Month: April 2026

Text: Rev. 2:4

• Intro:
  • In the epistles and the Revelation you will see the word nevertheless 20 times. Often when you see that word God is going to show you something good in spite of something bad. Nevertheless interrupts the current train of thought in a verse or a passage and shows you something that God really wants you to get by contrast to everything else in the passage.  
  • In the following passages, when God says “nevertheless” he is emphasizing:
• The principal love of Christ – Rev 2:4 – Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee. 
  • The church of Ephesus was a good, hard-working, liar-hating, patient church. 
  • But for all the good things they were doing, there is one thing they had overlooked.  They had left their first love. 
  • No matter what you do for the Lord, do not leave your first love. 
  • You and I have the opportunity to start each day in wonderful fellowship with the Lord. 
  • But our fellowship doesn’t have to end when we go on to our other activities. 
  • We should continue to walk with God and love the Lord Jesus Christ through every moment of every day.
• The living faith of the Son of God – Gal 2:20 – Nevertheless I live. 
  • When we were saved, we were crucified with Christ. 
  • However, being crucified with him didn’t end our physical life. 
  • We still live. 
  • Paul wants us to see that the life we live in the flesh is a life that we should live by the faith of the Son of God. 
  • Living by his life is the only way we are ever going to be able to have victory over sin in our lives. 
  • It is only through the faith of the Son of God that we will ever be able to accomplish the Lord’s will in our lives.
• The prevailing will of God – Lk 22:42 – Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 
  • This was Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. 
  • He didn’t fight God over God’s will. 
  • He asked for the cup to pass and then he willingly submitted himself to whatever God wanted to do with him. 
  • We must remember not to be self-willed in our lives whenever we face a test in the will of God. 
  • We must trust that the will of God for our lives is far greater and far better than our will even though we don’t like the “looks of it.”
• The protective power of God – 2 Tim 1:12 – Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. 
  • As a preacher, apostle and a teacher Paul suffered many things. 
  • In spite of all that he suffered, he was never ashamed of Jesus or his gospel. 
  • The reason is that he knew for whom he was suffering and he was persuaded by the Lord that he was able to keep him. 
  • Paul was “kept by the power of God,” [1 Pet 1:5], just like you and I are kept by the protective power of God. 
  • Paul was persuaded and we should be too every time taking a stand for Jesus causes us to suffer.
• The peaceable fruit of God’s righteousness – Heb 12:11 – Nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness. 
  • The chastening hand of God upon us can be grievous. 
  • Yet we are told not to despise his chastening or faint when we are rebuked. 
  • We are told rather to endure it. 
  • The reason is that the Lord desires that we might partake of his holiness. 
  • He wants to exercise us in his chastening until his righteousness yields its peaceable fruit in us. 
  • He knows exactly how to make that happen.
• The uplifting comfort of God – 2 Cor 7:6 – Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us. 
  • Paul was facing fightings without and fears within. 
  • Yet in the midst of his battles, troubles and weariness, the great God of comfort came through for him. 
  • Likewise, God will comfort you in the midst of your trials, difficulties and fears. 
  • We can easily get overwhelmed by bad news, difficult circumstances and worries. 
  • Instead of letting yourself get swamped emotionally, turn to the God of comfort.
• The sure foundation of God – 2 Tim 2:19 – Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure. 
  • False teachers can overthrow the faith of some but they cannot tear up the sure foundation of God. 
  •  In Psalm 11:3, David asks, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” 
  • Concerning certain foundations, like marriage, morality and ethics, the foundations are gone. 
  • But concerning the sure foundation of God, nothing will ever destroy that. 
  • If you have a saved loved one who has been side-tracked by false doctrine, their faith may have been overthrown, but their salvation will never be destroyed!! 
  • No one can destroy that foundation!!
• Conclusion: Just remember:
  • At times you will find yourself overwhelmed in your service to God, nevertheless your love for Jesus is primary.
    • Without charity your works are worthless.
    At times you will struggle with sin in your life, nevertheless the life you live you live by the faith of the Son of God.
    • He can win the battles you can’t win.
    At times you will disagree with God about his will for your life, nevertheless his will should prevail. His will is better than yours.At times you may be tempted to quit because the suffering is hard to endure, nevertheless you won’t quit because you are kept by the protective power of God.
    • His power is greater that your weakness.
    At times you will grow weary of God’s chastisement, nevertheless you will remember the peaceable fruit of righteousness and rejoice with the outcome.At times you will be distressed in the fight and saddened by your losses, nevertheless God will uphold you with his uplifting comfort.
  • At times you will be distraught over the turning away of a loved one, nevertheless if they are connected to the sure foundation of the Lord you will see them in heaven even if their doctrine never gets straightened out down here.
• Nevertheless is a good word in the New Testament because it emphasizes some of the greatest benefits of our salvation.

