Monday, April 24, 2017

Sermon on Biblical View of Self Defense Mr Eldon Raines. 4-22-17

Biblical view of self defense - lethal force. How do we define a lethal weapon

“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”
Genesis 14:14-16 KJV

The men were trained in warfare. Self defense is defined as protecting yourself or others. Not for vengeance.

What about christians?  What about us? Is it biblical for us to have weapons or defend ourselves. Some will say Christian's should not. But this is not biblical

“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”
Luke 22:35-38 KJV


With Christ returning to the father they were not going to have that protection.

We can see not only do we have a right to self defense we have an obligation

“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”
Psalms 82:1-4 KJV

“If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;”
Proverbs 24:11 KJV

Does this include suicide?  Suicide is self murder. Murder is a transgression

“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”
Ezekiel 33:6-7 KJV

Your property

“When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.”
Deuteronomy 22:8 KJV

Of a person comes on your property you are responsible for that person while they are on your property.

You also need to keep your animals safe

“If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.”
Exodus 21:28-29 KJV

“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
Genesis 9:5-6 KJV

This was before the days of Noah but is not obsolete

Killing or blood shed is not always wrong

But then we turn 180 degrees. Some blood shed is perhaps legal.

Blood is precious.  The tendency is to think of blood as just another bodily fluid. But it is precious to God. An attack on man is an assault on Gods imagine.

David was called a bloody man. He was, he was a warrior. David killed Goliath at the command of God.

“But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.”
1 Chronicles 22:8 KJV

Why was davids disqualified. He did was he was supposed to do.

Did davids sin disqualify him?  No he repented and was forgiven. His bloody nature made him unfit for this spiritual role.

People are desensitized to blood shed.

Killing someone can disqualify you from some spiritual roles.

“Thou shalt not kill.”
Exodus 20:13 KJV

A more proper term is murder.

Murder is wrong. Murder is different. Do everything you can to avoid taking life. As my father said do everything you can to stay out of a fight but if you end up in one, go for blood. Do enough damage that they don't want to come back for lunch

“And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.”
Deuteronomy 19:4-7 KJV

Accidental killing god set up cities to protect those people from avengers. Sanctuary cities today are different.

“They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.”
Nehemiah 4:17-19 KJV

Cv battalion. A bumblebee with a gun in one hand while building.

“So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.”
Nehemiah 4:21-23 KJV

Back to he new covenant

“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”
Luke 22:35-38 KJV

Two swords are enough for prayer.

Some say Jesus was only spiritual terms. But what about the serpent who cut of the ear. Was he thinking in spiritual terms?

They carried weapons with Jesus consent. There is not claim as to why they carried them or if it was right or wrong.

“In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;”
2 Corinthians 11:26 KJV

1 Jesus expected them to have swords
2 between 12 they had 2 swords.

But it would be a mistake to think a weapon guarantees safety. You have to be trained and practice. You have to put in your mind if the situation happens you have to use it or the person breaking in could take it and use it on you.

Our founding fathers knew what they were doing when they put in the 2nd amendment. Think of what our country would be without it.


