What do I want for Christmas?
I want to live for Christ Jesus, and to glorify His name every day that I live.
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6 (KJV)
What do I want for Christmas?
I want to always guard my mouth and tongue that I not speak, or write anything that unnecessisarily offends others; or attacks them personally; and that I might always speak what lifts up my Lord and God Jesus Christ.
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.” Psalm 141:3-4 (KJV)
“And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not Me, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:3
“Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.” Jeremiah 9:8 (KJV)
Archery is a popular sport in our time and day. It is not the most popular, but there are archery ranges throughout the U. S. of A. and children are even learning to properly use the bow and arrow.
Throughout the Bible the Scriptures show us that it was also a much used weapon. Using the bow and arrow can still be deadly. The archer should never see this instrument as a toy, but a weapon: a weapon which can maim or kill.
We live in a day of deadly use of the tongue. Many think that an evil tongue is not deadly; neither does it maim, but is that true?
In reading chapter 9 of the prophet Jeremiah we read of Jeremiah’s heart for his people, weeping even for them. The LORD says they are an adulterous people; I suppose spiritually and otherwise. He also says, “They bend their tongues like their bow for lies…” they also do not stand for truth, and they grow in their evil, and it is because they do not know the LORD.
There are some people who see truth as only a personal philosophy. That one individual’s truth, is not another individual’s truth. Truth is much more than the philosophies of men and women; truth stands. Truth is truth no matter what home you are in. No matter what culture you are in. Truth is truth even if you or I stand alone with it.
The people of Judah had a problem with their tongues. Speaking lies, hating the truth. Speaking deceit; with it flying forth from their lips and tongue like an arrow released from its bow. Like a released arrow cannot be called back; neither can a word spoken.
There is much said in Scripture of the tongue and its power:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18:21
In the New Testament book of James read James 3:5-8.
Speaking peace to a neighbor while at the same time plotting and scheming to harm them is the arrow flying to kill.
O Christian be careful with your tongue. Writing is the use of your thoughts and tongue too. So keep that in mind, and let us do as the apostle Paul has said,
“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ…” Ephesians 4:15
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 (KJV)
Our feet are the means of our transportation. With them we walk about our homes. We walk to our automobiles. Some people who live near their place of employment walk to work, and we need feet to do such a thing, and such things. It is a good thing to have feet.
However, we must watch where we place them in order to walk safely, soundly, and securely. The thing is true in God things as well. As a matter of fact; for the Christian everything we do ought to be done with the thought of “Will this glorify the Lord?” and if it does not; it is not worth doing. Watch your feet when you go to the house of God. Be careful where you step, so that you do not harm your testimony; and so that you do not profane the name of our God.
Saul, the first king of Israel did not keep his foot. He boasted of his faith when he offered a sacrifice in disobedience to Samuel (1 Samuel 15 note verse 22). Sacrifice without obedience is blasphemy, and is sin. God has no pleasure in those who do all the right things for the wrong reasons.
The mouth is a thing often affected by the way the feet move, and where they go. To go to the house of God we should be silent when we are being taught, except in participating in discussion of the lesson, and on track.
God is not well pleased by sacrifices done in the wrong motive, nor words spoken that are contrary to one’s life (Isaiah 1:10-15). Any words we speak in the place of worship should be toward God; admiring, adoring, and worshipping Him. Otherwise they should be few.
As a Christian we need to realize that our bodies are the temple of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19-20); therefore we are to walk with Him wherever we go; whatever we do; to glorify Him; and
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
We all need the fellowship of others; to encourage others in the faith; and for ourselves to hear from others and be encouraged, and strengthened in the faith.
“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (KJV)
There is nothing secret about the word of God. Something I do not understand is why some want to seek out some “code” to “hidden things” or whatever; especially since we do not practice much of what we do know of God’s word.
The verses for today tell us that we do not need to go to heaven to know God, or to find His way. It is near. He gave it to Moses, revealed it to the people, and Christians have it today as well. It is easy to understand. All it takes is to read it, to hear it, and to heed what God says.
If this holy word of God was in the mouths and the hearts of the children of Israel; how much more is it in the hearts of those who are born of the Spirit of God today – the Christian.
There are some who say, “If God would just reveal Himself to me I would believe Him.” Really? He has done that, and we crucified Him. Yet you will not believe.
The apostle Paul quotes these verses in Romans 10:6-8. These words; all the words of Moses speak of the One to come; He came, He bled, He died, He was buried, and He arose bodily from the grave, and forever lives. He will save you as you cry out to Him.
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 That is how very near He is to you. His name is Jesus.
“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1 (KJV)
A Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite is the title of this Psalm. A song of instruction; and surely there is not much else to sing of than of the LORD and His mercy.
The mercy of the LORD is everlasting. There is another of the Psalms which magnifies the mercy of the LORD. Psalm 136 has every verse ending with “For His mercy endureth forever”. The mercies of God. Let that be your song for today.
