A&D Biker Ministries - "Growing the Kingdom of God . . . one Biker at a time"

06/27/2026

Six Definitions Contained in I John 5

This is the Love of God- That we keep His Commandments V. 3

There are many definitions and descriptions of the Love of God in the Bible.
We can take note of these, but how does one fully describe the Love of God?
In the words of the great hymn- The Love of God- “If we with ink the oceans fill or were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade: to write the love of God above would drains the oceans dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.”
This verse is describing our love of God (i.e. how do we show love to God?)
The answer is by obeying and keeping His commandments.
This verse Atells us that His commandments are not grievous.

This is the Witness of God- V. 9

The Witness of God is Greater- V. 9
The Witness of God testifies of His Son- V. 9 (cf. Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:9-11)
The Witness of God directs us to believe on His Son Jesus- V.10 (Matt. 17:5)

This is the Record That God has given us eternal life in His Son- 11

“He that has the Son has life.”
“He that has not the Son has not life.” It’s pretty clear!
Read v. 13- “These things I have written, that you might believe.”

This is the Confidence that we have in Him- V. 14

If we ask according to His will He hears us.
We know that we have the petitions (requests) that we ask of Him. V. 15

This is the True God- V. 20

There is also confidence in knowing some things that are true: Knowing that:

The Son of God has come- That is Jesus Christ
He is the One who is True- John 14:6-“I am the way, the truth, and the life”

There is the confident assurance that if we are in Him, we have eternal life.

This is Eternal Life- V.20

Eternal life is in the Son, Jesus Christ- “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life…” John 3:36.
John 5:24- Jesus said, whoever hears my word, and believes on Him that sent me, has everlasting life,… and is passed from death unto life.

06/20/2026

Isaiah 1:18-

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Intro: Isaiah is writing this at a time when Israel had become stubborn, obstinate
and had forsaken the Lord, “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of
evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have
provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.” Isaiah
1:4
Their offerings and sacrifices had become empty, meaningless and vain… “To what
purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the
burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of
bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.”
“Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the11:1Isaiah
new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is
iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my
: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when yessoul hate
spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many
prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put
away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do
well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the
Isaiahwidow.” 1:13-17
Under these conditions and calloused resistance, rebellion and religious apostasy
God speaks and calls with an invitation:
A Divine Invitation-“Come”I.
A. Like so many other times in scripture, we see God waiting, longing, inviting.
B. Jesus invites all that are weary and heavy laden to come unto Him and He will
give them rest- Matthew 11:28,29
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.”
C. The invitation that we find near the end of the book of Revelation, “And the
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
17:22Revelation
D. God longingly and lovingly extends an invitation to all who will come. He longs
for reconciliation and relationship.
E. His invitation is to lost sinners to come unto Him to be saved- “The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

9:32 Peter
II. Secondly, we see the invitation is “now” “Come now…”
A. The invitation is in the present- “now.”
B. The invitation is immediate- “now.”
C. The response to this invitation is not to
be Postponed, prolonged or procrastinated.
D. “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, And in the day of salvation
have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
E. There are examples of those who delayed their decision and did not respond
promptly: King Agrippa
“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And
Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were
both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.” Acts 26:28-29
F. There have been many who “almost were persuaded” to become a Christian,
who “almost” were ready to trust Christ as their Savior but they delayed that
decision.
They procrastinated and postponed it.
G. God’s invitation is a RSVP- “Respond Very promptly.” It is not to be ignored or
put off.
F. We read of Felix who postponed the matter of his response to the gospel in
Acts,
“And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess,
he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of
righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered,
Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”
25-24:24Acts
G. My friend, God is calling, He has given His invitation, it is extended to you and to
every lost sinner, and that invitation is to “come.
o III. The invitation is “come now let us Reason together…
A. God’s desire is for each of us to think about, or consider this invitation- the
offer to have our sins cleansed. “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
B. When we think about this offer to “come…and reason,” I also think of the one
who may be a Prodigal, who has left his father’s house, demanding his portion of the
inheritance, thinking that he could live a better life on his own, only to find himself
down in the pig pen. As he sat there empty, hungry, he began to think— to
Reason— with himself. He thought my father’s servants have it better than this—at
least they have food to eat. Then the scriptures tell us, “And when he came to
himself…” i.e. he reached a decision (he had a light bulb moment), he said, “l will