Sermon Feast of Unleavened Bread by Ben Mauldin April 8th

Synopsis

Greetings this is a summary of the sermon given on April 8 by Ben Mauldin.
We are on the verge of observing seven days of Unleavened Bread, traditionally in the church of God teaching, leavening has symbolized sin.
It is an analogy, and all analogies eventually fail, leavening sometimes can symbolize the Kingdom of God.
But whether we see leavening as a type of sin or as the kingdom of God, sin itself is our enemy and it would be beneficial for us to avoid it and teach our children to avoid it all the year long.
But what is sin?
For many years I would have turned directly to  IJohn 3:4 and cite the statement that "Sin  is the transgression of the law."
 And then state that one must learn the law to know what sin is. It is an axiom of law that" that which is not prohibited is legal."
 But with sin and the law of God it does not seem to be that simple. Some people cite a list of Old Testament laws, I believe there are 618, does that list define sin?
Some of the New Testament Scriptures say that the wages of sin is death, and another says that all have sinned.
In the book of Ezekiel it says the soul who sins shall die.
But what is sin? And how do we avoid it? The subject seems to be a little complicated when you include statements like in the book of James where it says that " to those who know to do right and do not do it, to them, it is sin."
And another apostle wrote that "whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
The 618 or so laws recorded in the Old Testament are sometimes very harsh.
In today's world some religions execute a very harsh judgment on those whom they consider to be sinners
I personally, I do not want to be a Muslim! I do not want to be a Jew! I want to be a Christian. And I think that the Christian understanding of sin is expressed in Jesus's sermon on the mount recorded and Matthew 5.
 In Matthew 5  there are several examples of what was taught in the "Old" days, and how Jesus added to the understanding.
In addition, and Matthew 5:48 Jesus gives a goal, and that is that we ought to be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect.
I believe that even though we all fall short of that mark, it ought to be our goal!



Outline of Sermon with Bible Verses

What is sin? In order to avoid sin we have to know what it is, to identify it.

Easy to do a physical thing.

God created the physical so we could understand the spiritual

619 laws in the Old Testament

Wages of sin is death

Age of maturity and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

We have all become oppressed by sin

Gods law is not so complicated that we can't follow it but our nature is such that we can't.

If we fail we have Christ.

Sin comes natural to us. We tend to justify ourselves.

It's not just knowing the law of God and following it

Put sin out of our life's like leavening

If you can't do it in faith it's sin

Are there different categories of sin?

Lying a sin. Midwifes in Egypt. They lied but God rewarded them

The law of God takes an application

Thing require judgement

My nature fits against me.

Jesus came to save sinners. Paul said he was the chief sinner.

Sin becomes our oppressor.

Christian life is a journey.

Recognize sin.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬‬"“

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:17-19‬‬

"“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:43-45‬‬

"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."
- ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18:20‬‬

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life."
- ‭‭I Timothy‬ ‭1:15-16‬‬

"“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:27-29‬‬

"“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:38-39‬‬

"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."
- ‭‭Romans‬ ‭7:15-20‬‬

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
- ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:21-23‬‬

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:48‬‬

"But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin."
- ‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:23‬‬

"“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King."
- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:31-35‬‬

"If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him."
- ‭‭I John‬ ‭5:16-18‬‬

"“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."
- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:21-22‬‬

"There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."
- ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:5-6‬‬

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."
- ‭‭James‬ ‭4:17‬‬

"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."
- ‭‭I John‬ ‭3:4‬‬
Sermon  Exodus by Ben Mauldin. March 11, 2017

Most of us remember and mark time by events. And in most of our life times there have been some momentous memorable world shaking events. Those of us who are older remember when President Kennedy was assassinated and what we were doing, the next generation remembers where they were on 9/11 and what was going on.

On the world scene, in my opinion, there have been two biblically related events that outweigh all of the others,The first one would be the Exodus, and the second one would be the life of Jesus.
This afternoon I would like to look at the Exodus and see what method our Creator used to bring that about.

He used 10 plagues to bring about the Exodus.The plagues included turning the water of the Nile river into blood, sending frogs on to the land, sending lice or gnats, sending flies, bringing about a disease on the livestock, boils on people and hail and fire from heaven, hordes of Locust, darkness that was so thick one was unable to see a hand in front of the face and then the greatest of all, the death of the first born which brought about the exodus.

But even these momentous events eventually faded from people's memory.
Our challenge as it is mentioned in the book of Hebrews and elsewhere is to hear and to remember and realize these events occurred and were recorded so that we would not fall into the same mistakes as our ancient forefathers.
In the Old Testament in a prophecy about Jesus is mentioned that a Prophet would come whom we would hear!

That was a prediction of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah
That event also came and went, and the world marks time by that event.
There is one more event yet to come on the world seen, the most dramatic of all. And that will be the return of that same Jesus Christ whom we see as the one who brought the 10 plagues on the land of Egypt and who walked the face of the earth in the earliest part of the first century and will return to establish an everlasting kingdom!