Sermon – “Are You a Berean?”

lesson today is from are you being able read them both of us have an idea what that’s about, but I’m a happy turn to x 17 versus 10 to 15. To start us off. Are you being able ran wednesday we the, the a subject came up and the comment was climbing the ladder of success. Ok. Getting to the top and realize you on the wrong roof. Ok. So that’s why I want to. I’m hoping that you guys will ok as bring in this message of are you being a berea and if you look at x, 17 verse as the insert, everybody good insert with scripts is ok. I know we’re not going to have time to go through all those. I look at the clock, okay. Go through all those. But the thing is, when we here together, we learn a community lesson. When we go back in our closet and review out mess message throughout the week and we look at our scriptures, then we can learn what god has personally for us. Ok. But again, it all comes down to having that barry and attitude as a foundation. x 17 versus tense. 17 says. Then the brethren immediately st. Paul salus. away by night to berea. When they arrive they went to the synagogue of the jews and we will call these jews of the way or jewish christians. At this point, these words and verse 11, these were more fair minded than those instead of an acre. And that they receive the word with already in this and search the scriptures daily. Not once in a blue moon, daily. Ok to find out whether these things were so therefore many of them believed. And also not a few of the greeks prominent women as well as men. And we have to remember what the status was for all these different people at the time because they are listening to a jewish minister, direct them in a way of the true god. Ok, regardless of whoever they thought of before as a true god. But when the jews from sesame and I learned that the word of god was preached by paul, that berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowd. Now we have to remember, that’s not just what happened here. That’s what happens to us when we go to our prayer closet. Ok. All sorts of different things. satan tried to put it out path in our way. Ok to give us resistance to the word of god, the true word of god. Then immediately the bread of saint paul away because they know that knew that if the stress on lichens got to paul, they will probably do him damage. Ok. And they realize that and we need to realize that also, you know, we need to be protective and faithful for our ministers. Ok. And those gods placed over us. Then immediately the Brother sent away paul to see to the, to go to the sea. But both silas and timothy remain there. So even though paul left, he still left somebody there to help them. Ok, and that’s what we need to remember. Every time we come, if a bible study guides given us somebody to help us, ok, we have the telephone. We have, we can call people, we can text people, we, god bless us with other people besides the leadership. Ok. But it’s up to us to want to choose to interact with their ok. We have the 2 friends out choices for it’s 15. So those who conducted paul, these people that were in charge of his travel of issues for him to athens and receiving a command for 1000 timothy to come to him with all speed they departed. So again, god has everybody somewhere for a certain amount of time for his purpose. And we have to remember just like when we talk about our health issues, we have to remember that god knows what we’re going through. Ok. As long as we need this, these elements, so to speak. Ok, when god’s purpose is done with it, it’s done. Ok and we move on. We have to remember like passable saying this. This morning. We have to remember that god has us where he wants us. For the time he wants us there. And we need to learn how to appreciate it. Because even though it may be some pain involved, guess what? Maybe some resistance of all us, what? We still need to have the attitude of berea. studying the script is for ourselves. So I would I ask you to turn to mach 7 verse of 7 to 9. Mark 7 versus 7 tonight. That is the ad. It was so it may not be on the screen. Holy spirit gave me some after I finished the message yesterday and then you gave me some last night when I went to bed. So I had to get off work. But that’s good. I like that. I want to make sure that we’re listening to what god has to say, and that would, I think, okay, mark 7 versus 79 and in vain. This is jesus speaking, ok. And in vain, they worse of me teaching as doctrines, the commandments of men for laying aside the commandment of god. You hold the tradition of men, the wash of pitches and cuffs and many other such things are not. And he said to them all too well, you reject the commandment of god that you may keep your tradition. And again, that’s one of the things we need to make sure that we’re not, don’t we want to pay attention to what the word says. The way we do that is like possible saying about 2 or 3 witnesses. We need to do that with our spiritual life as well. Ok, we make sure we’re getting the word from the word. Well we listen to the opinions of somebody else. Ok. We also have to remember skews me if we so nothing we get nothing. We can’t reap anything if we don’t. So anything. And it’s up to us to choose whether we want to what we want to reap. Ok. If we put time into god’s word, we’ll get a lot out of it. We can’t blame somebody else because we’re not blessed. Ok, and blessing doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to get this whopping whopping things or relationships. Because in a natural realm, as the spiritual realm, we want to look at it, eternity. And we, we start that right now from the time we get, we were baptize. That’s when it started. Ok. We may not realize that the