arise and go to my father…” “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be
called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his
father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion,
and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I
have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on
him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted
calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive
again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” Luke 15:18-24
C. There is not only the reasoning of Salvation, and Reconciliation, but the
reasoning of Sanctification and Service. Romans 12:1-2 - “I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what
is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
D. It is reasonable to serve the Lord after He has saved us and called us to serve
Him
IV. The invitation is for Cleansing- “…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
A. I’m so glad that I John 1:9 is in the Book! “If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
B. Now just because this verse tells us that our sins can and will be forgiven if we
confess them to God, it does not mean that we can just keep on continually sinning
without regard to our holy calling…
C. “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid! Romans 6:1-
“how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein.”
D. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us,
that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works.” Titus 2:11-14
E. The cleansing offered to us in Christ, which has been accomplished through the
shedding of His blood and the giving of His life through the atonement of His
sacrifice on the cross, should motivate us toward godly living—consecration and
devotion.

06/13/2026

10 Hinderances to Serving God

If you have sensed God prompting you to serve Him in some way, begin with prayer asking Him to show you what He would have you to do. Pray continuously, earnestly or seriously.

Yes, it will be challenging to serve the Lord, but don’t focus on the hardships or difficulties, and respond by saying, “I could never do it!” Take your desire or interest for Christian Service before the Lord with an open and willing heart. Check your heart’s attitudes to see if you have any of the fears, feelings or frustrations mentioned below:

A Covetous Heart- Desiring the gifts, talents or possessions that God has given to others. If we are jealous of others, we won’t be able to develop, cultivate or be grateful for your own unique gifts. Ask God how He wants YOU to serve Him.
A Selfish attitude – This is a condition of having a heart that is self-focused. It is having a divided heart. This will lead to a person only wanting to serve God in a certain way- if they can’t do it their way, they won’t do it at all. This attitude is obviously selfish, filled with ego and pride. It is a mark so spiritual immaturity.
Blaming God- It is saying, “Well, if God wanted me to serve Him, he would have given me the gifts to do it.” This person is just making excuses. Moses did this when God called him to be the deliverer and leader of the children of Israel. Moses said, “I’m not eloquent, I can’t speak…” Sometimes we but the blame on God for our own laziness or lack of creativity in using or developing our gifts that Jesus has given us.
Fear of Man- Caring more about what others think about you than what God thinks about you. You may be worried that if you do something “crazy” like going into full-time service, your family or friends will think that you a “fanatic.” The “fear of man” brings a snare, But whoever puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25). “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee…” Isaiah 41:10.
Unbelief- The enemy has told you that you are worthless, and you have nothing of value to offer anyone. He’s told you that you will fail at anything that you attempt… and you believed him. You are being crippled and stopped by a lie! Each of us is valuable and precious to God. If you believe the “scare tactics” of the enemy (Satan), you will not do the work of service to the Lord. Remember, that where God guides, He provides.” He will equip and empower you to serve Him.
Unwilling to Count the Cost- For those who put their trust in people or things, the cost may be great—personally and financially. Many are too selfish and self-centered to give up their plans and their dreams—but this a very important part of being a Christian and disciple (i.e. a follower of Christ). Some fail to count the cost of following Christ and serving Him. If you need money to do what God directs, we may have to get a job or sell some of our possessions. For many that may be too much. It doesn’t bother them to spend money on themselves, but if God is leading them to do something that requires them to sacrifice or do something to go somewhere that their flesh doesn’t want to go—is just too much to ask. Matthew 6:19-21 states, “Lay not up for yourselves treasurers upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasurers in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Delayed Obedience- Delayed Obedience is DISOBEDIENCE! Many of you may already know what God wants you to do. You are just putting it off, procrastinating. Anything not done in Faith is SIN (Romans 14:23). If you are not doing what you know the Lord wants you to do, you need to stop, pray, and confess this disobedience and get right with God, and begin obeying right away.
Desire for “A Normal Life”- Deep down inside, you may desire to live a “normal” life but I think the example of the disciples and Jesus are the greatest examples of living out “normal” Christianity. A normal life by our standards, will not upset you, your family…or the devil for that matter! It’s a life that won’t leave a mark on this world. It just kind of goes on…unnoticed, unproductive and uninspiring to all. We are to look to Jesus as our example (Hebrews 12:2). We are called to be different, to stand out— “But you a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” (I Peter 2:9)
Unwilling Heart- With the lips, this person may say, “Lord, please tell me what to do,” but their heart says, “and then, I’ll decide if I’m going to do it.” They should not expect to hear from God, if they have not decided to obey and do what the Lord asks
Need to Know Everything first attitude- God probably won’t lay out all of His plans for your future as you pray about serving Him. He may only show you one step at a time. If God tells you to get some training in preparation for His service, don’t insist that He tell you exactly what you’ll do after your training is over. He may not tell you this until you need to know. Just purpose to take one obedient step after another as He reveals it to you.

