Godly Motives

The most important consideration when considering our actions, whether righteous, or in error, or evil; is our attitude toward God. Do we have only a desire to serve Christ with our lives?

SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Godly MOTIVES

SERMON #355

BY: JOE MCCLURE

DATE: December 1, 2002

Matthew 6.1-18--> 1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11. Give us this day our daily bread. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

In this portion of scripture we notice that Jesus gives them instruction of the proper way to do 3 things.

1. Alms-giving

(a.) In secret

(b.) Sinful motive: to be seen of men giving to the poor

2. Prayer

(a.) In secret

(b.) Sinful motive: to be seen of men praying

3. Fasting

(a.) In secret

(b.) Sinful motive: to appear to men as fasting

We shall consider that our motives for obeying God's commandments must not be done for the purpose of being considered as someone great by our fellow man.

Even though we shall consider these 3 things today, we have already considered other things that Jesus has taught about that are to be done without a desire of the person for worldly reward or acclaim.

One of these is the blessing for the person who suffers persecution. The promise of reward for persecution is not the wealth of the world or the praise of men, but the assurance of everlasting life.

Jesus said to the disciples that the hypocrites gave money to the poor for only one reason. They gave to the poor to receive the glory and praise of men.

2??..that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

In all 3 of these items of Godliness mentioned here, Jesus is making the point to his disciples to not do as many who are called 'religious' do; that is they must not obey the Law of Moses for the purpose of looking Holy to their brethren.

Our hearts must be righteous before our actions can truly be righteous.

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Who are you seeking to please when you are obedient to the Law of Christ today?

Why do you obey the Law of Christ?

Do you act differently when someone is watching?

What is your motive for obeying?

LOVE AS MOTIVATOR

If our heart is righteous, we will be obedient to God's commandments because of our love for God and our love for our fellow man.

The Apostle Paul said that if he gave of all he had for others and had not love, it was vain and not pleasing to God.

1 Corinthians 13:3--> And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

When we give alms to the poor, when we pray to God, and when we fast, we should not do these things just because we want someone to see how pious we are, to affirm in our neighborhood that we are Godly and righteous.

Paul said by implication that it was wrong to seek glory from others for doing what was righteous.

1 Thessalonians 2.1-6--> 1. For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: 2. But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. 3. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: 4. But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. 5. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: 6. Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

Paul and the other Apostles could have went into the congregations and demanded acclaim, praise, and better accommodations than others due to their office and their work. Instead, Paul lowered himself in stature that he might gain many to Christ.

We find this same thought in the Old Testament in the wisdom writings of Solomon.

Proverbs 25.27--27. It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

We should learn from this that it is the wisest course of action to not toot our own horn so to speak or brag on our selves.

Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

This is not just Old Testament wisdom but is also a commandment of the New Testament.

WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?

It has to do with our motive.

v When you examine your reasons for doing the things that are considered as religious activities, are they done for the glory of men, or are you seeking to worship and glorify God?

We are commanded to let our light shine before the world to glorify God, but Paul taught that we should not do anything for the purpose of glorifying our own self, but that we should adopt an attitude of humility.

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

WRONG MOTIVE: When a man's religion is intended as outward evidence of his character, his motives are not to please Christ, but he will do those things that his peers consider to be righteous. When this is true, he will only obey if it is popular to do so, or 'in season'.

RIGHTEOUS WORKS CAN BE DONE FOR THE WRONG REASON: The works that one does may even be the same works that Jesus Christ commands, but because the works done are motivated by ones desire to please men, the works become vain.

One example of this is those men who were not willing to obey Christ and suffer. Instead, they chose to conform to man's definition of what was righteous, thus avoiding any criticism.

Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

In a Jewish dominated society, it was highly unpopular and even dangerous to state that a person could be righteous without being circumcised. Some of these brethren were not willing to suffer, so they aligned themselves with the ones who taught that a person must be circumcised. We can see that their motives were all wrong.

When we are tempted to conform to the world to avoid persecution, we should remember that men have no power to give us any of the spiritual blessings. They can give us esteem in their religious bodies when we are in unity with their false teaching; but they have no power at all to add us to the Kingdom of Christ or to give us everlasting life.

Colossians 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

ALMS GIVING

We have seen already that the Law of Christ to the church teaches us that it is vain to do the commandments of Christ with a sinful motive.