Prov 14:10

• Intro:
  • In the Christian life, you are going to be hurt by another Christian at some point in your life.  
  • It seems that everyone goes through this experience at least once.  
  • And some folks go through it several times.  
  • This lesson is about what to do when another Christian “stabs you in the back,” or slanders you or brings reproach.  
  • You need to know how to handle an offense.
• Don’t murmur and complain – Prov 14:10 –
  • You are the only one who really understands how you feel.  
  • Others will either minimize the pain or exacerbate the problem in siding with you against the other person.  
  • Telling others, generally, just fans the flames and gets you more riled up than you were before.
• Take it to God – 1 Pet 5:7 –
  • The Lord cares for you.  
  • Through an experience like this you will draw closer to the Lord when you cast your care on him.
• Repeat, “It is Well” – 2 Kings 4:18-26 –
  • These experiences are rough, to say the least.  
  • But you must continue to view them from God’s perspective.  
  • When you continue to love the Lord and fulfill his purpose in your life, all is well [Rom 8:28].
• Worship God – Job 1:20-22 –
  • After all the bad news Job received in one day, he worshipped God.  
  • You cannot take your eyes off the Lord.  
  • And you cannot charge God foolishly.  
  • Often we think God should have intervened on our behalf to prevent this incident.  
  • Don’t blame God.
• Don’t retaliate – Prov 20:22 –
  • Don’t try to get even.  
  • The Lord didn’t say that he would spare you from this kind of trouble.  
  • He said that “he shall save thee.”  
  • It shouldn’t make any difference to you what God does to them.  
  • It doesn’t matter.  
  • He just needs to save you.
• Overcome evil with good – Rom 12:19-21 –
  • That’s what Joseph did for his brothers when they came to Egypt. 
  •  Vengeance is the Lord’s.  
  • He’ll repay if he wants to and in the way he desires.  
  • That’s none of your business.  
  • I have heard people say things like, “
  • That fellow crossed me a while ago, and now something bad has happened to him.
  • You see, God repaid him for what he did to me.”  
  • That is a very cruel attitude and not at all consistent with this passage of scripture [see also Prov 24:28-29].
• Forgive and put away the bitterness – Eph 4:30-32 –
  • Forgiveness is what the Lord has given us to get over these offenses.  
  • Forgiveness is how you put away the bitterness.  
  • If you don’t put away the bitterness, it will become a root that springs up and defiles many, like your closest friends and family [Heb 12:15].  
  • The damage to them will be on you; not on the person who offended you.  
  • You should strive to be better, not bitter.
• Visualize heaven – Rev 5:8-10 –
  • When our lives are done here on earth, we are all going to be standing and kneeling together worshipping the Lord.  
  • It won’t matter one bit what someone has done to you when we are bowing before the Lord.  
  • They may be right next to you.  
  • Praise the Lord!
• Seek reconciliation – Luke 17:3-4 –
  • You don’t have to become enemies.  
  • You may be able to reconcile down the road.  
  • Your relationship may never again be what it was but you definitely don’t want to hold a grudge.
• Minister consolation – 2 Cor 1:3-7 –
  • Other people are going to go through something like you have been through.  
  • You can minister to them because you understand how to get through the offense.  
• Conclusion:
  • These steps are tried and true.  
  • Remember them if they don’t apply to your life right now. 
  • You will certainly need them at some point down the road.

Psalm 26:2

• Intro:
  • You are going to be subjected to three kinds of examination in your life: providential examination, personal examination, and peer examination. 
  • We’ll discuss each of these in this study.
• Providential Examination – Psa 26:2 –
  • David said, “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” 
  • David wanted God to check him out on the inside. 
  • Your reins are the seat of your affections. 
  • They are that place inside of you that’s settled when you are on the right path and disturbed when you aren’t. 
  • In Psa 16:7, David wrote, “… my reins also instruct me in the night season.”  
• You annually have a physical examination and you ordinarily take exams at the completion of courses in school.
  • They prove whether you are in good health or whether you have mastered the material in a subject well enough to advance to the next course level.  
• Likewise, you want God to check you out to let you know where you are in your spiritual growth. 
  • Bible reading and Bible preaching will search you and try you. 
  • Through these two principle means, God will show you where you are and where you need to improve. 
  • He said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten,” [Rev 3:19]. 
  • He wants us to partake of his holiness and bear the fruit of his righteousness. 
  • Of course, he’ll search deeper as you grow and expect more from you, than when you first got saved.
• Personal Examination – 1 Cor 11:28-31 –
  • We are to examine ourselves and judge ourselves. 
  • This passage is in the context of taking the Lord’s supper. 
  • However, personal examination is something that you should do more often than that. 
  • The idea is that you should recognize sin in your life that God has been dealing with you to get out of your life.
  • In 1 John 1:9, you confess your sins so that God can cleanse you of your sins. 
  • He wants you to confess and forsake them [Prov 28:13]. 
  • We know that we won’t be sinless.
  • Nevertheless, we have certainly quit many sins that we used to do without even thinking about them. 
  • And we should continue to grow in this grace.
• According to 2 Cor 13:5, you are also to examine yourself, “whether ye be in the faith.” 
  • You want to be absolutely sure that you are saved. 
  • It is common for some young adults to recognize that the profession of faith they made when they were children was not salvation. 
  • Often, as adults, they respond to the gospel because, upon personal examination and conviction of the Holy Spirit, they realize that they aren’t saved.  
• Peer examination – 1 Cor 9:3 –
  • Paul was being examined by some folks who disagreed with him. 
  • Our problem, generally, is that we’re more concerned with what others think of us than what the Lord thinks of us. 
  • So, when you are subject to examination, remember that we are not here to look good to men, as men-pleasers. 
  • We are here to please God. 
  • If someone calls into question what you are doing, you should be able to give them the answer right out of the Bible.
• Though we are not men-pleasers, we must be concerned that we abstain from all appearance of evil. 
  • This doesn’t mean that you can do evil when others aren’t looking. 
  • It means that you don’t do evil and you don’t even appear to be doing evil. 
  • We cannot let our liberty be a cause that others might stumble. 
  • We don’t want to do anything that will offend a brother.
• Conclusion:
  • You should examine yourself right now while your mind is on the subject. 
  • Is there anything in your life that God wants you to deal with and change? 
  • If so, take care of it now.

