Love and Good Works
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19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Introduction.
Introduction.
Paul is speaking to born again believers, saints of God, people who know who they are and approach the Grace of God with boldness.
Having boldness, and having a High Priest, Let Us:
Draw Near
Draw Near
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us Draw near with:
A True Heart (Sincerity)
A True Heart (Sincerity)
(Mamba Vision)
Full Assurance of Faith
Full Assurance of Faith
Knowing that we have been born again.
We live in the age of full assurance.
My ministry is not to personally contact each one. It’s to bring forth the full assurance of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and tell them: “Look and live.” 55-0224 — Water From The Rock
Full assurance comes from having your hearts sprinkled to cleanse from a guilty conscience. All desire of sin is gone. You make mistakes, but your desire is to serve God.
Your bodies have been cleansed by pure water, the washing of water of the Word.
Let us:
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. AMP
But when we walk up before God, let’s not go, saying, “Well, now, I just wonder if everything is all right. Are you a Christian? “Well, I hope I am.” That’s no way to come.
Brother, believe the story! Accept it, and be born again. Then walk up with pure faith, knowing this, that, God has promised, and God can’t lie.
“God promised me Eternal Life, if I believed on His Son, Jesus Christ. I believed it; and He give me Eternal Life.”
I made many mistakes, still make them, will always make them. But, when I make them, the Holy Spirit tells me that’s wrong. Then I repent right there, “Lord, forgive me. Didn’t mean to do it. You help me now.”
And I walk right on, the same thing. Cause, just no sooner than it goes from my lips, “If we confess our sins, He is just to forgive them.” Is that right? Hallelujah!
The devil say, “You know what? I’ll tell you. You was supposed to go do a certain thing. You didn’t do it. Uh-huh, you sinned, didn’t you?”I say, “I confessed it.” “Well, I tell you…”
“No, don’t talk to me. No, sir. I have perfect faith in He Who told me if I confess my wrongs, He would forgive me.
So, I confess it. Just go on away from me. I don’t care nothing about you, anyhow, so just keep moving on.”
Walk boldly, right on into it. If death lays there, that’s all right, move right on into it, with a perfect faith, that, God has promised that He would “raise you up at the last days.” Yes, sir. 54-1006 — Law Or Grace
Let us:
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Consider
Consider
Word Studies in the New Testament Chapter 10
24. Let us consider one another (κατανοῶμεν ἀλλήλους). Take careful note of each other’s spiritual welfare. For the verb see on Jas. 1:23. It denotes attentive, continuous care. Comp. Heb. 3:1.
Not just the pastor, all of us.
Provoke
Provoke
Word Studies in the New Testament Chapter 10
To provoke (εἰς παροξυσμὸν). Lit. with a view to incitement. Only here and Acts 15:39. From παροξύνειν to sharpen. Hence to stimulate. In Acts 15:39, the result of provocation; irritation or contention. Here the act of incitement. Twice in LXX, Deut. 29:28 (27); Jer. 39 (32) 3, 7; for the Hebrew קֶֽצֶף anger, wrath, altercation. The Hebrew derivation is from קָצַֽף a splinter. The new economy demands mutual care on the part of the members of the Christian community. Comp. 1 Cor. 12:25. They must stir up each other’s religious affections and ministries.
This is like the friend who reminds you you’re on a diet.
Stir up good works and Love.
Provoke there means “to encourage.” Encourage one another unto love and to good works.
If you see a brother in the church, that’s got something against the other brother, don’t say something to stir that thing up, but say something that’ll bring them together.
“Provoke one another unto good works and to love,” is what we must do. What is that? That’s a man that’s born again.
If you, my brother, tonight, don’t feel that way when you see your brothers falling out, and sharp words between one another, if you don’t feel like bringing them together, it’s your time to go to the altar.
That’s right. There is something happened in your life. There is something you’ve been deceived in. You haven’t the experience that God wants you to have.
For, Jesus, when He was reviled, He reviled not again. And was spoken evil of, He spoke not back again. And when He…When they done evil to Him, He turned and did good to them.
When they persecuted Him and nailed Him to the cross, He looked down and said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”
If that kind of Spirit is not in you, the Holy Ghost has never entered you yet, for that was the same Spirit was on Christ Jesus. The Bible said, “Let It be in you.” Christ is in His Church.
Now, Branham Tabernacle, you bunch here, we don’t have any organization, don’t have any sign cards, or so forth. The only thing we have here is fellowship.
And you who are fellowshipping in Jesus Christ with us tonight, and fellowshipping every night and every time, we’re always happy to have you here. We want you to be here.
You don’t have to join us. We…only thing you have to do is come worship with us. And we expect every one of you to hold the true mystery of God in your heart, without wavering.
Come to the worship and come to the altar, and so forth, and love one another, and be in harmony with one another.
And if you see a brother getting out of the way, go to him, and be reconciled with him if you can. That’s right. That’s what we got to do.
And, friends, if you ever…What are you doing, if you don’t do that? You’re only making yourself a miserable creature, and not a Christian, that’s right, and all that you’re doing is in vain. 54-1024 — The Unpardonable Sin
We are not saved by Good Works, but they are the fruit of Agape Love in our lives.
Good works glorify the Father.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Women and good works
When the Shunammite woman did a good deed for Elisha, she benefited from the friendship that resulted.
8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
They received a child, and the resurrection of that child, because she provided a place for him to stay.
41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
What is a prophet’s reward?
Well now, Jesus said, “Whosoever receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, receives a prophet’s reward.” A prophet’s reward is to be a friend with the prophet.
Whosoever receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, receives a righteous man’s reward. Is that right?
And if they want to know what a prophet’s reward is, is to be a friend to the prophet. See? That’s a reward. He’s your friend.
Like the Shunammite woman, it might come in handy sometime. See? It did with her. See? Watch God’s servants. 64-0823E — Questions And Answers #2
New Testament
36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
Mary, Lazarus and Martha were friends of Jesus.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
They met because they invited Jesus to dinner.
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha had her reward.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
They had one more thing to do, Mary and Martha rolled away the stone.
42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
And so, this woman had seen God in Elisha. And she said, “I think it’s nice, now, if we do something for this servant of God. God will respect it.”
Why, she was just a few hundred years ahead of time. Jesus said, “If you give one of My disciples a cup of cold water, at the judgment it won’t be forgotten.”
We fail to see the power that God has placed in His people. God is in His people. You believe that? God was with His people one time when He walked on earth. But now, God is in His people.
“A little while, and the world sees Me no more, yet you’ll see Me, for I (personal pronoun, now) will be with you and in you to the end of the world.”
God dwells, moves, works in mankind. Hallelujah! God doesn’t work through orders. He doesn’t work through organizations. He works through individuals. God works in man.
God doesn’t do the work today. He energizes or projects His Spirit into men to do so. He said, “I am the Vine.” The vine don’t bear fruit. “Ye are the branches.” 56-1002E — Elisha The Prophet
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
How beautifully the Saviour praises and commends His children. He takes full account of their fine spiritual attitudes and behavior.
He knows that there is weakness amongst them, but as yet He does not cry out against it.
Isn’t that just like the Lord? He knows how to encourage us in the right matters and discourage us in the wrong matters.
We could all learn a good lesson right here in running the church and our families. And better still, we could all learn a good lesson in that God deals with each one of us in exactly this way.
Don’t ever be discouraged, Saint of God, for God is not ungracious to forget your labors of love. Whatever we do, even giving a cup of cold water to some one, has a reward and blessing from the Lord. CAB-03 — 3 - The Ephesian Church Age
Conclusion
Conclusion
Little girl and King