What do we see at the Empty Tomb?

In Philippians chapter two and verses 9-11 we read; “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” This is something that has been preached to me every since I have been a Christian, and I have no problem bowing before the sovereign of the universe. How can I confess to do His work when I have not submitted to Him, and allowed Him to take this life and use it for His glory? How can I even hope to have an eternity surrounded by God’s glory if I have not recognized Jesus Christ as my personal savior? I want to look back at the final week of Jesus’ life and see how a few of the people that He came in contact with reacted to Jesus, and relate their experiences to those we see today.
In Matthew 26:14 we see a little bit of Judas’ reaction to the sovereign of the universe. “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces.” I don’t want to take this out of context nor do I want justify Judas’ action in the least little bit. Judas was motivated by greed and any attempts to soften this crime are useless. In verses 6-13 we read the story of the woman who anointed the Lord with expensive oil. The disciple’s first reaction was to see this as a waste, and this did not pass the eye of Judas, as we see his reaction by agreeing to betray the Lord. Perhaps Judas saw Christianity as a ride to riches and notoriety he saw the works and attention that surrounded our Lord as an opportunity for personal gain. Granted Judas was overcome with grief for this act and tried to give the money back, as the weight of the money matched the weight of conviction for his actions. Still his actions set in motion the events of the death of our savior.
Money and fame become a great motivator in the actions of man. This was not the first time that Christianity was seen as a way to gain personal recognition, nor will it be the last. In Acts 8:14-25 we read of a sorcerer that thought he could buy the rights to administer the Holy Spirit for his own personal gain. There have been times that I struggled with thoughts of having certain gifts that I see in others that I could do that too if I only had those gifts. These thoughts are motivated by thoughts of glory not for the Lord or his kingdom but for me alone. Visions of power and influence dance in my mind only to be humbled as I pray that the Lord will forgive me for these thoughts and use me to glorify His name. God has ways to humble the proud and once they recognize this, are still able to be used by God. The life of the church is filled with examples of the misuse of the gifts of ministry, and not only the life of the church but, everyday life as we see those step on everyone else to get ahead.
Judas had his own agenda and couldn’t see past his own needs to see the true ministry of Christ. He is not any different than other people who put of Christianity to follow their own plans for their lives thinking they have plenty of time for a relationship with God when they are older. They want to make gains in the political world, in their careers, or have a little fun first, and Christianity will just get in the way. I pray that God gives them that time, He doesn’t always.
What happened when the religious rulers of Israel met Jesus, did they bow before Him and confess Him as Messiah? In truth they saw Him upsetting everything they had worked their entire lives to establish. They had power and fame they had surrounded themselves with a set of rules to live by that had become their salvation. They longed and looked for a Messiah but anything short of an overthrow of Roman rule in Israel was unacceptable. They set about to discredit Jesus with a series of traps and when this didn’t work they knew He had to die. In short anything less than their preconceived notions of Messiah would not do.
We do not have to look far to see this theology in the lives of people around us. Here is the biggest one I hear; “I am a good person and God wouldn’t send me to Hell.”
When the rich young ruler came to Jesus and called Him good, Jesus says in Matthew 19:17 “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is God.” Let’s look at the young man’s question for a minute, he asked Jesus: “Teacher, what good thing shall I do to that I may have eternal life?” I believe that this question arose from the teaching he received from the religious leaders of the time. We see this from reading on in the chapter and witness his response to Jesus. In verse 21 Jesus tells him what else he must do; “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” What Jesus is telling him is to give up his old life and follow Him. People can’t do that, they have become comfortable with how they have placed God in a box and told Him that He can come no father. They are good people and try and do good to others, sure they slip up now and then, but at least they are not killing anyone. What would happen if they peered into that box and tried to see God for who He really was? That He really loved us and wants the best for us, that we are the ones boxed into a life of sin separated from Him. That we are not good people but sinners in need of a Messiah, and all that Messiah asks of us is to follow Him. But that would mean we would have to admit that we were wrong. That our system of logic and rules were false, and that the box we place our notion of God in is covered with the stains of sin that keep us from seeing who God really is. We would have to give up control and that is something that most can not do. It is funny as I look back upon by life and think about how much control over it I had, I realize how little control I really had. In a code of ethics that I received from my company it sates that they can fire me for any reason or no reason at all. I depend upon my job but realize that I have no control over it. I fall upon the mercy of God and rely upon the sacrifice of His Son for my eternal life in glory, no set of rules will guarantee me that, no preconceived image of a Messiah will grant me grace, only the love of a good God for this forgiven saint.
