Salvation and Eternal Life (#1020)

Good morning. We’re going to continue our series on the grace of God. And, just to let you know, if you haven’t been listening, this is a build up to two things: one, a weekend, the weekend of June 18th, 2021, when we’ll be having a fellowship weekend at the Dundon’s home in Ebony Virginia. And I’m going to call that class: “Let Grace Abound,” and it will be a typical class as a I often teach with four to five hours of teaching. And, we’ll cover many aspects of the grace of God. And, that is a build up towards a book, that we plan to put out sometime in the next year called: “Why Grace is Sufficient.”

Last session when we met on Sunday morning, I gave a general introduction to the grace of God, and that was actually part of a class I taught several years ago called: “The Grace of God.” That a was a sort of warm-up/introduction, today we’re going to go into the next topic, about salvation and eternal life. And the whole class and perhaps the book will have two major sections, one is the grace of God for us to be saved and have eternal life and our inheritance with God and everything that goes with that, and the second part will be grace in daily life.  You know, do we have to follow the old testament laws in our daily living, do we have to be worried about what other people think. And, I was listening to my daily Bible recording — I like these one-year Bibles and the other day it was covering some sections in the gospel where Jesus Christ was speaking very forcefully against the Pharisees.  And the things he was speaking forcefully against them was that everything they did was to please man and not God. They just wanted to look good, they wanted to look religious, they wanted to dress in just the right clothes, to show your supposedly more spiritual, and say just the right prayers, in just the right public place, and sit in just the right seat, and Jesus Christ said: you guys already have your reward, because what you wanted was for people to be impressed by what you did, and you got that.  What you ought to be concerned about is impressing God.

And, I think so much of the Christian walk in so may groups is based on the same thing. Think about even groups we’ve been involved in through the years, where there was much more interest in pleasing the leaders and being able to show that you had greater progress or greater accomplishments than other people. And that is where we focused. I remember vividly being involved in one group that some of us were involved in where you sort of had an annual review, like you’d have for a job, to help decide what your ministry assignment would be in the following year. And everything was basically sales numbers. I mean that is what you would call it today, we didn’t call it that, but it was: how many people did you get to come to fellowship, how many classes did they sign up for, or how much or how many financial donations were they making,  But there were no questions — I remember vividly thinking this when I was in Los Angeles going through one of these review sessions, there were no questions about: are you more peaceful, do you trust God more, do you believe God’s word more than you did last year, do you love God more than you did last year, do you walk in love towards other people?  Those kind of things.

Those are the things that really matter, and that is the type of thing that Jesus Christ was talking about when he was getting mad as the Pharisees. Because all they were doing was looking good before people. And so much, in so many Christian groups comes down to: can I behave in such a way that everybody thinks I’m a good Christian?  Based on the laws and rules and regulations in that Christian group.  And, I’ve even gone with people to their churches in recent years, because they wanted me to come along. And so much, I was given instructions as I walked in the door, don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t make it look like this is going on, because we can’t let them find that out. And then one time, someone got mad because I think I wore flip-flops — it was a very hot summer day, so I don’t wear shoes and socks in the summer if I can avoid it — but I got some grief because I was wearing flip-flops in this “august house of worship.”

The point of it is, everybody has their quirks, and I’m not saying I don’t have my quirks, we all do, but at the end of the day, we want to be pleasing God and walking and living according to the grace of God and not be worried about what people think. It is amazing how freeing and liberating life is when you get to where you don’t care what people think. I mean you still obviously want to be kind to people, you want to walk in love, but we don’t want to run around being scared everyday. My gosh, if I say this or do this, they won’t talk to me. I’ve gotten to the place where if there is somebody that doesn’t wasn’t to talk to me because what I say or do, well then, I don’t want to talk to them either. Because when it comes right down to it, it is your relationship with God that matters and the people you want to be around are people that know that and appreciate that and love you and help you. If you have people that just want to judge you and put you in a box, its probably not very worthwhile being around them.

