What kind of person are you?
When you wake up each day, are you the type of person that people want to run from, or are you the type of person people want to be around?
The Bible tells us to examine ourself.
Are you a person that strives with others?
Are you easily irritated, or contentious, overbearing, argumentative and self-centered?
Are you a dictator in your family, with an "I-know-it-all" attitude?
When you wake up, are you ready for combat?
Do you have a bitter attitude?
Are you a supercharged, talking machine that must always dominate conversations?
Are you a poor listener, whose mouth runs more than anyone elses?
A person whose mouth runs non-stop is usually very self-centered, which is not the way God would have you be.
When your mouth opens, do you speak all your mind in great detail?
Are you so blind and self-centered that you do not realize people don't want to be around you, because your mouth never stops?
If you are a women, are you the head of your husband—which is sin?
Did you know it is difficult for a man to love a woman that dominates him?
Do you always have to have your own way, or at least most of the time?
Do you get out of bed grumpy or with the fruits of the Spirit of God?
When you wake up, are you slow to speak, soft spoken with a smile on your face,
or are you ready to argue the moment someone looks at you?
Do you have an "anti-everything" attitude and a mouth that never ceases from complaining?
Are you a terror to your household or an example of love?
Are you able to look at yourself in light of God's Word? If you are a talking machine, do you not change because you are unable to look at yourself in light of God's Word?
Do you feel like this message is condemning you? Is it not written, THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION TO THEM WHICH ARE IN CHRIST JESUS WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE FLESH BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT?
Have you not read that you are to be conformed to the image of Christ?
Indeed, if the previous list fits you, yes, God's Word does condemn you. Yes, there is condemnation to those that are not in Christ Jesus. The Bible teaches that there is sin, when you walk after the flesh. A person would not be doing the things just covered, if they walked after the Spirit of God.
And if you do these things, why doesn't your conscience bother you, because God's Word certainly does condemn these fruits of the devil?
Sometimes a person with the gift of teaching from God, does talk too much. So, when you talk too much, is it centered on teaching to help a person learn, or is it centered on me, myself and I?
Are you an expert on every subject that comes up in a conversation?
Are you trying to change to be more like Jesus, or do you just continue on the same way with little evidence of progress from year to year?
Everyone ought to be very careful not to offend a born again Christian.
The world has no fear in offending a born again Christian. Indeed, they seem to take great delight in it.
This message will have little of no effect on those that do not fear God. By the fear of God, men depart from evil or wrong-doing. For most, the fear of God is nothing more than words. For most do not fear the judgment of God that is ahead. They do not fear going to hell. They do not believe they will go to hell, and most do not even believe there is such a place, even though the Bible teaches clearly such a place exists and nearly everyone (many) will go there when their life on this earth ends. Yet dishonest clergy (which are most) proclaim in every funeral they preside over that "this person is in a better place, they are in heaven, they are with God," when they are actually in a place of torment, wailing and gnashing their teeth.
Do born again Christians offend born again Christians? Yes, but woe to them that do.
Do born again Christians mislead other born again Christians? Yes, but woe to them that do.
And if they do, they have need to go to their brother that they offended and make it right, but they seldom will do this.
These offences can come from mothers or fathers.
They can come from children.
They can come from relatives.
They can come from anyone.
We all need to understand the following.
When a person is born again, they become the personal property of Jesus Christ. The born again person is to obey God rather than men-ref Acts 5:29.
A born again woman cannot obey her husband, if he advises her to do something contrary to God's Word.
A born again child cannot obey his father or mother, if they tell their child to do something contrary to God's Word, or even if they tell their child to do something that would hinder their growth or lead them away from Jesus.
It is the same for a husband telling his wife to do something not in harmony with God's Word.
There may be situations where a child is stronger in the Lord than his parents, and the worldly parents advise their child to do something or go somewhere that would compromise their faith in Christ.
There have been parents that have their adult children living with them, yet they want to reign and rule over their born again adult children. This is dangerous and displeasing to God. God and God's Word are to rule over that born again person. If anyone tries to lead another in a way contrary to God's Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit, that person could be be asking for trouble, such as sickness or great difficulties.
Understand, anyone that is saved has been bought and paid for by the precious blood of Christ. That born again person no longer belongs to himself.
It is written:
1 Cor 6:19-20-What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. A born again person belongs to God.
A born again person is to be led by God's Spirit. As it is written: FOR AS MANY AS ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THEY ARE THE SON'S OF GOD.