What of Peter when he met the Lord his first reaction was to leave his job and follow Him. When Peter saw the Lord walking on water he wanted to go to Him and stepped onto the sea to greet Him. When Jesus told His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things, it was Peter who took Him aside and began to rebuke Him that this wouldn’t happen to Him. It was Peter who wanted to raise churches when he saw the Lord transfigured on a hill, it was Peter who confessed that he would die for the Lord rather than deny Him, it was Peter who pulled a sword at the arrest of Jesus and used it to defend the Lord, and it was Peter who denied he even knew Him.
Many of us come to salvation through Christ and serve Him with all of our heart and even defend Him to others. Jesus does not need us to defend Him He needs us to tell others of Him, to lead them into a relationship with Him, and to live in peace with those who would speak against Him. When Peter struck the servant of the high priest, Jesus said in Matthew 26:53; “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” We enjoy the love that God has for us through His Son, and enjoy the fellowship with other believers when we can, but when we are faced with persecution, how do we react? Are we silent, when others slander those who follow Him? Do we come to the aid of those who are hurting, in need, struggling with their own faith? Do we follow where the Lord leads us or do we say the road is too hard? Do we demonstrate with our lives that we would serve Him all of our days, or no we deny Him with our actions in front of others?
We all will have times when we are like Peter, first to speak out that Jesus is Lord, when we will jump in and defend the Lord with violence in speech and by our actions, and when we will deny that we are followers of Him. Oh maybe not in words, but people watch our actions more than they hear what we say. Finally we will all have times when we meet with Jesus after failing Him, and confess our love for Him as Peter did in John Chapter 21. When Peter realized that the Lord was standing on the shore and speaking to them, he jumped into the water to swim to Him. Peter found on that shore, a warm fire, nourishment for his bodies, and the One who he had come to know as the salvation of all mankind. When Jesus had restored Peter He told him to follow Him once again and feed His sheep, to share the good news with all those who need to hear it. The same things He asks of us, when we come to Him repented and ready to once again follow Him.
I can go on and on but I have always tried to keep this short for the readers. I could tell you how Pilate saw Jesus as a problem he wanted nothing to do with, or the soldiers who saw Him as a condemned prisoner who was to be ridiculed and tortured, or perhaps the thief on the cross who saw Jesus as his only hope for an eternity with God, and finally the women at the tomb who in Matthew 28 came to the tomb and found an angel telling them that He was not there, that Jesus had risen and invited them to look for themselves. And as they turned to go Jesus met with them and said; “Rejoice!” as they fell at His feet and worshiped Him.
Christ still meets with us today to show us who He is and that He wants to be a part of us. He is with us to encourage, equip, and send us to tell others of His glorious resurrection, and how they too can be a part of His kingdom.

Painting Pictures of Egypt

Exodus 14:11, 12 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt so with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?” “Is it not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
Exodus 16: 2, 3 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Exodus 17: 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
It amazes me at fast how the people were so quick to complain to Moses, after they had received so much from God. They had begun to paint pictures of there past lives that were attractive to them in their minds, forgetting that the land they lived in was not their own, the livestock they owned was not their own, even their very lives were subject to the whims of the Egyptians. They failed to see that there were graves in Egypt and they were full of their friends, family and children. They forgot that they felt hunger and thirst for freedom in the land of Egypt. They saw only the sand and the way that they were being led was too hard and they wanted to go back to the comforts of slavery.
