Examples to The Flock

1 Peter 5:1-4 NIV

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

The elders within the church are not just men who are old. They should be men who are mature in the faith and who meet the biblical requirements for an elder. But, that is not always, or perhaps even not normally the case.

Yet, these are men selected among us to lead us spiritually, to shepherd us, to guide us in the way that we should go – to nurture, encourage, help, and to lead us, too, by example.

And, they may not be just those who have the position called “elder.” But, they are pastors, deacons, Bible study leaders, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, husbands, and fathers, too. For, God has given to the men within the church the spiritual responsibility for those underneath their care, whether at official gatherings of the church, or whether at home.

The emphasis here, though, is mostly about how these men treat those under their care, and about how they should lead them by their own example of how they live their lives, and not just by their words.

What the Lord is pointing out to me this morning is how so many of the men within our church congregations, who are supposed to be leading those under their care to walk in holiness, purity and righteousness – and not just in words only, but by example – are failing big time! And, a big reason they are failing is because they are caught up in sinful practices themselves, and so they can’t lead others to do what they themselves are not doing.

So many of them have eyes that are full of adultery, who are secretly engaged in the lusts of the flesh, and who are concealing their sins with lies and deception. They are involved in what is twisted, immoral, impure and a waste of their time, void of anything good, and harmful to themselves and to others, especially to those whom they are to be leading by example and by love.

To the Living Water

They are supposed to be leading those under their authority, and under their care, to the Living Water that gives life to all those who will listen, and to all who will follow our Lord in surrender, and in death to sin, and in living to righteousness. And, so the Lord, as well as many of those who are godly, who are walking in His ways, are encouraging these men that direction, too.

But, many of them are so busy worshiping their idols, which will never satisfy, that they are AWOL when it comes to shepherding those under their care and to leading them by example to the Living Water which gives life.

Many of these shepherds are concerned with building their earthly kingdoms and with doing what will puff themselves up and will make themselves feel important. Many of them are focused on amusing the people with jokes and video clips and skits, and the like, so that the people will like them and will want to come back, or in order to distract them and to keep them from obeying the truth, for many of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

But, they are neglecting truth and mercy and righteousness and purity. For, they are so busy entertaining everyone, that they are not leading people to the Living Water.

They make claims to believing and to preaching the true gospel of grace, but what many of them are offering is a false grace gospel, which has replaced the true gospel of grace in their own hearts, first, and then in what they teach others, too.

But, this false grace gospel comes right from the pit of hell, for it is opposed to the cross of Christ. For, it does not live or preach death to sin and living to righteousness. Rather it coddles people in their sin and it tells them they can continue to live in sin and still have eternal life with God, which is a lie from hell (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8, etc.).

So, be careful whose example you are following, for not everyone who claims to be a follower of Christ truly is a follower of Christ, and not everything presented as the true gospel of grace is truly the gospel of grace as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles. Just because it sounds good or feels good or looks good doesn’t mean it is good. So, know what the scriptures teach, and follow what they teach, too.

1 Peter 5:5-7 NIV

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud    but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Yes, we should submit to those in authority over us, but only as much as Jesus submitted to those in authority over him when he walked this earth.

In other words, we don’t submit to sin or to watering down the gospel or to treating people badly, or to hypocrisy, or to false religion or to lies and deception, etc. We submit as we would to the Lord, in the same manner as we would to the Lord, according to his Word, and according to his requirements for us as his followers, but never to disobedience to our Lord.

And, yes, we should humble ourselves before God and in humility toward one another, and not be proud. But, we must guard against the way in which Satan and his followers twist the scriptures to their advantage to try to lead us away from our pure devotion to Christ.

For, they teach a false humility which honors the flesh and not the Lord, and which centers more on pleasing humans than it centers on pleasing God. They will try to convince you that if you are confident in your walk of faith with Jesus Christ that you are self-righteous and that you think you are better than everyone else.

And, they will try to convince you that sharing the gospel with people and teaching repentance is judgmental and hateful and prideful, too. And, they will try to convince you, too, that kindness and love have to do with telling people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear, and that we are only supposed to say what makes people feel good.

But, true humility under God’s mighty hand submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, it dies to sin and self, and it lives to Christ and to his righteousness. True humility before God, too, is willing to be rejected and mistreated and misunderstood and falsely accused for the sake of Christ and his gospel, and for the salvation of human lives. So, don’t be caught up in deception. Keep following your Lord Jesus in what he says we must do!

