Sincere Reality

Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have not been merely forgiven our sins so that one day, when we die, we can go to be with Jesus. The new and living way that Jesus Christ provided for us, through his death and resurrection, is that we are now set free from our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin so that we can now walk (in lifestyle), by his grace, in holiness and righteousness.

The reason that we can now have access to God, and can come daily into his presence, is that, by God’s grace, through God-given faith in him, we have died with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, and we have been born anew of the Spirit of God to new lives in Christ Jesus. And we, by the Spirit, now are empowered to walk (consistently) in Christ’s holiness and purity.

Thus, we are to draw near to God with true (honest) hearts (the core of who we are), and not in insincerity, or in form only, or in deliberate pretense. Daily, by the Spirit, we are to be putting to death the deeds of our flesh. Daily we are to deny self, take up our cross, and follow (obey) Jesus Christ. Daily we are to be putting on the armor of God, too, with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes and attacks against us.

We are to stand strong on our faith and convictions, which are founded in God’s Word, and we are to not waver, vacillating back and forth between purity and impurity, truth and lies, and between freedom from sin and freedom to keep sinning. But, we are to hold true to what the scriptures teach, but not in word only, but in action (lifestyle) and in truth (sincerity).

And, we are to encourage one another daily to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty strength and to not yield to temptation, and to not follow after the lies of Satan. And we are to encourage one another to walk in holiness, godliness, righteousness, purity, honesty and sincerity of devotion to Christ.

Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Many people today are following after a cheap grace gospel which requires no death to sin and no living to righteousness, but which gives free license to deliberately keep on habitually sinning against God. The reason they have latched on to this cheap grace gospel is so that they can hold on to their addictive lifestyles without guilt and still claim heaven as their eternal home.

But, many who have done this have known the way of truth. They have even claimed to believe the truth regarding repentance, righteousness and obedience to Christ and to his Word. But, then they stopped believing the true gospel, and then they started to fill their minds and lives with garbage, crap, and nonsense, instead. They gave up on the idea of living righteously because it was “too hard,” because they were still operating in the flesh.

So, then they put up a blockade to keep the truth from getting to their hearts. And, this is because their hearts were still filled up with what is dishonorable, corrupt, and immoral. And, instead, they began feeding their hearts and minds with lies, with twisted truth, and with what is just vapor.

And, then they began to oppose the truth of the gospel, and to deliberately malign (damage) the way of truth, because they were following their own sensuality, instead (2 Pet. 2:2). So, even though they know the truth, that those who do such things deserve death, still they are following after the way of the flesh, and they are willfully opposing those who are crying out, “Put the flesh away!” And, this is so that they can go on in their sins.

But, the opposition is not always that direct. Sometimes it is through deception. Sometimes what they do is make a pretense of righteousness, and they will even go to great lengths to stage true repentance by “throwing someone a bone,” i.e. by confessing to something little to give the impression one is walking rightly, while there is a huge pile of crap in their lives they refuse to deal with or to bring into the light.

Hebrews 10:32-39 ESV

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while,    and the coming one will come and will not delay;but my righteous one shall live by faith,    and if he shrinks back,my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Because so many people, at least here in America, have rejected the truth to follow after the lies, and they are standing in opposition to the truth of the gospel, if not in their words, certainly by their lifestyles, that has opened to way for severe persecution of the way of the cross here in America.

Thus, this cheap grace gospel, which is a sugar-coated gospel, with a mixture of truth and lies, is largely being accepted as the true gospel. It has the appearance of truth, but it has a sharp bite. It looks good on the outside and it even feels good to human emotions and to the flesh. But, it is striking a hard blow against the gospel which cries out, “Put the flesh away!” For, it embraces and it coddles and it entertains the flesh, instead.

For, this cheap grace gospel stands opposed to what is honorable, moral, decent, upright, and virtuous. For, it twists the truth to say that a person can be saved from his or her sins, be guaranteed heaven as his or her eternal home, and yet never have to turn away from sin or walk in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

But, it isn’t just that. For this cheap grace gospel is promoting lies against the true gospel, and against those who are teaching the truth of the gospel. It is saying that, if we teach repentance, submission and obedience to Christ, as required for salvation from sin, that we are teaching works-based salvation, that we are liars, and that we should not be listened to.

Our Opposition

So, even though the true gospel of salvation is going forward, it is being strongly opposed by those who are proponents of this watered-down sugar-coated gospel which placates sin and which consoles the sinner in his sin. And, this opposition is coming from people in high up positions, too, such as the pope, and many of our country’s leaders, and many pastors within the institutional church, too. But, this is all headed to the rule of the beast and to the one world government and the one world religion (Rev. 13).

For, those in high up positions are pushing strongly that we all need to unite as one voice, one heart, and one mind, as the people of the world. And, they are pushing hard the message which says we all must forsake whatever divides us as the people of the world, and the true gospel divides people – saved and unsaved; walking in righteousness or walking in sin. For, they are trying to break down the Christian faith and bring about a one world faith. And, so they are demonizing God’s true gospel and its messengers.

But, they are not going to win. God is still on his throne. Satan and his hordes are already defeated. And, one day they will meet their doom. But, the sad reality is that they are going to take many with them who are self-deceived into thinking they can walk in sin and still have eternal life with God. So, don’t be fooled by them. We will all reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8).

So, don’t be among those who have shrunk back, and who have deserted the faith to follow their own sensuality. But, be among those who have true faith in Jesus Christ, to the preserving of your souls. For, many will come before God one day, thinking he will let them into his heaven, only to be turned away with the words, “Depart from me. I never knew you!”

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

Tuesday, March 5, 2019