We need to study the Apostles' doctrine as it relates to each of these 3 items.

We saw in our last lesson the commandments that teach us to do good unto all men as we have the opportunity.

The New Testament teaches us to not forget the poor and especially those who are our brethren in Christ.

II Corinthians 9.11-13--> 11. Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 12. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; 13. Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;

If we see our brother or sister going hungry or in need of clothing and we withhold our resources from them, this is evidence that we do not love God.

1John 3:17--But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

One of the evils that we see in our world is the attitude that equates wealth with righteousness or social value.

Is a man more valuable as a person just because he is wealthy?

Have you ever wondered why that Jesus did not come into this world as the son of a rich and influential family?

Joseph was a workingman, a carpenter, and had a large family to support. Jesus had no wealth of this world and that was by intent.

LUKE 9.58-- And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

We see the Messiah in prophecy as a man despised and rejected of men with no esteem.

According to prophecy, there would be nothing about the Christ that would cause men to place great value upon or to exalt him based on human factors.

Isaiah 53.2-3-- 2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

I point these things out about Jesus so that we will be reminded of the truth that those who are lowly esteemed by men are not to be considered rejected of God, nor should they be ignored and disregarded by Christians.

We should not be lured into the deception that wealth gives a person spiritual esteem.

DO YOUR ALMS IN SECRET

Now, I would like to consider whether the teaching of Jesus here in our text condemns all open giving.

Is it sinful to give in such a way that our charity is known by others? Must we always give in an anonymous fashion?

Was the charity of any Christian in the New Testament known by others?

Acts 2.45à And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Was the giving of alms part of letting their light shine before men to glorify God?

The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus to show himself as a pattern to others by his good works.

Titus 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

This means that Titus was to show by his own good works how that others ought to do their good works. His example was to be a pattern that others followed. If so, how could his alms giving have been in total secrecy?

One of the qualifying factors that the church was to look for in a widow before supporting her financially was a good report in doing good works.

1 Timothy 5:10à Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.

If she relieved the afflicted in secret, how could there have been a good report of her good works in this area?

The purpose that we are to allow others to see our good works should be for only one purpose; to glorify God.

If we do good works to be praised of men, our good works become an abomination before God.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for this very thing in Luke 16.15.

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

The main point here that we learn is that when we give it should be a private giving.

We should not broadcast it loudly so that all will be sure to see just how giving and wonderful that we have been in taking care of the needs of the poor.

We must not give for the purpose of seeking the glory of men for ourselves.

PRAYER

The question that the text begs of us to answer in this portion of what Jesus said is; when we pray, must we enter our closet to pray?

Is it sinful to pray in the church assembly?

I will attempt to prove that Jesus did not intend to say this at all and to draw this conclusion, we must take the verses out of the context.

Jesus is condemning the prayers of the hypocrites.

He is not condemning prayer in the church while standing, but he is condemning the prayer of the person who desires for the others present to get the impression that he is very pious or righteous or a Holy person.

In other words, the hypocrite stands up in church or goes out on the street corner to pray loudly and says to those nearby, "HEY, NOTICE ME HOW GREAT A MAN I AM, NOTICE HOW GREAT I AM AT PRAYING".

To say that we are commanded to pray always in our closest would mean that we could never pray anywhere else, but that we would have to always be at our own house.

Those without homes or those who were traveling, such as some of the disciples that Jesus is talking to is getting ready to do would not be able to utter a pray until they returned home or got a home.

To interpret this passage in this way would be in contradiction to the prayers that Jesus commanded on other occasions.

Luke 21:34-36

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. [35] For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. [36] Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

We have no accounts of Jesus praying in a closet. In Luke 9.28, at his transfiguration, Jesus took 3 disciples with him into the mountain to pray.

Luke 9:28-- And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

On another occasion, Jesus prayed in the presence of several people who were not believers.

John 12:27-29

Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. [28] Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. [29] The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

The point that Jesus is making with His disciples is to not make a show of their prayers.

There are times when our prayers are private and we will find seclusion, but it is not commanded in the Law of Christ, in the Apostles doctrine which they taught by inspiration of God.

Notice the type of prayer that we see in the New Testament church.

We see the disciples gathered together in the upper room in the days preceding the Day of Pentecost praying together.

Acts 1:13-14

And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. [14] These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

We are to pray wherever we are and whenever we need to, without regard to our location in relation to our home and its closet.

