Thursday, January 28,
2016, 5:13 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “What the Lord Says.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Mark 1:14-20 (NASB).
Repent and Believe
(vv. 14-15)
Now
after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the
gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
There are many people these days who purportedly are
preaching the gospel of God (of Jesus Christ). And, yet, their messages are not
all the same. In other words, there are many different teachings out there
which fall under the name of “Gospel of Jesus Christ,” but not all of them are
truly teaching the “Gospel of God.” So, how do we know which ones are teaching
the true gospel, and which ones are not? How can we discern truth from error?
Paul said that he did not shrink from declaring “the whole
counsel of God.” So, what does that mean? It means he did not, out of fear of
consequences, withhold any truth with regard to God’s will and purpose for us in
salvation. He did not disguise the gospel or withhold any imperative truth
contained therein in order to appease people, or to not offend, or to make
people feel good about themselves. He did not twist the words of scripture in
order to make them more culturally relevant, either. He also did not concern
himself with being “seeker sensitive,” i.e. with trying to present the gospel
in a way which would be friendlier and not so hard for the listeners to
receive. He taught what Jesus taught about our salvation.
When Jesus called Paul to preach the gospel he told him that
he was sending him to open the eyes of the (spiritually) blind, to turn them
from darkness (sin) to the light (Jesus, the truth, righteousness), and from
the power of Satan (away from his control over our lives) to God (to come under
his control), “that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (See: Ac. 26:16-18).
Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny
self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. He
said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose
them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die with him to sin), we will gain
eternal life (See: Lu. 9:23-25). And, Paul said that Jesus died that the
righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after
the flesh, but who conduct our lives according to the Spirit, for if we walk
according to our sinful flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting
to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (See: Ro. 8:1-14).
So, here in Mark’s gospel it is stated that Jesus, in
preaching the gospel, said that we must repent and believe in the gospel. Many
preachers today are telling people they don’t have to repent, or else they are
saying that “repent” merely means to have a change of mind, and that change of
mind takes place when someone decides to believe in Jesus. True, that is a
change of mind, but when Scripture uses the term “repent,” in most all cases,
in context, it is speaking of a change of mind about sin, i.e. it is in
reference to forsaking our former way of living for sin and self, and it is
about dying with Christ to sin so that we can be resurrected with Christ to
newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See:
Eph. 4:17-24).
Peter said that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live
to righteousness (See: 1 Pet. 2:24). This is the essence of the gospel, not
that he died merely to give us an escape from hell and the promise of heaven
when we die, but that he died that our sinful flesh would be crucified with
him, and that we might now live to God’s righteousness in the power and working
of the Spirit of God within us, and not in our own flesh. The message of the
gospel is death to sin, alive with Christ, living to righteousness.
Follow Him (vv.
16-20)
As
He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother
of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to
them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they
left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James the
son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the
nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the
boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
I love this depiction of what it means to follow Jesus
Christ. It means we leave our former way of living behind us and we follow him
in obedience and go the way he goes, wherever he goes. Yet, there were people
in Jesus’ day who said they wanted to follow him, but they had not yet counted
the cost of what it would mean to follow him, and/or they said they had other
things they needed to do first. So, Jesus let them know the cost of following
him, and he reprimanded at least one of them by telling him that anyone who
looks back, i.e. who is still engaged in the things of this world, is not fit
for the kingdom of God. He let them all know that following Christ does not
mean we have security in the things of this world, but now our security is in
heaven and in what is of God’s eternal kingdom. He told them that following him
was to be an immediate response of leaving all behind (See: Lu. 9:57-62).
Although it is true that the Christian life is a growth
process, and that daily, by the Spirit, we are to be putting to death the deeds
of the flesh - and that we are being conformed into the likeness of Christ, and
that we are being made holy - we cannot enter into a true relationship with
Jesus Christ thinking we can still hold on to our old lives and that we can
just gradually let go of things when we decide. We can’t say, “I will follow
you Jesus, but first let me continue to live my life the way I want, and then
later, when it is convenient for me, I will follow you.” Jesus demands total
surrender, but not sinless perfection (See: 1 Jn. 2:1). Yet, the Word teaches
us that if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue to walk (conduct
our lives) in darkness (sin), that we are liars, and the truth is not in us
(See: 1 Jn. 1:6). If we continue to walk according to the flesh, we will die,
and we won’t have an inheritance with God in heaven. We can’t serve two masters
– the flesh and Christ. One will cancel out the other, i.e. we can’t serve
Christ and the flesh, too.
Yet, not only does following Christ mean we cease going the
direction we were headed with our lives, and now we go the opposite direction
in following Christ with our lives, but it means a life of service to our Lord,
to do his will, his way. When Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, we
were bought with a price, so our lives are no longer our own to be lived the
way we choose (See: 1 Co. 6:20). We were crucified with Christ so that we no
longer live, but Christ now lives within us, and the life we now live, we live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and who gave himself up for us (See:
Gal. 2:20). Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him
who gave his life for us (See: 2 Co. 5:15). A saved life is a crucified life. A
saved life is a surrendered life. Jesus said that his sheep (followers) know
his voice, they listen to him, and they follow (obey) him (Jn. 10:27-30).
So, if we want to follow Jesus Christ with our lives, we
must leave our old lives of living for sin and self behind us, and daily we
must die to sin and self and follow our Lord in surrender and obedience to his
will for our lives – all in the power and working of the Spirit of God within
us, as we yield our lives to the Spirit. We must listen to him, and do what he
says. And, we must live our lives as though they are not our own, but as though
we belong to Jesus, and he is the one now in control, and as though he is the
one calling all the shots.
A saved life is a life of service to our God. It is a life
that is called of God for a very specific purpose, which is to live holy lives,
pleasing to God. To believe in the gospel means we live like we believe that
Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Our walk matches
our talk. So, when the temptations or trials of this life weigh in on us, we
commit our way to the Lord. And, we keep following him, trusting him with the
results.
What the Lord Says
/ An Original Work
February 24, 2014 /
Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5
This is what the Lord says to you:
Fear not, for I have chosen you.
I have summoned you by your name.
You are mine. I died, you to save.
When you go through your trials, so deep,
I will be with you; you will not sink.
You are so precious always to me.
Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.
This is what the Lord says to you:
He who gave salvation to you;
Who delivered you from your sin;
Takes your burdens now upon Him:
Forget the former things of your life.
Give of your heart not now up to strife.
See all the new things I have for you.
Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.
This is what the Lord says to you:
He who made you; who will help you:
Do not fear what humans may do.
Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.
Drink of my Spirit given for you.
Trust in my mercy, for I love you.
I have a plan for all of your life.
Follow my ways. Do what is right.
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