HOW TO
ENJOY
PARADISE AND STAY THERE
Sunday, Sept 14, 1997 am
1Corinthians 8:1-3 Now as touching things offered
unto
idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if
any
man think that he knoweth any thing, he
knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
1 John 3:14-15 We know that we
have
passed from
death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth
not his
brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:
and
ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in
the
love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal
life.
Odd references for a
subject
entitled as it is.
- But it has a whole lot
to
do with every desire in every one of you.
Why do we sense that
things
can be better?
- Where do we get the
dreams
and the ideas that a paradise can be imagined?
- We can sit down and
all
come up with our own ideas of paradise.
- If evolution were
true,
and we are only suited to the environment we walk around in and adapt
to
it, then why do we imagine a better place?
- It should not even
come
to our minds that there can be a paradise.
- We should have adapted
to the surroundings and not even consider anything different.
- Nature should have
engineered
even our imaginations to be no greater than what is natural.
But the fact is that we can
dream.
- We can imagine.
- We can even hope.
The only explanation for the
fact that we WONDER about a world much better, we sing about it, and
write
about it, is because somewhere in the recesses of our very make-up, a
fragment
of a memory passed on through generations exists, and we once were in a
paradise but did not stay there.
I am preaching about
ENJOYING
PARADISE AND STAYING THERE.
- Through careful study
of
the Scriptures we realize that the Christian life is a total
restoration
of the Paradise Adam lost.
John said:
1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth
his
brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life
abiding
in him.
Hate is no eternal life,
so
LOVE must be part of eternal life.
And also in our text two
things
are mentioned here by Paul: KNOWLEDGE and CHARITY
- And in speaking about
the
church people, we can see a connection with the original sin and the
garden
of Eden.
- Tree of life gave
eternal
life, tree of knowledge gave death.
- And if John said HATE
removes
us from any chance of eternal life, then LOVE will pave the way back!!!
- Love has a lot to do
with
eternal life!!!
Paul addressed a common
situation that existed in those early days of the church, and sadly
still
exists in the church of our time.
- And little may we have
realized he was taking us back to the two very things set before
mankind
in the Garden.
- And many people are
making
the same mistake Adam made and are eating and living off the KNOWLEDGE
of
good and evil.
- BUT REAL PARADISE IS
LOST
BECAUSE WE EAT OF KNOWLEDGE, WHILE PARADISE IS ENJOYED BY RECEIVING
LIFE.
ORIGINAL SCENE
Genesis 2:9 And out of the
ground
made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and
good
for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the
tree
of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of
the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day
that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
LET US SEE HOW WE CAN
ENJOY
PARADISE AND STAY THERE
What is the tree of life?
- What is the tree of
the
knowledge of good and evil?
- when the two sinned in
Eden, one blamed the other and the other blamed another for their own
sin.
Genesis 3:12-13 And the man said,
The
woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and
I did
eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that
thou hast
done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
They became so filled with
themselves.
- puffed up.
- So much that they did
not
accept responsibility for anything.
- Not caring about the
other,
there they put the blame.
- They consumed
KNOWLEDGE
of good and evil
We say Paradise is a coconut
tree in our yard, sandy beach nearby with blue waters and a cloudless
blue
sky above, with a misty waterfalls nearby. But we might as well be in
the
Sahara Desert if we are not cared for by someone!
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now as touching
things
offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge.
Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
Knowledge puffs up.
- All mankind is a
spirit,
soul and body.
- The soul is the self.
- God said they would
die
when they ate of the tree of knowledge.
- Their souls did not
die
- they continued to be self aware.
- Their bodies did not
die
- they lived.
- What died?
- Their spirits.
- And their SOULS became
puffed up.
- Their souls mutated
and
enlarged abnormally and they became overly self-aware that they were
self-centred.
- We need self-esteem.
- We even need some
pride,
or we would walk around unwashed, and disgusting looking.
- (Some people can use
a
little more pride).
- But we must be
puffed up
and inflated out of proper proportion.
Jesus said He is the LIFE,
and
we know Jesus is LOVE .
Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he
placed
at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which
turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life .
THE WAY OF LIFE
We lost WAY to the tree of
LIFE
- it was KEPT from us.
- Now Jesus is the Life
and
He is the WAY.
The Bible speaks about the
WAY
TO LIFE.
Proverbs 10:17 He is in the way of life that keepeth
instruction:
but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
Proverbs 12:28 In the way of
righteousness
is life;
and in the pathway thereof there is no death.
Like in Eden there stands
two
trees and two ways...
Jeremiah 21:8 And unto this
people
thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life , and
the way of death.
Not many find this way to
life
that was protected and barred from Adam after sin.
Matthew 7:14 Because
strait is
the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that
find it.
From our Text in
Corinthians,
Paul said LOVE and KNOWLEDGE are the choices today.
- Life and death.
- Adam and Eve KNEW god
and
evil after sin, but they lost a LOVE and began accusing another for
their
own actions.
- If we are not careful
we
can enter the popular christianity which is more concerned with
individualism
than others.
- The Church is a BODY.
- Corporate unity.
- The mind of Christ is
concerned
over the entire body of Christ.
- If little finger is
stubborn
and refuses to cooperate, the body will make do without.
- We fellowship with one
another.
- Eve made her fall when
she was absent from Adam.
- And we fall, too, when
we are isolated.
Knowledge is knowing what is
good and what is evil.
Paul said we may know that
certain
things are harmless,
1 Corinthians 8:7 Howbeit there is not in
every
man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the
idol
unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their
conscience
being weak is defiled.
He spoke about meats.
- Under OT Law, you
could
not eat certain meats.