1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Oh, Yes! We need to be so alert, especially in the times in which we now live in which deception is everywhere, and where liars and deceivers are the ones in positions of rule and authority over us, and where the gospel is being turned upside down to allow us to keep on in our sinful addictions while giving us a false hope of eternal life with God.

Satan is lurking at every corner, and he has his hordes everywhere, in the church, in the government, in our neighborhoods and even in our own homes. And, he is out to destroy us in every way that he can. So, we must be so alert to his tricks and schemes, and to his lies and deceptions.

And, that is why I will continue to caution believers in Jesus to be very guarded with regard to TV watching and to viewing movies, etc., for they can be so hypnotic and mind-controlling, and you may not even realize you are being duped by master manipulators.

So, don’t believe everything you see or hear. Anything can be faked these days. Pray for much wisdom and discernment. And, inquire of the Lord as to what is true and what is false.

1 Peter 5:10-12 NIV

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

We are going to face much opposition to the true gospel of grace the closer we get to our Lord’s return, so we need to be on guard against our enemy, the devil, and pray much in the Spirit, and make certain that we are following our Lord in full surrender and that we are not giving the devil a foothold in our own lives.

Know what the scriptures teach with regard to our salvation, and don’t just follow a couple of scriptures pulled out of context. For, scripture teaches that 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 (Gal. 6:7-8; cf. Rom. 8:1-17).

So, know the truth and follow the truth, for the truth will set you free.

Living Water

An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

https://vimeo.com/113088324

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus. May we all find the true Living Water that will be in us a well of water springing up to eternal life. Amen!

A Holy Temple

Ephesians 2:1-3 NIV

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

All of us, who are human beings, were born into sin. We were separate from God, without hope, and unable, in our own flesh, to be approved by God. And, there was nothing that we could do to earn or to deserve our own salvation. We were slaves to sin, under the control of Satan and the flesh, and we gratified the sinful cravings of our flesh and did evil in God’s eyes.

I am not saying that none of us did anything good or that we were totally evil in everything that we did, but that by our very nature we were sold as slaves to sin and we were, thus, deserving of God’s wrath. And, that is the condition that all of us are in if we have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, by his grace, through genuine believing faith.

But, if we have truly believed in Jesus, with God-given faith, which is divinely persuaded by God as to his righteousness, and of our need to turn from our sins and to follow him in his ways, then that should no longer be who we are or what we do. It does not mean we will never sin again, but that we should no longer be controlled by sin and Satan, and that should no longer be how we live our lives day in and day out.

So, we should no longer be following the ways of this world, and those ways are plentiful, and some of them maybe are not so obvious, either. So, we need to pray and ask the Lord what ways of the world we are following so that we stop following them. And, we should no longer be living to gratify the sinful cravings of our flesh, and we should not be giving our hearts and minds over to following sinful desires and thoughts. But, we should be pure in heart and in mind, and Jesus Christ should be the one ruling our lives.

Ephesians 2:4-10 NIV

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

It is only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, and in what he did for us in giving his life up for us so that we can be delivered from our slavery to sin, that any of us can be saved. No amount of “good works” will ever be good enough, nor will our good works in the flesh ever outweigh our bad works. It is only because of God’s great love and mercy towards us that any of us can find salvation from sin and have eternal life with God.

BUT… this is not to say that our salvation is absent of works, and this is where many people get confused. And, largely that is because they choose only a few select verses from which to form their doctrine of salvation. But, we can’t do that. We have to look at all of Jesus’ teachings, and all of those of his NT apostles, and even those of the prophets of old, where they prophesied concerning this great salvation that was yet to come.

And, from the “whole counsel of God” we gain our understanding of what this salvation from sin really means, and what all it entails. For, although it is free to us, and we don’t have to pay the price for our sin, for Jesus already did that, it does not translate that this is a “do nothing” gospel or that we are under no obligation, and that we are free to continue in our sinful practices, only now without guilt and without fear of punishment.

For, Jesus set us FREE from our slavery to sin, and he set us FREE to now become slaves (servants) of his righteousness, which we could not do in our own flesh. The FREE gift of salvation is not just freedom from punishment in hell, but it is freedom to walk righteously before God in freedom from the control of sin over our lives. Amen!