time, but as we grow more mature in the work that we need to make sure we’re doing close to the god because that’s what he wants. You know? So we’re going to start looking at, i’ve got 12 principles here. Ok. So I thought that we may not get to all the scripts, but that’s all right. I know everybody’s going to take this with them and studies lessons on that. All right. The, the 1st point is set aside a regular time for study. Ok. And just what everybody we should be doing by now. If we don’t plan to study in advance, something will cause us to not do it at all. Okay. And like we talked about it as a slippery slope in sabbath school. Ok. We you know, things happen real easy. Ok. Well I have time that you have time planned when you get up in the morning when you go to bed at night. Okay. Then all of a sudden, well, the shows on the night. I think I’m just going to relax a little bit, you know, and maybe I’ll say a few things. Maybe we spent 15 hours spent 3 or 5 tonight. Ok in the morning, but yeah, I got up. Well. Yeah, but I got so much need to do well starting a day without god. It’s not a good thing ending today without thanking god is not a good thing. Ok. Regardless of how much you do during the middle of the day, because as things come up, we need to make sure that we realize that god’s blessing us all through the day. Ok. We have to make choices to say OK. Got thank you. Ok. How many times will we like to be thank for the work we do the appreciate it. What we heard already this morning from rosanna. Right. We yes, we appreciate. I let her know we had a time last week. Yeah, we’re glad you back. So that’s the 1st one, set aside a regular time for study. The 2nd one is pray for understanding. Ok, true understanding comes from god. Therefore study the bible and a prayer for attitude and ask to reveal his will to us as we study. Ok. And we look at saw 119 versus 33, the 40 job and say I change glass. And so I got to look over the see with that top 119 and I want to read that one key. I know it’s in 33 to 4. It says, teach me. Oh lord, the way of your statutes, and I shall keep, keep it to the end. Give me understanding and I shall keep your law indeed actual observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. inclined my heart to your testimony and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in your way. establish your word to your servant, who is devoted to the to fearing you turn away my reproach, which I dread for your judgments are good. behold i law for your precepts. revive me and your righteousness. And again we, we cover this in bible study. Ok, and just thing was we need to understand forgot to bring us closer to him that he has to correct some things. He has to change some things about oh, add a to we all brought up from a baby learning things that from parents, teachers, church folk, you know, whoever we came in contact with co workers. And a lot of this stuff wasn’t good. A lot of it was an accurate ok, as I think we mentioned before, like out the say are great grandparents at this point. Ok. They could only maybe read a certain thing or understand a certain thing. Ok. So they told us what they knew, but all of it may not have been accurate. Not that they were trying to lie to us, but that’s all they understood. But now god blessed all the both with being able to read and understand. Ok. So we have a greater responsibility to go by with his words. Ok. The 3rd issue is C correction and instruction study god’s word with a humble teachable attitude. The word of god reveals flaws and our character. Again, we covered this and said with glass. Ok, that’s the thing. Are we really willing to say OK, i could be wrong. Think about that. I had stopped in my youngest son yesterday in Florida and he will, he will remind me of some discipline i had shared with him and his brother. Okay. And I didn’t remember it, you know, but the thing is I so you know, I’m sorry about that. He’s all s. Okay. Dad, you know, we understood you maybe had a bad day, but I’m like, I shouldn’t be taken my bad days out on somebody else. Ok. And I started thing about after we hung up and I kind of remembered a little bit, but you know, it’s ok to apologize to you children, you know. Yeah, I’m not the perfect guy. You know, but the word of god is ok and that’s why we need to make sure we teach now children because then I mean, he could come in a negative attitude and spoke to me about but he came in to me with love. And that’s what he learned out of the bible. Okay. The 4th. Yeah. It was. I had to go kind of fast. Now. Ok. The the 4th thing is realize the bible is the inspired word of god. It is god’s speaking to you. Therefore let his word inspire and motivate you to grow in his likeness. I want to look at to peter versus one to 212 period, one versus 19 to 21. Ok? And it says and 19, we also have the prophetic word made more sure which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns. And the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this 1st that No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. Okay, origin for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of god spoke as they were moved by the holy spirit. Okay. And that’s what we need to remember. Ok. You didn’t come here to hear the word of terry. You came here to hear the word of god. So you got to hear the word of god. We have to go through god’s word. And that’s the point. And I mean even pass to do the same thing with us. They give a scripture, ok. And it’s up to us to take that scripture and go back and study it in our prayer closet. So we can get that again, that private understanding of what god wants to do with us. philippians to verse 5. philippians to verse 5 and says let this man