Bible Sermons Online

Posts Tagged ‘Luke’

Late-date-for-the-Gospel Theory

Jesus was a historical figure. Modern historians and scholars agree. That tells us something, but not a whole lot. Davy Crockett was a real man too. But books, movies, and television shows turned the real man into a legend. How about the story of Jesus? Did the Gospel writers take the real man, Jesus of Nazareth, and embellish him with such things as a virgin birth, miracles, sinless life, voluntary martyr’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven?

Many will tell you today that is exactly what happened. Doesn’t that appear to be the most reasonable explanation? Those “added features” seem unnatural; they seem out of place. They certainly aren’t the rock-hard reality you and I encounter everyday.

At least on the surface, it sounds like these four writers created a myth, a legend, The other side says, “No.” Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not myths; they are not legends; they are factual accounts of what actually took place. As you can see, the issue here revolves around one very important question, namely: How reliable are the Gospel reports on this historical figure?

For the past three hundred years, the best and brightest scholars have mulled over that very question. As they see it, Jesus is an enigma. On one hand, they admire the depth and sanity of Jesus’ moral teachings. The Jewish carpenter taught moral truths in their simplest and purest form. No one before or since has expressed them so well or with so much authority.

His teachings do not come across as sloppy idealism. Just the opposite. His words have the unmistakable ring of wisdom and shrewdness. Such insights into life and human nature must have come from an exceptionally sound and intelligent mind.

There is wide spread agreement on that score. But then again, what do we do with those grandiose claims of Jesus? He said he is the Son of God! Could a man with a sound mind say that about himself? And we keep running into miracles, including raising the dead; and he himself was reported as resurrected from the grave. And of course there is also the virgin birth. Does not the inclusion of supernatural elements make the entire story questionable?

Those who sought a rational explanation thought over the possibilities and concluded Jesus the Moral teacher was the real thing. His words rang true, so that much of the gospel story they accepted. However, no written account of the life of Jesus existed for a hundred years or so after his death. Word was passed down orally from one generation to the next during those formative years, and exaggerations seeped in.

You know how it is when stories are passed around. A little enhancement here, a little tinkering with the details there, and before long you’ve got a story all out of proportion to that of the original. By the time Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were put on paper, tall tales were well established parts of the story.

Consequently, what we call the New Testament is nothing more than a mixture of truth and error – a bit of first century reality intermingled with generous portions of second or even third century nonsense.

However, we now realize the Late-date-for-the-Gospel theory was flawed from the beginning. The case for it was not based on evidence. It was mere speculation, speculation to allow sufficient time for the legend surrounding Christ to develop. The facts involved tell us a different story. What evidence we can muster tends to confirm early dates for Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Papias and Irenaeus Discredit Late Gospel Theory

In A.D. 130, Papias, the bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia, quoted The Elder (the apostle John) as saying that Mark accurately recorded Peter’s statements regarding Jesus’ actions and words. Since Mark had not personally witnessed the events, however, they were not written in chronological order. On the other hand, Mark was scrupulously faithful to Peter’s teachings. Nothing added, nothing omitted.

As you can see, Papias strongly endorses the book of Mark. The sequence may be wrong, but, he assures us, these are the very words of Peter.

Irenaeus was the bishop of Lugdunum (what is now Lyons) in A.D. 177. He was a student of Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna who was burned at the stake in A.D. 156. Polycarp in turn was a disciple of the apostle John.

Irenaeus informs us that, “Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome and laying the foundations of the church. After their deaths (Paul somewhere between A.D. 62 and 68 and Peter about A.D. 64), Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, handed down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter. Luke, follower of Paul, set down in a book the Gospel preached by his teacher. Then John, the disciple of the Lord himself, produced his Gospel while he was living at Ephesus in Asia.”

Papias agreed saying, “Matthew recorded the ‘oracles’ in the Hebrew tongue.” All the early church leaders say the same thing, namely, Matthew was the first written Gospel. When was it written? Irenaeus indicates it was probably produced in the early A.D. 60s. Mark’s Gospel followed Matthew, Luke wrote third, and John composed his narrative some time later.