The people forgot or overlooked the glory that God had already revealed to them. I am not talking about years passing by and the people crying out against Moses, the time frame for this turn around in their thinking is a matter of a few months. In chapter fourteen they have raised their voices against Moses soon after experiencing the mighty hand of God against Pharaoh, in their deliverance from slavery.
In Chapter sixteen, after the Red sea crossing and the death of Pharaoh’s army, and after composing a song of praise to the Lord, which spoke of God’s mighty victories, plus witnessing God turn the bitter water into water that they could use for themselves and their flocks, they again raise their voice against Moses. The rumbling in their bellies was nearly loud enough to match their rumbling against Moses.
Again, in chapter seventeen the people cry out for water to wash down the manna that God was providing for them daily. How long before they began to cry out against the manna itself. Oh yeah numbers 11:1-6; Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord the fire was quenched. So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them. Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” God is more patient and loving then I am. My answer to this lot would have been; “Let me give you something to cry about! I’ll take away the manna and give you nothing, and then we’ll see how quickly you grave the taste of manna.”
There seems to be a pattern here, the people complain, the Lord provides. But are we that different from our Israelite brothers? We have been delivered from a certain death, and the bondage of sin. The Son of God dwells in each of us, who have invited Him into their life. We are able to approach the God of the universe just to fellowship with Him. His blessing, protection, and guidance are a part of the every day life of the believer, but yet we look back upon our past lives with passion saying; “Man I remember when?” Becoming a Christian does not always mean we are now living a life of ease, where our every want is given us, and we walk daily in the gardens smelling the roses, and sharing in fellowship with others that are enjoying the same existence we are, but we want it. So we complain, and the Lord provides, not what we want per say, but what we need. The Bible teaches us that God knows what we need even before we ask, and Jesus taught that we don’t have what we ask for because we ask for the wrong things.
The cost of discipleship is hard, we become a Christian and want to bring our old self right along with us into this new freedom we are experiencing, all the while God is trying to tell us that the old self is dead and I want to shape you into what I want you to become. We invite Jesus into our hearts and lives and complain when He wants to change the wallpaper and carpet. I remember when I first came back to the Lord in my twenties, if you remember from my testimony I was saved in my teens but fell away from the Lord, I still liked to drink and when drunk I would tell others about this new love I had for the Lord. This was such a turn off I soon lost a few friends, I also soon was able to get my drinking under control. I ached for the fellowship I had with my party crowd, but this is not what God wanted for me and found fellowship with other believers just as rewarding. I complained to God that my walk with Him cost me my friends, He provided new ones.
Jesus’ disciples found out the cost of discipleship wasn’t something they always understood early in His ministry. In Luke 14:26, 27 He tells them; “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brother and sisters, yes, and his own also, he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” That sounds so much like Jeff Foxworthy’s jokes. If you hate your parents and yourself, you might be a Christian. If you are able to pick up your cross and carry it all your life, you might be a Christian. Not that the Lord was joking when He said this He was telling His disciples that they must put their relationship with Him above all others even their own wants and needs and be willing to suffer for the cause of Christianity. This sounds like a hard road to walk for some and some do turn away, as is written in John 6:41-60. Jesus told then they had to eat His flesh and drink His blood to obtain eternal life. Now some of them were thinking that was just something they could not do, first of all that was gross, and second he was just one skinny Jewish guy, how could everyone get a piece of Him. We know what the Lord meant, but to them it seemed a very difficult thing to do. Even today when you tell others who desire to gain access into the Kingdom of God that it has to come trough Jesus, they turn away for they can not bear the cost of discipleship. I do not want to give up my Sundays for church, or there are a lot of things I like about my life and wish to keep them, and I just know that walking a life of Christianity will cost me those things. So they turn away and hope that they are a good enough person to make it to heaven. I would hate to stand before the Lord and tell Him I deserve to be there on my own merits, to tell Him I lived my own life and was a good person. To tell Him that I did not need saved from my old life, I liked it just fine. The hard truth is that any who do not accept God’s provision for salvation, will not enter into the Kingdom of God.