Any rate, with that not too brief introduction, we’re going to go into today’s topic, which is salvation and eternal life. I can probably have five time as much scripture in here as I have, but I tried to hit the highlights and if any of you would like to recommend other verses on the topic, please do. I’m sure I’ll be adjusting these notes as I continue to study the topic and just as I read the Bible everyday I’ll notice stuff that I hadn’t put in before. But this is salvation and eternal life, how the grace of God affects that, how the grace of God affects your daily living, that will come up in further sessions. So, please turn to Ephesians chapter two…

As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20210516.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

Ephesians 2                   By grace are ye saved – the gift of God (vs. 8)

Romans 11:1-6             If works, then no more grace (vs. 6)

I Peter 1:23                    Being born again of incorruptible seed

I Corinthians 15:51-58 We shall all be changed (vs. 51)

Ephesians 1:10-11        We have obtained an inheritance

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 We will meet the Lord in the air – so shall we ever be

I Peter 1:3-4                  An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away

Colossians 3:4              When Christ…shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory

Some Difficult Verses

Ephesians 5:5               No whoremonger has any inheritance in the kingdom of God [NOTE: this refers to idolaters – those not yet born again]

Hebrews 6:6                  If they fall away, impossible to renew them to repentance [NOTE: once you are born again, it is incorruptible seed – no need to renew]

Revelation 21:8            Second death

Revelation 20:12-15     Judgement and lake of fire

Revelation 2:10-11      He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Teaching

Salvation and Eternal Life (#1020)

Not Law, but Grace (#1019)

Good morning. As you know in past sessions, we’ve been looking at some Old Testament records. We started in Joshua, we went through Judges, and Ruth, and part-way through first Samuel. We got through much of the period when Saul was King, and haven’t quite gotten to the end of that and haven’t gotten to when David became King, let alone Solomon. But we’ll save that for a later date. For the next several sessions we’re going to talk about the grace of God. Two reasons; one, we’re going to have a fellowship weekend, the weekend of June 18th, at the Dundon’s country place, down near the North Carolina border, sort of between Petersburg, Virginia and Duram, North Carolina. And the focus of that will be why grace is sufficient, which that again is preparation for a book, which Brian has been encouraging me to write on the topic. And that will be very interesting.

Some people will love agreeing about how we are saved by grace, that our salvation is guaranteed; other people will probably get fairly upset because some of the things they accepted as requirements for Christians are not a requirement for Christians, they may be something that is good for you to do. You know I still know Christians that won’t eat pork because it is in the Old Testament law. Well, if you don’t want to eat pork for whatever reason: you don’t like the flavor, you don’t like to see pigs killed, you have a dietician or a doctor that says it is bad for you, well then don’t eat pork. But don’t try to tell me it is not Biblical to eat pork. And that is just one example. There are so, so many. Everything from circumcism, having long hair, to having fabrics that have more than one kind of thread in them, to… oh, there are just so many things. Even in the Old Testament law (my memory is a little foggy on this, but I’ll have it in detail when I finally teach on it) I think in the Kosher Old Testament dietary laws, you couldn’t have meat and dairy in the same meal. So, you could have a nice steak, but you couldn’t have cream in your coffee afterwards, or you couldn’t have an ice cream desert afterwards, or whipped cream on your cherry pie.

So, again, those are Old Testament laws that no longer apply. So, we’ll go through many, many them. Some, like the ones I just mentioned are very obvious, others take a little more thought and review, but the bottom line is Christianity as a whole, not everybody, but as a whole I think is still extremely legalistic and focuses way too much on trying to control people’s behavior with laws and rules instead of encouraging them to trust God for deliverance. We’ve all had people give us rules and tell us how to behave and most of it has done very little for us. But, what has helped us, again I’m speaking for me and people I’ve talked to, I’m not speaking for the whole world, but I’ve found what helps people is learning to trust God and ask Him for help, and be confident that He’ll be there to deliver us. And that is all the grace of God, not the Law.

At any rate, what we’re going to do today is to do a brief introduction to the topic. About fifteen years ago, in 2006, I taught a class called “The Age of Grace,” which is on our website. And that was sort of an introduction to this topic. So, just to sort of get a running start, I’m going to go through the first session of that class this morning and just as an introduction. The weekend in June, in Ebony, Virginia we’ll go into much more detail. Way beyond that class form fifteen years ago. And then the book we’ll go into more detail than that.

I’m sort of pondering a little about how to put the book together, I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’ll try to make the bulk of the book be very simple, very inspirational, without a lot of academic detail. And then where I want a lot of academic detail to really confirm a point, I’ll either put it in footnotes or better yet I’ll put it in appendices. So, your page isn’t all cluttered with footnotes. So, if chapter two is on dietary laws, for instance, the main chapter on it may be five and ten pages, and have a half-a-dozen examples, so it is very easy and fun to read; and then for the student that likes details and wants to be proved, without just taking my word for it, they can read the appendix, which will go into excruciating detail that only the very avid student or scholar will want to bother with. But they don’t have to you see, if they just want to read the fun part and enjoy it, great. If you like the details, it’s in the back. I’ll probably do it something like that, but I’m still pondering over it and I expect to go through a few iterations and get some opinions on it so you two and probably some others will get a chance to read early drafts of it, and if you have opinions on it, you’re welcome to offer them. And, if you don’t, that is OK too.

