by getting entangled in the affairs of this life; instead rightly divide what is of truth and what is not. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Proverbs 14:12-14 There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death. 13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness. 14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. (KJV)
The word mirth refers to pleasure as well as a happy issue. For those that have come to know the Lord personally in Spirit and in truth they are no longer basing their walk on feelings and emotions. I say this because sometimes we are our own worst enemies; we base things on happiness, and not the joy of the Lord which is what we should be relying on for our strength. Much of what man calls a worship service is nothing more than an emotional lift or fix, followed by a crash back to reality. Ecclesiastes 8:14-17 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happened according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happened according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. 15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God gives him under the sun. 16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes :) 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. (KJV) In these last days that we live in we see how mankind comes up with more gimmicks and nonsense to try to satisfy an inward hunger. Man runs to and fro seeking something that will give him satisfaction, only to find out in the end it was nothing more than a mirage. Many of man’s doctrines are based on empty promises by those that promise liberty, but they themselves are still the servants of corruption. The reason mankind doesn’t truly understand God and His ways is because they keep looking in the wrong places to find Him, like in this outward fallen world, and not in the realm of Spirit and truth where He is today. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. (KJV) Waving at the ceiling or jumping up and down to a bunch of loud gaudy music supposedly in the name of the Lord will not get you to the place you need to be today. Someday soon the Lord is going to shine the spotlight in your direction before allowing you to enter into His eternal joy, and you better make sure it is not built on a flammable foundation. God bless dearly loved, and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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