Author: GinoCascieri

There are many critics of the Bible whose mantra is “Why should we believe the Bible because man wrote the Bible.”

Well, all one must do is read just few verses of the Holy Bible to realize that man could not have written the Holy Bible. The reason I make this statement is because the Holy Bible is very critical of man. Now, man would not write something that would be highly critical of himself. Usually, anything that man puts in print tends to glorify and elevate man. Therefore, it is very clear that God wrote the Holy Bible.

Let me provide the proof of what God’s says about man that is anything by complementary.

“Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.” Psalms 39:5

“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” Jeremiah 17:5

^“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

^“Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” Psalms 144:4

“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalms 51:5

Text:    Philippians 2:5-8

Intro:  

-Apostle Paul instructs the believer in v5, that he is to have the same mind as Christ did when he walked this earth.

-V6. – Paul tells us by the way, Christ Jesus is God.

-They are equal.

-They one and the same.

-1 Tim. 3:16 – Jesus was “God manifest in the flesh”

-V7. – Begins with “But”

-Paul is saying in v7, “Despite Christ Jesus being God, he did not forget why he came to this earth to take upon himself a form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man.

-Paul is telling us that Christ had a mind of a servant as evidenced by the two words in v. 8, “humbled” and “obedient”.

-As Christians my dear friends we are to have a servant’s mind like Christ did.

-Jesus is our example to follow.

-Two important characteristics of a servant is “humility” and “obedience”.

-Jesus displayed them throughout his entire ministry.

-Culminating with his obedience to the Father by His death on the  cross.

-This morning we want to look at three aspects of the servant, Jesus Christ.

I.          THE EXCLAMATION OF A SERVANT

            A. Words of Humility

            -Mark 10:43-44 – On how to achieve greatness.

            *James & John wanted sit on right & left of Christ in glory.

            -Mark 10:45 – “give his life a ransom”

            *Jesus came to give not get!!!

            -Luke 22:27 – Greater to serve

            B.  Words of Obedience

            -John 5:30, 6:38 – Jesus came to earth fulfill the will of

             the Father.

            -Luke 22:42 – “Remove this cup, your will not my will be

             done. – The Father’s will always put first.

            *Cup, Jesus talking about no his death but the Father’s

             wrath poured out on sin.

            *See 2 Cor. 5:21

            *Earth grew dark for 3 hours.

            *Jesus cried, “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me”

            *At this point God, the Father turned his back on His as

             Jesus was being made sin for us and God’s wrath was being

             poured  out on him.

            *God the Father turned His back on the Son because God is

             Holy cannot look upon sin.

II.         THE EXAMPLE OF A SERVANT

            A.  Humility

            -Footwashing – Jn. 13:3-5; 12-17.

            B.        Obedience

            -Jn 19:17-18 – “bearing his cross”

            -Phil. 2:8 – “…became obedient unto death, even the death

                         of the cross.”

            -Heb. 12:2 – Concerning Jesus, “…endured the cross,

                                            despising the shame.”

III.        THE EXALTATION OF A SERVANT

            A.  Position

            -Mark 16:19 – He went up to sit down on the right of the

             Father.

            B.  Person

            -Phil 2:9-11

            C.        Power

            -Rev. 5:11-13

-One day those who have been God’s servants down here will be exalted and glorified up there.

*1 Peter 5:6

*Rev. 3:21

*Col. 3:4

CONCLUSION

-We have examined the Mind of Christ which we saw is the mind of a servant.

-The mind of a servant is characterized by humility & obedience.

-We heard and saw in Christ:

*The exclamation of a servant

*The example of a servant

*The exaltation of a servant

-My question to you  is Do you possess the mind of Christ, the Servant’s Mind?

-It’s a humble mind.

-It’s an obedient mind.

-Would you rather be ministered unto or would you rather minister  to others?

-Would you rather be served or would you rather serve others?

-Are you denying self, taking up your cross and following Christ or are you satisfying the flesh, leaving your cross, and following the world, the flesh and the devil.