So, with that in mind, let’s start in the book of Deuteronomy…

As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20210502.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

Deuteronomy 6:25                   Law

Romans 3:20-26                        Grace

Romans 4:4-5                             Believing is counted for righteousness

Romans 5:1-2                             This grace wherein we stand

Romans 6:14                              We are under grace

Romans 11:5-6                          If by grace, then no more of works

Romans 16:24                           The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all

I Corinthinians1:3, 4                Grace unto you, I thank God for the grace

I Corinthinians115:10              By the grace of God I am what I am

II Corinthinians1. 9:6-8            God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work

Sufficiency: vs. 8 – autarkeia: A perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed;

Sufficiency of the necessities of life; A mind contented with its lot

II Corinthinians112:7-10          My grace is sufficient for thee (vs. 9)

Galatians 1:3, 6                         Grace to you, called into the grace of Christ

Galatians2:21                             I do not frustrate the grace of God

Ephesians 1:2, 7                        Grace to you, the riches of his grace

Ephesians 2:5, 7-8                     By grace are ye saved

Ephesians 3:1-13                       Administration of the grace of God (vs. 2)

Titus 3:7                                      Justified by his grace, heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 4:16                            Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace

I Peter 1:13                                Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind and be strong: Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  (NIV)

Teaching

Not Law, but Grace (#1019)

Saul, Part 2 (#1018)

Good morning.  We’ll continue our series in the book of I Samuel today.  If you go to I Samuel chapter eleven…

As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20210418.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

I Samuel 11 – Saul made king

I Samuel 12 – Samuel confirms Saul

Teaching

Saul, Part 2 (#1018)

Resurrection Saturday (#1017)

Good morning.  We’re going to take a break today from the sessions we’ve been doing looking at some of the old testament records to talk about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And we call this resurrection Saturday, for two reasons: one, I have to travel tomorrow, so we could meet on what we often call “Resurrection Sunday” or Easter; and secondly, Jesus Christ, according to the best research we’ve seen actually died on a Wednesday and got up on a Saturday.  So, we’re on track, having a Resurrection Saturday fellowship.  So, let’s look here at the scriptures that talk about his resurrection: Matthew twenty-eight…

As taught by Bruce Mahone 20210403.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

Matthew 28:5-6        He is risen

Luke 24:5-7                Why seek ye the living among the dead?

Acts 1:22                     A witness of his resurrection

Cross – not used in Acts (tree: three times)

Resurrection – 10 times in Acts

Spirit – 68-70 times in Acts

Acts 4:1-4                   Being grieved that they preached the resurrection

Acts 4:33                    And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all

Acts 17:16-21            He preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection

Acts 17:31-32            He hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.  And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words

Hebrews 2:14-15      Deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (He himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil – NASB, vs. 14)

Matthew 8:16-17      Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses

I Peter 2:24                By whose stripes ye were healed

I Corinthians 11:23-26  This do in remembrance of me

Teaching

Resurrection Saturday (#1017)

I Samuel 8 -10, Saul  (#1016)

Good morning!  Today, we’re going to continue the series we started with Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and now first Samuel.  In our first time with first Samuel, obviously we started with Hanna, his wonderful mother, and the prayer she made, and her trusting God, which led to Samuel being born, and being dedicated to the Lord, and then how he grew up and began to lead and judge God’s people.  He had that for two sessions and now we’re going to get into the topic of Saul, which is a very interesting topic.  God did not want his people to have a king, He wanted to be their leader, but they saw the other nations around them having kings, and they wanted one.  And they forget all about the fact that they had won many battles against many foes, starting with the Egyptians and all the way up through the Philistines and many others they had defeated and been very victorious without a king, but everybody still wanted to, you know like people often say: ”keeping up with the Jones’” do what the neighbor in doing or what the neighboring country is doing.  And I thought about it today, we live in a very different administration today. 