be and you which also was in christ jesus. Ok. And what he, what did he do all the time? He was on earth. He tried to do with the father. What is the will of the father? Everything he thought about was how can I give god the glory, father, god, the glory. We should be the same way because we say we are christians. So what are we really following 247. Okay, and this is a question we need to ask ourselves, you know, am I so immersed in the world that I’m not given? God, who do tie ok and that’s something we all need to do. The 5th point is let the bible interpret the bible. Although some passages may seem confusing, there are no contradictions in the bible. examined the context and gather all switches on a given subject for doctrine, the clear pastors will clarify those that are difficult to understand. Nothing I like to add to that is that, you know, being in the military. A lot of things I don’t need to know for what god wants me to do. Ok. I don’t need to understand everything because I read it is just like when we were talking about that, let that live with you. Ok. There was still enough information on both sides of that to get the gist of what was being taught. Ok. So if we get hung up on one thing, don’t overly exhaust when they exert ourselves because we don’t understand it because I look like if God gives us enough, that if I don’t understand america enough without what he’s already shown me, that I need to be working on OK, and so we need to make sure that satan’s not getting the way about study i do on close to God and now foundation no message of what are we supposed to be doing? Being lack of a ran ok. We study where for us self and make sure it’s right. An accurate john? 1035 John 1035 says if he call this is jesus speaking. If he called them gods to whom the word of god came and the script cannot be broken. I’m going our way to 38. Do you say of him whom the father sanctified and sent into the world? You are blasphemy because I said, I am the son of god. If I do not do the works of my father, do not believe me. But if I do, though, you do not believe me, believe the works that you may know and believe that the father is in me, and I and him. Now our interaction with people we come in contact with throughout the week. Ok. Can they see that I’m a christian or do I have to tell them I’m a christian. Ok. I shouldn’t have to tell anybody. I’m a christian unless they asked me why I believe what our belief. Okay, I should be live in a life. So when they see me so, Oh, here comes to her. Here comes the christian guy. You know, and you’d be surprised. And I mean I’m, I’m actually surprised sometimes with the way god does things because it’s like people don’t expect to ask questions. I had a guy called me from pep Boys up this my day off and he was having a conversation with grandparents. Okay. And they, he wanted to ask me a question and so he put me on speaker phone and we were able to discuss that. But that’s not me. That’s got through me. Ok. The thing is it helps me to realize just how much I represent god. You know, and whatever I do and so we need to be able to enjoy that. Ok. That god can use us for something. Ok, because he doesn’t owe us anything. Ok, but he gives us everything is so much And too often we really don’t appreciate it. And being a berea, and with that foundational knowledge of god really checks, it kicks us to another level. Ok. Our 6th issue is keep an open mind and this is one of the things we talked about is clear to all. So that’s why I had to be quiet keeping an open mind. You know, we all have our opinions, you know, and like if this work for me for 40 years, then why should I change it now? Ok. And we, we need to remember that because they are so much religious confusion is necessary to prove the truth and distinguish between and me and distinguish it. Ok the word of god from era. Ok. And we need to make sure we keep an open mind and be willing to change wrong ideas too often. We want to do that way. I heard, i mean pass and tells us when you be script he says, well, the read is blessing. That’s the reason. Here’s of the word while I’m going to add something to that read this here is and do is of the word. If we hear, if we read it and then we don’t do anything about it, why did we read it? Ok, we just wasting time and we spinning our wheels. And if god’s trying to change us, we need to have an open mind to receive it. Okay. We need to prove god’s way is right. practice the things you learn and acknowledge that prayer like we just said, we need to practice, put it into practice with god, teach whatever we learn every sabbath, whatever we learned. mid week bible study, when we learn, we study every day. Ok, we need to ask god to help the practice. Ok. acknowledge the blessings that result from that. You know, when I think all of us here can say when we were doing what god said, do ok, we were blessed. Even if you didn’t receive anything tangible in the blessing, you were kept from some har by falling with gods commandment. Okay, think about all the things a monogamous mug. I’ll say the word right. monotonous relationship gives you. You don’t have to worry about diseases. You don’t have to worry about unwanted pregnancies. You don’t have to worry about all that stuff because everybody is being faithful. And that’s kind of faith we want in our spouse and so wow. So we want that much faith in god because that’s what he’s asking us to do. Ok, but to do that you have to come in have communication with god. Just like you have to have communication in your relationship. Ok. Me see, let’s go to one, john. 322 And frankie, i’m sorry, mess you up over the applied Ok. One, john, 3, 1st 22. This is whatever we asked