Ephesians 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Two factors involved in this verse:

      First: The immediately preceding context confines the primary application to behavior, just as the following context relates the “filled” believer to the fellowship of believers.

      Second: The imagery stresses control of the behavior by the Holy Spirit – contrasted by being filled with intoxicating drink behavior.

Filling and baptism

      Filling is not synonymous with baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:12-14; Eph 4:5), since all believers are baptized into the body of Christ but not all are filled with the Spirit. Filling of the Spirit is not equal to or subsequent to speaking in tongues since some were said to be filled with the Spirit yet never spoke in tongues (Lu 1:15, 41; 4:1). Paul, Stephen and Peter were filled on differing occasions (Acts 13:9; 2:4; 4:8, 31; 7:55). The filling with the Spirit appears to give the one filled a special endowment of words, boldness or recall to honor the Lord or speak to those opposing God’s work. It gives a Godly or God-like behavior

2 Peter 3:1  This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

Four characteristics:

     It is extremely important in these last days to be diligent in active awareness of our Christian responsibilities. In chapter three, Peter relates four characteristics of “being” Christian.

Be mindful: (1-2)

      When Peter tells us to be mindful of the words of the prophets, he is saying more than just reading or memorizing. When you are mindful of something or someone, you are aware of their presence. So, if we are to be mindful of the words of the prophets then we are to recognize that they have written or instructed about areas that we wrestle and struggle with in life. In this chapter Peter is particularly addressing the second coming of the Lord and the consummation of all things. He would be telling us to be aware of what is happening around us in the world and people and remember that God has spoken to these issues through the prophets in the past (Ro 15:4; 1 Cor 10:11). We can learn much from reading the Old

Luke 19:12-14   He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. ^{13}  And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. ^14}  But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

Jesus in the parable:

      After the conversion of Zacchaeus before entering Jerusalem, Jesus spoke this parable about a noble man going into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. There were some who thought that the kingdom would come after Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time and He would assume the role of king and oust the Romans and reign over Israel. They did not understand that Jesus was a King already and that the kingdom He would set up on this earth was not of this world system and order but one He would establish at the end of the age.

      When questioned by Pilate, Jesus said that He was born to be a King but that His kingdom was not of this world order (Jn

 (Psa 33:12)  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

     America’s roots are in God and His word and because we began that way God’s hand of blessing has been upon this nation and the many who have found refuge in it and owned it as their own land. The Scripture is clear, “blessed is the nation whose God (Elohim – the all-powerful Creator of all) is the LORD (Jehovah – the self-existing One). A sign recently mistakenly read: “Blessed is the nation whose God is their Lord.” This could mean any country that worships any god – such as Arab countries or India and etc.

America’s boundaries were established by the Founders of this nation – Godly Christian men and God-fearing men – who knew that any nation is doomed that does not put the Creator God first and the truths of this Creator God into the very fabric of a country’s life. So they set boundaries to guide this infant country toward a path of blessing. Some of those boundaries involved the qualifications of those who were to serve in

1 Peter 2:5 (KJV)  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 

      Peter tells us that we, the corporate church and individuals, are designed for the purpose of offering up acceptable sacrifices to God. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament had certain criteria that they had to meet in order to be acceptable to God. But, the sacrifices that Peter is talking about are not animal but spiritual sacrifices made acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Only as we remain in Christ are we acceptable to God and only those sacrifices made as part of our life in Him is acceptable.

      Prayer -- Our prayers are precious to Him (Rev. 8:4; 5:8). Prayer is not only a privilege to us who were once outside the family of God and actually enemies of God, but it is also a command. We are privileged to present our petitions to God as a son/daughter and have confidence He hears us. The righteous should not fear to call upon God – “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them

(Mat 26:6-13)  Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, {7} There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. {8} But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? {9} For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. {10} When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. {11} For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. {12} For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. {13} Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

      Our text today is about a woman who did something extravagant for Jesus that He said would be a memorial for her wherever the gospel would be preached.  It was extravagant in its cost and the sacrifice

(1 Sam 1:1-2)  Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: {2} And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

       We will look at Hannah one of many in the Bible as an example of motherhood. Booker T. Washington said, If I’ve done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother. He recognized the great influence his mother had upon him. Mothers do not become successful by learning a 10-point lesson on raising children. Success is related to who they are more than what they accomplish. Hannah is an example of this principle.

      Hannah was a woman who desired to be a mother but was barren and she was a woman under trial.  She was grieved because she could not bear children. Too often today young girls are urged to seek a career and let motherhood be only a second thought or “secondary

Acts 1:3)  To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

      Before His crucifixion, Jesus had told the disciples that there were many things He had to tell them but they were not able yet to bear (pick up, carry) them – “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. {13} Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” They would need the presence of God’s abiding Spirit to enable them to comprehend it. This is similar to what Jesus told Nicodemas – “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (See means to comprehend or understand).

      During those forty days Jesus was teaching, perhaps opening their understanding about the Kingdom of God and maybe even elaborating upon the numerous parables that He spoke pertaining to the kingdom. Before His death the

(Mat 28:1-7)  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. {2} And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. {3} His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: {4} And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. {5} And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. {6} He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. {7} And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

      In the Easter season of 1874 a Baptist minister by the name of Robert Lowry was so impressed by the passage in Luke 24:6-7 that he found himself sitting at an organ composing

(Heb 12:24)  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

There are three references to the blood of Abel in the Bible, each indicating that the shedding of his blood by Cain was a type of the shed blood of Christ. The first mention of blood in the Bible is God’s accusation of Cain killing Abel and the blood speaking to God (Gen 4:10).

      God does not over look the shedding of innocent blood. The Bible speaks of the shed blood crying out to Him (2 Ki 9:26; Psa 9:12; 72:12-14; Heb 11:4. If an innocent person is found dead without as city, God gave instruction for an inquisition to the closest city to discover the person guilty of shedding that blood and a sacrifice was to be made in order to deliver that city from consequences from God (Deut 21:1-9). God does not want innocent blood to be shed and He made provision for the protection of a person to be kept safe from what we call an accident (Deut 19:9, 10). God also