Romans 6:14-23

• Intro:
  • The passage we are using in this lesson deals with a saved person.
  • The issue that Paul is discussing is sin in the life of the saved person.
  • This lesson will have two parts and in the second part we will address the question of what does sin cost a person that is already saved.
  • In this lesson we are going to look primarily at verse 23 and answer the question of what did sin cost in general.
• In verse 23 the word of God says that the wages of sin is death.
  • What exactly are wages?
  • Wages are what you earn for doing something.
  • If you have a job and you are paid $10.00 per hour and you work 40 a week then your weekly wages are $400.00 per week (before taxes of course).
  • Therefore wages are simply what you earn.
• According to this verse the sin that a person commits earns them death.
  • Today people say that death is caused by disease, accident, homicide, or many other causes.
  • But the Bible gives us the true reason for all death and that is SIN. (James 1:14-15)
• There is a very important principle in regards to earning something.
  • It will always cost you one thing to earn another.
  • Remember that even though sin may be fun and seem exciting for a moment you must ask yourself what is it going to cost you in the end.
  • To answer the question of what does sin cost we are going to look at several people in the Bible and see exactly what sin cost.
• 1. Sin cost Satan his original position. (Ezekiel 28:13-17 ; Isaiah 14:12-15)
  • Satan was not created as Satan but as Lucifer the anointed Cherub that covereth (Isaiah 14:12 ; Ezekiel 28:14).
  • Satan was lifted up in his own heart and through pride he said that he would be higher than God and as a result he lost his position as the anointed Cherub and is now the being that we call Satan.
  • And if you are wondering what will happen to Satan as a result of all of this read Revelation 20:10 and you will see that he winds up in the Lake of fire for all eternity.
• 2. Sin cost Adam his physical life and living in Paradise. (Genesis 3:19, 22-24)
  • God told Adam that in the day he ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would die.
  • Now Adam did die spiritual at that very moment and also from that point on he began to age physically.
  • Remember that the result of sin is death (Romans 5:12-14).
  • Also Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden and as a result of their sin and they also suffered many other physical conditions as a result their sin.
  • So sin cost Adam a whole lot.
• 3. Sin cost God his only begotten Son. (John 3:16)
  • Now we know that God did not sin but because of Adam’s sin it cost God something to get man back into fellowship with him.
  • God is Holy, Just, and Righteous therefore he cannot just overlook man’s sin.
  • So he provided his son the Lord Jesus Christ to come and die on the cross for our sins so that through the Lord Jesus Christ we could be saved and made righteous in the sight of God.
• 4. Sin cost Jesus Christ the Agony of the Cross. (Isaiah 53:1-12 ; Luke 22:63-71, 23:1-50)
  • The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary was both humiliating and excruciatingly painful, not to mention he was beaten severely before he ever even got to the cross.
  • And to top it all off he did not deserve any of it.
  • He had never sinned in his life.
  • What he was doing was paying for your sins and mine and the sins of the whole world.
  • This is why Hebrews says he endured the contradiction of sinners. (Hebrews 12:3)
• So you see sin has a terrible price and it will always get paid for one way or another.
  • Now if you are lost and are trying to get to heaven any other way than the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ you will not make it.
  • Many are trying to earn salvation through good works but if you can earn it then why did he die.
• You see Jesus has already paid the debt that you owe for your sin when he died on the cross of Calvary.
  • All you have to do is receive him as your Savior and accept this free gift of Salvation trusting in his shed blood to cover your sins and not your own works or goodness. (Romans 10:9-13 ; Ephesians 2:8-9)
• We also discussed how that if a person rejects the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior that ultimately sin will cost them death and their soul.
• In this lesson we are going to deal with what sin cost a person who is saved.
• Once you are born again you are spiritually circumcised according to Colossians 2:9-13.
  • As a result of this you are sealed unto the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30).
  • Therefore as a saved person when you sin after salvation you do not lose your salvation.  
  • There are some things that sin can cause us to lose.
  • This matter is discussed for us in Romans 6:14-23.
• What is the passage telling us :
• 1. We are under grace and not the law (verse 14)
  • The whole point of the law was to teach us what sin is (Romans 7:7).