What of those who receive this precious gift and offer it back to God, but yet do not fully understand it? I like what Peter said to the Lord in John 6: 68, 69, when He asked the disciples if they too would turn away from following Him. Peter said; “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe that you are the Christ the Son of the living God.” Peter knew what we also know, that Jesus is the path of salvation. We do not always understand this journey we are on and long to go back to our old lives when it becomes hard to walk this path, but we have come to know the truth found in His Spirit, and His word, we have come to love Him more than our own lives. We stand on the road God has laid out before us and turn and look back at the lives we led and at times long for the past failing to see that it too was not always filled with ease. We paint a picture of our past that seems attractive and allow Satan to place these thoughts in our mind. For the enemy can mask the bad and show you only the good. Jesus hides nothing from us, He tells the disciple that the road is hard and few can walk it. Still we trod on putting one foot in front of another, walking a road we do not always understand. For we too have come to know that Jesus is the Christ, and our salvation. He is our rock, redeemer, a mighty fortress into which we can run and be safe.
The things that we have come to know as truth no longer will fit the lifestyles we lived in Egypt, but point to a future filled with His light, and His glory, filled with fellowship so sweet that the mind cannot imagine it. It is faith the propels us along this road, and it is faith that will bring us home.

The True Shepherd

John 10:1-5
V. 1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”
You can almost see the face of Jesus turn serious as He pronounces this truth. “Most assuredly, one of my favorite preachers says; “listen” every time he wants to get a point across. It is as if you are to sit up and pay attention, because something is about to be said that you no not want to miss. At all times our Lord speaks the truth, but when he delivers it in this manner it is either, because it is of greater importance, because man is more apt to disagree with it, or the small numbers of people that will practice this makes this truth seem hard to believe.
He spoke this truth in a way that the people would understand. A sheepfold was a fenced in area, probably rocks lined with brambles, or a natural occurring area that could have a gate placed in front of it to keep the livestock in and danger out. Christ assures us that whoever does not enter into the pastoral office through Jesus Christ are thieves and robbers in the sheepfold. As I look at the office of the pastor, I have to wonder why any one would want to do this, but there are those who would do this to just for personal recognition or gain. Some would enjoy the honor that goes along with being a pastor, or simply want to promote their own interest, or express their own believes. Jesus is saying that if they are not called by Him, and gifted by Him to do this work, they are there for their own reasons. Some are very good at deceiving many to believe that they are the real deal, but any who study the word of God are soon able to recognize their motives.
V. 2 “But he who enters by the other door is the shepherd of the sheep.”
The mark of a true pastor is that he has made a lawful entrance into the ministry by the internal call of Christ. How does one know that he is called into the ministry, do they have this flash of light or a burning bush experience? God calls each of into His service in a way that is unique to each of us, and in a way that is confirmed by the Spirit that we cannot deny. I remember my own call so clearly that several years later it remains with me as if it was yesterday. These individuals, gifted by God to do His work, have consideration only for God’s glory, and their motives are for the good of the church, the salvation of souls, doing the will of God, and sacrificing themselves entirely to the service of God.
V. 3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
Sir Isaac Newton observed that the Lord being near the temple, where the sheep were kept to be sold for sacrifices, spoke many things in parables of sheep, of their shepherds, and the door to the sheepfold. In the gatekeeper opening the door for the true shepherd we discover another mark of a true pastor, that his labor is met with success. The Holy Spirit opens his way into the hearts of his hearers, and he becomes the instrument of their salvation. Paul says in Colossians 4:3 “Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains.” and again in 2 Corinthians 2:12 “Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord.”
“The sheep hear his voice”, a further mark of a true minister of the gospel is that he speaks in a way as to instruct the people. He preaches Christ an in a way that is understandable to the people. Any who speak in a way that is above the people so as they can not understand what is being said is talking to hear himself speak. The greatest compliment I received lately is that I spoke in a way that simple and easy to understand.
