Corrective Lenses
Galatians 6:11 ESV
“See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.”
As we get older, our eyesight begins to go. We get cataracts
which make seeing a lot more difficult. I have them, but they only impact my
night vision so far. But, I don’t drive at night, so I am ok.
But, I do have to wear corrective lenses with bifocals, and
if I don’t have my reading glasses on, then working on the computer is really
difficult to do. So, I am thankful to the Lord for reading glasses (for corrective
lenses) that make it possible for me to continue doing what I am doing in
writing what he teaches me each day from his Word.
And, so it is with our spiritual lives. We are all born with
poor spiritual sight, born in the flesh into sin, without the ability within
ourselves to attain God’s righteousness, his acceptance, and his salvation from
sin (Rom. 3:23).
So, we all need “corrective lenses” to help us to see (to
discern, to see through spiritual eyes). And, we receive these spiritual
corrective lenses by God-given faith in Jesus Christ – all because of God’s
grace to us in providing the way for us to be delivered out of our slavery to
sin, and to be empowered of the Spirit of God to now live to our Lord’s
righteousness, and for his glory, honor, and praise.
And, so we die with Christ to sin, and we are resurrected
with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness. We leave behind us our former way of living for sin and the
flesh, and we are transformed of the Spirit of God away from sin, to our Lord,
and to living to his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).
Boasting in the Flesh
Galatians 6:12-13 ESV
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
How might this apply to us today? Are there those today who
profess faith in Jesus Christ who are trying to make a showing in the flesh?
Most certainly! And, I see two ways in which that could possibly apply.
One of those ways is the whole turning of God’s house into a
marketplace and the marketing of the church to the world as though it was any
other kind of business. All of that is in the flesh, for that is certainly not
what God wants. And, it’s purpose is to look good to the world, to make the
church and the gospel appealing to the world, so that the world will feel at
home in the gatherings of the church. But, that is not God’s plan for his
church.
And, so church services are now often more like big theatre
productions with the intention to entertain the crowds, and to draw in large
crowds, too, through the means of entertainment. So, they have to have a great
band and a dynamic speaker, who also has to be fun and entertaining, too, for
that is what the flesh of humans craves. And, church gatherings can’t be
boring, but have to be fun. And, they have to be relaxed and casual.
And, so marketing books on how to build your church (i.e.
business) are replacing the Holy Spirit in many of today’s modern churches.
Books written by mere humans (not God-breathed) are being studied in place of
the Bible. Movie clips are being shown as sermon illustrations, and sometimes
those movies are filled with sensuality and immorality and even nudity, if one
were to watch the whole movie. And, all this is to appeal to human flesh.
And, are they trying to force this new way of doing church,
and this new gospel, too, which appeals to human flesh, on all Christians? You
bet they are! They are trying to get all of us to join them in their
compromises with the world, and with their flesh-driven church gatherings, and
their cheap grace gospel, too, which requires no death to sin and no obedience
to Christ and to his commands, and no submission to Christ or his cross,
either.
For, Satan is behind this turning of God’s house into a
marketplace, and this unequal yoking of the church with the world and with the
government and big business. He is the one behind this diluting of the gospel,
too, to make it more appealing to human flesh, because he wants to turn
everyone away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ. So, he is the one behind
those who would try to force us to join with them in their dissipation, too.
And, yes, behind this is also a desire to not have to be
persecuted for the sake of the gospel, but also to not have to obey the gospel,
but to be given a false hope of heaven while leading you to believe that you
can live for yourself and ignore God’s commandments and yet still go to heaven.
So, yes, this is of Satan, and he definitely is trying to get us all to desert
our Lord and to follow him, instead. And, he is being largely successful, for
the time being, but God has the last word! Amen!
But, there are also those who want to appear righteous
before others while they secretly engage in all sorts of evil. So they, too,
will try to make a good showing in the flesh, presenting the idea that they are
actually walking in the Spirit. And, that is because they want other Christians
to think well of them and to think they are doing well spiritually when they
aren’t. So, they will profess that they have repented of their sins, too, when
they haven’t.
The Cross of Jesus
Galatians 6:14-16 ESV
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
So, we as the church need to get back to the basics. We need
to return the house of the Lord – his church, his people – back to what he
intended us to be, doing what he has called us to do.
And, so we need to leave Babylon, i.e. these institutional
market-driven and flesh-driven churches (businesses), which are unequally yoked
together with the world. And, we need to gather together as the body of Christ
under the headship of Christ, being led by the Holy Spirit of God, doing what
God has called us, his church, to do.
And, we need to truly be crucified to the world in every
respect. This doesn’t mean we entirely separate ourselves from the people of
the world, but that we live truly separate from the world of sin – away from
the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, and to
Christ.
And, then we go out into the world with the gospel, the true
gospel, which teaches death to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness.
We don’t immerse ourselves in the culture of our society to win the world. We
win them to Jesus by living holy and godly lives in purity of devotion to Jesus
Christ, as examples to them of what it means to be followers of Christ.
For, Jesus died for us on that cross, not just to forgive us
our sins, but to deliver us out of our slavery to sin, and to make us new
creatures in Christ Jesus, our Lord, empowered of the Holy Spirit of God to
walk in purity of devotion to our Lord, in surrender to his will, and in
obedience to his commands, and all for the glory of God. Then we can rest
assured that we are in Christ and that we have eternal life with God (Lu.
9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Tit. 2:11-24; 2
Co. 5:15, 21).
Blessed
Assurance
Frances
J Crosby, 1873
Phoebe
P Knapp, 1873
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His
blood.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my
sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His
love.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.
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