  • But now that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) sin does not have dominion over us.
  • This is not saying that you will never sin but that as a saved person you should not let sin have dominion over you.
• 2. We do not have a license to sin (verse 15)
  • Many think that because we have eternal security that we have a license to sin, but as this verse says we do not have a license to sin.
  • When we do sin after Salvation we need forgiveness of that sin and to get it out of our lives.
  • We should not let it have dominion over us which is why we have Jesus Christ as our advocate (1 John 2:1-2)
• 3. To whom ye yield is who you serve (verse16)
  • Notice the word yield.
    • To yield when driving mean to give way to the other vehicle.
    • This is exactly what happens when we sin as a saved person.
    • We give way to our flesh.
  • As a result of the spiritual circumcision that we mentioned earlier a saved person has 2 natures, the old man and the new man.
  • The old man is the flesh and that is the part of us that still wants to sin after salvation.
  • So when we are tempted to sin we will have a choice to make.
  • We will either yield to the flesh and sin or we will yield to the new man and avoid the sin.
    • The choice is ours.
• 4. The result of Salvation is that we are freed from being the servants of sin (verses 17-20)
  • Before salvation we were a slave to sin.
    • After salvation we have been freed from being a slave to sin.
    • That does not mean we will not sin but that we are no longer under the bondage of being a slave to sin.
  • Before salvation our flesh was yielded to sin automatically but now as a result of Salvation we should yield our members (that is our flesh) as servants to righteousness unto holiness. (verse 19)
• 5. The fruit of sin is shame and death and the fruit of righteousness is holiness unto Everlasting Life (verse 21-22)
  • Thanks to the gift of God we can now have everlasting life.
  • Therefore we should strive to yield ourselves to the Lord for his work and not to our flesh for our own desires and pleasures.
• What does sin cost a saved Person :
• 1. Joy and Peace (Nehemiah 8:10 ; Ephesians 6:10)
  • In Nehemiah we see that the joy of the Lord is our strength.
  • And in Ephesians we see that we are to do everything in the strength of the Lord, especially overcome sin.
  • Now sin always destroys and makes one weaker.
    • You are never made stronger by sin.
    • Therefore when we as a saved person sin and do not get it out of our lives it makes us weaker spiritually.
  • Some of the most miserable people on the earth are saved people who continue to sin and never get it right with God.
    • They may have fun with sin for a while but fun and joy are not the same.
    • Joy and peace is what brings true happiness.
• 2. Your Testimony (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
  • At the end of verse 27 Paul says “lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
  • Paul was not worried about losing his salvation but Paul did not ever want to lose his testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ so that he could not preach to others.
  • Your testimony as a saved person is one of the most valuable things you have.
  • Once you have ruined your testimony with certain people you will never get it back, and you might not ever get to help those people.
  • Sin will cost you to lose your testimony and maybe your effectiveness for serving God so you had better be careful and guard it heavily.
• 3. Your Rewards (2 John 8)
  • As a saved person we are earning rewards that will be given to us at the Judgement Seat of Christ.
    • Those rewards consist of crowns and reigning with the Lord Jesus Christ in the 1000 year millennial reign.
  • Now sin can cost us those rewards.
    • Now can you imagine standing before the Lord Jesus Christ who died for your sins and having to watch all of your rewards burn up and have nothing to place at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ.
    • That is going to be really embarrassing for many saved people.
    • John says you and I need to be careful to gain a full reward.
• 4. Your Physical Life (Romans 6:16 ; 1 John 5:16)
  • Both of these verses have the phrase “sin unto death” found in them.
    • This is not one specific sin that causes people to die.
    • In the Bible people died for many different sins and some others committed those same sins and did not die immediately.
  • This sin unto death is talking about when a saved person continues to sin after being chastened and warned by God over and over without getting it right God may take that person out of this world.
    • Now remember that they do not lose their salvation but they may die before their time (Ecclesiastes 7:17).
• Remember God leaves us on earth after salvation to accomplish something for him and if we ruin our testimony to the point of being not useful for God why would he leave us here do to more damage to his name sake.

