Word of the Lord
2 Thessalonians 3:1 NASB
“Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you…”
Imagine with me, for a
moment, this scenario: A man and a woman have been married for awhile. When
they got married, they took vows to love, honor, and cherish each other, regardless
of circumstances beyond their control (such as poverty and illness), and to be completely
faithful to each other, forsaking all others, until death separates them.
But, then imagine with me, as
well, that one of them broke those vows right from the start, via infidelity
and lies to cover up the adultery, and this has continued throughout the course
of the marriage. The injured spouse, though, for some time now, has been
self-sacrificial in trying to heal the marriage and to get the unfaithful
spouse to come clean, to repent, to be faithful, and to be truthful, but to no
(or to little) avail. And, then the unfaithful spouse says, “I appreciate your
sacrifice.”
Would you say that the
unfaithful spouse really appreciates the sacrifice of the faithful spouse? Or,
are these just words, with no meaning behind them?
Union with Christ
Well, when we come into union
with our Savior, Jesus Christ, by his grace, through faith, the Bible describes
that union as likened to the union between a man and a woman in marriage. It is
a sacred relationship, and the marriage bed is to be kept pure (undefiled).
Jesus also said, in essence, that if someone even looks lustfully at another
that he or she is committing adultery in his or her heart, for it is not just
men who do this.
Well, the Bible talks much
about spiritual adultery, too, and how our relationship with Jesus Christ
should also be kept pure (undefiled) and unmixed with the world of sin. It
speaks much, as well, to the fact that our minds need to be renewed, and pure, and
that the focus of our minds needs to be on Christ and on things above, and not
on the things of this earth.
Our minds, as well as our
behaviors, need to be in line with God’s Holy Word, and we are to live godly
and holy lives, pleasing to God, no longer living to gratify the sinful
cravings of our flesh.
To Appreciate
Now, going back to the
scenario between the husband and the wife…
If the unfaithful spouse truly
appreciates the sacrifices that the faithful spouse is making in order to try
to heal the marriage, and to deliver the unfaithful spouse from the pit of
hell, then what should that look like?
Well, the word “appreciate”
means to value, regard highly, place a high estimate on, esteem, prize,
respect, honor and cherish. These are not just words. If we truly value,
esteem, highly regard, prize, respect, honor and cherish someone, it should
show in how we treat that individual. We would not willfully do what causes
that person harm, but we would purposefully do what we know is for the other
person’s good. We would not continually engage in what we know will destroy the
relationship, but we will do what we know will be honest, healthful, healing,
loving, kind, and honorable.
Well, the same applies in our
relationships with our Lord God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit.
We are to honor our relationships with our Lord as we are to honor our
relationships with our spouses. We are not to just spout off words of honor,
but to truly honor (glorify) our God by what we do, what we think, what we
value, and what we esteem. And, we are to give that same honor to God’s Holy
Word, and to not just read it, but to do what it says, and to treat the Word of
the Lord with the highest of regard, evidenced by how we live our lives day in
and day out.
His Sacrifices
But, it goes one step further
than that. I believe what the Lord is doing here is paralleling the sacrifices
of a faithful spouse, who is trying to bring the unfaithful spouse to
repentance, with the sacrifices that our Lord made for us in dying for our sins
so that we could go free from slavery to sin and so we could live to Christ and
to his righteousness, and enjoy sweet fellowship with our Lord.
If, when we say we believe in
Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, that we appreciate what he did for us
in giving his life up for our freedom, then that should be reflected in how we
live. We should not honor him just with our lips, but with our lives. And, if
we truly appreciate his sacrifice, we will not dilute his gospel message to
make it more appealing and acceptable to human flesh, so that we can go on in
our sins without guilt.
For, when we claim to have
believed in Jesus Christ, it is the same as taking marriage vows. For, to
believe actually means “being persuaded,” and to be persuaded means to be swayed,
converted, convinced, confident in, and won over to what you say you believe.
And, if converted, then you are reborn of the Spirit, and if reborn, then you have
died to your old life of living for sin and self and you now, by the Spirit,
live to Christ and to his righteousness.