I Thessalonians 5.17-18--17. Pray without ceasing. 18. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

We do not need an audience to pray, nor do we need to be vocal in our prayers for them to be heard.

We can take notice of the special prayers of the church for a special need when Herod put Peter into prison.

Acts 12:5

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

God answered the prayers of the church for Peter and an angel delivered him from the prison. Notice that the church gathered together to pray.

Acts 12:11-12

11. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. 12. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

If these prayers were in secret, how do we know about them? How could they pray together without the other one knowing about it? Together teaches us that this was a united effort of several Christians gathered together praying on behalf of Peter.

Paul and Silas prayed in prison, without waiting to go home to their individual prayer closets.

Acts 16:25

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

There are a lot more scriptures that deal with prayer that we will not consider today as that would take an entire hour or more on its own. However, these few verses will point out that we can pray in the presence of others who hear us pray.

One of the things that Jesus teaches them here that we should be aware of is that God already knows what they need before they pray.

It is not necessary to ask everything in our life that we need with a long prayer.

The Apostle Paul points this out as well.

ROMANS 8.26-27-->26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

REPETITION

We can learn from the teachings of Jesus that it is not necessary to repeat over and over again in our prayer the same things; that the prayer that is sincere is acceptable to God; and to always pray to God and not to men.

Jesus gives them an example of what he means by a brief, sincere prayer and the acceptable way for them to pray.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11. Give us this day our daily bread. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

As we know, the kingdom came when the church of Christ began on the Day of Pentecost.

Does this indicate that every time that we pray that we should pray the Lord's prayer?

This is not the case at all. Jesus was giving them a sample of a brief, to the point prayer that met all of the qualifications of the things he had been teaching them about prayer.

You can read of a much longer prayer of Jesus to God the Father in John 17.1-26, during which he prayed for His disciples and for all believers that would result from their teaching. He prayed for their protection, not from the world, but from the evil that they would encounter. He prayed for their unity with one another, with Jesus Christ, and with the Heavenly Father. Jesus said that their unity was necessary so that the world would also believe that Jesus was from God, or that He was truly the Son of God.

Did Jesus violate his own teaching in His prayer to the Father?

By comparing this prayer in its length and what Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount, we can put what Jesus said in context and understand that he was not dictating that they always just say what is called the 'Lord's Prayer', but that he was teaching the lesson of always praying from a Godly perspective.

The natural man within us spends too much time being concerned with how we are viewed by those that hear us.

When we pray a secret prayer, with no one listening but God, we are not bothered by this temptation.

One final thought regarding prayer before going on is that no man on this earth should receive our prayer.

It is Jesus the Christ who sits on the throne in Heaven, making intercession on our behalf.

Our prayer should always be in His name, or by His authority because He is our High Priest. That is the reason we always end our prayers in church by invoking the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

INTERCESSOR

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

An intercessor is one who asks a favor for someone else.

In the context of this scripture, we understand that Christ sits on the throne at the right hand of our Almighty Father intervening on the behalf of His servants in the Kingdom of Christ.

In this role, He acts as our High Priest.

MEDIATOR

Jesus is the mediator between God and men.

The Apostle Paul gives us an exhortation regarding prayer in his letter to Timothy, a preacher in the church of Christ.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; [2] For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. [3] For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; [4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

DEFINITIONS OF PRAYER:

v Supplication=petition or request

v Prayers=prayers during worship

v Intercession=interview, meaning a specific request; contrasted with a general prayer

v Giving of thanks in prayer=using grateful language in a worship prayer

v Mediator=A go-between; in this case, it appears that Christ repeats the thoughts put forth in our prayers to God, the Father on our behalf

These definitions come from the Greek-English dictionary.

It appears that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanks giving can all be lumped together and called prayers, but it points out to us that there are different kinds of things that we are to include in our prayers, and there are different reasons for our prayers.

Some may be specific in nature, while others may be more general in nature.

As an example, we might ask God to bless all of our brothers and sisters in Christ in a general broad way, but we might have a specific request for one person who is suffering or has requested that we intercede on his/her behalf.

I point these scriptures out so that we might see that prayer should be defined in more depth than just the 'Lord's Prayer' of our lesson today in Matthew 6 and also to remind us that when we pray, we need to do so in Spirit and in Truth, with great concern that our prayers will be acceptable to God.