Part of His mercies is also that He is faithful. He is faithful to every generation. He is faithful to all the earth, and to all His creation. He is faithful to His own glory, power and praise.
Sing a song today; and let it be a song of His mercies. The greatest display of His mercy was by the judgment of His Son Jesus on the cross for your sins and mine.
“I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1 (KJV)
This Psalm is titled to be written during or of a time when David feigned insanity before a Philistine king – Achish (1 Samuel 21:10-15). It is really a time of David’s weakest moment, because he feared this king; however the LORD delivered Him.
It is for that reason that David realizes he needs to “Bless the LORD” rather than deny Him.
How about you and me? Do we bless the LORD with our lives or are we feigning ignorance, insanity, or just plain apathetic about Him? That is certainly not blessing Him.
David determined, “I will bless the LORD at all times…” Let us make that our determination today, and throughout the New Year. To bless is to adore with the actions of our lives. We bless God when we stand for His word and works. We bless God when we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We bless the LORD when we love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. We bless the LORD when we hear His word and do it.
When we bless the LORD “Praise” will come from our mouth. We will praise Him for being GOD. If He blesses us will make no difference. We will praise Him because of who He is.
It all begins, because He first loved us, and showed that love by sending His Son Jesus the Christ who died for our sins, was buried and rose again from the grave.
Keeping Your Heart
Proverbs 4:23-27
Matthew 6:21; 12:34; Philippians 4:7
1. Giving care to your very being. (Matt. 6:21)
2. Cause you to speak righteously from your mouth. (Matt. 12:34)
3. Will set your eyes on the prize ahead of you with distractions.
4. With your eyes on the prize your feet will walk the same direction. (Heb. 12:13
5. A right heart will give you the mind to refrain from evil. (Philippians 4:7)
-T.A.
These are some sermon thoughts from Sunday morning (09/04/11) sermon preached by Tim A. Blankenship at Carr Lane Baptist.
Reading today in Matthew 11 – 13
We have all heard the language people use on the street, many times in business, at work, at recreation and play. We hear it from children, both special needs children and “normal” children; and that is most generally because the children hear it from their parents or legal guardians.
When I read the following Scriptures that tell me, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” then there are an massive amounts of people; young and old; who have corrupted abundance in their hearts:
“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:34-37 (KJV)
Maybe the next time you let a vile, corrupted word fly from you tongue and lips you better check your heart. It is corrupt if you let words fly that are vile, dirty, rude, hurtful, filthy, and/or ungodly.
These are the words of Jesus Christ; the purest of men; the God man who gave His life for our sins.
Consider that before you open you mouth to speak.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Righteous King
Proverbs 16:10-15
Looking at the life of Solomon we find a heart partially devoted to the LORD; a divided heart; unlike David his father whose “was a man after God’s own heart”. If there is to be righteousness in the land of kings, then there must be righteous kings.
In light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we have been decreed as “kings and priests” (Revelation 1:6; 1 Peter 2:9) of God through Jesus Christ then we find in these Proverbs how we should reign, and that is in the likeness of our Lord and Savior and our God Jesus Christ.
OUTLINE –
I. THE RIGHTEOUS KING MAKES GODLY DECREES, AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS (v. 10-11).
II. THE RIGHTEOUS KING LIVES RIGHTEOUSLY, AND ESTABLISHES THE THRONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 12).
III. THE RIGHTEOUS KING APPRECIATES, LOVES, AND DELIGHTS IN LIPS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 13).
IV. THE RIGHTEOUS KING IS RESPECTED AND REVERED AS JUST IN HIS JUDGMENTS (v. 14).
V. THE RIGHTEOUS KING’S COUNTENANCE BRINGS JOY TO THOSE WHO WERE IN HIS DISPLEASURE (v. 15).
THE RIGHTEOUS KING MAKES GODLY DECREES, AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS (v. 10-11). One thing that is needed in the Nations, States, Counties, Cities, and homes and churches of the world is leaders who have a righteous heart.
There is truly only one who has the completely righteous heart and His name is Jesus. Those who are in Him; through having trusted Him, His work on the cross, His burial and bodily resurrection; have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
In Christ Jesus and Him alone can we make Godly decrees, and righteous judgments. Many of the judgments made by the Judiciary of the United States, and many other countries are not made in righteousness, but for what is popular or politically expedient.
Pro 16:11 – A just weight and balance are the Lord’s,…. These are of his devising; what he has put into the heart, of men to contrive and make use of, for the benefit of mankind, for the keeping and maintaining truth and justice in commercial affairs; these are of his appointing, commanding, and approving, Lev. 19:35;
all the weights of the bag are his work; or, “all the stones” ; greater or smaller, which were formerly used in weighing, and were kept in a bag for that purpose; these are by the Lord’s appointment and order. This may be applied to the Scriptures of truth, which are of God; are the balance of the sanctuary, in which every doctrine is to be weighed and tried; what agrees with them is to be received, and what is found wanting is to be rejected. The Targum is,
“His works, all of them, are weights of truth.”