Not All Have Faith
2 Thessalonians 3:2-5 NASB
“…and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.”
The unfaithful spouse does
not have faith in the marriage relationship or else he or she would not be
living in adultery and telling lies to cover it up. Yet, the unfaithful spouse
wants to remain married, but for what reason? He or she wants the benefits of
marriage, but minus the responsibility, and that is the way it is with many who
claim to have faith in Jesus Christ.
They see their relationship
with Jesus as one-sided devotion. God does everything for them, but they do
nothing. In fact, they feel they are not required to do anything – no repentance,
no obedience, no faithfulness (fidelity) and no submission to the authority of
Christ and His Word.
They have been fed a bucket
full of lies that have convinced them that all they have to do is proclaim
faith in Christ and “appreciate” (intellectually or emotionally) his sacrifice
for them on a cross, and accept his forgiveness, and now they have eternal life
guaranteed, no matter how they live from this moment on. But, this is NOT what
the Bible teaches! Please KNOW THIS!
Needed Deliverance
We need deliverance from
these perverse and evil people who are spreading these lies and who are living
immoral and wicked lives. We need deliverance from their influence over our
minds and our behaviors. And, the Lord is completely faithful to deliver us out
from under their influence, but we have to do what the Lord commands. And, our
hearts need to be directed into the love
of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
So many Christians who are “struggling”
with sin, i.e. who are giving into it regularly, feeling as though they can’t
resist, are believing the lies of Satan and his hordes who are preaching this
false grace gospel which requires no repentance and no submission to the
Lordship of Jesus Christ.
They are believing the lies
that they cannot change, or that they are destined to keep struggling and
giving in, but not to worry, because “God’s grace covers it all,” so they say.
That is a cheap grace which does not deliver the sinner from his sin but that
leaves him floundering in his sin without hope of deliverance, but only a false
hope of heaven one day.
Our Responsibility
If we want deliverance from
bondage (addiction) to sin, and if we want to be delivered from the influences
of evil and perverse people, who are spreading lies, then we need to do what
God’s Word says we must do.
It says we must not be in
intimate fellowship with those who are the ungodly, or with those who profess
faith in Jesus Christ but who are living ungodly lifestyles, but that we are to
come out from among them and to be separate (2 Co. 6:14-18; Rev. 18:1-8; 1 Jn.
2:15-17; 2 Thess. 3:6-15).
Even where physical separation
is not always completely possible, we can still remove ourselves from their
influence by confronting the lies and exposing them for what they are, and by
proclaiming the truth in opposition to the lies. We can come out from among
them by not allowing their words or their actions to influence us away from God
or to feel as though we can continue in willful sin against God without
consequence.
The Days are Evil
But, when we do this, we must
be prepared for a backlash. We must be prepared to be hated, rejected,
mistreated, abused, persecuted, abandoned, falsely accused, and the like. For
sin hates righteousness. Evil hates good. So, when we speak the truth in love,
and we confront evil for what it is, and we call people to repentance and to
obedience to our Lord, we should expect that things may get worse for us, not
better.
But, we must be willing, as
Jesus was willing, to lay our lives down to see others go free from their
addictions to sin. We can’t glaze over the truth of the gospel so as not to
offend people, and so as to have them still like us and include us. If we do
that, we are not acting in love, but in selfishness, thinking only of
ourselves, and not of the eternity of those we claim to love.
The truth of the gospel is
that, if we say we are in fellowship with God, but we still walk (conduct our
lives) in darkness (wickedness) we are liars, who do not live by the truth. We
will reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will
reap destruction. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will
reap eternal life. If you walk according to the flesh, you will die in your
sins, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh,
then you will have eternal life with God.
[See: Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 6:35-66;
Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 4:17-24; & 1 Jn. 1:5-9.]
So, choose today whom you
will serve – the flesh? Or, the Spirit?
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
Adelaide A. Pollard / George C. Stebbins
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just
now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!
Sunday, June 24, 2018 – Thank
you, Jesus, for your blood sacrifice on that cross so that we can be free from
our bondage to sin.
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