So, when we believe in Jesus, as Lord and as Savior of our lives, it is a commitment to him to leave our lives of sin behind us and to now walk in his holiness. For, Jesus bought us back for God, so our lives are no longer our own to be lived how we want. For, we are now God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, but the works of God that he prepared in advance that we should do.

Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are no longer separate from God and his family, but now we are members of his household, along with all those who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. Now we are God’s holy people, the Israel of God that is true Israel, of the Spirit and not of the flesh of man. And, whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth, through faith in Jesus Christ we are all now one family, and we both have access to the Father through the same Spirit.

We are now, through faith in Jesus Christ, members of God’s household, which was built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. And, this is why we need to base our faith in Christ on the teachings of Jesus, and the NT apostles and the OT and NT prophets, with regard to our salvation through Jesus Christ. For, there we will learn the truth of what our salvation is truly all about.

And, it is in Christ Jesus that his church, his body, is joined together and rises to become a holy temple. And, this temple (building) is not physical, but it is spiritual. It is not built by human hands with brick and mortar, but it is built on the truths of God’s Word and on the life of Jesus Christ and on what he did for us on that cross. For, the church is not a physical building, but it is the people of God, and only Jesus Christ can build this church.

As well, the purpose of this building, this church, is not to be impressive outwardly, but it is to be pure and holy inwardly. It is not to attract the people of the world, either, but it is to convict the world of sin and of righteousness so that they will turn their hearts away from sin and so they will turn their lives over to Jesus Christ, to walk in his ways.

We, as the body of Christ, are not here to build impressive buildings, or to put on big impressive shows to entertain the world. We are here to love God, to serve our Lord, to follow him in his ways, and to forsake living by the flesh. We, too, are here to encourage other believers in Christ to walk in holiness and in purity, and to help strengthen them in the faith and to pray for them that they will remain faithful to God, so that they will not stray.

We live in very troubled times. There is so much garbage out there in the world; so many liars and deceivers; so many hypocrites who fake their Christianity; and so many false gospels competing with the true gospel. So, we need to be wise and discerning about what is of God and what is not of God, so that we can follow what is truth, and so we can reject the lies. For, Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. And, in Christ we rise to be a holy temple in the Lord, set apart from the world of sin, and set apart unto God and to his work and to his righteousness and holiness.

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, that because of your love and grace that we can be delivered from our slavery to sin and we can walk with you in righteousness and holiness for the rest of our days on earth. Amen!

Abiding Peace

Abiding Peace

An Original Work / October 29, 2018

Pain and sorrow

Know no bounds.

Joy and laughter

Oft not found.

Life depressing,

Oft distressing,

Yields no blessing,

So unresting.

Trials often

Multiply.

Friends are often

Passersby.

Friendships failing,

Foes are railing,

Hypocrites, they’re

Often bailing.

Feel abandoned,

Left behind,

By those who don’t

Know they’re blind.

Boats are sinking,

Folks not thinking,

Eyes are blinking,

Friends are finking.

Answers now are

Hard to find.

Thieves and liars,

One of kind.

Fires burning,

Stomachs churning,

None returning,

Are we learning?

Difficulties

All around.

Someone honest,

Hardly found.

Lies, deceptions,

Few exceptions,

Thus, conceptions

Are rejections.

Hope, though, is not

Out of reach.

Jesus Christ we

Often preach.

Sacrificing,

His blood buying

No more trying,

Blood applying.

Joy and laughter

Once again.

Jesus Christ now

Is our friend.

To Him listen,

Eyes will glisten.

He’s insistent

You’re persistent.

Trusting Him with

All your life.

Give your heart not

Up to strife.

Satisfying,

Sanctifying,

No more crying,

Peace abiding.

Blessing Others

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

In today’s gatherings of the church, at least here in America, it is primarily a mixture of the world and those who have given their hearts to Jesus Christ, and they are blended together into one body, which should not be.

For the most part, the church has united with the government in an unholy union and has turned the body of Christ upside down, and has made it into a human-based business, and they are marketing it as such, as well. Thus, they are patterning many of their meetings after the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings. Thus, they also are diluting the gospel of our salvation in order to make it more palatable to the people of the world.

So, many of us who are following Jesus with our lives, and who are still committed to the gospel message, as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles, are having to stand strong against this unholy union and this turning of the church into a marketplace, and this diluting of the gospel to make it more acceptable to human flesh. And, sometimes it may feel as though we are standing alone, but we are not. But, many of us have been ostracized from gatherings of the church because we stand for truth and against lies.

