Psalm 116:1-4 ESV
I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and
my pleas for mercy.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I
will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of
Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered
distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I
pray, deliver my soul!”
Analogy
I shared in a previous
writing how I had prayed to the Lord and had asked him for a place where I
could work for him where it was quiet and free from distractions, a place where
I could get alone with God and can also write music, too, for I have not been
able to do that for nearly 2 years. And, he answered that prayer immediately,
and supplied a 2-bedroom apartment where I could have that special room. We
moved in a week ago.
I knew that this special
place he was providing for me was to be dedicated to the Lord through and
through, down to the furniture, and the pictures, etc., which were all to
glorify God and to proclaim his gospel message.
Everything that I ordered for
this room arrived on time except for the box springs and mattress for the bed.
They were not delivered, as promised, and I was not even notified as to why.
And, when I tried to get information on when I could expect them, I was given
the run-around by various people, and it went nowhere. A week later I still had
no box springs or mattress.
So, I prayed to the Lord, and
I asked him what I should do, and I believe he led me to call the delivery
people and to ask if we could just drive to where they were and if we could
pick them up and bring them home. The person I spoke with on the phone said
that was ok, so off we went to get the final two pieces to complete my new
room.
But, when we arrived, all
they had for me was the box springs. The mattress was missing. In fact, it
turned out that they knew it was missing from the start, but they never told
me. They just left me hanging.
So, I believe the Lord sent
me up there to get the bed pieces so that I could learn the fact that the
mattress was missing, so that I could then refuse the half-bed (no mattress
included) and ask for a refund, so that I could go elsewhere to purchase what I
needed, and that is what I did. And, now the special place God has given to me
is complete.
Psalm 116:5-9 ESV
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is
merciful.
The Lord preserves the simple;
when I was
brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord
has dealt bountifully with you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from
tears,
my feet from
stumbling;
I will walk before the Lord
in the land
of the living.
So Much More
But, my new special place is
so much more than just a place of quiet where I can work for the Lord. For, the
Lord is using my special room and my situation here to represent his gospel
message and to expose the liars and deceivers who fail to deliver anyone’s
souls from hell. For, they deliver only half-truth gospels, like the box
springs without the mattress, and like the people who kept the truth from me
about the mattress being missing.
For, you see, the false
gospel is like my bed frame was without the box springs or mattress inside, for
it was just a shell with no real substance. Or else it is like the box springs
without the mattress, i.e. only half a bed, only half of the gospel, with the
most critical part missing. For, a bed can be a bed if it is only a mattress,
and the floor is the only foundation, but without the mattress it fails to be a
bed. And, the gospel fails to be the gospel if it is missing the “guts” of it,
i.e. the most critical parts, too.
So, what is the most critical
part that is missing from the gospel that many of these liars and thieves are not
delivering? It is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness. It is that our salvation means death, but not just Jesus’ death
on a cross, but us dying daily to sin and self. And, it is us walking according
to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh if we want to have eternal
life with God. For, Jesus died to deliver our souls from Sheol and to deliver
us from our slavery to sin, and he lives that we might live with him in
holiness and righteousness and purity, too.
Psalm 116:10-11 ESV
I believed, even when I spoke:
“I am
greatly afflicted”;
I said in my alarm,
“All mankind
are liars.”
So Many Liars
Sometimes I wonder if anyone
tells the truth anymore. Lies and deception abound. They seem to be common
practice everywhere I go. So many people wear masks, i.e. facades to hide the
real them from anyone knowing who they really are. So many people I meet are so
surface level, seemingly without any real depth to them. Sometimes I wonder if
anyone is real anymore, or if most people are just playing games. Sad, I know,
but true.
These people who were
supposed to deliver my box springs and mattress kept the truth from me about
the mattress being missing, and they did not bother to contact me to let me
know about it, either. I had to contact them, but I kept being told that I
would receive a phone call with a new delivery date, but that never happened,
because they didn’t have the merchandise to deliver. Only because the Lord led
me to go see for myself did I learn the truth.
And, that is the way it is
with the false grace gospel, too. It is about hiding the truth from people,
because they who are hiding the truth do not have the merchandise to deliver
people from hell and from their slavery to sin. So, they have to avoid telling
the truth, and they cover it with lies. They don’t possess the necessary piece
because they are thieves and robbers who have climbed into the sheep pen by a
way other than Jesus Christ. And, so they can’t deliver anyone from their
bondage to sin, because they themselves are not free.
Psalm 116:12-14 ESV
What shall I render to the Lord
for all his
benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on
the name of the Lord,
I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the
presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death
of his saints.
O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant,
the son of your maidservant.
You have
loosed my bonds.
I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on
the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the
presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your
midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Death of the Saints
You see, the false grace
gospel does not teach death to sin and living to righteousness, nor does it
teach faithfulness, obedience, surrender and repentance. It is an empty shell
with no “guts” inside, and it is a half-truth gospel with the most critical
component missing. For, true faith in Jesus Christ is total surrender to Jesus
Christ to be Lord (owner-master) of our lives. It is daily dying to sin and
self and living to our Lord and to his righteousness. It is us being the Lord’s
servants, and him our master.
Because these liars and
thieves are teaching this half-truth gospel, they are giving permission for
their followers to still follow after the lusts of their flesh while promising
them heaven when they die. But, that is a false hope based on a lie. They are
permitting them to let go of their purity and to live in impurity in “the house
of the rising sun,” which is a house of prostitution. But, God is saying “NO!” He
is anguished over this. His grace does not permit us to walk in impurity and
still have the promise of heaven.
His grace, which brings
salvation, teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions
(lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for
our Lord’s soon return (Tit. 2:11-14). His grace, contrary to what these
deceivers are saying, is not just forgiveness of sins and a
get-out-of-jail-free card. His grace puts our sin to death! Our salvation means
death, and then life comes from that death.
So, please know and believe
the truth, for your future depends on it. Your life depends on it. For the
truth will set you free. The lies will send you straight to hell while
promising you heaven as your eternal destiny. Stop believing the lies, even if
they sound good, and start believing what the Bible teaches (See: Lu. 9:23-25;
Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8,
etc.).
So, what is my special place,
truly? It is in the arms of my Lord Jesus, in surrender to him and to his will
for my life, doing what he has called me to do. It is Christ in me the hope of
glory, and me in him, living my life for Him.
My Sheep
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-18 NIV
My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.
So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be
saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.
Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the
sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…
They know my voice, so they follow me.
Friday, August 24, 2018 –
Thank You, Jesus! I love you!!
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