ADVOCATE

Here is another New Testament scripture that teaches us that Christ is in Heaven to appear before God, the Father for us.

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

When we sin and ask for forgiveness from God, the Father; John says that in this case that Jesus Christ is our advocate.

We might consider what an advocate on earth does in court, as he argues our case before the judge and better understand the usage by John of the word to describe Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:1-2

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

A CONDITION OF FORGIVENESS

If we pray from an honest and sincere heart, we will be righteous as we ask Jesus to mediate on our behalf only if we also have a forgiving nature of the trespasses of men against us.

Colossians 3:12-13à 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

If we are sitting here in worship, asking for forgiveness, while we are holding a grudge against our brother or sister in the pew in front of us; we have prayed a vain prayer.

I have not included all the points regarding prayer that could be considered, but let us continue to study God's Word so that we will always come to God with a Godly motive in our hearts.

FASTING

Finally, we see the 3rd item of our lesson.

Jesus told them that they hypocrites only fasted so that men would know that they were fasting; that men would regard them as pious.

Jesus said that they put on a sad face when they fasted.

Jesus said to His disciples that they should anoint their head and wash their face when they fasted. In other words, anything that would give away the fact that they were in a period of religious fasting; these things should be avoided.

As we look at fasting in the New Testament church, we see that the point that Jesus is making here is the same as for giving alms and for prayer.

It was not the case that no one else was to know about the fast, but that the fast not be for show to impress others.

Is it a sin to fast and someone else besides you be aware of your fasting?

It was known that the brethren at the Athens church of Christ fasted and prayed. Their prayer and fasting was not in secret; but it was with a Godly motive and a Godly purpose.

Acts 13:2-3

2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

We see fasting and prayers as together; where one is present, the other is also. Paul and Barnabus selected elders in every church by prayer and fasting, as they commended them to the Lord, or as I understand it they asked God to watch over them and guide them and help them with their work as elders.

This process of fasting was not in secret. Others besides Barnabus and Saul knew that they fasted and prayed.

Acts 14:23--And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Husbands and wives are allowed to be apart as regarding the marriage bed only if they have dedicated that period of time to fasting and prayer.

So, the point is, even though not too many people would be aware of their fasting, it was not totally in secret as the husband and the wife would know of the other's fasting and prayers.

1 Corinthians 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

As we bring this lesson to a close, let us each examine ourselves regarding our motive when we give to the poor; when we pray, and when we fast.

Be careful to watch over your soul; work out your salvation with fear and trembling; and when you are tempted to consider how someone watching or listening regards you, if you will remember this lesson of today; the Word of God will give you strength to glorify God in all you do.

Do all that you do, in word or deed, do all with a Godly Motive; do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fruity Christian

THE FRUITY CHRISTIAN
SERMON #437; by Joe McClure; Preached first on April 23, 2006
When a person today refers to a person as being ?fruity?; he is normally telling us that the person in question is a little off his rocker, or in other words, beginning to lose his mind, or be mentally unstable.
While there may be a host of folks in your world who think that it is certainly crazy to subscribe to the teaching of the Bible, I know that in order to please my Lord; I must bear the fruits of the Spirit.
In using the word ?fruit?, our Lord draws our minds to that which grows on a plant or bush or tree. Usually a fruit is something that is good to eat.
While we recognize that there are fruits that are not good to eat, for the most part, today we shall only consider those fruits that are good as a figure of the type of fruit that we should bear.

Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Fruit is considered to be the positive product of food, that a plant, bush, or tree might bring forth.
The fruit normally, as we think of it, comes into being after that the flower has bloomed, and been fertilized by a bee, or bird, by carrying the pollen from one sex plant to the opposite sex plant.
With this picture in mind, let us look then first to the words of our Lord.

Matthew 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

As we study the subject of the FRUITY CHRISTIAN, I want you to always try to keep this passage of Scripture in your mind.
This verse from Matthew 13 is from the famous parable of Jesus, the parable of the sower that went forth to sow.
The birds ate some of his seed, and some took root, but did not live.
I do not wish to make this a study of the ?seed parable?; but I do want us to notice something about the good seed of Matthew 13.8.
In Matthew 13.8, all of that seed fell into good ground.
As we study, I want you to keep in your mind?s eye the fact of Matthew 13.8, that some multiplied 100 times, some 60 times, and some 30 times. This is an indication simply that not all bore the same fruit in the same quantities, but they did all bear fruit.
Also, as we study this lesson; as we proceed along, I want you to ask yourself whether you have fallen into good ground or not, and whether you are bearing any fruit yet.
While some fruit is perennial, and some fruit trees bear all season long, others might not bear fruit until the 2nd or 3rd season.
The point is that although all faithful Christians bear some spiritual fruit, there are some that are in their mature years, while others are just developing.
As Jesus explained it, we have no hope of bring forth the good fruit unless we are receptive to His Word.

Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

We must not only read the Word of the gospel of Christ, but we must understand what we read. If we read and do not understand, then we should ask for help from a brother or sister to guide us.
The first fruit that I want to look at is a general overall thing that we must agree to do, as Christians, and that is to be right with God.
1. Holiness: Fruit of Righteousness; Goodness
Holiness might be used to describe the Christian who brings forth good fruits of the Spirit. If we are righteous, then we are Holy.
Through the Word of truth, you and I are called to be Holy, which is the opposite of unclean.

I Thessalonians 4. 7-- For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

The call to be Holy, and to become more Holy is from God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
To be right with God, we must obey the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

II Thessalonians 2. 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13 ¶ But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Praise God that He has loved us and chosen us to be saved, when we become Holy through our trust in the truth.
In serving Christ, we should be able to know that we have pleasure in righteousness.

14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am thankful that I heard and obeyed the calling of the gospel to obtain eternal glory.

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

As we shall see, all of the spiritual fruits are revealed in the words of the epistles of the apostles. In that day, some had actually heard Paul preach the gospel, thus the inclusion in this verse the phrase ?whether by word?.
Turn now to Romans 6th chapter, and look with me at verses 17 to 22; where we see the definition of ?Holiness?.

Romans 6:17-22>> But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

In order to become fruitful and to be Holy, you must have an open heart to God?s word. You must be receptive to obey the doctrine of Christ. You must commit yourself serve Christ.

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

There is a way that is right, and a way of sin. The doctrine that we find preached by the apostles to the church teaches us that way which, when obeyed, will cause us to become righteous.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

When we receive the word of truth, we must choose to yield our bodies to serve that way of Christ that is revealed. The opposite of righteousness is to give ourselves up to the passion of the flesh and to do that which is evil in the sight of our Lord Jesus.
Also notice in V 19 here that when we choose to yield to the right way that we are becoming Holy.

Romans 6.20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

When you are free from sin:
· You are righteous
· You become a servant TO God
· You have your fruit UNTO holiness
· You have your hope of everlasting life
· You are a saint

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

2. LOVE is the next fruit that we should have at the beginning of our walk with Christ, as we should love God and the brethren when we first obey the first principles of the gospel of Christ.

1 John 4:16-21 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Are you afraid to die and face God? If you have the fruit of love, you should not be afraid, but contrary, you should be bold to face the Day of Judgment.
If you have the fruit of LOVE, you also will love your brother.
If you do not love your brothers and sisters in Christ, then the true fact is that you cannot love God either.
If you hate your brother, the Scriptures say that you are walking in darkness.
You can examine your soul right now, today. You can know whether you love God by certain evidences, and one of these is whether you love your brother and sister in Christ, or detest them.
If we love, we certainly have the key factor we need to grow as Christians and to please our Lord.
In the following passage, notice the key position of charity, or love, above all of these other fruits.

Colossians 3:12-14 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. 14 And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

As we should all know, another evidence of perfect love is our dedication to obey our Lord as John stated, ?because he first loved us?, in that Jesus died as our sacrifice, for our sins, upon the cross of Calvary.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

While Jesus stated that if his disciples loved him, that they would keep his commandments, we see this same point taught to all Christians in the writings of John.

1 John 2:1-6 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Is the love of God perfected in you? Do you do your best to walk in the path that our Saviour has mapped out for you? Do you obey His commandments?
In the following passage of Scriptures, we notice that, perfect love is described by looking at the opposite of righteous love, that is, the love of the world.
If you yearn for the things that are sinful, you are falling short. If you lust to give in to the passions of the sinful flesh, if you lust to have that which you know that you should not be wanting; then you need to repent, and reexamine your priorities.

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Loving God should not be a burden for us. Love is in evidence in our lives by how we react mentally and physically to the commandments of God.
When you hear the gospel preached, or read the Scriptures, do you groan, and cry out against the commandments, telling God that these requirements are too hard for you to do?