So, the church is divided between those who are committed to Christ and those who have been convinced that they can still walk according to the flesh and still have their hope of heaven. For, many have bought into this false notion that there is no difference between those who are walking according to the flesh and those who are walking according to the Spirit, and that salvation from sin is a cheap grace which permits its followers to remain in their sinful addictions while promising them heaven is guaranteed them.

But, that is not what scripture teaches. Scripture is clear that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Because of what Jesus did in dying for our sins, and being resurrected back to life, we, too, can die to sin and live to righteousness. Thus, we should no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we should be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from the deeds of the flesh to the ways of the Spirit.

Romans 12:3, 9-13 NIV

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you…
 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

If we think of ourselves with honest evaluation, and according to God’s Word, we will not become conceited, but we will be realistic. We should neither be down on ourselves, which can be inverted pride, nor should we be continually trying to puff ourselves up, but we should see ourselves through the eyes of our Lord, which are not glossed over, but which are honest.

In other words, it is not wrong to believe that you have a close walk with the Lord, if you truly do, but you should give him all the glory and credit for the good that is being accomplished in your life. And, it is not wrong, if you are walking in the Light God has given to you, to address the fact that so many who call themselves Christians are not walking in the Light, but are, instead, walking according to the flesh, and that they need to come to repentance.

This does not say that you are a snob or that you are conceited or that you are self-righteous. In fact, it says the opposite! It says that you love people and that you care about them, and that it matters to you if they walk in freedom from sin or they don’t. It shows that you have sincere love for others, and that you love them like God does, and thus you hate sin and what is evil, because what is evil is what destroys people’s lives and families and marriages. And, you don’t want to see them destroy their lives.

As humans, we often get “love” and “kindness” all backwards. We think that love is telling people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear, and that it is only saying what makes people feel good, not what might save their souls from hell. We get this idea that kindness is being “nice” all the time and never saying anything offensive or controversial, and that it is never confronting anyone with their sins, because that would mean that people would then think we are “ugly” and they would reject us.

But, sometimes we have to call out “garbage” for what it is, and expose the fruitless deeds of darkness, and warn people about going the wrong direction, especially when they just use “hogwash” as a cover-up for the garbage they are already disseminating. But, we need to call this what it is, and we need to expose the lies and deceptions, for many people are being led astray by the cheap grace gospel which coddles them in their sins rather than instructing them in the ways of the Lord in death to sin and to self.

Romans 12:14-21 NIV

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If we are truly committed followers of Jesus Christ, and we are committed to his gospel, and to getting out that message to others, so that they can be delivered from their slavery to sin, too, we will have enemies. But, don’t be surprised if some of your greatest persecutors are not from the world, but from within the gatherings of the church.

They may be those who fiercely oppose us or who try to trick us and trip us up, as the Pharisees did to Jesus. Or, they may be those who merely ignore us and decide they know better, and so they walk right into to the devil’s playing field and then they fall into sin, and then they wonder how they got there.

I’m not saying that every follower of Jesus Christ always has the right counsel, and that everyone should follow us and our advice. What I am saying, though, is that if we are sharing the truths of God’s Word, and we are teaching what the Bible teaches, and we warn people about heading the wrong direction and about thinking that God’s grace just winks at their sin, and they ignore the warnings, they are in danger of experiencing the consequences of their sins of rebellion against God.

And, you know what, when we warn people, and we call out “garbage” for what it is, and we confront sin, and we call for repentance, that is blessing our enemies and it not cursing them. For, to bless is to do and to say what is beneficial and for the good of people, i.e. what is God’s good that he has in mind for us, which is to save us from our slavery to sin so we can live for him. So, don’t get this idea that ‘blessing’ people is just saying stuff that makes them feel good, for we might be ‘blessing’ them all the way to hell.

If our enemy is hungry spiritually, we should feed him the truths of God’s Word. If he is thirsty spiritually, we should give him living water which will fill up into his life to overflowing with God’s holiness and righteousness. And, by the kindness of our acts towards our enemies, in doing what is good for them, and what will benefit them spiritually and eternally, the end goal is that they will be brought to a place of contriteness and repentance over their sins, and that they will give their lives then to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is their spiritual worship of God. Amen!