we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing and his site. And again, this is what it says if we do it, guess what, where it becomes a habit. It becomes a good habit. Ok. And we can enjoy the blessings of god. Ok. I mean, let’s face it, like we were talking about sabbath class again. discipline is necessary when the child gets off the beaten path. Ok. So why should we want to be corrected and the close we are the god, the less correction we should need because we’re beginning to see the error of our ways. And we’re allowing ourselves to ask god to help us by the work of in dwelling holy spirit to live a life that is in line with his commandment. Ok, then life is a lot simpler. You know jesus, tell us what to take my yoke. I mean, I can tell you personally his yoke is a lot easier than the yolks i was bearing. Okay. And mean even with the pain of recovery from the vaccine, the safe. That way it’s still that the pain is there, but you know, god works through it. You know, you forget about these things and I’m not saying like you don’t, you know, it’s not there. It’s just that your depend on god is god is helping you through the situation. Ok. And that’s a blessing in the self. Out our 7th. See ok. Now 8th, i’m sorry. study by subject. concentrate on one book doctrine or subject and go into it thoroughly. This will help you grow in depth of understanding ok and again you have to, we have to choose how we want to study. And the easiest way I found ok is to pray before you study. Ok, asked the holy spirit to come in and direct you in a way you should go. I’m sure passes. What will share with you and anybody’s ever spoken is that, you know, lot of times you can come up with a message and you get all the stuff in. Oh, and all of a sudden, god changes a whole plan. scrap that you want over here and they are up there. And, and I mean, believe me, this was not my 1st tool. But again, I asked god, you know, and I mean, it wasn’t a waste of time or what he had before, but sometimes he knows the order of things that need to be done. And we need to make sure we ask and help us to follow that order. Okay, Exactly, Exactly, and as the thing we need, I was told when I 1st started speaking was never develop a message for a certain person. Okay? Because you never know what, who’s, who’s going to be where and what god wants everybody to hear. Because even though we’re all here in a community message right now, we all may go out here with different what we would. Well, I heard him say, you know, or I didn’t hear that. You know? So because we’re dependent on god to show us what we need to be doing and not a 9 point is read the bible through, read the bible from cover to cover. In addition to other study, this will broaden your perspective as to story flow. And again, you know, I know some of us read it within a year. Ok. Some of us read it from front to back. In a study. From a study viewpoint, it may take years. Ok to get through it, but nothing, nothing is better than that. There was, I don’t know who the person was, who the scholar was, but it was stated that an educated person is not really educated until he’s read the bible through. You know, you can have all the ph, d, ‘s and messes and whatever else goes behind your dame. Ok. But if you haven’t read the bible through what you really know. I mean, that’s one problems we have you been in our seminary because people, even in seminary too many, don’t have a really christian foundation. Ok. And I mean they’re wrong or anything like that. But we have to remember to pass the tests. You’ve got to pass what they are teaching. Ok, and if you don’t, if you haven’t read the book for yourself, then you have no idea whether it’s accurate or not. Because this faces can be coma, whether you call it. Yeah, that, Okay. But the thing is how I get there. I didn’t get there reading this book. I got there because I passed all the tests that they were given me. Ok, and that’s the thing we need to remember. We want a different page with god. We know god is perfect. We know where it is. It’s pure ok. Our tent point is Mark key versus develop a marketing system. I mean, I can just turn your page, you can say OK, whatever your marketing system means to you. And when you see blue in here, that means it’s definitely for me. Ok. In particular about certain things. Ok. And that’s the thing you know, develop some kind of plan this. Your book is god’s love story to you. Is this letter to you at old fashion, but you know, is only used when I used to write love letters. Ok, whether the puppy love or the more serious will have laid on. You know, you write it down and you be waiting in anticipation for the response. Ok. Can you, can you match how god feels when we fall and respond to him for the love he shown us? I mean this is what the bible does. This, this whole book is about love. I love you. I’ve given you me. Please accept me. Please make that Choice. Ok. Our 11 point is meditate and review. Think about what you learn, then reflect on how it can be applied in your life. And again, we go back to that thing if we read in here and don’t apply it, what was the point? Ok? We want god to use us to his maximum. Ok for that we need to accept the fact that we need to die to certain things. And you know everything to die to is not a bad thing. Okay. But how much time are we spending in it? Ok. How much time we given god and how much time we given his blessing to us. Ok. Because it’s, it’s more important to thank the bless or than be thankful for the blessing. I’m going to ask that we turn to some one versus one to 3. Please. som one Versus 123. This is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law he meditates day and night, not just sometimes whenever, at least