Conclusion: As you think about serving the Lord and evaluating your goals and priorities for your life, don’t have an earthly view. Instead, have an Eternal view of things—with Heavenly values in view. This Earth with everything in it will one day pass away. We need to plan and prepare for eternity. One day we will stand before the Lord and give account of our lives and how we lived. What will we say? How did we use our time, talents (our gifts) and treasure? Maybe we should re-evaluate what we are doing. Are you being obedient to God’s call on your life? Is your Christian life one of lip-service or life service? We only get one time around down here. There are no second chances. Once our time is up we will reap for eternity according to the choices we make on earth. May God help us to make right choices! “Only one life twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last!” (C.T. Studd)

05/30/2026

I Would Not Have You to Be Ignorant… Six References the Apostle Paul
gave instruction and additional information using this phrase so that his
readers would not be ignorant or lacking knowledge in several areas.
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Paul used this phrase, “I would not have you to be ignorant” on several occasions in
reference to some important points that he wanted them to have a clear understanding
about. What he is saying is, I don’t want you to be lacking in knowledge of this subject.
We know that our adversary, Satan uses deception, doubt, distraction and disinformation
as weapons in his arsenal of attack against the Christian. Disinformation is false,
inaccurate, or misleading information that is deliberately created and spread with the
intention to deceive, manipulate, or cause harm. Misinformation is false information
spread without malicious intent or a deliberate desire to deceive. Unlike misinformation,
which is spread accidentally or by mistake, disinformation is a calculated effort to push a
specific agenda, influence public opinion, or discredit opponents.
It should be noted that there are various levels of ignorance: 1) There is the ignorance of
just not knowing something i.e. a lack of knowledge. 2) There is ignorance derived from
turning away from a truth i.e. denying that something is true or believable. (e.g. Denying
Creation and the Creator- Romans1:19-22). 3) There is a level of ignorance that develops
by rejecting the revelation of something due to an untrust of the source of that revelation –
i.e. denying the authority of the source of the information. This is a willful defiance and
disregard for authority- a person can be willingly ignorant- II Peter 3:5.
Perhaps it was this type of willful ignorance that led the apostle Paul to write in I Cor. 14:38-
“if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” Although this was not Paul’s first choice.
Let’s look at the six references where Paul used this phrase, “I would not
have you to be ignorant,” as he urged his readers to be more aware and
knowledgeable about certain important subjects:
Romans 1:13- “Now I would not have you ignorant, that oft times I purposed to come
unto you but was let hitherto (i.e. I was hindered until now) that I might have some fruit
among you also, even as among other Gentiles.”
1. Paul wanted them to know that he had a desire to come to them, to preach and minister
to them that he might have fruit among them. V.13
2. Paul admitted, “I am a debtor both to the Greeks, and Barbarians to the wise and unwise
3. Paul affirmed, “I am ready to preach the gospel to you at Rome. V. 15
4. Paul asserted, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ…” v. 16