Living Water

An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

https://vimeo.com/113088324

Monday, October 29, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus! Thank You for providing the way out from slavery to sin so that we can walk with You in freedom. Amen!

Belief

Hebrews 4:1-2 NASB

Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

In the previous chapter, we read that, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are Christ’s house “if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end” (Heb. 3:6). And, then we are warned against having evil, unbelieving hearts which fall away from the living God.

Thus, we are to encourage one another daily, so that not one of us will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end” (Heb. 3:14).

And, then we are given the example of Israel of old, i.e. of the Jewish people during the time of the Exodus and the 40 years in the wilderness prior to them (the ones who remained) entering into the Promised Land. Not many of them entered into God’s Eternal Rest because they provoked God with their rebellion, their continual complaints, their idolatry, and with their disobedience.

So, the encouragement here for us is that if we hear his voice, that we don’t harden our hearts as they did, and therefore we not enter into his eternal rest. And, this is speaking to those who profess to know Jesus as Savior of their lives. We must be careful that we don’t harden our hearts against God via disobedience to the point to where we fall away from God.

Now, for some people, this messes with their theology, but this is consistent with the teachings throughout the New Testament, not just in this one book. For, all throughout the New Testament we are taught that we are saved (past), that we are being saved (present) and that we will be saved (future) when Christ returns and our salvation is complete.

We are also taught that it is those who walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh who have eternal life with God, and it is those who walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and who love others with God’s love who have the hope of eternal life with God, not those who have merely made a profession of faith but who have continued to walk in the flesh (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 6:7-8).

Hebrews 4:9-11 NASB

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

This is where “the rubber meets the road,” so to speak, where our faith is tested to see if it is genuine faith or if it is just emotional or intellectual faith.

Our “Sabbath Rest” is our eternal life with God, which begins at the moment we trust Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives. But, that is not the end of it all until we die and go to be with Christ. We have to walk the walk, not just talk the walk. We have to live what we say we believe throughout our Christian lives. For, if we live to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if we live to the Spirit, then we have eternal life with God (Rom. 8:1-17).

So, some people say this is works-based salvation, and here it says we are to rest from our works. But, then we read that we are saved to do good works. So, which is it?

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we cease with human effort to try to “be good.” We cease with the works of the flesh, which get us nowhere, and which are sinful. And, we die to ourselves, to our flesh and to sin, and we are reborn of the Spirit of God to new lives in Christ Jesus, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, and to be lived to His righteousness (See: Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Pet. 2:24; Gal. 5:19-21).

We can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. No amount of good works (of our own flesh) will ever gain us God’s approval or will secure for us eternal life with God. It is only by God’s grace that any of us are saved from our sins, and only because our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross, and was risen from the dead, that any of us can be delivered from our slavery to sin and walk in his righteousness.

Where the confusion comes in, oftentimes, is in understanding that word “faith.” Our faith is first of all God-given and it is divine persuasion as to God’s holiness and righteousness and of our need to walk in that holiness and righteousness, too, in the power of God at work within us. So, if God-given, and if we are divinely persuaded as to our need to submit to our Lord and his righteousness, then we will yield our lives over to Christ to do his will, and we will continue to do so until Jesus takes us home to be with him.

So, our faith in Christ does involve effort on our part to walk with him in holiness, but it is not human effort, but it is the strength and power of our Lord at work within our lives, which is taking place as we cooperate fully with his work of grace within our lives. So, works are involved in our faith, but they are not works of the flesh but of the Spirit. That is why the scriptures say that it is those of us who are walking according to the Spirit who have that hope of eternal life with God.

Hebrews 4:12-13 NASB

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

We have been given the written word of God to convict us of sin, to teach us what is sinful and what is holy and righteous, to give us examples to follow and ones to not follow, to encourage us in our walks of faith, and to show us the way we should go, as well as to warn us against doing what is evil in God’s sight.

And, God’s Word is able, because it is his living word, to pierce through our hearts and minds, and to expose what is evil, and to encourage what is good in God’s eyes.

If the Holy Spirit of God is living within us, and we are open to hear the Spirit’s voice speak truth to our hearts, when we read God’s Word it should be just like Jesus is sitting across the table from us having a conversation with us, eyeball to eyeball. And, we should sense the Spirit’s voice giving us counsel, encouragement, instructions and warnings, too.