Text: Jn  3:6

• Intro:
  • Your flesh and your spirit are two entirely different and distinct parts of your being.
  • Your flesh had its natural birth from your biological mother and father. 
  • Your spirit had its supernatural birth from the Spirit of God. 
  • When you die, your flesh is headed for the grave; your spirit is headed to God.
• Christians get into real trouble when they blur the lines of distinction between the flesh and the spirit.
  • They are inclined to put a spiritual twist on the flesh to make you think that they are spiritual when, in fact, they are carnal. 
  • This is carnal spirituality. 
  • The trouble is exacerbated when they can’t tell that they are pretending to be more spiritual than they are. 
  • It’s a deep-rooted problem when you can see it and they can’t.
• Here’s how you can tell when you are dealing with carnal spirituality:
• You accept visible “gods” as an aid to worship – Ex 32:1-6 –
  • Notice that Aaron made an image, built an altar, they held a feast, they made mention of the LORD and they offered offerings.  
  • This is the flesh’s way of expressing its feigned spirituality.  
  • The spirit doesn’t require or accept or do any of this stuff.  
  • God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
• You regard noisy singing and dancing as godly worship – Ex 32:17-19 –
  • The worship service out in the wilderness became more like a festival or a concert.  
  • It included loud, semi-intelligible music and dancing; and by the time the party was over, Aaron had made some of the people naked [v.25].  
  • Suffice it to say that as this form of worship continued, more and more flesh was displayed.
  •  Likewise in the contemporary services of churches today we are seeing the same trends.  
  • That’s how you know that this kind of worship is of the flesh and not of the Spirit.  
  • Though you feel something that you mistakenly believe is the Spirit of God.  
  • It’s just the flesh pretending to be spiritual.
• You give to ease your conscience before God and men – Acts 5:1-5 –
  • Ananias and Sapphira gave a portion of the sale of some land to the apostles but they pretended that they were giving the total sale proceeds.  
  • They lied to the Holy Ghost and they lied to the church.  
  • Thus, their fleshly motive was revealed while they pretended to be as spiritual as Barnabas was [Acts 4:36-37].  
  • Often, giving is used as an expression of spirituality to impress God and men; and giving may not be spiritual at all.  
  • Just look how much money is given to charity by many people who aren’t even saved.
• You submit to a religious doctrine for righteousness – Gal 6:12-13 –
  • There were preachers who came behind Paul in Galatia that constrained the people to be circumcised.  
  • They were trying to make a fair shew in their flesh to demonstrate their righteousness.  
  • This is just the flesh pretending to be spiritual.  
  • A typical scenario is the lofty spiritual claims of those who are members of cult religions.  
  • They attach an exclusive significance to baptism in their waters.  
  • Theirs is just a spiritual twist on the flesh.  
  • Sometimes there are those who point to their style of dress as a tribute to their spirituality.
• You apply spiritual reasons to justify fleshly pursuits – 1 Sam 15:3, 1 Sam 15:20-21 –
  • Saul was commanded by the Lord to destroy Amalek and all of their possessions.  
  • They killed all the people, saved the king alive and saved the best of the spoil.  
  • When Samuel confronted Saul concerning their disobedience, Saul answered that they kept the best of the spoil “to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God.”  
  • That was a lie to make their disobedience appear to have been motivated by a higher spiritual desire.  
  • You hear this kind of excuse from young singles who date the lost or who are driven by lust contrary to the will of God.  
  • They’ll say things like, “I am bringing him/her to church” or “I’m just trying to get him/her saved.”  
  • That’s the spiritual twist on the flesh.  
  • You want the person; you use the spiritual jargon to simply justify your fleshly involvement.  
  • Another good example is the excuse modern rock church organizers use for their entertainment that they call worship.  
  • They say that they are doing this to win lost souls to Jesus and to reach the unchurched [of course].
• Conclusion:
  • You know what you should do.  
  • You should get alone with God and become content with him.  
  • Then you should become so honest with him that you can see in yourself what he sees [Heb 4:12-13].  
  • And then you should check yourself every time your flesh pretends to be spiritual in its fig leaves of Adam’s righteousness [Gen 3:7-8].  
  • The only one you are fooling is yourself and anyone who is foolish enough to believe you.