Notice the real significance of Irenaeus’ comments. None of the Gospels ever went through a series of oral hand-me-downs. He assures us the apostle Matthew wrote his own account of what he had seen and heard. Likewise, the apostle John produced a manuscript of what he himself had witnessed. The apostle Peter preached. Mark wrote down his words, and wrote them down accurately too, according to Papias. By the same token, Luke recorded what he heard directly from Paul.

Irenaeus was only the second generation from the apostle John. In time and in acquaintances, he was very close to the facts. He said the only oral tradition in Mark is what Peter told Mark; the only oral tradition in Luke is what Paul told Luke. In Matthew and John, the oral tradition was not a factor at all.

Oral Tradition

But what about the oral tradition anyway? The first century was an oral society. Yes, they did have writing, but it was primarily a spoken word tradition instead of a paper based society like our own. We do not depend on our memories as much as they did in the first century. We write it down and refer to it later, or we look it up on the computer. It’s easier that way.

But before the age of the printing press, books or scrolls were too expensive for the average man to own. Whatever one needed or wanted to know, he had to carry around in his head. That required a good memory.

A Jewish rabbi of the period remarked, “A good disciple is like a well-built cistern: he does not let a drop of water fall from his master’s teachings.” Jesus’ disciples were no doubt equally diligent in preserving the words and deeds of their master — all the more so because they had good reason to believe he was the Messiah, the Holy One from God.

Gospel Authorship and Dating

Gospel of Matthew

The Gospels themselves contain a number of clues giving us a rough idea of when they were written. Matthew is a good example. The early church fathers were unanimous in attributing this work to Matthew, the tax collector who left his job to follow Jesus. His occupation required him to keep records, so it doesn’t surprise us that he had the ability to write.

We find his Gospel had a distinctive Jewish style and character. According to both Papias and Irenaeus, the first edition was written in the “Hebrew tongue.” It is a Jewish book written by a Jew for a Jewish audience.

The author starts by tracing Jesus’ ancestry back to Abraham, the patriarch. Throughout his narrative, Matthew is constantly pointing out how Jesus is fulfilling this or that Messianic prophecy. His goal is to convince Jews, Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God based on documents they consider beyond reproach.

Matthew feels no need to explain Jewish customs, which is reasonable if he is addressing Jewish readers. Also he uses such Jewish euphemisms as “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Father in Heaven.” Jews were reluctant to even mention the name of God. Consequently, these terms were common substitutes in their vocabulary. And what could be more Jewish than to speak of Jesus as the “Son of David?”

The exclusive Jewish character of Matthew suggests the book was composed shortly after Jesus’ crucifixion, a time when the Christian movement was almost entirely Jewish.

In his 1996 book Eyewitnesses to Jesus: Amazing New Manuscript Evidence About the Origin of the Gospels, Carsten Peter Thiede, A German papyrologist, analyzes three small scraps of Matthew chapter 26 from Magdalen College at Oxford University.

He found several ancient documents which were comparable in both style and technique: the Qumran leather scroll of Leviticus, dated to the middle of the first century; an Aristophanes papyrus copy of Equites (The Knights), dated late first century B.C. to early first century A.D.; and incredibly enough, an Egyptian document actually signed and dated by three civil servants July 24, 66.

Based on these close comparisons, Thiede concludes that the three tiny fragments of Matthew chapter 26, known collectively as the Magdalen papyrus, date no later than A.D. 70. As we have already noted, both Irenaeus and Papias claim the original Matthew manuscript was in Hebrew. Obviously, the Hebrew original must have predated this papyrus Greek translation.

Gospel of Luke

Perhaps the least controversial author of the Gospel writers is Luke. Most agree that the physician and sometimes traveling companion of Paul, wrote the Gospel that bears his name, that is, the Gospel of Luke.

That book is a companion volume to the book of Acts. The language and structure of the two manuscripts indicate they were written by the same person. And they were addressed to the same individual — Theophilus. Luke’s authorship is supported by early Christian writings such as the Muratorian Canon A.D 170 and the works of Irenaeus in A.D. 180.

Luke appears to be a well-educated gentile. His writings show he is fluent in Greek. At times his style even approaches that of classic Greek. Both of his books are rich in historical and geographical detail. As others have observed, this physician writes like an historian.