You may be one who is able to fool other people with your religious performances, and you may even be fooling yourself that you are good with God because you “believed” in him at some point in your life, or because you attend Sunday services at some local institutional church, or because you serve in some position of Christian service.

But, God looks at your heart, and he is able to see past all those performances and to cut to the chase and to examine the thoughts and the intents of your heart, and expose to you what is there, if you are willing to see it and to let him change you from the inside out.

So, God knows if you are faking your Christianity, or if you are relying on some kind of decision you made to believe in him at one point in your life in order to secure your eternal salvation. He knows whether or not you are truly walking the walk and not just talking the walk. He knows if you are truly committed to him and to his commands, or if you are living to please your flesh while putting on a religious performance.

So, know this! 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 (Gal. 6:7-8). So, don’t be fooled. God cannot be mocked. If you want the hope of eternal life with God, you must walk according to the Spirit and no longer live your life for the pleasure of your sinful flesh, and you must endure with Christ to the very end, too.

Full Release  

An Original Work / April 15, 2012

Walking daily with my Savior

brings me joy.

Loving Father; precious Jesus;

He’s my Savior and my Lord.

Gently leads me; follow Him.

I’ve invited Him within.

Now abiding in His presence,

oh, what peace.

From my self-life

He has brought me,

By His mercy, full release.

Hope and comfort,

peace and safety Jesus brings

When I daily bow before Him;

Obey freely; do His will.

Follow Him where’er He leads.

Listen to Him; His words heed.

Now obeying his words fully,

oh, what love

That He gives me

through salvation,

By His Spirit, from above.

Loving Father; precious Jesus,

He’s my friend.

With my Savior, by His Spirit,

I will endure to the end.

Share the gospel, tell what’s true.

Witness daily; His will do.

Tell the world of how their Savior

bled and died.

On a cruel cross He suffered

So that we might be alive.

https://vimeo.com/115169203

Saturday, October 27, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for these encouraging words, but also for these words of godly counsel and warnings against being rebellious and hardhearted and unbelieving. Help us all to walk with You in truth, and to live in victory over sin and in your righteousness. Amen!

Right Now

An Original Work / October 26, 2018

I am willing, Lord,
To be used of You
Right now.
May I walk in truth.

Teach me, Lord, Your ways,
May they guide my life
Right now
while in You abide.

I’m committed, Lord,
To do what You will
Right now
As Your Spirit fills.

Lead me in Your truth,
Do what You desire
Right now,
Set my heart on fire.

Purify my heart.
Cleanse me of my sin
Right now.
Make me whole within.

May I follow You;
Go where’er You lead
Right now,
In word and in deed.

I surrender, Lord,
Give You all my heart
Right now.
May I not depart.

Understanding, Lord,
May I know Your ways
Right now,
Live with You always.

Jesus Followers?

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

Not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian is one. And, not everyone who is a Christian, by faith in Jesus Christ, is walking by faith and not according to the flesh. For, even those who are believers in Jesus can wander off from their pure devotion to Jesus Christ, for a time, and be caught up in the ways of this sinful world once again, and be in need of revival – to be brought back into pure fellowship with God.

But, there are many who fake their Christianity. Some do this for political reasons, because it gains them votes or financial support. Or, it gets people to trust them, and then they can deceive them and manipulate them for evil purposes. Or, maybe they fake their Christianity in order to have people think well of them, or maybe they believe they are really fooling God. But, the point is, there are many pretenders out there, so be careful.

We are told to test the spirits, and this is not just speaking of angels or demons, but the spirits of human beings. People’s spirits are their inner being, their character, the real them, the core of who they are and what they think and believe and do. And, this is what reveals who they really are, not what they profess that they are, for actions speak louder than words.

Not one of us is absolutely perfect, though, so a profession of faith in Jesus Christ does not mean we profess to be perfect in every way. But, if we truly believe in Jesus Christ, it should be evident by how we live our lives. We should no longer be living unholy and immoral lives, but our lives should now be given over to God, to be lived for his pleasure and according to His will.

So, before we join in with others who call themselves Christians, thinking that they are followers of Jesus, we should observe their characters and how they live their lives. And, if they fit the description given in the passage of scripture above, we should not join in with them, for they may drag us down with them, or they may influence us away from Christ to follow after the flesh once again. So, choose your friends wisely!