1 John 5:1-4 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.

If you have faith in God, then His commandments are NOT TOO SEVERE. They are not too hard to obey.
While it is true that the flesh may fight against the commandments of God, and we may be tempted to sin against the truth, we can overcome when we love Him that first loved us.
The very basis of our faith is our love of God.
We are bound to God by our love to Him.
We are grounded and rooted as fruitful trees by our Godly love.

Ephesians 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Love is more than just knowledge.
Love involves comprehension of God. This supports the teaching that we study to stand approved before God, as we cannot hope to know or understand the will of God until we have studied God?s message to His children.
3. JOY is another fruit of the spirit that we should strive to have as faithful Christians.

Romans 14:17-18 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ [is] acceptable to God, and approved of men.

We might think of joy as gladness. Regardless of what our Lord asks of us to do, our duty is to rejoice in our obedience. We see this joy in the rejoicing of the disciples of the 1st Century when they were persecuted for the cause of Christ.

Acts 5:41-42-- And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. [42] And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

After the apostles had been put in prison because they had preached the gospel, they were glad and considered it a great thing to suffer for the name of Christ.
Likewise, when we are made fun or have to suffer for the name of Christ, we too should rejoice. If you moan and complain when you suffer tribulations, you are lacking this fruit of the spirit.
To illustrate, the best way that I could find that might explain this kind of a feeling is to remind you of the joy you felt when you first obeyed the gospel.
Do you recall that feeling you had when you were baptized?

Acts 8:39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Because of our love for one another as saints, we will rejoice at the spiritual growth of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and when we note their faithfulness.
When we have joy, we will always rejoice at truth, and be saddened when we see error and false doctrine.

1 Corinthians 13:3-7-- And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. [4] Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, [5] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; [6] Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; [7] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

We can be sorry that we are suffering unjustly at the hands of those we might call our brethren, but we should always rejoice in that we represent truth in service to Christ Jesus. Who else will stand for the truth if the saints won?t?

2 Corinthians 7:9-- Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

Time and again, Paul made the comments in his epistles that he had cause of joy when he heard of the faith of his fellow saints in various faraway places. Another common cause of rejoicing on his part was his suffering for the name of Christ.

Philippians. 4:4-- Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

4. PEACE is one of those fruits that we saw in one of the earlier passages in Romans 14.17-18, without which we cannot be pleasing to the Lord.

Romans 14:17-18 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ [is] acceptable to God, and approved of men.

The word ?peace? means quietness and calmness of spirit.
It is so key in the Scriptures that the gospel is called the gospel of peace.

Romans 10:15-- And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

The gospel of peace contains glad or joyous news of good things. We that have been called by this gospel have rest in our souls, knowing with great assurance that we have eternal salvation awaiting us at the Judgment Day.
The gospel will only bring peace to those who answer its call, and those who obey the gospel.

Luke 12:51-- Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

There can never be peace in the church until we all come in one mind and one spirit, being willing to submit ourselves to the will of Christ, laying aside all the traditions of men. Until then the gospel will be a gospel of division for all those who reject it. Those who do good must be divided from those who do evil.

Romans 2:10-- But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

This fruit of the Spirit is not peace with the world, but peace in our souls with God.

Romans 5:1-2-- Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: [2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

I do not mean to teach that we should not be at peace with our neighbor, who might be a lost soul. This seemly points to the fact that we cannot be one with him in our fellowship and confidence.
We must strive to live peaceably with all men. In living in peace with men, we must learn not to allow our flesh to guide our actions and thinking among the world.

Romans 12:17-19 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Romans 8:6---For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

In the church, we must make every possible effort to teach the truth to those that do not have it, and to reason with those that disagree with us, and work to have peace among us.

Romans 14:19---Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Finally, although maybe not conclusively, let us see the instructions of the Scriptures on how that we may have peace spiritually.

Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

5. LONGSUFFERING is our next fruit of the spirit that we must strive towards.
This simply put means to have patience in fulfilling every requirement of our Lord Jesus. You might think of it as ?fortitude?.
When the enemy has surrounded you and it seems as if there is no hope that you will be able to overcome, you hold out for another day.
We find that we are to patiently persist in our dealings with fellow saints as well.

Ephesians 4:1-3---I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, [2] With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; [3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Fortitude is called for when we are working to keep the unity, while keeping peace with one another. We must not be puffed up and proud, and patiently stand for that which is truth.
Part of Paul?s prayer for the Colossians was that they would be longsuffering in their work.