day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in its season. whose leaf also so not whither. And whatever he does shall prosper. Think about there is nothing we can’t do for god that it won’t prosper. Even if we don’t understand it or we don’t see it, we still ought to be doing it. Ok. How many times have we show somebody the joy or the love of christianity? And we never see him again. You know, how many times of god has got sent us an angel of like, we never see him again. But he sent him at that time. You know, and that’s the thing is we don’t need to be looking for types, the opportunities to pay somebody back. We want to look for opportunities to God for to use us to help somebody down the road. Okay. I mean, and God bless is it just, I know I’m at this stage now where you know, I can look back and see so many things that he’s done for me that I didn’t realize. Ok. And that’s the thing is, since he helped me so much ought to be ready for him to use me to help somebody else. Ok. Just go to saw 139. So 139 versus 17 to 18. It says how precious also are your thoughts to me? Oh God, how great is the some of them if I should count them they would be more in number than the saying when I awake, i am still with you. Think about that. Go to bed with god. wake up with god. You can start the day or in the day a better. Ok. Because no matter what all you have to do, and I had to be honest, i’m one of those people has a long list. I say I’ll live to be a 121 and then I should be caught up. Ok. But the thing is, I remember to ask god to help me to follow his play. And a lot of times his plan is definitely different from mine. But yet when the day is over, I’m like, I’m so glad that god did all these things and I paid attention. Ok. So he could do all these things for me. You know, and, and I mean, I’m not trying to say that, you know, it’s all about selfishness. But you just want to live a life that pleases god. You know, you can fit in the day. Thank you. God help me to follow you, lee. And to do what you want me to to, to do. I last point number in number 12, be familiar with study 8. Now here’s where we need to be a little bit careful. Ok. A viable handbook can provide helpful background information. A concurrence will help you locate scriptures. And of course we have Internet now so that we can just go to Google it about ok. bible maps provide topographical and geographical and historical information. commentaries can be helpful, but we have to exercise care. They contain a great deal of uninspired opinion. Ok. So again, we have to be careful when I heard passed the say pass to run, talk about this adam clock commentary, that’s when I use primarily and strong chords is what I use. But, you know, I tell any my, my kids, you stay there which one you think I tell, i will tell them like this, whatever bible you can have a concurrence with. And you can find a commentary to bring out each scripture use it. You know, that doesn’t mean you’re locked into anything. I mean, I have, I think like june told us when she as many bob as I’m sure all of us have many different versions, whatever. And sometime is clear in a different version. Ok. Sometimes you just want to make sure, okay, all the versions. Right? Again, lining up, right. Thank you. And that’s the thing we need to make sure we’re asking god to show us what we need to do and how we need to do it. This started to timothy to 15. Please. 232 timothy 215. And it says be diligent to present yourselves approved to got a worker who does not need to be a shame, rightly dividing the word of truth. Ok, and that’s the thing we want to make sure that we talked about today, 2 or 3 witnesses. Ok, you know, we talked about and now our 12 points as far as making sure we’re using scripture tobacco scripture. Okay. Me see, I know I got another idea. What is these? What’s it called spirit? What me up this morning with due to right before verse 2. It’s 3 of them. Do it around me for verse 2. Says you shall not air to the word which I command you nor take anything from it that you may keep the commands of the Lord your god, which I command you. Ok then do it around 12 or 30 to The round $1232.00 that says whatever I command you, be careful to observe it. You shall not add to it. No, take away from it. So yeah, that’s the old testament. Good. I’m glad you said the revelations 22 And 22 versus 18 and 19 for I testified to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone as to these things, go to him plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away the words of the book of this prophecy, god will take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city and from the things which are written in this book. Now some people look at that and said, well it is talking about the book of revelations. Some people look at it, the whole bible while I understand it to be the whole bible from the front to the back. Nothing’s changed. Okay. The thing is, is have we willing to change, allowing god to change us so we can be allowed his will all the time. And that’s the choice we have. And again, that’s because we want to be a berea in. Ok. And I’m going to somebody summit up this way. The brands have long been seen as a positive example of how persons should respond to biblical teaching. We call to eagerly learn from god’s word and no matter who the teacher is. Right. To investigate new teaching and comparison with the bible, the practice of the ancient marines as a model for all who desire to go spirit, spiritually today. I mean was the better summation of everything we just went through? Okay. And again, we have to remember it’s our Choice to do what god wants us to do this all try to be better for reasons and teaching and Learning