The painter of the door post

Exodus 12:21-23

Here we read of the last plague past on Egypt . At midnight the death angle was to go throughout all of Egypt and slay all the first born. The only ones that were to be saved were within the homes where the door post had been painted with the blood of the passover lamb. Our theme for this lesson is the painter of the doorpost. Who was this person and why was there actions so very important?

Given the traditional understanding of family one would say that it was the head of the house hold. Possibly the father. But dose the bible actually say who done it ? Could someone else have done the all important task? Could someone else have saved the first born from death by being obedient? I think so. I think that to assume that only the father figure was capable of such a task would be a little short sighted. After all we would do well to remember how Rahab saved here complete house hold by helping the Israelite spy's and following there directions. (Joshua 2:15-20) Another attribute we should take notice of is that the death angle was only looking for the blood on the door post ,not who painted them.

So where am i going with all of this?
I am strongly convinced that anyone who took the initiative and was obedient to Gods commands was able to protect the household. Maybe the mother ,the child,the teenager,the grandparents,whoever was Obedient.

The truth I am trying to uncover here is that a household may be covered by Gods protection and blessings on behalf of the child of God living within. Whoever the painter of the door post was,there actions were what protected the house.

Now how dose this apply today? I'm so glad you asked.
(1) If your a child of God ,your obedience brings Gods blessings and protection to the home in which you dwell.
(2) Those in side that house are blessed because of you.
(3) Gods only requirement is obedience.

May you and your household be blessed and may you become The Painter of The Door Posts.

Rejoicing through trials

I Peter 1:6-10

Back ground.
Peter is speaking to believers that are going through heavy persecution .
He is encouraging them to remain strong in the faith as they go through trials

Note
Trials in this text is used to describe a condition that exists only as a result of being persecuted for standing for Christ.

One may ask why it is so important that we rejoice under trials.
First let me say that the word rejoicing doesn't necessarily mean that you enjoy the experience.On the contrary the experience may be quite dread full.I believe that Peter meant we should feel a great sence of satisfaction knowing that we were found by the world around us to be joined with Christ.( Acts 5: 40-41)

1st point
vs 7
Being able to rejoice through a trial is a proof of our faith.
You see,being able to look a trial straight in the face and deal with it by using scripture,the holy spirit,and the power of Jesus,is in itself a proof of where we stand.
This proof of faith is not only beneficial to us and pleasing to God ,but it also becomes a witness to others.A kind of boost to there faith if you will.
Think of how many times in scripture as well as history that when one person stood for what they believed in others soon followed.
What greater of a witness could we have?

2nd point
vs7
Rejoicing through trials has a substantial reward.
We are never asked to bear up under trials just for the sake of doing it. Our trials are used to bring out the best in us. The Trials here are compared to the heating of gold to remove all impurities. If we will allow our trials to do like wise,to remove all fleshless, all sense of, i can handle this alone . Then the Christ which dwells within all believers will be able to shine through.
The reward for such trials will be Christ himself at his return saying ,Well done,Good job,I knew you could do it.I,m glad to call you mine.

3rd point
vs9
As we rejoice under trials we prove our faith. The proof that we love Jesus even though we cant see him or even touch him ultimately results in the salvation of our souls.

Closing comments.
As we face persecutions for our belief,no matter how small ,we should feel honored to be associated with our Lord and bear the trial with gladness of heart.

Show Off Christians

September 9, 2007

by Pastor Clint

Matt 6:1-4

vs 1 begins with beware= A warning of danger

The warning is this:

Don't practice righteousness to be noticed by men. Don't have a show off religion

But what is a show off religion? vs 2 gives us an example of show off religion

1. they sound a trumpet to announce their deeds. (Hey look at me, I'm being a christian)

a. Also this showing off go's on in the church as well as outside.

2. another characteristic of show off religion is that it seeks to honor men.

a. the one showing off is more interested in what people say and feel about himself than about God's reaction.

Now that we know the warning what are the dangers?

1. The first danger is that we will have no reward with God for such behavior according to vs. 1.

2. We become hypocrites by doing righteousness with the motives of being honored by men.

a. Our motive for righteousness should be to honor God and bring Him glory.

Now that we have seen the warning and understand the danger. Where is the blessing?

vs 4 says that what is done in secret, He sees and will reward. That reward will be better than anything you can ever do for yourself.

1. Those who practice show off religion only receives reward that the crowds give them and nothing more according to vs 2.

2. Those who practice righteousness with the right heart and reasons are rewarded by God.

Love Our Enemies

Loving Our Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48

by Pastor Clint

Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Who would do such a thing? That is not even rational or good sense! We should fight our enemy and try to retaliate on who ever persecutes us. That is the way it should be according to the flesh.

Whenever we are in the defense mode, we tend to be a little one sided or fleshly.

We are always looking for the easiest way out. Often times resulting in violence or selfishness. But what if for just a moment we address the situation by who we are and not how we feel.

We Are Children of God redeemed by Jesus Christ!

*As children of God we should act in a way that proves it. James 2: 17-20

God should be our example of how to treat others.

* Matthew 5:45 says that God causes it to rain on the unrighteous and righteous and the sun to shine on the evil and the good.

With this example we should examine how we treat others. We would do good to remember that Jesus died for us while we were sinners and hostile toward Him. One may say even enemies.

We should love all people.

* It is a little selfish to only love those who love you. What makes that special? If God only loved those who loved Him we would have never been saved.

If we only love our friends we are no different than anyone else. Even sinners love their friends. The real test comes when you can love someone who seems unlovable.

We should imitate God.

Verse 48 says we should be perfect as God is perfect. Our desire in life should be like God. As we try to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us we began to grow as a Christian. Just as a child grows into an adult. We grow as Christians, from babies to spiritually mature adults. This growth is only possible through God's help and our willingness.