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5. Paul announced, “for it (the gospel) is the power of God unto salvation to every one who
believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
6. Paul annotates, “For therein is the righteousness of God is revealed from heaven against
all unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.”
Paul was emphasizing his purposeful intention to preach the gospel at
Rome as an essential fulfillment of his calling as an Apostle to the
Gentiles. He longed to preach, minister and have fruit among them.
Romans 11:25-36- (v.25) “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this
mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to
Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
I was reading a sermon by the late Dr. John MacArthur, preaching on Romans, and I believe
he explains this portion of scripture so eloquently, so I decided to include an exerpt from
his sermon here because it is so good:
“Now remember that Paul has been dealing with the place of Israel in the saving plan
of God. He's been answering the questions that he anticipates will be asked by those
who say, "Well, if the gospel is true and the Jews have rejected it, aren't they
permanently set aside from God's plan?" And you will remember that in chapter 9 he
said, "The rejection of Israel is true but not contrary to God's plan." God planned for it
all along, that was the message of chapter 9.
Chapter 10 reminded us that Israel's rejection was due to their own unbelief; that they
were set aside because they were disobedient. In other words, it is true that it was in
the plan of God, chapter 9, but it is also true that it was their own fault, chapter 10.
And then we came to chapter 11. And we saw that through the blindness of Israel,
through the hardness of the hearts of Israel, through their rejection of Jesus Christ,
God is working out a marvelous plan which will lead to the salvation of Gentiles,
ultimately to the salvation of the Jews, and finally to the blessing of the world in the
millennial kingdom.”

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“Now as we come to the last section, he tells us that Israel ultimately will be saved and
God's plan will come to fruition. So the presentation reaches its climax right here in
our text beginning in verse 25. Yes, Israel has been set aside for the time being
because of unbelief, ignorant of the righteousness of God, rejecting the Messiah of
God, misunderstanding the law of God, ignoring the grace of God. But their setting
aside was only — Do you remember? — partial, passing and purposeful. And we come
tonight to that final point, purposeful. The setting aside of the nation Israel had a
great purpose. God worked it to the ultimate blessing of the world, as we shall
see. And even that had a purpose and the purpose is this, listen carefully, this is the
key, the glory of God, the glory of God. It comes in the final verse, verse 36, "For of
Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."
That's how he climaxes the entire passage on the salvation of Israel. But not only that,
that's how he wraps up the first eleven chapters, all of which is a discussion of God's
great plan of salvation. And that's where he's been going since chapter 1 verse 1. He's
been taking us to the place where we would recognize that the purpose of God in
salvation of Israel and the Gentiles is His own glory, His own glory, His own
glory. And that is a thing that must be understood, and I trust we'll understand it
better than ever as a result of our ministry in this final part of the chapter.”
“We are reminded of an essential reality…” “The goal of everything that happens in the
universe is the glory of God. And the reason God set out to redeem man, both Jew and
Gentile, and to bring the kingdom that He promised was that He might be
glorified. The ultimate purpose is not salvation; that is only a means to the ultimate
purpose, which is the glory of God. The ultimate purpose is not the bringing in of the
nation Israel; that is a means to the glory of God. It is not Gentiles come together in
the church; that is a means to the glory of God. The ultimate end of God's eternal
kingdom; that is only a means to His glory, which is the mysterious awesome and
wonderful and all-surpassing reason for everything, for everything, for everything.