Luke tells us that a number of people had already written about Jesus’ life. However, he would like to set the record straight and correct the errors he found in those early reports. To separate fact from fiction, Luke conducts a personal investigation interviewing eyewitnesses and verifying oral accounts with the apostles. In his own words, he investigated everything from the beginning to write an orderly report for Theophilus so that he could be certain of the things he had been taught. (Luke 1:3-4)

Indirect evidence suggests Luke wrote Acts in the early A.D. 60’s. Acts is a history of early Christianity which was centered in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, there is no mention of Jerusalem’s destruction which occurred in A.D. 70.

Likewise, nothing is mentioned of Nero’s persecution of Christians in A.D. 64, nor does it tell of the martyrdom of the three major characters in the book: James, brother of Jesus, A.D. 62; Peter A.D. 64; and Paul some time between A.D. 62 and 68.

On the other hand, Acts does inform us of the deaths of two less prominent figures: Stephen, the first known martyr, in A.D. 36, and the apostle James, son of Zebedee and brother of John, in A.D. 44. Based on this indirect evidence, there is reason to believe Acts was composed in A.D. 62 or earlier. Acts is an obvious continuation of the Gospel Luke. So if Acts were written by Luke no later than A.D. 62, the Gospel of Luke was most likely recorded before that time, presumably in the late 50’s.

Carsten Thiede speaks of a codex papyrus of Luke’s Gospel located at the Bibliotheque in Paris. After evaluating the original document, the papyrologist decided it was from the first century A.D., only slightly older than the Magdalen Papyrus.

Later Embellishment Theory

Before we leave Luke, there is another item which needs to be mentioned. Skeptics, you will recall, believe that all of those miraculous events were just fictitious inventions tacked on to the original writings hundreds of years later. Luke discredits their “later embellishment” theory.

In Acts 2:22, he quotes Peter’s sermon to the Jews at Pentecost: “Men of Israel, hear me. Jesus of Nazareth was singled out by God and made known to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did among you through him.” Peter followed that up with: “. . . you, with the help of wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead . . . . God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact . . . . God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:23-24, 32, and 36)

Peter said in effect: You yourselves saw Jesus perform miracles. That wasn’t just a man you crucified. That was your Lord and Christ. What’s more, that Man did not stay dead. God brought him back to life. We know that for a fact. We have seen him with our own eyes; heard him with our own ears; why, we even ran our fingers over his crucifixion wounds. He’s alive. And he’s back!

The interesting point here is how the crowd reacts. If modern skeptics were right, that is, those incredible supernatural events never really happened, we would expect the crowd to say something to the effect: Who are you kidding? That man never performed any miracles! And he’s dead. We saw him die. Forget him, Peter. Go get a life of your own.

But they didn’t say that. Instead: “They were cut to the heart and said: ‘Brothers, what should we do?’” (Acts 2:37) They had seen Jesus’ “miracles, wonders, and signs” and Peter used that knowledge to convert those Jews to Christianity.

Something else. Notice that Peter doesn’t shy away from Jesus’ resurrection. In fact, it is the focal point of his speech. Remarkable isn’t it? Three thousand of those listening to Peter’s words accepted the apostle’s eye witnessed account. We read, “Those who accepted (Peter’s) message were baptized and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2:41)

Peter, John, and Paul all made good use of firsthand evidence in their writings. Peter said: We didn’t make up stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:16)

John reads: We tell you what we have seen and heard so you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3) John is talking about himself when he referred to the witness of Christ’s death: “We know this is true, because it was told by someone who saw it happen. Now you can have faith too.” (John 19:35 CEV)

Also Paul, in speaking to Festus and King Agrippa, tells them that Christ did exactly what Moses and the prophets said he would do, that is, he suffered, died, and was raised from the dead. Festus immediately questioned Paul’s sanity. But Paul responds: “What I am saying is reasonable and true. The king is familiar with these things and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.” (Acts 26:25-26)

Again, notice the reaction. The interesting thing here is what King Agrippa did not say. He didn’t say: That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of Paul. It has been my experience that dead people tend to stay dead!

That’s exactly what we would expect Agrippa to say, unless, unless he knew something out of the ordinary had taken place. Paul made three startling claims here: First, Jesus was the long awaited Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy. Second, Jesus was resurrected from the grave. And perhaps ever more extraordinary, Paul himself claims to have seen and heard the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Amazingly enough, King Agrippa doesn’t laugh at, ridicule, or get angry at Paul’s “outrageous” claims. Apparently, Agrippa didn’t find the remarks outrageous. He merely replies, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28)

Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark was very likely composed in A.D. 50’s or the early 60’s. According to early church tradition, Mark was written in Rome where Peter spent the last days of his life. Romans crucified Peter upside down in A.D. 64.