Jesus Christ was born in the meanest of circumstances, but the air above was filled with the hallelujahs of the heavenly host. His lodging was a cattle pen, but later a star drew distinguished visitors from afar to do Him homage.

His birth was contrary to the laws of life. His death contrary to the laws of death. No miracle is so inexplicable as His life and teaching.

He had no cornfields or fisheries, but He could spread a table for five thousand and have bread and fish to spare. lie walked on no beautiful carpets, but He walked on the waters and they supported Him.

His crucifixion was the crime of crimes, but, on God’s side, no lower price than His infinite agony could have made possible our redemption. When He died, few mourned, but a black crepe was hung over the sun. Though men trembled not for their sins, the earth beneath shook under the load. All nature honoured Him; sinners alone rejected Him.

Three years He preached His Gospel. He wrote no book, built no church, and had no money to back Him. After almost two thousand years, lie is the one central character of human history, the perpetual theme of all preaching, the pivot around which the events of the age revoIve, the only Regenerator of the human race.

Was it merely the son of Joseph and Mary who crossed the world’s horizon nearly two thousand years ago? Was it merely human blood that was spilled on Calvary’s hill for the redemption of sinners, and which has worked such wonders in men and nations through the centuries?

What thinking man can keep from exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!”

The Gospel Standard

There is a very personal note in the Christmas message which is frequently missed by many. The birth of Jesus is not simply an interesting fact of history wholly unrelated to your present life, but rather it has a direct bearing upon it.

When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, the personal importance of His coming was emphasized. He said, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 210-11).

Have you ever thought that it was for you the Saviour was born? Do you realize that when God sent His Son into the world He sent Him to become your Saviour? Listen to the word of the herald angel, ” … I bring you good tidings of great joy … For unto you is born … a Saviour … “ Yes, it was for you that Jesus came.

When at this Christmas season the wonderful birth of Christ is brought again to your mind through Christmas carols, paintings and pictures, and through the sacred story itself, will you not consider it was for you that He came?

He did not come to be the inspiration of sacred art, nor to be the theme of glad song, much less to be merely a good man and a great teacher. Jesus came to be the Saviour, and as such He was born for you.

Bound inseparably together are the Saviour’s birth and His death. He came to save, and to save He must die, die in the sinner’s stead, bearing the full penalty of divine wrath for sin. This too, was personal it was for you.

Such a personal message of God’s love and grace demands a personal response. The Saviour who was born was God’s gift to you. He wants you to receive that gift. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

To receive the gift of God by faith, you must believe that Christ actually was born to be your Saviour. You should trust Him because He died for your sins. You should trust Him because He lives, having risen from the dead.

God’s call to you is “Come unto me … “ (Matthew 11:28).

The Gospel Standard

The words of God say in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Once a person becomes born again (saved) there are supposed to be some changes that take place over time. When a person is saved then the Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell inside the person until the day of redemption. The day the Lord returns to catch them away with Him to heaven.

The work of the Holy Spirit is  over a period of time to conform the believer to the image Christ. The only way this process can happen if the believer is yielded on a daily basis to the indwelling Holy Spirit and not the old man or unsaved flesh.  You see when a person is born again the soul is saved, the believer’s spirit is born again but the flesh is still unsaved.

I ask you the following question if you are truly born again have you become a new creature in Christ by daily walking in and yielding to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis? If you make this claim then why do still harbor hatred toward a person of another race or ethnic group.

To the Lord each soul is a precious that needs to be saved regardless of race or ethnic group. As a saved person you are to have the mind of Christ. You should look at each person as a precious soul needing to be saved regardless of race or ethnic group.

The words of God speak out and against homosexuality, same sex marriage and the perversion that is going on in our society today but God does not prohibit interracial marriage.

So, if you harbor hatred toward person of another race and ethnic group then repent of your sin and ask God to give you a burden for their soul.

The Old Testament Scriptures predicted the coming of a Messiah who would be both a Saviour and a King. Prophecy became history in Jesus Christ. At His first coming”… the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6), and when He comes again ” … the government shall be upon his shoulder …” (Isaiah 9:6).

The Lord’s return for the church and His subsequent coming with the church to reign over the earth forms the Christian hope and solution to the problems of a chaotic world. The Scripture reveals numerous blessings bound up in that wonderful hope.

A HOPE OF RESURRECTION

The Apostle Paul tells us that following the archangel’s shout, announcing the coming of Christ, believers in Christ who have died shall be raised (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This is the first resurrection or the resurrection of life (John 5:28-29).

The happy state of those sharing resurrection at Christ’s coming is described in Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

A HOPE OF RAPTURE

Immediately following the resurrection of the dead in Christ, believers who are living at that time shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The Lord spoke of this blessed hope to His disciples in John 14:2-3, “… I go to prepare a place for you. And if l go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

A HOPE OF REUNION

Resurrected believers and living saints are to be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). What a happy reunion that will be! Husbands and wives shall be joined again, broken family circles restored, friends and loves ones shall meet, never to be parted again.

