BRIBES

BRIBE - Any gift used corruptly to influence a person, tribute, graft kickback, extortion

"Every man has his price." St Gregory

"Heaven is above all yet; there sits a judge That no man can corrupt. Shakespeare "King Henry VIII"

ATTEMPTS TO BRIBE GOD BY: Works and Money

1 SAM 15:19-23, "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD? Then Saul said to Samuel, "I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took {some} of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal. And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, {And} to heed than the fat of rams.

NEW CREATURES

Jesus paid our ransom

MAT 20:25-28, "But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and {their} great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

We receive salvation without cost

ISA 55:1-2, "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance."

Saved by Grace

ROM 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

EPH 2:4-5, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)"

EPH 2:8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Become part of family

GAL 4:4-8, "But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods."

Stewardship and New Testament Giving

LUK 14:12-14, "And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite {the} poor, {the} crippled, {the} lame, {the} blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have {the means} to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

2 CO5 9:7, "Let each one {do} just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver."

LUK 14:33, "So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."

 

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