December 17^th , 2017

9:30 am-----------------------------------------------Judas & Simon: Betrayal & Denial – John 18:10-27

10:00 am---------------------------------------------------The Just Shall Live By Faith – Romans 1:16-17

Vanity of Things -- “And the devil, taking Him (Christ) up into an high mountain, shewed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, ‘All this power will I give thee and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.’ ”Luke 4:5-7

We cannot fully understand what power has been given to Satan by our Lord, yet the Lord does not dispute what he says here. Apparently it is somewhat in the power of the devil to bestow material things upon some. These things are what he uses to take us captive and worship him, the god of riches, possession, things. And these things, the things of the world, are what most people strive for and live for; perishing things, which consume us and make us idolaters, which leads to our destruction.

We are warned “love not the world nor the things of the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” And since most of us have many things, we are again warned, “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” Therefore, it is not necessarily a blessing of God to have an abundance of things.

Oh that we could see things as they are; see things as the Lord sees them and was not in the least tempted by them. It is significant that these things were viewed from “an high mountain.” Perhaps that is how we need to view things.

If you have ever traveled by airplane then you have been afforded a ‘bird’s-eye-view’ of things. You have seen things the way our Lord saw them . . . the way we should view them. I recently flew a long way over many different states, in which were all manner of things to be seen. Way down there I saw all the things that people love and live for. There were houses by the sea, which looked like little cottages which could be so easily swept away by the ocean which came so precariously close. There were farms with animals grazing, where the finest horse could not be distinguished from a mule. There were huge playgrounds and sporting fields, where everyone looked like little ants scurrying around needlessly, and aimlessly. There were little automobiles running around everywhere, each looking no different than another; all looking like little toys. I saw anything and everything which human beings live and die for, all of which looked so insignificant and fragile from on high.

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” “For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (Col.3:2, II Cor.4:18)

“Mortify Your Members Which Are Upon Earth" -- Colossians 3:5

The word "mortify" means to deaden, subdue, or be dead. As Paul wrote in Rom. 6:11, "Reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ, our Lord." What means can be used to subdue our sinful tendencies?

1. LABOR TO SUPPRESS THE THOUGHTS OF SIN. The old nature with its appetites and desires cannot be annihilated,

but it can be suppressed by not cultivating and enjoying the thoughts of sin.

2. CONSIDER WHAT A WRETCHED THING SIN IS. It is called "the filthiness of the flesh and spirit" (II Cor. 7:1). Sin

is called "the works of the devil," and our sins crucified our Lord.

3. PASS THE TIME OF YOUR SOJOURNING HERE IN FEAR. "The fear of the Lord is a bridle to sin," said Mr.

Spurgeon. Solomon wrote, "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged; and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil" (Prov.

16:6). It is said of the wicked, "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:18).

4. AVOID THE COMPANY OF WORLDLY PEOPLE. He who would not catch the flu should stay away from people

who have the flu. If you would suppress your evil nature, cultivate the fellowship of believers whose language, amusements,

and conduct honor God.

5. BE OFTEN IN THE SERVICES OF WORSHIP AND PREACHING. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all

wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the

Lord" (Col. 3:16).

6. BE MUCH IN PRAYER. "Hold up my goings, Lord, in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not" (Psa. 17:5). Here is a prayer

I found in some old clippings which fits well here. "Lord, keep me from dishonoring Thee. Keep me from these defiling

sins of my day, that I may not be worse for the times, nor the times worse because of me. Keep back thy servant from

presumptuous sins. Keep me; for as a little child is only safe in the parent's arms, so I am only safe in Thee."