Friday, February 3, 2017, 7:18 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Unless You Are Born Again.” Speak,
Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1
Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NASB).
In the Night
(vv. 1-3)
Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have
no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well
that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they
are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly
like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
I find it particularly
interesting that the Lord Jesus saw fit to combine this passage of scripture
with the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus (See lyrics to song). Nicodemus
came to Jesus by night. He was a Pharisee – a religious leader in the Jewish
temple and a teacher of scripture. He made an intellectual assent to who Jesus
is, yet Jesus told him he needed to be “born again” if he wanted to see the kingdom
of God. Thus, a discussion on that topic ensued between the two of them, but
Nicodemus failed to understand what Jesus was talking about. The ultimate conclusion
Jesus reached was that Nicodemus didn’t understand, not because he lacked
knowledge of the scriptures, but because he (and other Jews) would not accept
Jesus’ testimony, and thus they did not believe in Jesus and what he taught.
I believe Nicodemus is an
example to us of many people today who are following forms of religion, but who
truly are not “born again” of the Spirit of God, even though they profess to
believe in Jesus Christ. Thus, they fail to comprehend that which is spiritual,
because their minds are still thinking in the natural, because they are still
living in the flesh and not in the Spirit. Yet, he is also an example of those
not lacking in knowledge of scripture, but of those who refuse to believe what
they hear, probably because what they hear doesn’t fit with their theology or
with their chosen lifestyles. And, he is an example to us, also, of religious
leaders today who are feeding the people false grace messages, promising them
heaven when they die, and peace on earth, because the religious leaders refuse
to accept Jesus’ testimony and believe his Word. Thus, they are filling people’s
minds with a false hope.
These people and their
followers live in the darkness, and not in the light, even though some of them
claim to be in the light. The truth, though, messes with how they want to live
their lives, so they make up their own truth to fit their own lifestyles, and
then they drag others into their lies and deceptions and make them disciples of
men instead of disciples of Christ.
They convince them that being
saved and having eternal life with God involves a mere prayer repeated after
someone else, but which is absent of repentance, and that God, in fact, requires
nothing of them – no repentance, no obedience and no submission to Christ and
his cross. And, they tell them that God is pleased with them no matter what they
do, no matter how much sin they willfully involve themselves in each and every
day. They tell them, too, that God will never be angry with them, that they won’t
have to go through difficult times, and that they will be raptured before
anything gets really bad, i.e. they preach messages of “peace and safety.”
But, this is NOT what
scripture teaches. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny
self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) 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 Christ to
sin), we will gain eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-25). Paul reiterated what
Jesus said when he said that if we walk (in lifestyle) in the flesh (in sin),
we will die (in our sins), but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the
deeds of the flesh, we will live (with Christ for eternity) (See: Ro. 8:1-14).
And, John said that if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk (in
lifestyle) in darkness (sin), we don’t live by the truth (1 Jn. 1:6).
One day Jesus is going to
return for his bride (his followers), and he is going to judge the world. Those
who have bought into the “peace and safety” messages, which tell them they don’t
have to repent and obey, that God is pleased with them no matter what they do,
and that God will never judge them, are going to be in for a big surprise, but
not the good kind. Instead of the heaven they were promised, they will find
destruction, and they will not escape. So, don’t buy into the lies, even though
they may sound good and may appease your guilty conscience when you do what you
know is wrong. God’s grace is not a free license to continue in willful sin
against God without guilt and without remorse. His grace, which brings salvation,
teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return
(Tit. 2:11-14).
So, this goes back to what
Jesus told Nicodemus. He told him he must be “born again” if he wants to see
heaven, and that is what he is telling people today, too. When we are born anew
of the Spirit of God we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are
resurrected with Christ to newness of life, “created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Jesus didn’t die just so we could
escape hell and go to heaven. He died that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave
his life up for us; and to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify
for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds
(1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; Tit. 2:14).