“He calls his own sheep by name”, a good pastor is well acquainted with his flock. He takes care to acquaint himself with the spiritual state of all those that are entrusted to him. He speaks to them concerning their souls, and thus gets a better knowledge of their spiritual state in order to know how to instruct them, and further minister to them. One who is not acquainted with the flock is unable to lead them successfully.
“And he leads them out” A pastor leads his flock, he does not Lord over them or attempt by severity, or disciplines not found in the Gospel of Christ, to force them into a way of life, nor to drive them out of it. Many still do this which is a disgrace to the true gospel of peace. He leads them out of their lives into the life of Christ, out of the world unto the path of Christian holiness. He leads them by gentle persuasion that flows from the heart full of the word and a love for Christ, into the kingdom of God.
V.4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
“He Goes before them,” A good pastor leads by example, he not only preaches the word of God, he lives it. He enters into a relationship with God, and having explored the path of righteousness, knows how to lead those entrusted to his care. The minister, who is in a right relationship with God, has an understanding of the will of God for himself and the flock is able to lead the flock because they know his words to be true. It was the custom in the eastern countries for the shepherd to go at the head of his sheep, and they followed him from pasture to pasture. A true minister of the gospel is able to lead his flock through this life, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to become what God desires for them to be.
V. 5 “Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of a stranger.”
If anyone who is a stranger to the Gospel of our Lord, his preaching will soon give evidence to that fact. The hearts of those acquainted to the truths found in the gospel of Christ will recognize him as a thief, who has come to turn them form the truth that they have come to know. They soon cease to follow his leadership, and leave the flock or ask this leader to move on. A good leader will equip the flock with the knowledge of the word of God, but it is also up to us to be in the word, so that we are able to recognize the truth from fiction.

The Spiritual War

2 Corinthians 10:1-6
V. 1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ-who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold towards you.
In this letter Paul addresses his critics in the church, who have slandered him in his absence. Paul speaks for himself, against whom the false apostles had begun to attack, yet in the midst of their attacks, Paul shows humility and mildness. He points to the example of Christ in responding to open attacks by showing humility and mildness, and hopes that this great example may have some influence upon the Corinthians. When we find ourselves to act in a manner that is considered severe towards anyone, we are to remember the meekness of Christ, that He displayed while here in the flesh, both in the carrying out of His ministry, and His attitude of grace towards sinners.
Paul speaks of himself as one being lowly among them, even as his enemies spoke of him with contempt, while they sought to undermine his influence on the church by their speech and attitude still he continues to take an attitude of humility. He even acknowledges their arguments with the last words of this verse as this was the claim of the false apostle that had risen up in the church. He seems to quote these as the words of his accuser, as if he had said; “This apostle acts humble among you, knowing how contemptible he is, but see how he brags and boasts in his letters.” How often are we misunderstood as we attempt to display the example that Christ has given us. Paul had the authority to act severely with this false apostle, yet wanted others to see him for what he was. May we act in like manner when men rise up against our stand for Christ, showing the same humility that Paul displays, mimicking Christ.
V. 2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
Paul asserts his power to punish those who would bring dissention in the church, but ask the church that he not be so with them. Paul does not wish to walk in the flesh as some would and act in a way that is contrary to the Spirit and the design of the gospel. The word of God and the Holy Spirit is the power by which Christians are able to defend their actions and change the world. Oh that we would walk in the boldness of the Spirit using the gifts that God has given to us.
V. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
That is: Although I am in the common condition of human nature, and must live as a human being, yet I do not war against the flesh. The flesh would have us react to attacks on our character, family, or person, in a way that is more aligned to the world than the word of God. This is what a good friend of mine calls; “getting in the flesh.”
V. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
Paul often uses the metaphor of warfare to represent the trials of Christians, he encourages them not to get in the flesh, but rely upon the power of God. Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Sprit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Our doctrines are true and pure, they come from God and lead to Him, and He accompanies them with His mighty power to the hearts of those who would hear them; and these strongholds-the apparently solid and cogent reasoning of the world, we, by these doctrines, pull down. The cause of Christ will triumph, and the enemies of Christ will be put to flight.
