Saturday, November 4, 2017, 4:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “The Lord’s Anointed.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians
3 (NASB).
On Human Hearts
(vv. 1-3)
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we
need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter,
written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are
a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit
of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Whenever any of us serves as
ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are bound to be met with some
amount of opposition and criticism. Some of it may be deserved, and some not. We
may have opponents who will even go so far as to try to discredit us, and thus
we may have reputations which precede us which may or may not have any element
of truth to them. Or, what is shared about us may be twisted truth presented
through the lens of those who don’t like the message. And, so, we may have a “black
mark” (an unfavorable impression) against us even before we get started.
So, what should our response
be to such criticism or opposition? We certainly can refute our opponents,
dispute any lies, and proclaim what is true. Paul did this on numerous occasions,
as did Jesus. And/or we can just trust our lives and our reputations into God’s
hands, trusting him to work out all things for good for us who love him, and
who have been called according to his purpose. We can also show love and do
good to those who persecute us, and who wrongfully oppose us, in addition to
forgiving them. And, we can keep pressing on in doing what God has called us to
do, despite all opposition, knowing that the true test of God’s working through
our lives is witnessed through lives which have been impacted for Christ
because we were faithful to the task in sharing with them the truths of God’s
word.
Yet, we must always be
willing to have what we teach tested against the Word of God, for not one of us
has arrived, nor do we know everything. I learn much from others when I am
challenged in my faith, and/or when others share with me their understanding of
a particular passage of scripture. I am continually learning and growing in my
understanding of what God’s word teaches, and I am frequently encouraged when I
listen to or read how others are growing in their faith, and when they share
with me what God is teaching them. So, we should not ever fear being tested.
Of the Spirit
(vv. 4-11)
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not
that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from
ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants
of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills,
but the Spirit gives life.
But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on
stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at
the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will
the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry
of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound
in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the
glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away was with glory, much more
that which remains is in glory.
Amen! Our confidence, though,
should not be in ourselves or in our own accomplishments, but in Christ Jesus,
our Lord, and in what he is able to do and has done through us – all for the
glory of God. Our Lord is the one who has called us to his service, so he is
the one to equip and train us for the ministry, as well as to empower and
strengthen us in whatever he has us doing. Filled and empowered with the Holy
Spirit, we are able to do far above and beyond anything we could ever accomplish
in our own flesh, for only the Spirit of God can move human hearts to turn away
from sin and to God, to follow Christ and his ways.
Now, have you ever read the
books of the Old Testament and thanked God that you were born in the time of
the New Covenant, and not during the time of the Old Covenant? I have. Why?
Because, under the Old Covenant they had so many rules, regulations, rituals
and ceremonies they had to follow, and to the letter of the law, too. Judgment
was often immediate, too, with no grace – no second chances. So much was just black
and white, and often seemed to be so harsh and cruel, at times. Today we call
this legalism when a group of Christians add to God’s grace what God did not
intend, and they put harsh and strict man-made regulations as burdens on the
people.
But, that is not the way of
the Spirit. The Spirit gives freedom, not bondage, but not freedom to continue
in sin, for the one who keeps on sinning is still in bondage (slavery) and is
not truly free. This is important that we get this, because many people today
are falsely calling some aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ “legalism,”
because they want to keep on sinning. Yet, Jesus did not free us from his moral
laws, but he did define them as the law of love. If we truly love one another,
we won’t do what is harmful to each other. So, we won’t lie, cheat, steal, commit
adultery, fornication, gossip, and the like. The same is true of our
relationship with God. If we truly love God, we will do what he says. If we don’t,
we don’t know or love him, scripture says.
There is Liberty (vv. 12-18)
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in
our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so
that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading
away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of
the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in
Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord
is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we
all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the
Lord, the Spirit.
There are people today, even
within the gatherings of the church, who feel that they can earn their own
salvation through good works of their flesh or that they, in addition to God’s
grace, must follow a set of man-made rules and rituals in order to be accepted
by God. Sometimes this is because they want to still have control over their
own lives, and thus this puts them in the driver’s seat, thinking they will be
approved by God because of their sacrifices or rituals or good deeds, despite continued
moral failures and an unwillingness to yield control of their lives over to the
Lord. God/Jesus Christ said about this kind of attitude and behavior: “This
people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men” (Matt. 15:8-9 ESV).
So, to combat this type of
belief, there are also those within the gatherings of the church who have gone
to the opposite extreme, but truly both ends of the spectrum are still man-made
religion and lack true love and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of
adding to God’s grace, as the legalists do, they take away from God’s grace
what they don’t like, and say they are removing “legalism” when, in fact, what
they are removing is the essence of the gospel of our salvation, the reason for
which Jesus gave his life up for us, and what God’s grace is really all about.
So, their eyes are just as blinded (veiled) to the truth as those they accuse
of being the legalists, because neither end submits to Jesus Christ as their
Lord, and neither walks in the freedom of God’s grace, for they are still
following after the flesh, believing that God approves of them as they are or
solely for what they do.
The truth, nonetheless, lies
somewhere in between these two extremes and opposing ends. The truth is that
Jesus Christ died on that cross, not just to free us from the punishment of sin
and to promise us heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live
to righteousness. His grace is not liberty to continue in the practice of sin,
nor is it liberty to add on human regulations to God’s grace. His grace,
though, does instruct us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s
return. And, the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk
(conduct our lives), not after the flesh, but according to the Spirit, for if
we walk according to the flesh (sinful practices or flesh works), we will die
in our sins, not live with Christ for eternity. For, the gospel message frees
the captives. It doesn’t pacify them in their prisons.
The Lord’s Anointed / An
Original Work / December 16, 2011
Based off Isaiah 61
The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;
Anointed to preach the Good News;
Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;
Proclaim freedom for the captives.
He sent me to preach release for
pris’ners
Who are walking in sin’s darkness;
Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll
listen;
And tell them about God’s judgments;
Comfort all who mourn;
Give crowns of beauty;
Oil of gladness and thanksgiving.
They will be called oaks of God’s
righteousness,
A planting of our Savior, God,
For the display of our Lord’s splendor,
and
They will rebuild God’s holy church.
God will renew them, and will restore
them,
And you’ll be called priests of the
Lord.
You will be ministers of our God, and
You will rejoice in salvation.
The Lord loves justice;
He is faithful to
Reward those who are seeking Him.
I delight greatly in the Lord;
My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.
He has clothed me with His salvation,
And in a robe of His righteousness.
He has given me priestly garments to wear,
As the bride of Jesus Christ.
As the garden of our Lord and Savior,
He causes us to grow in Him.
He makes righteousness,
Praise, and thanksgiving
Spring up before all the nations.
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