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It says in Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth
His handiwork." In Isaiah 43:20 the prophet says, "The beast of the field shall give Me
honor,” or glory. In other words, all that is created in the universe is for the glory of
God. Even the beasts of the field are for the glory of God. And when the angelic hosts
stood outside the place of the birth of the Savior on a Bethlehem hillside and made
their great announcement, they gave glory to God in the highest, because that's what
angels are to do as well. And even men have been called to the same thing. For 1
Corinthians 10 says in verse 31: "Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all
to the glory of God."
The surpassing purpose in everything is God's glory. So you have in the first eleven
chapters of Romans an outline of the doctrine of redemption and how it relates to the
Jew and the Gentile. And the climax comes in that marvelous benediction from verse
33 to 36, which calls us to glorify God. The Old Westminster catechism had it right
when it said, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
Now what does it mean to glorify God? Just a note on this: There are two aspects of
God's glory. First of all, there's what I guess we could call His intrinsic glory. That
glory which is His own by nature, that which belongs to Him. He is called in
Acts 7 and verse 2, "The Lord of glory." And in Isaiah 6 it says, "The angelic choir said
back and forth, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His
glory.’" He is called the God of glory. In Exodus 33 Moses said, "Show me Thy glory,”
and He said, I'll let My goodness and mercy and kindness, and so forth, pass before
you. In other words, His glory is that intrinsic holy character. His glory could be equal
to His attributes, to His nature. It is the very essence of who God is. He is glorious. A
man's honor could be taken from him. I suppose a simple way to illustrate it would be
to say that naked a king and a beggar are indistinguishable, because a king's glory can
be taken from him. But God has a glory that cannot be stripped and so at all times He

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is the ever glorious God. It is His essential being. We can't add to it and we can't
diminish it. But we must recognize it. We must recognize it.
And in the Bible when it says, "Give glory to God," it doesn't mean add to His
attributes, it means recognize them. And that's the second element of His glory, that's
His extrinsic glory. That is the honor which we give Him for His intrinsic worth. And
so when we glorify God it isn't that we're adding to His character, it is that we are
recognizing it. It is that we are affirming it. It is that we are praising it. And the
Scripture is filled with passages and I think most commonly of 1 Chronicles chapter 16
where there is a command over and over and over, "Give glory unto the Lord, give
glory unto the Lord, give glory unto the Lord." And that's one of a myriad of passages
that call us to the same thing, and in those cases we are to give honor to the one who
intrinsically is worthy of our honor, of our praise. Man's chief duty indeed is to
recognize the infinite holy majesty of God and to praise Him in everything. Instead, so
much of the time we question Him, so much of the time we pull Him down to our level
and second guess Him or make demands on Him. But we are called to glorify Him. In
fact, not to glorify God is the single greatest crime in the universe. And hell is filled
with beings who did basically one thing wrong; they failed to glorify God. Heaven will
be filled eternally with beings who gave glory to God. That's the dividing point.
Do I need to remind you of Romans 1, where God says that His wrath is poured out
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men? And he says,
"Because," in verse 21, "when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God." In other
words, God's condemning judgment falls on those who fail to give Him glory.
Jeremiah saw that in a very, very poignant passage in chapter 13 of his prophecy.
Beginning in verse 11 and following, he calls to the people to respond to God. And
down in verse 16 he says, "Give glory to the Lord your God before He cause darkness
and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountain and while you look for light He

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turn it into the shadow of death and make it gross darkness." In other words, give
glory to God or else you will be judged.
In Daniel we read in chapter 4 about Nebuchadnezzar, who failed to give God the glory
and decided that he would take it for himself. And God turned him for seven years
into a raving maniac whose nails grew like bird's claws and who lived out in the wild
and was covered with the dew that covered the ground. And not until he came to his
senses and recognized that the Lord of glory controls everything did God give him back
his sanity.
In Acts chapter 12 Herod decided to declare his own glory. And the Bible says God
smote him and he was eaten by worms and died because he gave not God the glory.
All throughout redemptive history God has called for men and women to give Him
honor, to give Him praise, to give Him glory, to ascribe to Him the worth and the value
and the honor which He intrinsically is due as an infinitely holy and majestic God. So
the purpose of all things, the universe, angels, men, creatures, Scripture, life, death,
heaven, hell, all of it is for the glory of God. Certainly we who are believers, a part of
the church, remember that in Ephesians 3:21 it says, "Unto Him be glory in the
church.” Unto Him be glory in the church. You see, everything that God has ever done
is to bring Him glory, to bring Him honor. And this is especially true of His work with
Israel.
Now listen, the reason God will ultimately redeem Israel is the same reason He
redeems us and that is that we might be to the praise of His glory. And that's what He
said in Isaiah chapter 43 and verse 21. He said, "This people have I formed for Myself.”
Did you hear that? Not so much for their benefit as Mine, “they will show forth My
praise." That is His redemptive purpose. So we're not shocked then when we come to
the climax of this tremendous treatise on salvation that ends at the close of chapter 11 ,

