When we follow Jesus Christ
with our lives, and we teach what is truth, from God’s Word, although some
people will welcome the truth, some will not, and they may even strongly oppose
us.
This is not to say that we will
always get everything right, though, for we are not God, although God is living
within us. But, if we are truly following the Lord with our lives, he will
guide us into truth, if we are willing, and if we will obey.
And, then we should share
that truth with others, even if they reject us, and even if they strongly
oppose us, or even falsely accuse us.
The Lord Jesus led me to read
John 8 (Select vv. NASB).
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the
Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will
have the Light of life.” v. 12
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
(and God) is the way, the truth and the life. He is love, and he is
righteousness and holiness. He is the only way to God the Father and to eternal
life with God in heaven. Only through faith in Him can we be delivered from our
sins and have the hope of eternal life with God.
But, this faith in Christ is
not a mere intellectual assent to who he was and is, nor is it mere words we
repeat after someone else in a prayer, nor is it a mere acceptance of God’s
grace, i.e. of what Jesus did for us in dying for our sins. It is also not a
one-time emotional decision we make at an altar, and it is not joining
membership in an institution of men.
Jesus said that if we want to
come after him, we must deny self, take up our cross daily and follow (obey)
him. He said that if we hold on to our old lives of sin, we will lose them for
eternity, but if we lose our lives, i.e. if we die with Christ to sin, we will
save our lives for eternity (Lu. 9:23-25).
So, if we want to have the
light of life, then we must follow (obey) him, and then we will not walk
(conduct our lives) in darkness (sin, wickedness).
Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if
you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” v. 19b
Some people will say they
believe in the One True God, and yet they reject Jesus Christ as their Messiah
and Lord. Yet, we can’t know God the Father if we do not receive Jesus Christ
to be our Lord and Savior. And, we can’t know Jesus Christ, if we are not
willing to walk in his ways and in his truth.
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will
know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” vv. 31-32
Belief in Jesus Christ, as I
stated already, is not a one-time event in our lives, then we live our lives,
and one day we go to heaven when we leave this earth. The Bible clearly teaches
us that it is those believing (presently) in him, and it is those who continue
in him, and in his word, and it is those who walk (in lifestyle) according to
the Spirit, in obedience to him, who are in him, by faith, and who have the
hope of eternal life with God.
This is not to say that we
will never sin, though, but that sin should no longer have mastery over our
lives. We should no longer engage in sinful practices, for the Bible teaches
that if we make sin our practice, we will die in our sins, not have the hope of
eternal life. So, if we walk according to the flesh, we will die, but if by the
Spirit we are putting sinful practices to death, then we will live with Christ
for eternity (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17).
Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is
because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want
to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he
speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of
lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you
convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of
God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you
are not of God.” vv. 43-47
Many people who call
themselves followers of God and who claim to believe in Jesus Christ, will
reject the truth of scripture, or will only accept parts of it, while they will
ignore whatever does not fit within their own belief system. They will pick and
choose the scriptures which agree with what they want to believe, and even if
you show them what the rest of scripture teaches, on the same subjects, they
will stubbornly hold on to just those few verses, and will not accept the rest.
But, if we are to be followers
of God, of Christ, then we need to listen to all of scripture which applies to
the lives of believers in Christ, even if it doesn’t fit with what someone
taught us previously. We should always be growing, always learning, and always
open to hear whatever the Word teaches us we must do. And, we must be willing
to change our way of thinking or believing if what the Bible teaches says
differently.
I think many people today
have bought into a diluted gospel message, for instance, because they want to
continue in sin without guilt or remorse. They want to believe that all they
have to do is say some magic words or merely acknowledge who Jesus is and what
he did for us, and that heaven is guaranteed them, no matter how they live from
this point forward.
But, the bulk of the New
Testament scriptures debunks that notion. All throughout the New Testament we
read that we must walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit and not according
to the flesh, if we want to have eternal life with God. We must not practice
sin, and we must not hold on to our old way of living for sin and self, but we
must continue in Christ and in his Word in in obedience to him and to his Word
if we want to have the promise of heaven when we die. This is the truth! So,
why do so many who call themselves Christians not believe this?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word
he will never see death.” v. 51
So, if we want to have
eternal life with God, and have the hope of heaven when we leave this earth,
then we need to walk in obedience to our Lord and to the truths of his Word,
and not pick and choose only the scriptures we like because they fit with our
lifestyles or with what we want to believe.
We should read scriptures in
context, too. It is good if we can read chapter by chapter and book by book so
we understand the context of what is being taught so that we don’t err in our
interpretation. Many false beliefs come about because scriptures are pulled out
of context and are made to say something which they are not teaching at all.
And, if we are among those
who are willing to listen to the Lord and to his Word and to change our
thinking and believing, if the scriptures clearly show us where we are wrong in
our thinking, then we should also be prepared to face the kind of opposition which
Jesus faced, and even from within the church, too. For many people are set in
their ways and are ensconced in their traditions, and they will not be moved.
But, we should find our strength, hope and confidence in our Lord, and we
should rest in Him.
Hear my Voice
An Original Work / July 9, 2012
Based off Psalm 27
The Lord is my great salvation.
He’s the stronghold of my life.
When my enemies attack me,
My heart will not fear at all.
Though a war break out against me,
Confident in Christ I’ll be.
Of the Lord, I ask that I may
Live with Him eternally.
Hear my voice, Lord, when I call you.
Merciful to me You’ll be.
Though my relatives forsake me,
My Lord God will receive me.
Teach me Your way, O my Jesus.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
I will sacrifice to my Lord.
I will sing with joyfulness.
I am confident that I will
See the goodness of the Lord.
All the richness of His blessings,
My Lord has for me in store.
He asks me to be of courage;
To be strong and to take heart,
Patiently as I wait for Him,
And from Him to ne’er depart.
Monday, December 4, 2017,
1:30 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these encouraging words which give hope,
courage, and strength to your servants.
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