Mark seems to have been written for a gentile audience, possibly a Roman audience. Unlike Matthew, he explains Jewish customs and translates Aramaic words for his readers. Also Mark shows a special interest in persecution and martyrdom – subjects of crucial importance to Roman believers of his day.

Mark’s work was readily accepted, and it spread rapidly throughout Christianity. Some believe the reason it was distributed so quickly is because it originated in Rome.

A papyrus scroll fragment of Mark 6:52-53 called 7Q5 was excavated from Qumran Cave 7. “It must be dated before A.D. 68 and could easily be as early as A.D. 50,” claims Carsten Thiede.

Although the early church said Matthew was the first Gospel, many today think Mark wrote his account first. They base their judgment on the fact that Mark’s book is shorter and much of what he said can be found in the Gospel of Matthew.

Scholars are inclined to say it was more likely that Matthew would expand on Mark’s text rather that Mark would condense and leave out parts of what Matthew wrote. Besides, all of what Mark wrote supposably came directly from Peter.

The assumption is that one copied from the other, but independent origins are a distinct possibility. The question remains, why would an original apostle of Christ need to depend on anyone else to tell him what Jesus said and did?

Both writers probably used the same oral tradition for memorized accounts of Christ’s sayings and actions. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that these bits and pieces of information had already found their way into writing before Matthew and Mark composed their Gospels. The Gospel writers arranged and shaped those commonly known stories and sayings of Jesus into the more comprehensive narratives which bear their names.

Whichever Gospel was first, there is general consensus that both Matthew and Mark appeared before Luke unveiled his Gospel. That puts the probable dates of both early compositions somewhere in the A.D. 50’s. The significant point here is that the period from Jesus’ death to the first three Gospels is too short for the introduction of myths and legends.

The virgin birth, miracles, and the resurrection were all there from the beginning. Those “incredible” supernatural events were an intricate part of the original story.

Many saw and remembered Jesus’ miracles, and over five hundred people saw the resurrected Jesus on one occasion. Early Christianity relied on this common knowledge for recruiting new members. The apostles pointed out that this resurrected miracle worker was both Lord and Christ. As Peter demonstrated at Pentecost, it was a very persuasive argument.

We have taken a brief look at each of the first three Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These books agree in language, much of the material they cover, and in a rough sort of way, the order of what Jesus said and did too. Because of this widespread general agreement, these narratives are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels.

Gospel of John

Someone with a lot more patience than I claims that 91 percent of the Gospel of Mark is found in Matthew, while 53 percent of Mark is seen in Luke. But what of the fourth Gospel – the Gospel According to John? What do we know about it?

The apostle John “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is the author. He refers to “the disciple whom Jesus loved” six times without naming the name. He was prominent in the early church, but his name is never mentioned in this Gospel. That is one of the little oddities of his book. “The disciple whom Jesus loved” would be a “natural” if somewhat coy way of referring to himself if John were the author. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain.

The Gospel of John has a number of personal eyewitness touches such as recalling the fragrance of Mary’s pure nard perfume which she poured on Jesus’ feet in the house at Bethany. And then there is the episode of Jesus writing in the dust with his finger when they brought him the woman caught in adultery.

C.S. Lewis points out that the significance of this “dust writing” is the fact it has no significance. If it were a tale, it would be the mark of a realistic prose fiction which never actually existed prior to the eighteenth century. To quote Lewis: “Surely, the only explanation of this passage is that the thing really happened. The author put it in simply because he had seen it.”

Two early Christian writers, Irenaeus and Tertullian, both claim that John the apostle composed this Gospel and the internal evidence concurs. Traditionally, it has been dated around A.D. 85. More recently, some scholars have suggested an earlier date, even down to the 50’s and no later than the 70’s. One bit of internal evidence is John 5:2, where John uses the present tense “is” rather than “was” for a pool near the Sheep Gate. That implies a time before A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed.