Colossians 1:10-12-- That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; [12] Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

If you study all that the Scriptures reveal about the suffering of the Apostle Paul and all that he had to endure in order to preach the gospel of peace, then you might understand the meaning of the word ?longsuffering?.

1 Timothy 1:16-- Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Finally, we can see that longsuffering means that we have a zeal for God and His work to the very end of life, knowing we have the promise of eternal life.

Hebrews 6:10-12-- For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. [11] And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: [12] That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.


6. GENTLENESS is associated with the other fruits of the Spirit.
The person who is patient, and loving, and peaceful is a person who is sure to be gentle.
Paul compared himself to a mother nursing, or breastfeeding her children, when describing the fruit of gentleness.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-- But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

A person who is gentle is not a person who looks to stir up trouble unnecessarily.

Titus 3:2-- To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

As I said, a person who has a calm and quiet spirit is one who would be gentle.
This is one of the necessary requirements for any disciple of Christ, and especially for those who teach and preach the truth.

2 Timothy 2:24-- And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

7. MEEKNESS is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit.
How could a person be equipped with these other fruits of the Spirit without being meek? Is there something about meekness that differs from these others, something unique?
The only other place that this word is found is in describing our Lord.

Matthew 11:29-- Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

The idea is that we should be humble and not have an exalted opinion of ourselves, and accept the commandments of the Scriptures with no resistance.
Finally, I want to close with the Scriptures that contain all of these fruits of the Spirit in one passage.

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

The overall picture we get is that such a person would be really easy to get along with, but at the same time, he would defend the faith with great confidence and understanding of the gospel of Christ.
These are those things that many seek for in the world, but cannot find them.
In Christ these are possible. You will not bring forth all of these fruits in abundance at first, but will grow in them as you grow in grace and in your knowledge of the truth.
INVITATION to obey the gospel:

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE LOST?

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE LOST?; Sermon #436, by Joe McClure, Date: April 16, 2006

It is very common to hear sermons preached about what one must do to be saved, but today; we want to look at the actions that one must do in order to be lost. Brother Frye Lucas has asked for this sermon today.

What damns a soul?

If you listen closely, you will see that some of the ways to be lost are mentioned more than one time, as some Scripture references include two or more of the things that will cause one to be eternally lost.

What assures a soul of eternal destruction?

All are born into this world of sin safe, as innocents.

However, at some point, each person becomes aware of what God expects of him or her, in order to become right in God?s eyes.

God freely offers each soul His love and mercy.

We each have a choice, either to choose to do good, or to do evil. Action is required on our part either to accept or reject salvation in Christ.

We must do something in order to not receive God?s grace.

To be lost, you must refuse to hear the Word of God. You must refuse to listen to those who preach the truth.
For an example of those who refused to hear, we look to the ancient past of Israel, who became very wicked, and the words from God by the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 13. 8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

Peter told his Jewish audience to repent and be converted, and in his preaching reminded them of the warning given by Moses of the punishment that would come upon those who refuse to hear Jesus.

Acts 3.22-23>>22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

Paul pointed out that a person couldn?t believe until they heard the gospel preached.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

To be lost, you must reject the commandments of God, which you have heard preached.

MarK 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

If a person wants to be damned, it is important to reject the Scriptures as commandments from God, and then to follow after their own lusts.

2 Peter 3:3 ¶ Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Another way to say this is: all that do not believe the truth will be lost.

2 Thessalonians 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

To be lost, you must be ignorant of God?s truths.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Spiritual ignorance is sometimes referred to, by the Scriptures, as being blind.

Matthew 15. 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

To be lost, you must be blinded mentally and spiritually by the God of this world, and not come to know the truth of our Lord Jesus, due to unbelief.

2 Corinthians 4:2-5 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

To be lost, you refuse to study the Scriptures.

If you desire the knowledge that will lead to eternal salvation, you must dedicate your efforts to learning those words of Christ that will give you life.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Knowledge of the will of Christ does not come miraculously into your mind. Study of the Scriptures is a good work that is commanded by Christ. We all must be faithful and diligent to examine all that we believe, to see if they are right or wrong.

2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

To be lost, you must refuse to believe that the Scriptures are true.