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to find Paul calling us to glory for God, who is worthy. The whole amazing redemptive
plan was to bring us to the point of giving God glory.
Now Paul has talked about so many things but he now is going to narrow down into his
conclusion. And he wants us to glorify God. So in order to do that he focuses on the
character of God and gives us four attributes of God at the conclusion of this section,
four great character qualities: God's sovereignty, God's integrity, God's generosity, and
God's incomprehensibility. Four great marks of our glorious God. Instead of
questioning God and His plan for Israel, instead of second-guessing God as to the
setting aside of the Jew, we are to glorify God for the manifestation of His glory in His
redemptive plan.”
“Let's look, first of all, at God's sovereignty in verse 25. "For I would not, brethren,
that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own
conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles
be come in." Now remember Paul just ended a warning, didn't he? He's been talking
about the fact that Israel was set aside and Gentiles were grafted in to the tree of
blessing. But Gentiles, that is the church, better not be proud, you better not boast,
you better not look down on Jews. It is a warning against Gentile pride and anti-
Semitism. And the warning is given because the day is coming when Israel is going to
be back in the place of blessing and the church is going to be cut off. So we had better
not boast. We have not been grafted in because we are better than Jews, but because
we have believed and they have not believed. That's the only difference. But the day is
going to come when the church ceases to believe and the apostate church will be cut off
and Jews will believe and Israel will be grafted back in. So, verses 22 to 24 warned
against pride and despising of the nation Israel and the Jews. And so we need to be
reminded then that blindness in part is happened to Israel only until the fullness of the
Gentiles be come in.”

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“In other words, God is not finished with that people. It's only until a certain event
takes place. And we are not to be ignorant of that. It's an essential purpose in the
mind of God.”
“Now you have to believe that at this juncture in Romans, as Paul writes it, he has hit a
real joyous point. Because in chapter 9, you remember, he was full of sorrow and
heaviness of heart. In chapter 10 he was talking about the great zeal that he had for
the salvation of Israel. And the message of all messages that he longed to proclaim
was indeed that the day would come when Israel would be redeemed. That was the
greatest message that he could write, the time when Israel's blindness would be turned
to sight, when Israel's darkness would be turned to light, when Israel's impotence
would be turned to might because they would believe in their Messiah.”
“And so, Paul with great joy has now arrived at the moment where he will present the
single, most hopeful truth that he carried in his heart. It has been a mystery. Notice it
in verse 25, he calls it that. "I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery." That is to
say it has been hidden in the past. It has been hidden. We know that's what a mystery
is, something hidden in the past and now revealed. Don't be ignorant of it. Certainly
don't be foolishly wise in your own conceit. In other words, thinking too highly of
yourselves, making an undue estimate of your knowledge and importance, not based
on fact but based on your own self-conceit, based on being a quote/unquote "know-it-
all." This mystery God will reveal; don't be a fool and be ignorant of it.”
“Now the definition of a mystery is given in chapter 16, verse 25, if you'll notice that for
a moment, right at the end of the epistle. "Now to him," and this is a benediction,
"that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the
world began but now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets," and you
can stop at that point.”

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“A mystery is something that's been hidden in the past and is now revealed in the
Scripture. And what was hidden in the past was that Israel would be set aside, cut off
from blessing, Gentiles grafted in, ultimately Gentiles cut off, and Israel grafted back
in to the place of blessing. That mystery we are not to be ignorant of. That mystery
has now been revealed through the apostle Paul. And what is the mystery
specifically? It's given right in the verse, the two-part mystery, that blindness in part
is happened to Israel. The mystery is that the Jews would not believe. And the word
"blindness," by the way, is really the word "hardened." It's the word hardened,
resistant. Blindness in part; notice he puts that "in part" in there? Why? Because
their blindness was what? Partial. We've been saying it all along. That doesn't mean
that the individuals were partly blind; it's not talking about the degree of
blindness. What it means is that the nation was partly blind, that is, there were some
who were not blind. There was always a what? A believing remnant, a believing
remnant.”
There is more to this sermon, by Dr. John MacArthur, which is a great exposition on
God’s purpose for setting aside Israel, which is a mystery, because He would use it as
part of His Redemptive plan to bring Gentiles to faith and belief in Him, and then
when the “fullness of Gentiles” is accomplished He will bring a remnant of Israel
(Jews) to be saved. As part of the tree, which was cut off temporarily, and Gentiles as
part of God’s Redemptive plan would be grafted in; eventually—when the “fullness of
the Gentiles” is completed; Israel will be grafted back in.
Well, this is a mystery, but hopefully we have more understanding, as to not be
ignorant, or unknowledgeable about God’s Plan of redemption for Israel and Gentiles.
The next reference that we will look at is I Corinthians 10:1-15- “Moreover,
brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers
were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto

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Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did eat the same spiritual meat; and did all
drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them; and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased; for
they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the
intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
In these verses and following; we are given an exhortation to Godly
sanctification and warnings and examples to not follow: i.e. lust, idolatry,
loose and lewd living, fornication, tempting God, murmuring and complaining.
I Corinthians 10:11- says, “Now these things were given for examples: and they are
given for our admonition…” These are things that we should not do, and an example
that we should not follow! Can we learn from others bad example? Yes, if we take
notice of it as a warning, as a cautionary tale of how not to live.
There is also another warning given in verse 12, “Let him that thinks he stands, take
heed lest he fall. This is the warning that we need to heed concerning pride, arrogance,
self-sufficiency, and being overly confident. Just about the time we think, “I’ve got
this! Or, I’m strong enough to handle this! Beware! Because we can be like Peter, who
made bold claims, confidently saying, “though all others forsake you, I will never
forsake you! Sadly, not long after Peter denied the Lord three times, even after Jesus
told him that he would do this.
Verse 13 gives us consolation, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted
above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that
you may be able to bear it.” What wonderful promises are contained herein.
The next reference we will look at where Paul uses the words, “I would not
have you ignorant,” is I Corinthians 12:1- “Now concerning spiritual gifts,

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brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” He follows by saying, “you know that
you were Gentiles carried away unto dumb idols, even as you were led.” “Wherefore, I
give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed,
and no man say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,” Paul is clarifying some
things right away. He is making a clear distinction by saying these things.
Paul goes on to give information about the spiritual gifts: There a diversities of gifts,
there are differing administrations and operations, but the same Lord, and same God
which works all in all. The gifts are given by the Spirit. The gifts are given to believers,
and every believer is a member of the body of Christ and use their gifts to minister.
The gifts are given to be used collectively and complimentary. Verse 12 reads, “For as
the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being
many, are one body: so also is Christ.” Read the following verses, 13-21. We should
each use our gifts in a cooperating manner, working together, complimentary of each
other. As verse 25 says, “That there should be no schism (division) in the body, but
that all members should have the same care one for another.” “And whether one
member suffer, all members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the
members rejoice with it.” V. 26. “Now you are the body of Christ, and members in
particular.” V. 27. Paul goes on to list those that have been gifted in the church for
leadership and exhortation: First, apostles; second, prophets, third, teachers, then
gifts of miracles, healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. He makes the
point that there are different gifts, and everyone does not have the same gifts, but they
collectively use them to collaborate and work together. I should add that some of the
gifts were temporary. We are told that we should covet (i.e. desire) the best gifts. Paul
goes on to show that there is “a more excellent way” to use these gifts, and that follows
in Chapter 13—with the emphasis on love (Charity). The gifts are to be effectively
ministered in love.