A HOPE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith” (Galatians 5:5). The hour is coming when the sons of God shall see the Son of God, and “… we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Not only to be sinless, but to be unable to sin! “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

A HOPE OF RESTORATION

The redemptive work of Christ shall then lift the curse of sin from the whole groaning creation (Romans 8:19,22). Then shall the desert bloom as a rose, and thorns and thistles shall give way to fruitful vines and trees. The lion and the lamb shall lie down together. All nature shall rejoice and bring forth in abundance (Isaiah 3 5).

A HOPE OF REWARD

When our glorious King returns, He shall bring His rewards with Him (Revelation 22:12). Every act of kindness done in His name, all work built upon the foundation Christ Jesus which abides the test of His judgment, shall be richly rewarded.

A HOPE OF REIGNING

Those who follow the path of humiliation marked out by His nail-pierced feet shall be exalted with Him. “… and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). The willing victim of the cross shall one day wear the victor’s crown. The Saviour shall be acclaimed Sovereign. He shall be glorified in the innumerable hosts of the redeemed.

Nearly two thousand years ago, there was born in Bethlehem of Judea a Babe, whose life was destined to affect countless millions. The Babe was Jesus Christ.

The time was ripe for His birth. Roman roads had been built throughout the civilized world in preparation for the feet of His future messengers. The Greek language had become almost universal in readiness for the proclamation of His Gospel.

The people among whom He was born were poor and despised, having been conquered by the Roman power. In the heart of every man was a cry for deliverance.

The world knew not of His birth. Work went on as usual. There was no tremendous upheaval announcing a new order. Kings and potentates continued to rule as before. Nothing outwardly heralded His advent into the world.

Only Heaven appeared to be interested. In fact, God had to arrange a welcome Himself, and so legions of angels circled the skies and heralded His birth. Wise men from the East, studying the stars and observing an unusual phenomenon in the heavens, came with their gifts from afar. Shepherds bowed in adoration and worship.

Rulers learned of His birth and became fearful and afraid. Anger filled their hearts. Murder was conceived and executed. Fearful of losing their power, they sought His death by every possible means.

Every diabolical plan that satanic ingenuity could devise was used to destroy Him. Demons trembled. Satan became enraged. All Hell was allied against Him; but God was watching, and He lived in spite of all.

He did not come to a palace with marble halls and carpeted stairs. No luxurious bed chamber was prepared for His birth. Neither nurses nor doctors were in attendance. Cathedral bells failed to toll; bands were silent; no royal choruses burst forth in song. Only the music of Heaven was heard; for He came to a stable, and He was laid in a manger. His mother had only the straw for a bed, and animals were her companions. There was no room in the inn.

Little did Caesar know that this Babe, through His teachings, would one day destroy his mighty empire, bring to naught the majesty and power of Rome, and overthrow all earthly governments; or that the day would come when His birth, His life, and His death would have a greater influence on humanity than the birth and death of any other man. For He was destined to be recognized by countless millions as the greatest of all the prophets, the mightiest of all the mighty, the Saviour of the world, God incarnate.

And now for nearly two thousand years, His birth has been commemorated, for He is worshiped by countless millions. More than nineteen hundred Christmas days have come and gone since that never-to-be-forgotten night when “… the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us …” (John 1:14). Today, after the passing of more than nineteen hundred years, He is worshiped by countless millions, and untold multitudes are looking forward to the time when He will reappear “… without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).

My friend, do you worship Him as your Saviour? Will you welcome Him when He returns: Have you accepted Him? If not, then do it and do it NOW!

THE “OUGHT” OF LOVE

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11). Is this not true, that God loved us to such an extent that He sent His Son, His only Son, down to this earth to die for us who are not worthy? But love, His love, made Him do it. “Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). We are His friends, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14). He gives us a new commandment, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have love you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).

THE “OUGHT” OF PRAYER

“And he spake … that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). The prayerful life is a victorious life. Jesus commanded the disciples while He was in the garden to “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). The fainting Christian is the prayerless Christian. There is a saying, “The devil trembles when he sees the weakest saint on his knees.” This shows that the devil cannot get hold of a Christian who lives a real prayer-filled life. Great things have been wrought by Christians who have lived real prayerful lives. If one’s mind and heart are not prayerful, that is when the enemy gets his chance at him, and what damage has been wrought in cases like that!