2 Thessalonians 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

To be lost, you must not only refuse to hear, and to accept the word of God as truth, but you must have NO FAITH in order to be lost.

Hebrews 4:1-6 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it]. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

To be lost, you must refuse to believe in Christ and refuse to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

To be lost, you must hate the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.

To be lost, you must hate the Word of God.

Proverbs 13:13-14 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. 14 The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

To be lost, you must choose the evil over the good.

To be lost, you must not become like obedient Christians.

Ephesians 2. 1 ¶ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Life and peace is promised only to those who choose good over evil.

I Peter 3. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

To be lost, instead of following the truth of Christ, you must live your life according to the principles of Satan, the father of lies.

2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Titus 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

To be lost, give your respect to the men in your society. To be lost, it is important that you fear men instead of God.

Isaiah 51:7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart [is] my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

When Israel showed their fear of the men in Canaan, Joshua and Caleb instructed them to not fear the men, but instead to trust in God.

Numbers 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they [are] bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD [is] with us: fear them not.

We can see the result of not fearing God, and the actions of the man who wants to be eternally lost in Romans 3.10-18:

Romans 3. 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

To be lost, you must have no concern in pleasing God; but instead you must be only concerned in pleasing men with your life.

Galatians 1:10 ¶ For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

To be damned and eternally lost, you must be guided by the flesh and serve as your master the desires of the human flesh.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Here, in our next passage of Scriptures, we might notice some of the things that the flesh will guide the eternally damned soul to do.

Colossians 3.5 ¶ Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:6 For which things? sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

• FORNICATION--not resisting the sexual passions that are condemned by the Bible
• UNCLEANNESS--any performance of that which is unclean, by some defined as wasteful living
• INORDINATE AFFECTION--depraved and vile feelings, passions, emotions; thus condemning the desire, rather than the actual action; and which will lead to sinful acts
• EVIL CONCUPISCENCE--craving that which is evil
• COVETOUSNESS, WHICH IS IDOLATRY--Greed for things, to the point of doing whatever it takes to obtain them, thus the worship of that which is material, or idolatry.

Ephesians 5. 3 ¶ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

*Filthiness--Obscenity, in words, thoughts, or action
*Foolish talking--A sin of the tongue, speaking without any good motives
*Jesting--Sin of the tongue; telling jokes of the lower baser sort; speaking evil of others in a non-direct manner

I Corinthians 6. 9 ¶ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

• Adulterers
• Effeminate--Homosexuality, male prostitute, catamites; male poser for pornography
• Abusers of yourself with mankind--man who lies with a male as with a female; sodomite
• Thieves
• Drunkards
• Revilers--Mischief maker, railer
• Extortioners

If you want to be lost, you must be unrighteous as we have seen in these 3 passages, which are just some of the ungodly actions that cause the wrath of God to come upon those who disobey.

To be lost, lend your support and approval to those who live contrary to the will of Christ.

Further, we can see the assurance that the Scriptures give those who live unrighteous and evil lives in the following passage of Scriptures, in Romans 1.

From the following passage of Scriptures, be warned that you might actually perform the acts that are defined as good works, and still be lost, simply because you have supported evil persons, most likely those in your family.

Romans 1:29-32 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

To be lost, one must rebel against the light of God.

In the following passage, Jesus points out that the evil works of men are done during the night, and then compares this to spiritual darkness.

To be lost eternally, man must reject the light of the truth of the gospel of Christ.

John 3. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God

To be lost, you must harden your heart against the truth, and allow yourself to be deceived by Satan.

Hebrews 3. 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

To be lost, promote a false gospel; teach lies to mankind.

LIE AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD.

Galatians 1. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

If you want to be lost, wilfully sin against the will of God, rejecting His commandments and His ways.

Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

Hebrews 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Those who refuse to hear and accept the word of truth, and refuse to submit to the teachings of the Holy Spirit, by the words of the Apostles? doctrine, will be doomed eternally.

We know that if a man wants to be lost, then he must refuse to obey the gospel preached on the day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:38-41 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.

To be lost, reject the Son of God.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

To be lost, reject not only the Father and the Son, but speak out against the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come.

There are a multitude of things that I could list that bring about the damnation of a man?s soul, but time prevents me from listing them all. I want to close with a passage from Peter in II Peter 3.

II Peter 3.
9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us?ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 ¶ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Now that you see the many ways by which you can be damned eternally, and have God mad at you, won't you please choose to be good?