allegiance Archives - Plain Bible Teaching

Andy Sochor April 9, 2012

That We May Be Like All the Nations (4/9)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Samuel 4-8.

When the people demanded Samuel appoint a king over them (1 Samuel 8:5), thereby rejecting God as their king (1 Samuel 8:7), one of their reasons was so that they might be “like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).

After consulting with the Lord, Samuel proceeded to tell them what it would be like to be ruled by a king (1 Samuel 8:10-17). He warned them that living under a king would not be like what they envisioned; but once they realized that, it would be too late to change their condition (1 Samuel 8:18). Yet the people would not listen.

“Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, ‘No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles’” (1 Samuel 8:19-20).

Despite the warnings and the fact that a human king was wholly unnecessary as long as they were wholly committed to following the Lord, these people wanted a king. They could not see past the fact that “all the nations” had kings to realize that they were better off submitting to the Lord rather than a human ruler.
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Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: allegiance, worldliness

Andy Sochor January 24, 2012

Preparing to Offer Sacrifices to God (1/24)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 35-37.

“Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone’” (Genesis 35:1-3).

Jacob was to build an altar to worship God. But three things had to be done first by those who would approach the Lord at Bethel. They had to put away any foreign gods, purify themselves, and change their garments.
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Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: allegiance, purity, repentance, sacrifice

Andy Sochor January 11, 2012

Facts About Idols

Idolatry is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:3-6; 1 Corinthians 6:9). There are a number of things that have the potential of becoming idols for us if we allow them. They are not limited to graven images but could include things like money, possessions, careers, and even people. The warning issued by John at the end of his first epistle – “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21) – remains an important reminder for Christians today.

With the danger of idolatry being a reality and having the divinely given warning in mind, let us notice a few facts about idols.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: allegiance, blessings, idolatry, religion, salvation

Andy Sochor December 1, 2008

A People for God’s Own Possession

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

As Christians, we belong to God. We are to live in such a way that we can say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). We no longer live for ourselves but for God and His Son. We “have been bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), that price being “the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19; cf. Acts 20:28).

Understanding then that we belong to God, how should we conduct our lives?
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: allegiance, false teachers, false teaching, loyalty, obedience, sin

Andy Sochor October 1, 2007

Some Things That Christians Cannot Do

As Christians, there are many things that we should not do; but we also read in the Bible of some things that Christians cannot do. In this article, we will notice four such things that Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus showed the type of character one must have to be a part of His kingdom. As we go through these, keep in mind that these are things Jesus said we cannot do. Let us not think that we might be the exception or that there is a loophole. Paul said, “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: allegiance, example, faith, false teachers, growth

Andy Sochor July 26, 2007

Allegiance to Christ

“Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?” (Proverbs 20:6).

Millions of people will profess allegiance to Christ. But who is truly loyal to him? The proverb stated that most who claim to be good and loyal are not. Are you truly loyal to Christ? Am I? Even the apostle Peter wavered in his loyalty to the Lord after His arrest. Before this, Peter told the Lord, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (Matthew 26:35). Yet as we read further in the chapter we see that Peter denied the Lord three times (Matthew 26:69-75). It is far easier to claim allegiance to Christ than to actually show it in the face of trials and conflicts.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: allegiance, loyalty