THE “OUGHT” OF OBEDIENCE

“… We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). These words were spoken by the apostles when they were before the high priest. We believe the apostles had holy boldness when they uttered these words before the counsel. These apostles had been commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. They answered, “… Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye” (Acts 4:19). Samuel told Saul, when he did not obey God but listened to the people and did as he pleased, that “… to obey is better than sacrifice … ” (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul lost his kingship. Those who listen to God and obey Him will be mightily used of Him.

THE “OUGHT” OF PATIENCE

“We than that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). It may seem hard sometimes to bear with those who are weak. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1 ). It may take these things to teach one patience. Paul became ” … all things to all men, .. ” (1 Corinthians 9:22) that he might win some to Christ. If a Christian becomes impatient with a weaker one and cannot bear with him in all things, he will not win him to Christ. “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Luke 21:19).

THE “OUGHT” OF SACRIFICE

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). This takes love – not natural love, but spiritual love. In these days, it seems hard for some to sacrifice for others. Perhaps a few minutes of our time would be the means of cheering someone that is down and out, and perhaps even be the means of bringing him to Christ. It may mean to give up getting something you wanted so badly. True happiness is found in sacrificing for others. Our Lord sacrificed for us. He gave His very life. He died in such a shameful way, that we might share with Him eternal life.

THE “OUGHT” OF GIVING

“I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). By these words we can fully understand why God gave His only Son to save a dying world, and why Jesus was willing to obey His Father. You and I cannot give in this way perhaps, but we can be willing to give the little things, such as time and money. It says, “… ought to support the weak …” This does not mean physically weak, but to bear with those who are weak spiritually. Give up your reputation and dignity and become like them. Paul said, “To the weak became I as weak, that  I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1Corinthians 9:22).

THE “OUGHT” OF FORGIVING

“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow” (2 Corinthians 2:7). Here we are told that we ought to forgive. Ifsomeone has wronged you, you ought to forgive him; if not, your Father in Heaven cannot forgive you. In the sermon on the mount, we read, “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15). Look at the treatment that Jesus received. He was innocent, yet when He hung on that cruel cross, He could look to His Father and say, “… Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do … “(Luke 23 :34).

The Gospel Standard

As a man, here are some practical and spiritual things that you can do to prepare for your marriage, even long before you find the woman that you believe God would have you to marry.

Establish consistent personal devotions – Ps 55:17 David prayed three times a day; Is 34:16 read your Bible daily; 2 Tim 2:15 study the words of God; 1 Tim 4:13 Paul exhorted Timothy to “give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” – the best way to prepare yourself to love your wife is to love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul – Jesus loves the church and we are to love our wives the way that Christ loves the church, Eph 5:25 – your love for your wife should always be secondary to your love for the Lord – if, therefore, you don’t love the Lord very much, you won’t love your wife very much either – or else you will end up loving her more than you love the Lord and that will cripple your marriage

Rule your spirit – Prov 25:28; 14:29 – loving relationships between men and women involve emotions – therefore, you have to have control of your spirit and your emotions to keep from rash statements and actions that will hurt your spouse – one thing with which women have a hard time is forgetting things that hurt them – many men have hurt their wives because they lost their temper at a time when they should have maintained control – their marriages have suffered from then on

Control your eyes – Ps 101:3; Job 31:1 men have a terrible time with this problem, particularly today – you have to be disciplined to keep from developing an attitude about women that they are simply objects for your personal pleasure – so, don’t watch TV, watch few movies [be sure there is nothing suggestive or explicit that you will view], don’t surf the internet, don’t lust after women Matt 5:28  

Control your thoughts – 2 Cor 10:4-5; Prov 16:3 – once you have an image, you have an imagination – and the trouble with our imagination is that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth,” Gen 8:21 – you have to control your thought life – if you don’t you could very easily end up marrying the wrong woman for the wrong reason and be very miserable in your marriage – furthermore, with an out-of-control thought life, you will not be satisfied with the wife of thy youth [Prov 5:18-19] and before long you will be looking for pleasure from other women – follow Phil 4:8 and not the philosophy of the world – fill your mind with good things