We don’t have judges and kings and prophets being the government.  But we still need to trust God, and we don’t want to have anything coming in to replace God.  And if you think about it, just looking at the news of talking to your neighbors, not everybody, but it seems like an awful lot of people want somebody to replace God in their lives.  You know, they want a political leader that going to raise the human cry and go fix everything.  And there is nothing wrong with voting for the political leader you want, and the political leader doing a good job leading the government.  Nothing wrong with that.  But, when you place all the confidence and expectation in the leader instead of God, it gets a little out of whack.  Same thing with a religious leader.  Some people think we’re going to have a big Pope-type person, that is going to, whether it’s the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church or a Bishop or leader in some other church that is going to be the one to lead the way.  Or it could be a business leader, you know, I like so and so, because his business runs well, and I’m going to do whatever he says.  And again, there is nothing wrong with learning from a good businessman, you know like one of the people I trust a lot is Warren Buffet, an investor in Omaha, Nebraska.  But I don’t expect him to change my life and save the world.  He’s just a good investor, so if he’s doing something, I pay attention, and I think about it, and if it makes sense, I do it.  And if it doesn’t make sense to me, I don’t do it.  But, it is not like I want him to replace God, he’s just a smart guy I listen to.

And there are other people, there are fitness coaches, there are motivational speakers, there are community leaders, and every one of these can contribute in positive ways to our lives and the lives of those around us, but none of them can take the place of God.  So, its just very instructive to see how Israel – it wasn’t like they wanted a king to sort of assist God or work with God, and be their leader, they wanted a king to replace God.  There is a big difference there.  There is a very big difference between having somebody to help, you know like those in the medical field.  And I have huge respect for those in the medical field, but obviously they don’t replace God.  They didn’t make the human body, there are things they can’t cure and they know it, but God can cure them.

So, I never say a dang thing against the medical profession and I’ve benefited from it so dang much, I have respect for it.  But at the same time I know that if I had to it, I would say that they are “assisting God” in our healing.  Because healing ultimately comes from God.  And good physicians do a wonderful job at assisting God.  But, in my mind they don’t take the place of God. And Laura, I’ve probably not said this since you’ve on these calls, but sometimes people ask me: “should I pray and trust God for healing or should I listen to my doctor?”  And I say: “Yes.”  I always pray and trust God for help and do exactly what the doctor tells me.  Plus all the corollary things: try to eat well, try to exercise, and all those other things that are important.  And I’m convinced, and this is my life personally, I’m not speaking for the whole world, I am convinced that I’ve been healed because of what my doctor prescribed, and I’m convinced there have been times I’ve been healed by simply trusting God without the help of a doctor. 

So, I think God has got to be at the top in our lives in every way, and everybody else can help.  Like even businessmen.  I do, being retired, spend a little more time on investments than I used to and I listen to people that know about investments.  But ultimately, I trust God to prosper what I do.  So, both are important.  But we’re going to read about a time in the history of Israel where they wanted to replace God with a king.  They were basically turning away from God to get a king.  And that hurt them, as we’ll see.  So let’s go to first Samuel chapter seven…

As taught by Bruce Mahone 20210321.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

I Samuel 8 – Israel asks for a king

I Samuel 9 – God chooses Saul

I Samuel 10 – Samuel anoints Saul

Teaching

I Samuel 8 -10, Saul (#1016)

I Samuel 4 -7  (#1015)

Good morning and God bless you!  We’re going to continue the series we’ve been doing for a while.  We started at the beginning of Joshua.  And went through much of Joshua, much of Judges, all of Ruth, and last time we covered the first three chapters of the book on first Samuel, that talked about a wonderful woman named Hanna, who prayed for a son and gave birth to Samuel.  Who went up at a young age and served in the house of the Lord, and became what we often say served as the last of the judges of Israel and the first of the prophets.  And what people call the great prophets perhaps.  So, a wonderful fella and we are going to continue with his life and ministry.  And remember…well, let

As taught by Bruce Mahone 20210307.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

I Samuel 4 – The Philistines invade, the ark is lost

I Samuel 5 – The Philistines are troubled with the ark

I Samuel 6 – The ark returns to Israel

I Samuel 7 – Israel returns to the Lord

Teaching

I Samuel 4 -7 (#1015)

I Samuel 1 – 3  (#1014)

Good morning. We’re going to continue the series we started many weeks ago where we started going through Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, by getting into the book of Samuel. So please turn to I Samuel chapter one…

As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20210221.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

I Samuel 1 – Hannah’s Prayer

I Samuel 2 – Hannah’s Song and Eli’s Sons

I Samuel 3 – Samuel’s Ministry Begins

Teaching

I Samuel 1 – 3 (#1014)

Ruth (#1013)

God bless you. Welcome to another Sunday morning fellowship.

As you know, we’ve been going along through Joshua and Judges. There are several chapters left in Judges we won’t read, and you are welcome to read them. But they follow the same general pattern that we’ve seen: where when God’s people turn to Him for help, He helps them; when they turn-away from Him, the neighboring countries come in and put them in bondage, until they’ve had enough of the bondage and they finally cry unto the Lord for help, and God raises up another judge. So, although there are different people and slightly different circumstances, it is the same general pattern that they follow through the end of the book of Judges. We got as far as Samson and you’re welcome to keep reading.