In 1935 a small fragment of the Gospel of John was found and dated at A.D. 125. It is called the John Ryland Manuscript. One side quotes John 18:31-33, and the other sides shows verses 37-38. The importance of this find is hard to overstate, because it helps to confirm the traditional date of this Gospel in the first century. Before this discovery, there was a movement among scholars to place the original composition date around A.D. 170.

Textual Criticism

There is an academic discipline called “Textual Criticism.” When the original document is lost, textual critics compare all available copies to try to piece together what the original document probably said. In general the more manuscripts available and the closer they date to the original, the better. The New Testament scores well on both points.

New Testament books provide a wealth of material for the text critic scholars to evaluate: 5,147 ancient manuscripts, over 10,000 translated scripts into Latin Vulgate, and numerous other translations, plus a large assortment of early scripture quotations by the church fathers. Most of the differences in the copies are minor variations such as word order, spelling, grammar, or stylistic details. However, some variations make a difference. The United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament lists 2,040 sets of word variations they think Bible translators should consider.

Does that sound like a lot of disagreement? Actually, it represents a very small portion of the New Testament scriptures. But the important point is this: The unanimous opinion among text scholars remains intact; none of the disputed words affect any doctrine of the Christian faith.

Realistically that is the best Christians could hope for. The same textual criticism which analyzes all ancient text confirms the substance of the New Testament text. The ancient text experts tell us the New Testament account we have today is essentially the same message that the authors recorded over nineteen centuries ago.

1. Handling The Little Things

Luke 16:10 (NKJV); He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Are you a detailed person? Details determine your destiny. Take Moses for example. He was told to lead the people out of Egypt and he is a man given to details. Four times the bible says (two times in the Old Testament and two times in the New Testament) that Moses built the tabernacle exactly down to the very exact details God wanted. Moses was a man given to details. King Solomon was chosen to build the Temple of God. When Queen Sheeba went to see the Solomon Temple, she saw the details and the beauty. Her heart became opened to God. She saw the quality materials used to build the temple, the way the food was prepared, and everything was neat and tidy. She saw the orderliness and the way the priests ministered to the people. She saw the sharpness in the way the people dressed in the house of God, even the staff around Solomon. You can say who cares how I dress on Sunday to church. Slobby dress means slobby attitude and slobby church. We dress well for His glory as we represent God. Queen Sheeba was so overwhelmed by what she saw that her heart was opened to God. We want people to see Christians dressed well, behaved appropriately, a sense of excellency around us and that draw them to us.

What is excellent? Excellent is the attention given to the details that leads to superior performance. The way you handle the little things in your life and how you are pay attention to details will lead you to superior performance and promotion will come your way.

Let me give you an example. Your boss told you that he has to entertain a very important client. Your boss told you to arrange for lunch and the presentation for him. When the day of the meeting arrived, you forgot to inform your boss the venue of the restaurant and the time of the lunch booked at the restaurant. Then when you remembered, there was not much time for the client and your boss to head down to the restaurant as it was at the other end of town. Lunch was late as you failed to factor in the lunch time traffic to travel from one end of the town to the other end. Your boss and the client finally arrived at the restaurant late and hungry. All that was fine and the client was not upset. But at the restaurant, you found out that the client was a Muslim and you have arranged for non-halal food and pork. The client was forgiving and he said that he would have something else. After lunch, everyone make their way back to the office. Before the presentation, he asked for a cup of coffee with sugar and milk. You went to the pantry and you realized you ran out of sugar. But never mind, there is still a bottle of milk in the refrigerator. You poured the milk for the client. The client had a sip and said that the coffee tasted of spoilt milk. You took a look at the bottle of milk and realized that it has expired. I’m not sure about the client but if I am him, I would definitely not give the business deal to the company. Do you think the boss will promote such staff or even let alone retain such a staff to work for him? Not for very long, I am very sure.

A good and steady staff is one who can work under no supervision and is not required to be checked upon. Can you work without any supervision? If your boss has to check on you time and time again, and end up doing your work, then expect no promotion.

2. Money

The effort to pay attention to detail is a reflection of your attitude in life. God watches how you handle money, too. This includes whether you are able to meet what you promised to pay out, the pledges you make, your tithes, and etc. Are you a person who keeps getting into debt? God says that if you handle money well, he will give you the true riches from glory. A good steward of money and resources given to him by God, will receive more from God – Matthew 25:14-30. But if he does not manage them well, even the little that he has will be taken away from him. How you handle money in your daily life will determine how much power from heaven you are going to receive and carry in your life.