Keep yourself pure – 1 Cor 7:1 keep your hands to yourself; 2 Tim 2:22 flee also youthful lusts – the best way to avoid trouble here is don’t play the dating game – and covenant that you will wait till you are married before physically loving your wife

Find and do the Lord’s will for your life – Phil 2:12-13 that way when you meet your future bride, you won’t be pulled away from the Lord’s will by trying to appease her – 1 Cor 11:3 the head of every man is Christ – therefore, you have to be under his authority if your wife is ever going to be under your authority – many a man has left the path of the Lord’s will for the sake of the woman he wanted to marry only to find that he could never get back to the Lord’s will because she wouldn’t let him without making his life miserable or without threatening to divorce him

Prepare yourself financially – 2 Thes 3:7-10, Prov 24:27 – you have to be able to pay the bills without straining your marriage – it’s too easy to crave the companionship of a bride so much that you neglect to be responsible about the future of your family 

Develop strong convictions – 1 Tim 4:12 – as the old saying goes, “a man that will stand for nothing will fall for anything” – there is some truth to that statement – you have to know where you stand and then you have to stand there – that will make it easier for you and your bride to determine whether you are agreed on important matters – if not, then you’ll find yourself giving ground that you cannot recover just to keep your marriage together – like Amos asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

Study and develop leadership characteristics – Gen 3:16, about the woman, God said, “he shall rule over thee”; 1 Cor 11:3, “the head of the woman is the man” – how can you expect a woman to follow you if you cannot rule – a preacher said, “a man will either rule his house or he’ll wreck it” – so you have to learn how to lead

Be very faithful in church – Heb 10:25 – attend all the services faithfully [i.e., Sunday school, preaching morning and evening, and prayer meeting] – occupy your time with things in the ministry – learn to be a helper and concentrate your efforts on getting lost people saved and in church – that way it will be natural for your family to grow together in church

Honor the women who are in your life – 1 Pet 3:7 – a man is to give honor unto his wife – so learn the proper honor and respect for the women who are in your life – honor your mother – treat your sisters with honor – treat your aunts and grandmothers and personal friends with honor and respect – that way when you marry, you will know how to honor your wife – too many men treat their wives with less honor than they do their dogs

Pray for the right woman – Prov 18:22; 19:14 – “a prudent wife is from the Lord” – God can direct you to the woman he wants you to have but you would be wise to start praying now for the discernment to know who she is when she shows up – a friend of mine prayed for years for a wife and when visiting a church he identified her – shortly thereafter they married – and they have been married now for over 40 years, with wonderful children and grandchildren faithfully serving the Lord

Study spiritual qualities in virtuous women – Prov 31:10-31; Tit 2:3-5 – a man once told me what his mother told him about marrying the right woman – she said, “Don’t you marry no woman what you loves … you marry a woman who gonna prove she love you” – now that’s not good grammar but that is sound wisdom – she explained that a man is prone to fall in love with the first woman he sees who’ll look back at him – forget about her physical qualities for a minute and check out her non-physical qualities to see if they match the qualities of a virtuous woman – remember that “beauty is vain” – “a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” – I’ll guarantee you this, if she’s virtuous she won’t let you start a physical relationship with her until you two are married

Be manly – Prov 13:22 “a good man obtaineth favor of the Lord”; Acts 11:24 Barnabas was “a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith” – today there are many sissies in church because Christianity is soft and all about feelings – be a man – and like an old preacher said, “If you can’t be a man, fake until you become one” – a good woman deserves a man with a backbone – she’ll be extremely insecure if you’re backbone is no firmer than a wet noodle – and when a woman is insecure she will try to take control

Develop friendships with good men – Prov 13:20 – most of the problems that young men have with young women stem from friendships with bad young men – you run with the wrong crowd and you will do the wrong things – and the converse is true – you run with the right crowd and you will do the right things

Follow the example of men in successful marriages – Phil 4:9 – ask the men who have been married to the same woman for twenty five or thirty years or more how they did it – listen carefully and do those things – you will generally find that these men are stable, sober, compassionate, friendly, secure, humble, and good natured; they are good listeners and good leaders; they are not harsh and they are not cruel; they are honorable and trustworthy