So today we’ll go to the book of Ruth and there are a number of reasons why that is significant; one it is one of the two women in the Bible that are actually named in the Christ line, the other one is Rahab. Both of them were women who came from what we would call pagan backgrounds where they were raised worshiping false gods, but when they learned about the true God, they chose to turn to the true God and not only became wonderful women of God, did great amounts of things to help people in their time, but they ended up being in the Christ line. Ruth I think, and I can’t remember the exactly amount, but I think she is King David’s Great, Great, Great Grandmother. And it was all because she simply believed what she knew.  She knew little of Gods word, but later she learned more and believed it.

That is also significant because today we’re having the memorial service today for my mother via Zoom for my mother Marion Campen Mahone, who as some of you know passed away quietly in her sleep two-weeks ago . And she also was a wonderful woman of God. She ran a fellowship like this for I think 15 years in Connecticut and then she went WOW to Phoenix Arizona area in Tempe where she obviously ran a fellowship with her WOW family and back to Connecticut and continue to run her fellowship, then for several years attended the fellowship of our brother Tom Louth and then started joining our fellowship here, and up until a few weeks ago she was a regular call in participant. So, she lived a wonderful life; got past her 94th birthday; died one year to the day exactly, within about a two hour window that my father died last year. So she just had a wonderful life and many wonderful grand children and great grandchildren.

So I think it is very fitting that the day we have her memorial service, as she was a wonderful woman of God, that we read about Ruth, another wonderful woman of God in the Bible. And of course there are many other wonderful women in the Bible and many other wonderful women of God we know in our daily lives. But Ruth is the one we’ll read about today. So, please turn in your Bibles to the book of Ruth…

As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20210207.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

Ruth 1-4        Great Deliverance – from disaster to victory.

Teaching

Ruth (#1013)

Judges 13 to 15 (#1012)

Good morning. We’re going to continue our series, going through Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. We completed our review of Joshua as few weeks ago, and we’ve been going through Judges chapter by chapter. I keep thinking I’m going to skip some of the chapters, but we haven’t yet. We keep going. And today we’re going to ready Judges 13 to 16, which covers the remarkable record of Samson.

Each one of the Judges in the book of Judges has unique qualities, but Samson is very unique, nobody quite like him. He obviously had tremendous physical strength, I’m sure that was part of him physically, but also when the spirit of God came upon him, he put that physical strength to awesome use. As we’ll read when we get into it, he judged Israel for twenty year, he was able to protect them from the Philistines. A lot of the details on how he did that aren’t covered, the main things that are covered here in the book of Judges are his personal life, which was quite remarkable, he had tremendous challenges with the Philistines, obviously, with the women he loved, with the families of the women he loved, with his own parents. Yet, he walked mightily and powerfully for God, and judged and delivered Israel.

So, he’s a remarkable fellow, but I’m just so glad there are these people in the Bible, ’cause you talk to some Christians and they think they have this cookie-cutter idea what Christians are supposed to be, yet if we look at the people that walked with God through the centuries, they’re all very, very different. And God worked with them. But rather than being mad at ourselves or mad at somebody else because they fit into to our preconceived idea of what a believe should be like, I think it is much smarter just to prayer for everybody and encourage people to trust God and walk with God, no matter where they are or who they are. Samson was like nobody I’ve ever met, but neither was Gideon, like anybody I’ve ever met.

You go on and on, everybody’s unique, everybody’s different, yet when they trust God and walk with the spirit of God, they can do great things for God and help Gods people. So, let’s get into Judges Chapter 13…

As taught by Bruce Mahone,  20210124.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

Judges 13-16     Samson

Teaching

Judges 13 to 15 (#1012)

Judges 10 to 12 (#1011)

Good morning! You may recall in our last session, we finished in the book of Judges everything about the sons of Gideon. Gideon, of course. was a great judge of Israel who led Israel to great victory against their foreign oppressors. And then he died. And, after he chased them out there was some argument among the various tribes of Israel about of who would fight the war and get the glory, but they worked that out. Then when Gideon died, one of his sons killed all the rest, except one, and there was a big brew-ha-ha there. So it just goes to show, you really can’t have that much control over your offspring.  At any rate, then they all died, and we’re going to pick up the story in Judges chapter ten…

As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20200110.  All rights reserved.

Verse Listing and Notes

Judges 10 – Jair and Others

Judges 11 – Jephthah

Judges 12 – Several Judges

Teaching

Judges 10 to 12 (#1011)