530. Because He Lives - April 12, 2024

[00:00:00] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast

[00:00:12] we will be exploring the book of Proverbs. Let's open in prayer. Father God, I thank

[00:00:24] you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to everyone

[00:00:29] how much you truly love each and every one of them. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. This is

[00:00:38] Proverbs 12 beginning in verse 1. Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge but he who hates

[00:00:46] correction is stupid. A good man obtains favor from the Lord but a man of wicked intentions

[00:00:55] he will condemn. A man is not established by wickedness but the root of the righteous

[00:01:03] cannot be moved. An excellent wife is the crown of her husband but she who causes shame

[00:01:11] is like rottenness in his bones. The thoughts of the righteous are right but the councils

[00:01:19] of the wicked are deceitful. The words of the wicked are lie in weight for blood but

[00:01:26] the mouth of the upright will deliver them. The wicked are overthrown and are no more

[00:01:34] but the house of the righteous will stand. A man will be commended according to his wisdom

[00:01:42] but he who is of a perverse heart will be despised. Better is the one who is slited but has

[00:01:50] a servant than he who honors himself but lacks a bread. A righteous man regards the life

[00:01:59] of his animal but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. He who tells his land will

[00:02:07] be satisfied with bread but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. The wicked

[00:02:16] covet the catch of evil men but the root of the righteous yields fruit. The wicked is

[00:02:25] ensnared by the transgression of his lips but the righteous will come through trouble. A man

[00:02:33] will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth and the recompense of a man's hands

[00:02:41] will be rendered to him. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but he who heads counsel

[00:02:50] is wise. A fool's wrath is known at once but a prudent man covers shame. He who speaks truth

[00:03:01] declares righteousness but a false witness deceit. There is one who speaks like the piercings of

[00:03:10] a sword but the tongue of the wise promotes health. The truthful lip shall be established forever

[00:03:20] but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil

[00:03:28] but counselors of peace have joy. No grave trouble will overtake the righteous but the wicked shall be

[00:03:38] filled with evil. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord but those who deal truthfully are his

[00:03:47] delight. A prudent man conceals knowledge that the heart of fools proclaims foolishness,

[00:03:56] the hand of the diligent will rule but the lazy man will be put to forced labor. Anxiety in

[00:04:05] the heart of man causes depression but a good word makes it glad. The righteous should choose

[00:04:14] his friends carefully for the way of the wicked leads them astray. The lazy man does not roast what

[00:04:23] he took in hunting but diligence is man's precious possession. In the way of righteousness is life

[00:04:32] and in its pathway there is no death. Friends today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 2

[00:04:42] and proverb 12 verse 2 says this, A good man obtains favor from the Lord but a man of wicked

[00:04:53] intentions he will condemn. Friends before we close we will take a closer look at that verse but what

[00:05:02] I'd like to do today since it is Friday is I'd like to go over a scripture passage that I believe

[00:05:10] will be an encouragement to everyone listening today. Now I ordinarily record these podcasts two weeks

[00:05:20] in advance but this past week my wife and I took two of our grandkids and went on a short trip

[00:05:28] to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And because of that I did not take my computer or my microphone

[00:05:36] so basically for five days instead of recording a podcast we were on vacation with our grandkids

[00:05:46] and I got a little bit behind so now I'm playing a little bit of catch up but as you're listening to

[00:05:53] this yesterday was Easter okay so in your eyes Easter has come and gone and I was feeling a little

[00:06:04] bit condemned because I did not anticipate Easter coming and this is a mistake and what the Lord

[00:06:14] told me is see you have to talk about the resurrection so that is what we're going to be talking

[00:06:22] about today is we're going to talk about the power of the resurrection of Jesus.

[00:06:30] Now before we get into the passage of scripture which I'm going to talk about today

[00:06:36] what I'd like to do is give you a backdrop and we all know the story. Jesus has died a brutal death

[00:06:45] on the cross and immediately upon dying Joseph of Eramothia, a man who had secretly listened

[00:06:58] to Jesus and come to follow him asked that he have the ability to take his body and what he did

[00:07:08] is he had the body of Jesus placed in a tomb after he was crucified and had died on the cross

[00:07:18] so what they did is it was a new tomb no one had ever been in it before and what they did

[00:07:27] is they wrapped Jesus in cloth and then they rolled the stone over this tomb so no one would be

[00:07:37] able to get in but on the third day when people went to look at the tomb the stone had been rolled

[00:07:49] away and Jesus had risen from the dead now Jesus appeared to the disciples a few days later

[00:08:00] now Jesus actually was on earth for 40 days after he was resurrected from the dead but the first time

[00:08:09] the disciples saw him Thomas was not present so the disciples told Thomas that they had seen the

[00:08:20] Lord and we're going to go to the 20th chapter of John and this is such a wonderful account

[00:08:29] of this story and it's entitled seeing and believing so let's read John chapter 20 beginning in verse 24

[00:08:42] now Thomas called the twin one of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came the other disciples

[00:08:52] therefore said to him we have seen the Lord so he said to them unless I see in his hands the print

[00:09:05] of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side I will not

[00:09:15] believe and after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them Jesus came the doors

[00:09:27] being shut and stood in the midst and said peace to you then he said to Thomas reach your finger here

[00:09:40] and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side do not be unbelieving but believing

