Sunday, July 30, 2017, 9:15 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “The Letters.” Speak, Lord, your words
to my heart. I read Psalm 37:1-11
(ESV).
Fret Not! (vv.
1-2, 7)
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not
envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither
like the green herb.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not
yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man
who carries out evil devices!
Who is an evildoer? He or she
is one who is wicked, immoral, sinful. Evildoers make a practice of doing what
they know is wrong, and they often resist doing what they know is right. Evil is
opposed to (against) God’s Word, his holiness, his righteousness, his divine
character and his justice. Therefore, evildoers are also opposed to the Lord’s
servants and witnesses, and they will try to drag them down with them. They
love the darkness, rather than the light, because their deeds are evil.
So, how are we impacted by
these evildoers? Well, for one, not all evildoers are blatantly (obviously) evil
in the eyes of all people. Many of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing who
masquerade themselves as servants of righteousness and who disguise themselves as
apostles of Christ Jesus. They are actors, performers, and frauds who give off
a public image of being good Christians while they secretly (in the dark) carry
out their evil plans. Evildoers may be adulterers, thieves, liars, cheats,
murderers, gossips, greedy, abusers, persecutors of Christ’s followers and/or betrayers,
etc. So, we may be the recipients of their cheating, lying, thieving or persecuting.
Yet, we are not to fear their
mistreatment of us or of those we love, but we are to pray for them, do good to
them, and speak kindly to them, which includes speaking the truth in love to
them. And, we are to be still (peaceful) before the Lord, trusting him that he
has a purpose for everything we face in our lives, and that he is working all
things together for good for those who love him and who have been called
according to his purposes. He allows us to face adversity and opposition
because it helps to mature us in our faith and to strengthen us in our resolve
to follow our Lord in obedience to his will. And, he will accomplish his
purposes both in our lives and in the lives of all those who will come to him
in faith, repenting of their sins.
Trust the Lord
(vv. 3-6)
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the
land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will
give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in
him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your
justice as the noonday.
So, instead of letting
evildoers get to us, upset us, or get us to worry about our lives or our
circumstances, we need to place our absolute trust in our Lord in all things,
knowing that he is completely sovereign over all which he created. And, we need
to continue to do good to all people, even to those who hate us and who
persecute us. We must remain faithful to our Lord in all things, and not let
trouble or hardship get us to doubt God and his promises, or to push us toward
shrinking back in our faith and testimonies for Christ and for his gospel. For
this is Satan’s goal, to undo us, and to get us to give up, back down, shrink
back and retreat back into sinful behaviors.
So, when evildoers threaten
to undo us, we need, instead, to delight in our Lord and in his ways, and
continue to serve our Lord in faithfulness and in devotion to him. Although
there may be those now who are trying to bring us down, who may be falsely accusing
us or gossiping about us to others, or who may be attacking us verbally or
trying to discourage us in our walks of faith, we must remain strong in the
Lord and keep holding on to the truth we know. For, there will be fruit for our
labors of love to our God and to our fellow humans. If we are being rejected
and despised now, one day we will be exonerated (vindicated) for our love and faithful
service to our Lord.
The Wicked and The Meek (vv. 8-11)
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not
yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those
who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you
look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight
themselves in abundant peace.
The people of this world are
divided into two groups of people, i.e. the wicked and the righteous. Those who
choose to practice evil, even if they have professed Christ as Savior of their
lives, will not have the hope of eternal life with God but the fearful
expectation of judgment and eternal damnation. Those who have genuine faith in
Jesus Christ, who have died with Christ to sin, who make righteousness their
practice, and who are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, by the Spirit,
will have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Ro.
6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-6).
The problem here, for many,
is that so many shepherds of the people within the organized church are
teaching the people that salvation is nothing more than an acknowledgment of
who Jesus is and/or of what he did for us in taking our punishment for sin, and
that it is a mere acceptance of his forgiveness of our sins. And, then they
teach them that their salvation and their eternal life with God are secured
forever, and that nothing they can do can take it away from them, no matter how
badly they sin against God from this moment forward. So, what they are doing is
giving them carte blanche (free rein) to continue in willful sin against God
without guilt or remorse.
Yet, the Bible teaches that
if anyone would come after Christ, they must deny self, take up their cross
daily (daily die to sin and self) and follow (obey) Jesus. If they hold on to
their old lives of living for sin and self, they will lose them for eternity,
but if they lose their lives (die with Christ to sin) for the sake of Jesus
Christ and his gospel, they will gain eternal life with God. For, Jesus died
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk (in
lifestyle) not after the flesh, but according to the Spirit of God. If we walk
according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if by the Spirit we are
putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (Lu. 9:23-25; Ro.
8:1-14). So, know the truth, and the truth will set you free!
The Letters
/ An Original Work / December 17, 2013
Based off Revelation 2-3
To the angels of all the
churches write:
These are the words of your
Lord and your God.
I know all your deeds, and
your witness, too,
And who holds to My words and
tells what’s true.
I know all your hard work and
your perseverance,
Yet I hold against you:
you’ve forsaken Me.
Listen to what I say to you.
You have people there who
deny My name,
And who put the cross of
Christ up to shame.
They entice the people to Me,
profane,
And their worship of Me is
all in vain.
They are so adult’rous as
they chase their idols,
And you put up with them
easily enough.
Listen to what I say to you.
You give off an image of
godliness,
But what you present is so
fraudulent,
Or else you lack passion for
Jesus Christ,
So you look to others to tell
what’s right.
I say turn from your sin, or
you will face judgment.
He who overcomes will have
eternal life.
Listen to what I say to you.
I know your afflictions and
poverty;
How you suffer for your Lord
patiently.
Do not fear the devil and
company.
You be faithful to your Lord
endlessly.
I know all your weakness and
your dedication.
You have kept My Word and not
denied your Lord.
I will write on you My new
name.
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