- Especially meat
offered
to idols.
- But under GRACE you
are
free because you KNOW there is only one God.
1 Corinthians 8:8-9 But meat
commendeth
us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if
we
eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty
of
yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
But although we KNOW it is okay, we must TAKE HEED that
we can hurt another who does not know.
- It would be awful for
a
brother to lose out because they did not know we could do a certain
thing,
but yet seen us doing it and were deeply offended and confused and
backslid.
1 Corinthians 8:11-13 And through thy
knowledge shall the weak brother
perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren,
and
wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat
make
my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth,
lest
I make my brother to offend.
We can have the disease
Adam
had and and because we KNOW this is good and not evil, we can argue and maintain our
liberties
regardless of another's feelings.
- Little things like MEAT
and DRINK can
become idols of pride by which we show how much we know, and our actions hurt those who
do
not know.
- We can use these
things
to simply show-off how much we know.
- The Kingdom is based
on
far greater things than that.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of
God
is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the
Holy
Ghost.
Peace is getting along
with
others by tolerating what we do not agree with.
- It is better to be at
peace
than to fight and argue.
We can slip into making
little
things the issue in the Kingdom of God.
We need LOVE in action
more
than we need to let everyone know how much KNOWLEDGE we have
- PEACE rather than
offending
people.
- What does God look at
as
being His Church?
- Now, it is important
we
believe the proper doctrine, first of all.
- One man walked into
a laundromat
and asked 16 people if they believed Jesus Christ is Lord and saviour
and
that He died for their sins. They all shouted, "Yes." And they
continued
on with their duties. The man proudly walked out and declared 16 people
were born again.
- NONSENSE!!!
- The Church taught we
must
REPENT.
- Peter said we must
repent,
and then be baptized for remission of sins in Jesus' name, and then
receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost.
- But that is not all
there
is to it.
- We must stress love as
we uphold truth.
- Do not compromise
truth,
but uphold truth and use love when presenting it to people.
- Without Love, our
doctrine
does not mean a thing.
- We could have all
knowledge
of what is right and wrong, but without love we will help nobody.
- Acts 2:38 can be no
more
than an AXE and Two '38's (pistols) if we do not have LOVE.
- Jesus was not only
full
of truth but GRACE AND TRUTH.
LOVE IN ACTION
Romans 15:1-3 We then that are
strong
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let
every one of us please his neighbour for his good to
edification. For
even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches
of
them that reproached thee fell on me.
- Jesus sacrificed so we
could
live.
- Our reproaches were
taken
by Him and He suffered instead of us.
- We must sacrifice for
each
other so each other may live.
- Let us think more of
LOVE
than KNOWLEDGE of what is right and wrong.
- Bear one another's
weaknesses.
- Jesus did.
- He pleased us while He
went without.
- He died for us.
God had patience with us.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever
things
were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience
and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
God seen how wee hesitated
when
we first heard the Gospel.
- And the truth is we
were
wrong to hesitate.
- But God did not wipe
us
out.
- He is long-suffering.
- Because he loves us.
He had patience and comfort to offer to us so we could come to
salvation.
Romans 15:5-6 Now the God of
patience
and consolation grant you to be likeminded one
toward
another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and
one mouth
glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- God is full of the
PATIENCE
and the CONSOLATION we need for others.
- He can give us these
qualities
so we can be the way Jesus was.
- So we can enjoy
paradise
and stay there.
Jesus did not please
himself,
but suffered instead BECAUSE OF LOVE.
If everyone looked out for
the
better of the other, and went without so the other could go with, then
everyone
would be cared for.
- You go without and
tolerate
the weaknesses of others.
- You put others before
yourself.
- WHAT A PARADISE THIS
IS!
- BUT SOMEONE WILL ALSO
PUT
YOU BEFORE THEM.
- YOU WILL BE THE OTHER
THAT
SOMEONE PUTS FIRST.
- So everyone is giving
to
others everyone is THE OTHER to someone who gives to them.
- THIS IS PARADISE.
- No one is left
without..
If every one of us love each
other, then someone is going to love me!!!
- I may have a weak
area,
BUT WE TOLERATE THAT.
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirreth up
strifes:
but
love
covereth all sins.
You overlook that
weakness.
Do not look at what is
your
idea of a good trait in a person and avoid those who do not have it.
- Everyone needs to be
needed
and loved.
- A person sees a flaw
in
themselves and wishes they did not have it so someone would love them.
- But if the Church
overlooks
that flaw, then it is as though the person did not have it anyway!
- So the person would
not
ever worry about it again!
- That is love.
If you were self-centred,
it would drive you crazy that I am like a certain way.
- But if you looked out
for
me and bore my weaknesses you would tolerate me and overlook that part
of
me, because you are aware that keeping distance from me could hurt me.
- We see a down-and-out
person.
- We need to realize
their
feelings.
- Let us love our
neighbours,
and pass from death to life.
- We can make fun of one
who is such a way... but we totally forget their feelings.
- We need to please our
neighbour
for his good.
Be concerned for me.
- Look out for me.
- Pray that I go to
glory
with you.
- Do anything you can to
see me go to glory with you.
- Do not offend me and
leave
me alone.
- Find me and let me
know
how much you care and how much you want to see me in heaven.
- We all need someone.
- I know many believers
who
will overlook your faults and see your need to be needed, and I can
send
you to them and they will care.
James 1:9 Let the brother of
low
degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
James said we ought not
judge
one another as though we eat of the knowledge of good and evil.
- God is the only
lawgiver
- not us.
- He wanted Adam to eat
LIFE.
- Not good and evil..