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The next use of the phrase, I would not have you to be ignorant, is found in
II Corinthians 1:8-11. Here Paul is addressing the subject of sufferings (He
specifically mentions trouble, and the threat of death, saying, “that we
despaired even of life.
As we read, going back to verses 5-7, “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so
our consolation also abounds to by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your
consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings
which you also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and
salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as you are partakers of the
sufferings, so shall you be of the consolation”. Paul is giving his readers in the
Corinthian church, and us by way of inspiration and preservation, a perspective on
suffering—how to relate to each other’s suffering, how to endure it, encourage each
other during it, and ultimately see the benefit of it in our lives.
Paul states in vers 8, “For we would not have you ignorant of our trouble which came
to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we
despaired even of life.” He shares the severity of their suffering—they were stressed
out, their strength was gone, and they feared for their lives. We see in this the physical
and emotional affects of suffering. Suffering can take a toll on our mental, emotional
and physical conditions. That is why we need to depend on the Lord, as Paul goes on
to say in verses 9 & 10, “but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should
not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. Who delivered us from so
great a death, and doth deliver; in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;”
Paul gives us the answer to the alleviation of our fears and the stress that suffering
creates—that is trust in the Lord, that he will deliver us. Notice the three tenses that
give us consolation in verse 10: The Lord delivered us (past tense); “doth deliver”
(present tense); and “we trust that He will yet deliver us” (future tense).

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Paul also took consolation and comfort in the prayers of the saints—verse 11, “ye also
helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of
many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”
The next use of this phrase, I would not have you to be ignorant is in the
context of the death of believers in Christ, the Rapture and the expectation
of the coming Day of the Lord. I Thessalonians 4:13- 5:11
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them which are asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.”
Indeed, what a comfort these words are to us concerning the dead in Christ, and the
prospective resurrection and transformation that will occur at the time of the rapture
of the church. It states the dead in Christ shall rise first, their bodies will somehow
miraculously be raised from the ground where they are buried, or interred, and shall
be remade and reunited with the their soul and spirit (notice verse 14, “even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.”) Then the living believers shall be
caught up and changed and transformed from their terrestrial body into their Celestial
bodies. What a marvelous, miraculous transformation and transportation! The Lord
Jesus is returning and we need to be ready! We need to be ready for death and to meet
Him when He comes again.

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Lastly, Let us look at a reference that Paul uses in a more positive sense, as He uses the
term ignorant, and that is found in II Corinthians 2:11- Speaking about the attack and
adversarial onslaught of Satan, He writes, “lest Satan should get an advantage of us:
for we are not ignorant of his devices.” A preliminary statement to this verse is given
in verses 9 and 10, where Paul says, “For to this end also did I write, that I might know
the proof of you, whether you be obedient in all things. To whom you forgive anything,
I forgive also: for if I forgive anything, to whom I forgive it for your sakes forgave I it in
the person of Christ.” In these preceding verses he is intrinsically linking the idea that
we need to forgive as Christ forgave us, and if we do not forgive, Satan can get the
advantage of us. Paul affirms his belief that he has instructed them rightly, and
equipped and informed them, so that they were not ignorant of Satan’s devices/tactics.

05/23/2026

What Do These Stones Mean? Joshua 4:1-24 Memorial Stones

After 40 years of wondering in the wilderness, the time had finally come for the children of
Israel to cross over Jordan, and Joshua would lead the people into the promised land. God
was going to do another mighty act to display His power, and He wanted it to be
remembered and memorialized. So he told Joshua to choose to twelve men, one from
each of the twelve tribes, and these men were going to take a stone from the midst of the
Jordan once the priests bearing the ark of the covenant stepped into the water’s edge and
the water would stop, and the men would carry the stones across on dry ground. Once all
the people crossed the priests bearing the ark would cross also and would make their way
to where they would lodge. There Joshua would take the stones and erect a memorial by
stacking the stones together. These stones would call to remembrance what the Lord God
did by once again parting the waters and He had done before at the Red Sea, and this
would be a conversation starter for the future generation of children when they asked,
“What do these stones mean?” I believe this stack of stones served three purposes:
I. A Call to Remembrance – v. 6 “that this may be a sign among you,”
A. These stones I believe were of significant size and were going to be
constructed in a way that would last for generations.
B. “That when your children ask their fathers in time to come…” Children are
going to ask questions, and boy, do they ask questions… You that have had
children you know what it’s like when they get a certain age, they ask a lot of
questions.
C. They will ask, “what mean ye by these stones?” A real conversation starter.
And you will be able to give them the answer, “that the waters of Jordan were
cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over
Jordan…and these stones shall be a memorial unto the children of