3. Think Of Others First

How do you treat people’s possession? Do you borrow and never return it? Do you take care of things you loan from other people? How do you treat the loved ones of others? How do you treat the loved ones of your boss? How do you treat your boss’ vision and dreams? Do you steal his visions and dreams? Do you try to compete with it? Do you try to destroy your leader’s dream? When you fail to put others first before you, treasure them and lust after what is not yours, you will never receive the glory and power of God in your life. A life of servanthood is not to envy and crave after what is not yours but to serve with a willing heart.

7. Values of Faithfulness (Trustworthiness)“Faithfulness is the cornerstone of one’s character” – Edwin Louis ColeLuke 16:10, 12 – (NKJV) – He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?1 Corinthians 4:2 – (NKJV) Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Faithful is our manna, especially to the things that belong to another man. If we are faithful in the little things, we will be faithful in much. Without faithfulness, there is nothing to build that will last. Be faithful in the things placed into your hands whether be it in submitting your works on time, not taking things from the office home for your personal use, be a good steward in your finances and, so forth.8. Values of Hard Work (Diligence)2 Peter 1:5 – (NKJV) – But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge.2 Thessalonians 3:10 – (NKJV) – For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.Ephesians 4:28 – (NKJV) Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

The bible tells us to give all our diligence in the things we do. Paul says that if we do not work, we do not get to eat. For an organization to grow, the employees must be hard working and labour with their hands things that are good. In times to come, those who work hard and store up, will also be able to give to those who are in needs.9. Values of Integrity (Truthfulness)John 14:6 – (NKJV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.John 8:44 – (NKJV) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.Matthew 9:12-13 – (NKJV) When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

The moment you lie, trust is broken. In this broken world, you know you can tell the truth and still be loved. Better be your way and greater be your life if you build your life on truth. John 8:44 tells us that Satan is a liar and there is no truth in him. He is different from Jesus. Jesus is the truth and there is no lie in Him. When you lie, you walk in lies. You made the devil your father, who is the father of lies. There is no glory, honour and praise in the lack of integrity. But Jesus said that He did not come for those who are well, righteous and rich – Matthew 9:12-13. He came for those who are sick and unloved. When we sin, when we lie, we can repent and return to God. He will welcome you gladly back into His arms. The church of God has rooms for people who are weak, for people who fail, for those that the world rejects. In our marriage, between husband and wife, it must be built on truth and love.10. Values of Generosity (Be a Giver/ Have a Generous Heart and Spirit)Acts 20:35 – (NKJV) I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’1 Timothy 6:6-8; (NKJV) – Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.James 3:14-15; (NKJV) – But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

One of the best ways to break envy is to be a giver. The more you give, the blessed you will be. When you are envious of people and covets after their possessions, it is demonic. It is self-centredness ruling and it is carnal, of the flesh. It does not come from God.

Where do these ten values come from? Please visit Sermon Alive and also look at the part 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Go to www.sermonalive.com

2 Peter 1:5-11; But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

When a businessman sets out to start a business, he does not plan to open shop for only 1 year and then closes it down. Neither does one enter into a marriage and plans to end it in 5 years’ time. No one in their right frame of mind will start a new venture in life or career with the plan to let it last for a short period of time and then calls it quit. When we plan, we plan to build. When we build, we build to last.

The bible says that if we take God’s words and put it into our lives, we will not fall or stumble easily. However, if our lives are not productive, then we need to access ourselves and ask whether we are focusing on the right thing. If the focus is wrong, it is important to take a step back and ask God what is really important in order to refocus ourselves back on the things that are productive, fruitful and crucial. Simply put, we need to focus on the right thing and we need to change.

The bible has lots to say about being focus. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things (i.e. food, clothes) we need will be added unto what we already have. Jesus was teaching the disciples not to focus on what they should eat and wear but to seek first the things of God and His righteousness. This refers to the right kind of mindset and values we hold in our lives. As we seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness, Christ’s mindset and His values will be part of our lives, too. Hence, it is critical we focus our mind on spiritual things for our lives to have a turnaround. For example, if you are a businessman, it is better to focus on giving your best to serving the customers rather than on the competitions, watch what they do and retaliate.