2 Timothy 3:10-13 NASB

Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

First and foremost, we must be followers of Jesus Christ and those who obey his teachings. And, if we follow other human beings, let us make certain first of all that they are truly followers of Christ, and that they are not fakers and those who have an appearance of godliness while by their lifestyles they deny Christ at every turn.

But, even then, everything should be examined against the Word of God (in context). Never should we put other humans high up on pedestals or they might come crashing down. Never should our faith rest in what other humans do or don’t do, either, for humans are bound to fail us, but God will never fail us.

So, if we follow the teachings, conduct, purpose, and faith of other humans, let us do so prayerfully and carefully, always examining what is said and done against God’s Word and in prayer. This is so that we are not led astray from our pure devotion to Christ by clever enchanters who seem good, but who are not good, but who are imposters out to deceive us.

For, if someone is a true follower of Jesus Christ, not only will his or her lifestyle support that profession of faith, but there should be evidence that this person is suffering persecution for his or her walk of faith with Jesus. For, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But, persecution alone is not necessarily an indication that someone is a true follower of Jesus Christ.

The point is, though, that if we are truly following Jesus Christ, and we are walking in obedience to his Word, and we are sharing the truth of the gospel with others, and we are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness, and we are calling people out of that darkness into God’s wonderful light, we will be hated, and we will be persecuted. It is a given!

So, if you are being told that following Jesus is just going around blessing everyone with hugs and bottles of water and never stepping on anyone’s toes, then you are being deceived.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 NASB

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

No matter what other people do, though, we are responsible for our own lives, for how we live them. And, we are to continue in the truth that is revealed to us in God’s Holy Word, as is applicable to our lives under the New Covenant Relationship God has with us, his people. Yet, we can learn even from the teachings under the Old Covenant in how to live righteously in the fear of the Lord, living our lives for his pleasure and for his will.

And, this truth teaches us that we must leave our lives of sin behind us and we must follow Jesus in obedience if we want forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. This truth teaches us that we are to live our lives according to the Spirit of God and not according to our sinful flesh. And, it teaches us that we must walk in holiness, godliness, and uprightness and with self-control.

And, this is what we are to continue in. This is what we are to walk in. For, we are not saved at some point in our lives and that is the end of it all until we go to heaven one day. We are saved from our sins that we might live for God and for his praise and his glory. And, we are delivered out of our bondage to sin that we might walk in freedom from the control sin once had over our lives.

Jesus Christ must be our only Lord (master). His Word must be our only rule book for godly living. His Spirit must be our counselor, first and foremost, before all other counsel. And, our Lord must be the one to give direction, meaning and purpose to our lives, and our trust should be in him alone.

So, be careful who you follow and what you follow to make certain it is of God and that it is consistent with the words of Jesus and those of his NT apostles. And, test what you hear against the Word of God (in context) to make certain that it is the truth before you sink your teeth into it. And, don’t go for what merely sounds good, but make certain that it is good.

Listen to the truth, then, and do what it says, for it is the truth which will set you free.

Only in Him 

An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

https://vimeo.com/87181019

Friday, October 26, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for the wisdom to discern truth from error and to be able to discern good from evil. Help us to walk in your ways always and to not be led astray from our pure devotion to you.

How God Feels

Ephesians 5:1-2 NASB

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

What does it mean to be an imitator of God? It means we are his followers, his sheep. But, it also means we are becoming like him in character, in heart, in mind and in actions.

But, we can’t do this in our own flesh. So, it also means that God is living within those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives. And, God is living his life out through us when we yield to his sovereignty over our lives, and we submit to his will, and we follow his ways.

And, when we become more like God, like Jesus, we begin to think his thoughts and feel what he feels and hate what he hates and love what he loves. The things that concern him concern us, and the things which disturb him, they also disturb us.

For example, God hates lies, and he hates it when his people are not willing to obey him, but when they will “sacrifice” things for him, which are not really for him, because he does not want those things. And, he especially does not want those sacrifices while his people go their own way and engage themselves in sinful addictions, and then think God should be pleased with them because they did this “good” thing or that thing, supposedly for God.

So, if we feel this in our hearts, it does not mean we are not acting in love, for this is what God feels, and he is love. But, the reason he does feel this way is because he loves us, and because he wants what is best for us. So, he grieves when we wander off and we go our own way and when we fake faithfulness and lie about our sins. He grieves over us because we are doing harm to ourselves and to others and to our relationship with Him.