When Jesus Christ comes back to earth He will make all things right and Just. When we go to Him for a judgment we can rest assured that it will be a righteous judgment.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING LIVES RIGHTEOUSLY, AND ESTABLISHES THE THRONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 12). The only King who has lived without sin was the King of kings; Jesus Christ Son of the Living God.
The writer of Proverbs says, “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (29:2). When true righteousness is in authority, there is reason the people rejoice.
1. There is a ruler who fears God;
2. There is fairness in appointments, and the courts;
3. There is a just trading system;
4. There is justice in the courts;
5. There is no fear of the enemy.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING APPRECIATES, LOVES, AND DELIGHTS IN LIPS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v. 13). What king, president, or any ruler can stand for long who is surrounded by liars? Lying lips are not righteous lips.
Righteous lips love the truth, seek the truth, and are truthful themselves. Our Righteous King, the King of kings is the living Truth, and in Him is no lie at all. Some one has given us this quote, “Liars never figure, and figures never lie”. If you tell the truth about something you never need to remember what you said; but when you lie, it will come back to get you.
A righteous leader; be they president, king, pastor, husband, father, mother, or boss; needs always to be surrounded by people who will tell the truth.
“Buy the truth and sell it not…” (23:23), and it seems that “Love the truth” would fit there as well. Why “Buy the truth” if you don’t love it also.
We can see today what lying does with the stock market and people’s lives. For example: Bernie Madoff who scammed, swindled, and suckered punched many investors out of billions of dollars, living a lie. Now the man has brought ruin to the lives of the people he stole their life savings from, his own family, harmed his nation, and destroyed his own life.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING IS RESPECTED AND REVERED AS JUST IN HIS JUDGMENTS (v. 14). King David was loved, respected and revered by many including his family; at least until he sinned with Bathsheba [Uriah’s wife], and brought harm to his own family and the nation.
Unrighteous living is costly for the one who is righteous. We must understand that righteousness is not from our own selves. Righteousness comes from God; for only He is righteous.
If there is to be righteousness it comes from Christ alone who is our righteousness. “For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
A righteous king, or ruler would give His life for his subjects. An unrighteous king expects his subjects to give their lives for him. “There is no king like that “, someone might say. Oh, but there is His name is Jesus; and He gave His life on the cross of calvary that those who will trust Him, believe Him, might have eternal life. He faced the judgment for our sins, the wrath of His Father to pay the sin debt; our sin debt; that we might be saved, having our account paid in full, by His precious shed blood.
We can trust a king like that. We can believe that this type of king would be loved, respected and revered, and be just in all his judgments.
THE RIGHTEOUS KING’S COUNTENANCE BRINGS JOY TO THOSE WHO WERE IN HIS DISPLEASURE (v. 15). A righteous king can be offended, and when one of his subjects offends him his countenance fades.
When his subject offends him realizing that he/she has done so, and they seek the king’s forgiveness the king’s countenance will be brighter, and favorable toward the one who had offended.
When I think of all the times that I have offended King Jesus, and know that His countenance was not favorable toward me for that offense, then, I know that I must seek forgiveness. I can know before hand that in genuinely seeking forgiveness He will forgive me; but I must not willfully seek to offend Him.
Our righteous King Jesus is often offended by His subjects, but when we seek His face we know that we are cleansed and forgiven; and our joy is restored in Him.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:9-10 (KJV)
There is eternal joy in the presence of the forgiving King. His countenance is bright and pleasant and warm to all those who come to Him.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Fruit of the Lips
“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37 (KJV).
Jesus is still speaking to and of the Pharisees. The hearts of the Pharisees are corrupt and their fruit is corrupt. A thorn tree cannot help bearing anything other than thorns. The fruit of their lips comes from their hearts, because their hearts are evil. Their hearts are evil because they know the Scriptures, but do not know the Truth when He stands in their midst. Their hearts are evil, because they are “full of dead men’s bones”, dead and profess to know God, but know Him not. They are evil because they lead blind men into the ditch with themselves. They are evil because they praise the godless and condemn sinners who seek a Savior.
Jesus uses imagery similar to that of John the Baptist, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” 3:7 (KJV). Slithering, sneaky, slothful serpents whose only mission is to lead people to destruction. It is almost an insult to the serpents. Because of the evil of their hearts they cannot produce good fruit. They cannot speak good and fruitful words. They condemn themselves. The only hope for these religious leaders is to deny themselves, their corrupt fruit, corrupt lips, and believe in Jesus.
People do not often think this way, but words often reveal the content of the heart. If, for instance, the first word to come to you lips and tongue when you smash a finger is a swear word, then you really do have a heart problem. The one whose heart is right when they smash a finger might be something along the line, “Lord help me”, but not to take His name in vain, or swear vehemently against Him. That comes from evil in the heart. By our words we will either be justified or condemned. Good words are spoken of our Savior and His work from the heart of those whom He has changed.
Guard your words, for they reveal the content and state of your heart.
-by Tim A. Blankenship
The Fire and Hammer 