V. 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
The French Mathematician, Lecompte de Nouy, examined the laws of probability for a single molecule of high dissymmetry to be formed by the action of chance. De Nouy found that, on an average, the time needed to form one such molecule of our terrestrial globe would be about 10 to the 253 power, i.e. billions of years. "But," continued de Nouy ironically, "let us admit that no matter how small the chance it could happen, one molecule could be created by such astronomical odds of chance. However, one molecule is of no use. Hundreds of millions of identical ones are necessary. Thus we either admit the miracle or doubt the absolute truth of science." Quoted in; "Is Science Moving Toward Belief in God?" Paul A. Fisher, The Wanderer, (Nov 7, 1985), cited in Kingdoms In Conflict, C. Colson, p. 66.
Near the end of his life, Jean-Paul Sartre told Pierre Victor: "I do not feel that I am the product of chance, a speck of dust in the universe, but someone who was expected, prepared, prefigured. In short, a being whom only a Creator could put here; and this idea of a creating hand refers to God."
Protested fellow philosopher and long-time companion Simone de Beauvoir: "How should one explain the senile act of a turncoat?" HIS Magazine, April, 1983.
A recent Gallup Poll found that the greatest number of Americans (47% of those expressing an opinion) hold to the strict creationist view, that God created man pretty much in his present form within the last 10,000 years. Most other Americans believe in some combination of evolution and creationism, and only nine percent of Americans believe in strict evolution.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it is the way to death.
There are many arguments against the existence of God, and the need for a savior, but the funny thing about the truth, is that whether you believe it or not, it is still the truth.
And what is this truth? There is a God, He created all that we see and beyond. He has a love and desire for us and that we are with Him, unfortunately we can not, for sin has come into the world and separated us from the God who loves us. But God, out of His infinite wisdom and love for us, sent His only begotten Son, born of a virgin, without sin, to pay the penalty for our sin. He suffered and died upon the cross and was resurrected on the third day just as the Bible predicted. He ascended to a place that He enjoyed since the beginning of time and waits for a time appointed by God to come and take His church home to be with Him forever. Satan would seek to punch holes in this truth and offer a version that seems right to man, but in the end leads to an eternity separated from a God who loves us. Without receiving the gift of salvation from God and offering it back to God as the only atoning sacrifice for the sins that you and I have committed against a just and holy God, we too suffer this fate.
The word of God destroys all vain reasoning, and every high thing which exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We are to bring every thought, or faculty of the mind, into the captive obedience of Christ. Doing this evil reasoning is destroyed, and the mind itself, being overcome and taken captive, lays down all authority of its own, and entirely gives itself up to perform, the will of Christ, in obedience of faith.


There are thoughts that enter our minds everyday that would steer us from the truth that we have come to know. I know that there are things in my life that I have given over to the authority of Christ, that seek to reenter into my life, I have become able to recognize these times and put these thoughts under the authority of Christ. Will these thoughts cease from returning? I doubt it, but I know that the Spirit of God is with me to help me recognize these thoughts and by my obedience to the will of the Father, I am able to overcome these temptations. Will we always succeed? No, but the God of the universe is willing and able to help us back on the path of righteousness. I think that is why this life is called a journey.
V. 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Paul was not willing to pull up the tares, for fear that he would pull up the wheat as well, but wanted the people to recognize sound doctrine and separate themselves from those who sought to destroy his witness. This is the obedience he was after that the people disassociate themselves from false doctrine. May it also be true of us that we would come to know the word of God, live it and be able to discern form what is true and false doctrine. I have found that the best way to combat false doctrine, through error in my own actions, is to walk away from it and give it no ear. I liked what was said at the trial of the two disciples. One said; “if this is not of God it will come to nothing, and if it is of God you can’t stop it.” These are not the exact words but you get the general idea.