A born again child and adult belong to the Lord. And God is a jealous God. Beware, if you or anyone tries to persuade a born again person to do contrary to God's will in any way. And indeed, this often happens especially when people that have not denied themselves as they ought try to give advice to born again brothers or sisters in Christ.
Do you have children that are saved? They belong to the Lord—beware. Children, do you have parents that are saved? They belong to the Lord—beware.
Mt 18:6-8-But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
8-Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Are you self-centered, and thereby, your advice to people is often to your benefit and not to their benefit and spiritual growth. Consider carefully.
Why does God's Word command a born again person not to have fellowship with the unfruitful workers of darkness? It is because the unsaved try to direct a person away from Christ, not toward Christ.
Unsaved or worldly parents may say they have the right to reign and rule over their children. However, if that child is born again and the parent tries to put that child in situations that could undermine their faith in Christ and their obedience to God's Word, that parent can expect to see the wrath of God sooner or later.
Over and over, this minister has seen people chastened by God through all sorts of physical problems or sicknesses. Yet, it is amazing how few people recognize when God deals with them in this manner, it is often a result of sin in their life that they are not dealing with. So they simply write off their physical problems as something they have to go through, and they never change or recognize God is trying to correct them.
Take for example a person that is living in a household that is not seeking holiness. There is yelling in the house. There is arguing. There is an ungodly, self-centered (me, myself and I) attitude by those living there. It is not a good atmosphere in which to study the Bible and draw closer to God. A person may begin to study, and just as God is about to give that born again person a pearl, someone needlessly disturbs them. So the born again person wants to get away from that atmosphere to a place where they can grow and become more like Jesus. Do you understand?
Does a mother or father have spiritual authority over adult children? Woe to those that offend or mislead one of these little ones that believe in Jesus.
Can a person grow more in a good, born again church? Yes.
Can a person grow in a home that has much contention? Difficult. Few homes in this latter-day generation are purely centered on Christ.
What is written: 1 Cor 2:15-But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
Ro 8:14-For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. A born again person often finds many people that try to lead him. Children try to lead parents. Parents try to lead children. Employers try to lead employees. Yet the Bible says that only those that are LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD are the sons of God. Yes, many carnal parents try to lead or influence their born again offspring in ways God would never do.
The unsaved and worldly, self-centered people use all sorts of tactics against born again people that are trying to draw closer to God. They use the guilt trip—the "you don't love me" trip, the "you don't care" trip, the "I need your help" trip, the jealousy trip, the anger trip, and so on.
Some parents have a very difficult time letting go of their children. They have all sorts of reasons to justify this to themselves, so their conscience does not make them feel bad.
However, woe, woe woe to anyone that tries to reign over a born again, blood-bought child of God, for they may be found fighting against God Himself in their self-centered possessiveness. Beware, lest your own selfishness "I want" attitude leads you contrary to God's Word, and you are blinded from recognizing this. God often chooses those that are humble and broken, not self-centered to lead others.
Without humbleness, you will not see the Lord. For it is written, GOD RESISTETH THE PROUD BUT GIVETH GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
Mt 13:41-THE SON OF MAN SHALL SEND FORTH HIS ANGELS, AND THEY SHALL GATHER OUT OF HIS KINGDOM ALL THINGS THAT OFFEND, AND THEM WHICH DO INIQUITY.
Mt 17:27. Even Jesus went to great lengths not to offend, for it is written: Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Mt 18:6,7-But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
Mk 9:42-And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Lk 17:1-2-Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
1 Cor 8:9-13-But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
11-And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
1 Cor 8:9-13-Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother (to offend) (or) to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall (NIV).
Perhaps, a born again child of God is to teach a Sunday school class. But someone tells them, "Please don't go, because I need your help today." Perhaps, a born again child of God is to go to a special Bible class. But someone tells them, "Please don't go, because your father is sick?" The list is endless. Life is a test.
Few overcome the many obstacles Satan uses through numerous people and situations. If ye love God, obey His commandments. To obey God is better than sacrifice. To obey God is better than to praise God. For it is written, JESUS LEARNED OBEDIENCE THROUGH THE THINGS WHICH HE SUFFERED.
Again, a stern warning. Do not in any way, at any time, or for any reason try to influence or persuade any born again Christian (regardless of age) to do contrary to God's Word, and if an adult, to the way God is leading them—lest you be found fighting against God Himself.