Ephesians 5:3-5 NASB

But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

You see how God feels about these sins? If we are imitators of God, we should feel the same way about these sins. We should so hate these sins that we will do nothing to ever go that direction. We will do nothing to tempt fate, either. If we know going certain places has led us to sin, then we should never go those places again. And, we should not allow ourselves to be entertained by these sins via movies and TV shows or music, either.

For, there should be no sense in which we are involved in these sins or that we are in agreement with them or that we find pleasure in them via other people sinning in these ways.

But, it should grieve us greatly when other believers in Jesus (or professing Christians) engage themselves in immorality and lewdness and adultery and idolatry. And, we should have the understanding, too, that those who live in these sins will not have the hope of eternal life with God, no matter what faith in Christ they profess. And, that alone should break our hearts.

Ephesians 5:6-14 NASB

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper,And arise from the dead,And Christ will shine on you.”

Going along with what we just talked about, we must be so careful that we do not fall into deception and that we don’t buy into false teaching which tickles itching ears, and which appeases the flesh rather than pleases the Spirit of God.

For, whether you are adding on to the gospel of our salvation those things which God does not require, or you are removing from the gospel what God does require, in order to make it more acceptable to humans, it is still man-made religion. Thus, it is empty.

The whole point of our salvation from sin is not just to forgive us our sins so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die. For, Jesus died and rose again that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. He died to transform us, not just to forgive us. And, we are not saved just for ourselves, but that we might be for the praise, honor and glory of God.

So, if anyone is telling you that you can be saved from your sins and have heaven guaranteed you when you die, but they don’t tell you that salvation means death to sin and living to righteousness, don’t believe them. If they are telling you that you don’t have to repent of your sins or that you don’t have to obey Christ’s commandments, and that you can still go to heaven, don’t believe them.

The scriptures are very clear on this subject, so make no mistake. What we sow, we will also reap. If we sow to please our 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 we walk according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if we walk (conduct our lives) according to the Spirit, we will live.

So, instead of using God’s grace as a cover-up for your sinful addictions, or using it as an excuse for sinful practices, realize that we are saved, not just from the punishment of sin, but from slavery to sin, so that we might now become slaves (servants) of God’s righteousness. And, rather than partaking in what is evil, immoral, impure and idolatrous, we should be exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are, and we should be calling people to repentance and to obedience to Christ and to his Word.

Ephesians 5:15-21 NASB

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

We are not saved from our sins, and then we live how we want, to please our flesh, while we do “good deeds” and we attend worship services and serve in areas of Christian ministry. When we are saved, we are born again (anew) of the Spirit of God, only this time we are born spiritually, not physically. And, our lives are not supposed to look like they did before we were saved from our sins, nor should they be slightly cleaned up old lives.

Basically, when Jesus shed his blood on that cross for our sins, he redeemed us, i.e. he bought us back for God, so our lives are no longer our own, to be lived how we want, because we were bought with a price – Christ’s blood. So, believing in him to be our Savior means that we relinquish possession of our own lives and we make Jesus our Lord and master, and we now live to please him in all that we do and say and are, though that is a process.

But, our lives are now committed to him and to his service, to be who he has called us to be, and to do what he has called us to do, not for the praise of other humans, but for the praise of God, and because we love him.

And, instead of living for ourselves, to please our flesh, doing what makes us feel good all the time, or all of our “free” time, we should now be being led by the Spirit of God in doing what is pleasing to God and what ministers to the needs of other people, especially the family of God.

So, we should make it our goal to doing what is for the good of others, for what will be of benefit to them both physically and spiritually, and what will draw them near to God in full assurance of faith. Thus, we should be speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, for the spiritual growth and encouragement of one another, and again, not for the praise of humans.

For, to do so has nothing to do with being entertaining or with being a great singer or musician, nor does it have to do with singing praise and worship songs in a song service. But, this is about singing songs, with whatever voice God gives us, to help one another be strengthened in their walks of faith and so they can be encouraged to walk in holiness and to forsake their sinful ways. And, we should be doing this because we love one another, and because we care about one another’s lives.

Thus, we ourselves must be walking in fellowship with our Lord, living our lives according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and we must be in the practice of putting sin to death and walking in obedience to our Lord. Then, we can encourage one another, in the Spirit, to live in holiness and to walk in obedience, because that is essential, not only to living in peace with God and with others, but it is critical to us having the hope of heaven, too.

Thursday, October 25, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for these truths.