The bible illustrates an example of a rich young man who approached Jesus and asked Him what he needed to do in order to be saved – Matthew 19:16-22. He obeyed the Ten Commandments from his youth days but he knew not what else was missing for him to attain eternal life. When he was told to sell all he has, give to the poor and follow Jesus, the young man walked away sad. He was unable to give up his earthly possessions. For this rich young man, he focused on the commandments for the sake of obeying it. He did not understand the spirit behind the Ten Commandments. To him, the commandments were just a set of law to obey. He failed to understand that the spirit of the commandments is to love God and people. If the young ruler understands the spirit behind the commandments, he would have gladly given up everything to love the poor and follow Jesus. He focused on the need to obey the law of the commandments and not the spirit behind the commandments. This does not last for eternity. Instead, we are to focus on things that will last for eternity whether we are in business, working for others, studying, and etc.

What then should we do in order to ensure that everything we do, we build it to last for eternity? The disciples heard Jesus’ reply to the rich young man. Jesus knew their thoughts and their lack of understanding – Matthew 12:25. He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. Desolation means brought to nothing. The devil is not afraid of many people going to church but he knows that he can break the church into fragments and divide the people of God up. When the church of God is divided and fighting among themselves, they cannot be united as one. They cannot build anything as one united force that will last for eternity. Neither can the church as an individual build anything to last for eternity if the heart is divided between things of God and things of the world.

Does this mean an end for the church of God? No. In the church, there must be something that bind all the families of God together and not be divided. It is the place of agreement. The place of agreement is the place of power. God knows the strategies of Satan and He has a plan in mind for the families of God. Through the bible, the word of God, we learn about values taught by God in the Ten Commandments (Old Testament, Exodus 20:1-17) and the two great commandments mentioned by Jesus (New Testament, Luke 22:35-40).

Please go to Sermon Alive to look at Part 2 to Part 6.

The Letter ‘N’ – Nuture your Spiritual Roots

It is crucial that when we go through trials, we have our feet strongly rooted in the ground so that we do not be swayed about by the winds. There are many Christians whose roots are not strongly grounded in the word of God. Mark 4:16-17 tells us of the parable where the seed (word of God) falls on stony ground but because the seed does not have any root, it soon dies away when tribulations and persecutions come as a result of the word. These are people who give up easily when they have to go through hard times and they succumb to temptations to look for an easy way out. Why is this so? The reason is because there is no depth of character which explains for them falling away when trials come.

When you are going through a difficult situation, go back to the instruments you have on hands that God has given you, that is, the word of God and what the bible has to say about it. Clearly, in Isaiah 54:17 and Deuteronomy 28:13, the word of God says that no weapon and words form against you shall prosper and He has made you the head and not the tail as long as you heed the word of God. Luke 8:15 tells us that those who receive the word of God with a noble and good heart, keep the word in their heart and bear fruits with patience. Such a Christian does not give up on God and the word of God. Instead, he holds on to the word of God in his heart and nurtures it. No matter how tough the situation is, the bible says that all things (good and bad) work for the good of those who love God.

The Bible is your best weapon and tool in times of trials. But why do we keep going back to the word of God? First of all, the Bible is like a lamp unto our feet, guiding us what to do (Psalms 119:105). The purpose of lighting a lamp is to illuminate the darkness so that you can see clearly what is before you. Similarly, the word of God is like a lamp. It will clearly illuminate the areas of darkness and show you what you have to do to get out of the situation. Secondly, the word of God is our best weapon for it is like a double-edged sword that cuts right through to separate the truth from the lies and it is alive and active – Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12. It will show you a new revelation to the situation that you are not able to see with your own naked eyes. Thirdly, Romans 15:4 tells us everything in the scripture was written down for our encouragement and for our reference. When we read about other Christians, their sufferings and God’s deliverance, it will give us encouragement and comfort, knowing that our God will do the same for us just as he had done for those in the bible. Cultures will change. The world will change. But there is one thing that will never change – the principles and truth of God’s word will never change nor will it be returned back to God void.

Root yourself in the word of God strongly so that in times of trials and difficulties, you will not be tossed and swayed by the winds and waves of life as well as people’s opinions.

We will look at part 1, 3 and 4 at Sermon Alive