[00:09:54] and Thomas answered and said to him my Lord and my God Jesus said to him Thomas because you have

[00:10:05] seen me you have believed blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed now friends

[00:10:19] it's very easy to criticize Thomas here imagine what it must have been like for the disciples

[00:10:28] to see Jesus on that cross they were followers of Jesus and because they were followers of Jesus

[00:10:39] and they took the teacher who they had followed for three years and watched all of these wonderful

[00:10:49] miracles that he had provided for them the healing miracles turning the water into wine just over

[00:11:00] and over again witnessing to them feeding multitudes of people on only a few fish and a few loads of

[00:11:12] bread what he had done had never been done before in history and what he did when he rose from the

[00:11:23] dead he is the only one who ever did that friends this is what being a Christian is all about

[00:11:36] and many people today still have that same question in their mind did he actually rise from the dead

[00:11:49] and friends this is the basic core of the Christian faith in order to be a follower of Jesus

[00:11:58] today you have to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that he did rise from the dead

[00:12:10] that was another miracle and through the power of the Holy Spirit God enabled Jesus to rise from

[00:12:19] the dead this is the difference between Christianity and any other religion Jesus is the only one

[00:12:30] who was raised from the dead not Mohamed who is a follower in the leader of Islam not Buddha

[00:12:42] not any other religion was the founder of that religion raised from the dead this is what makes being

[00:12:52] a Christian so special and there's a song that I'd kind of like to just go over the refrain

[00:13:01] and it says because he lives I can face tomorrow because he lives all fear is gone

[00:13:19] because I know he holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives

[00:13:41] now that is the refrain of a wonderful song written by Bill and Gloria Gather but let's break

[00:13:50] that song that refrain down number one I can face tomorrow friends regardless of what is going on

[00:14:01] in your life right now because he lives you can face tomorrow tomorrow is another opportunity

[00:14:12] to make right anything that is not going on in your life right now you may have problems with your

[00:14:22] marriage you may have a health issue you may have other things going on and the future doesn't look

[00:14:30] good you don't know if you're ever going to get out of the mess that you were currently in but because

[00:14:38] of Jesus there is hope for the future let's look at number two all fear is gone now friends the

[00:14:50] Bible tells us 365 times do not fear that is a daily reminder that we are not to have any fear

[00:15:03] in our lives anxiety is the same thing basically as fear we are not to live our life in an anxious

[00:15:13] state or being fearful he is the answer to anything that you have going on in your life where

[00:15:24] there is no reason for us to have any fear number three he holds the future now friends this is

[00:15:35] dependent are you putting your trust in God to put your trust in God and his son Jesus this is the

[00:15:51] future you can rest assured if you put your trust in Jesus that the future will be bright there

[00:16:02] are so many promises in the Bible that will live a long life that we will have peace that we will

[00:16:12] be blessed our children will be blessed after us so many things rest on putting your trust in Jesus

[00:16:24] and number four life is worth living now friends there may be somebody listening today

[00:16:32] and you just don't see how you can continue going on the way things are in your life right now

[00:16:42] you are ready to give up you have lost all hope but because he lives life is worth living the

[00:16:54] son will come up tomorrow the son will be bright tomorrow your life can turn around in an instant

[00:17:06] friends my call to action today is very simple have you put your trust in the resurrection of Jesus

[00:17:19] do you believe that he was risen from the dead and he ascended into heaven and is now seated at

[00:17:31] the right hand of God do you believe that if not you are simply like Thomas was and I can understand

[00:17:43] why Thomas was that way he was fearful they were all fearful but when he came into their presence

[00:17:50] and said here is the proof look at my hands look at my side where I was pierced with a sword

[00:18:02] look at the evidence and friends it doesn't get more glorious than that put your trust and faith

[00:18:13] in the resurrection of Jesus and the power of the resurrection friends before we close today I'd like

[00:18:23] to go back to our proverb of the day proverb 12 and take a close look at verse two and verse two says

[00:18:32] a good man obtains favor from the Lord but a man of wicked intentions he will condemn now friends

[00:18:45] once you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior this is one of the glorious promises that we are given

[00:18:54] a good man obtains favor from the Lord if you turn your heart to Jesus and invite him to come into

[00:19:03] your heart you will obtain favor from the Lord now let's look at the other side of that coin if you

[00:19:13] choose not to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior but a man of wicked intentions he will condemn

[00:19:25] now friends I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and I'd like to go over the commentary for

[00:19:30] that verse and it says he will condemn and it says John's gospel speaks of one being condemned already

[00:19:41] because of evil deeds and deliberately clinging to the darkness even though the light has come now friends

[00:19:53] people are obviously at one point in their life going to make the decision either to receive Jesus

[00:19:59] or to reject him this verse tells us that if we choose to reject him that we will be condemned friends

[00:20:09] I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and

[00:20:15] Savior if there is anyone listening today you've never taken that step I invite you to repeat

[00:20:21] a simple prayer after me today Father God thank you for your son Jesus I confess that I am a

[00:20:28] sinner at a need of a Savior Jesus I invite you to come into my heart I make you my Lord and Savior

[00:20:37] friends this is the weekend please have a great time take your family out let them know how much

[00:20:43] God loves them and how much you love them and I will see you back on Monday God bless you have a great