Sunday Morning Podcast December 28, 2017. Bro. Dave Goble.
TEXT: MATTHEW 5:22-24
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
We need to be prepared, up through our “last battle” without looking back, and prepared to move forward. Verse 22; Jesus wanted us to not be angry with our “brother” (or neighbor) without a cause, for we will face the judgment. Who is our neighbor? Anyone ..but us. There are civil disagreements, but with those we must be cautious. The angry disagreements without a cause will take us to the judgment, (if not reconciled), bringing with it hell fire at the end of our life. So with those disagreements, we need to err on the side of caution, not allowing ourselves to have a contrary spirit. That is something heaven will never accept. Don’t bring your “gift” to the altar without first being reconciled to that one separated in heart from you! Verse 23; We must not pretend that we don’t have aught (if in fact we do), but instead remember and reconcile it. (To do otherwise will hinder the congregation). Verse 24; Leave your gift at the altar, and reconcile first with your brother. For without doing so, you will not be accepted by Christ. Do what you need to do.
God’s children must endeavor to move forward. If they look back, they will be more aware and focused on the “bad things.” They will not then win the race. Instead you need to remember that God blesses us in all things, if we allow Him to. And we will remember that, if we have a thankful heart, no matter how serious the trial! Thankfulness comes when we keep in mind, the victories God has helped us win.
So how are you doing? Are you keeping measure of where you are progressing, or not progressing? Even Jesus defined where He was. (John 17:1-12). Jesus declared that He had fulfilled and manifested the Father’s Word, before the men given unto Him from the Father; that He had given them God’s word, and that they had kept them. In 2018 will you leave behind the “baggage” of 2017 ? In 2018 what will you do different than in 2017? We need to be able to look back at what we accomplished according to God’s Will in our life. We need to recognize what has, or hasn’t been accomplished. To recognize clear opportunities of doors God would show us are open for His purposes. To reach souls that don’t know Him. Before the calendar brings us through 2018, what is hindering you from walking after the Spirit rather than the flesh so you can move on?
Are You Prepared To Move Forward?