Of the Night
(vv. 4-8)
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day
would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day.
We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but
let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and
those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be
sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the
hope of salvation.
If we truly are in Christ
Jesus, by God’s grace, through genuine faith, we have been crucified with
Christ in death to sin, and we have been resurrected with Christ to newness of
life, so we are not living in darkness. We are “born again” of the Spirit of
God and so we walk in the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. So, we
have no fear of judgment or of Christ’s return, but we look forward with great
anticipation to the day our Lord comes to take us to be with him forever.
And, yet, there is a warning
here for us to not allow ourselves to fall asleep spiritually as others do, but
for us to remain alert and sober. So, what is this saying? It is possible to be
a genuine believer in Jesus Christ and yet to fall back into sin and spiritual
slothfulness (laziness). It is possible for us to get caught up in the world and
to believe the lies of “peace and safety” and to not be spiritually ready for
Christ’s return. So, what does that mean for us? Well, for one, in Revelation
2-3 we read the letters to the seven churches, five of which Jesus chided for
something they were doing wrong, warned of divine judgment (discipline), called
for repentance, and promised rewards to those who overcame, and did what Jesus
said. So, there is the danger of divine discipline (correction, judgment) for
the unrepentant church.
Also, there are many
scriptures which warn against falling away from God’s grace, and that teach
that faith in Jesus Christ is continuous, and that we must continue in the
faith we had at first if we want to have the hope of eternal life with God. So,
there is the danger we might go back to living in darkness if we do not remain
vigilant in our spiritual walks of faith.
As well, there are many
people who profess to be Christians who are still walking in darkness, who are
only going through the motions of Christianity or forms of religious practice,
but their hearts are far from God. They have not turned from their sin nor have
they truly turned to Christ to walk in obedience to his commands (his
instructions), some of whom don’t because they have been taught they don’t have
to, which just makes a mockery of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins whereby
we could be set free from sin. They will face the wrath of God if they do not
repent and believe Jesus.
Together with Him (vv. 9-11)
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for
obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that
whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore,
encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
One of the reasons Jesus died
on the cross for our sins was that we might escape the coming wrath of God.
This, however, does not preclude divine disciple (correction, judgment) from
coming upon us when we need it. He saved us from the pit of hell and promises
us heaven when we die if we continue in him in faith until the end. Yet, he
also promises us hardships, discipline, correction, and persecution, etc. as
part of the process of pruning us and maturing us and conforming us to the
likeness of Christ. So, we should not be surprised when trials come, or when we
are hated or persecuted severely for our faith in Jesus Christ. These things
must happen.
And, yet, the context here
appears to be in the form of a warning to true believers in Jesus Christ that
they not fall back asleep spiritually, but that they remain spiritually alert,
because we have the hope of salvation and the promise of heaven when we die for
those who believe (present tense). Therefore, we are to encourage (inspire,
hearten and urge) one another with these words, and build up (strengthen, promote
the spiritual health) of one another, so that we continue in the faith,
steadfast, and don’t fall asleep.
Unless You Are Born Again
An Original Work / November 3, 2013
Based off John 3:1-21
Nicodemus came to Jesus.
He acknowledged God was with Him.
Jesus said, “You can’t see heaven
Unless you are born again.”
“How can a man be born when he’s old?
Can he enter into his mother’s womb?”
Jesus answered, “Flesh is flesh,
So of the Spirit, you must be.”
Jesus said to Nicodemus,
“You’re a teacher, and yet you don’t
Understand of what I tell you,
Because you will not believe.
“For God so loved the world that He
gave
His one and His only Son for your sin.
So, whoever believes in Him
Has eternal life in heav’n.
“Light has come into the world,
But human beings love the darkness,
Because their deeds are so evil,
So in truth, they stand condemned.
“Everyone who practices evil
Fears that the Light will expose his
sin.
Yet, whoever lives his life by the Light
Does so through his God.”
No comments:
Post a Comment