Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 ESV
What is the grace of God that is being brought to us at the
revelation of Jesus Christ at his second coming? It is the true grace of God,
which instructs us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s soon return
(Tit. 2:11-14; cf. Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).
For, it delivers us from our slavery to sin, and it empowers
us to live godly and holy lives. It puts sin to death in our lives. It does not
placate sin. It leads us away from our sinful lifestyles. It does not make allowances
for us to continue in our addiction to sin. And, it leads us to walking in
obedience to our Lord’s commands, and to doing what he tells us to do (Lu.
9:23-26).
But, this is not…
But this is not the “grace of God” that is being taught
widely within the institutional church of today, at least across America. What
is widely being spread across America, and across the world, is a cheap grace
gospel which allows you to merely acknowledge Jesus Christ, or to repeat some
words after someone else, or to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and
then it guarantees you heaven when you die.
Not only is it leading many, many people to a false hope of
salvation from sin, and to a false hope of eternal life with God, but it is
leading many of God’s people astray, too. So, a large percentage of the church,
at least here in America, has bought into this cheap grace gospel which unites
the adulterous church with lasciviousness and with sexual idolatry. And, it
allows the flesh full reign, for it doesn’t require death to sin and to self.
Those who believe in this cheap grace don’t have to leave
their sinful lifestyles behind them. They don’t have to be transformed in heart
and mind of the Spirit of God away from sin and to obedience to Christ. But,
after their encounter with God’s grace, they are allowed to go right back to
living in sin while being promised heaven as their eternal destiny.
This has resulted in…
So, this has resulted in the true grace of God being
ostracized from the church and from the lives of professed “believers” in
Jesus. The true grace of God has been kicked out of the vast majority of the churches,
as has also the Holy Spirit. And, they have been made into something they are
not.
They teach the Holy Spirit as though he doesn’t transform us
from darkness to light, and as though he doesn’t convict of sin or instruct us
in holiness and righteousness. They teach him as though all he does is forgive our
sins and promise us heaven when we leave this earth. And, they teach God’s
grace as merely forgiveness of sins and our ticket into heaven, and as though
the forsaking of sin and obedience to Christ is not required at all.
And, since so much of the church has bought into this cheap
grace gospel, and this false concept of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for our
sins, and this false concept of the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives in
regeneration, this cheap grace gospel is like a fire spreading throughout the
church, and across the world, and it is destroying people’s lives.
It is destroying the church, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and
the true grace of God. And, it is destroying homes, families, marriages and
individual lives, which are being torn apart by sin’s deceitfulness. And, it is
destroying the lives of pastors and church leaders and professers of faith in
Jesus Christ who are not only embracing sinful practices, but who are being led
into all sorts of perversions of sin, with a continual thirst for more.
A crisis situation…
So, this is a crisis situation! For, worldly passions and
fleshly lusts are setting the house of God on fire, and that fire is spreading
far and wide. And, this calls for us to call on God in prayer, in repentance,
in obedience to his commands, and in prayer for revival.
For, although they say Jesus Christ is Lord, he is not
taught as such under this cheap grace gospel, for it does not teach submission
to Christ as Lord (owner-master) of our lives.
And, we have this cheap grace gospel setting the house of
the Lord on fire because those in high up positions within organized religion
invited in thieves and robbers to steal, to kill and to destroy the church (See
John 10).
So, biblical Jesus Christ has been replaced with a man-made
Jesus. And, the true grace of God has been supplanted by a diluted and
cheapened fake substitute for God’s true grace. And, there is no true authority
over the church because those who buy into this cheap grace feel they don’t
have to obey Jesus Christ. And, so it has become a free for all, where everyone
can live however they want with no true guidance or direction, and then they
call that “grace.” That is not grace, my friends! That is hell!
For, human flesh rules, and our Lord is being resisted and
denied, and he is just being used as an escape from hell and as a ticket into
heaven. And, many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are living by their
flesh, by their feelings, and by their worldly passions and desires.
And a growing number of children are viewing pornography, and/or
are sex-texting with their friends. And many pastors are frequenting
prostitutes, or having extramarital affairs, or they are addicted to porn or to
power, and are building kingdoms of men, in place of participating in God’s
kingdom work.
Called to be holy…
We have got to take this seriously! We, as the church, have
to wake up to the reality of the crisis situation we are in. And, we need to be
serious-minded about our walks of faith, and about holiness, godliness, purity,
honesty, morality and faithfulness. We, as the church, can’t continue on
blinded to the reality of what is going on in the church in the name of Jesus
that is against Jesus Christ and what he stands for.
Jesus Christ called us out of the world! He didn’t call us
to immerse ourselves in our cultures or to be nice (charming, amusing) to
people to make them feel good about themselves so that they will like us. He
didn’t call us to “stay in your own lane” so as not to offend anyone with the
truth of the gospel, either. And, he didn’t call us to blend in with the world
in order to “win the world,” for we aren’t winning anyone to Christ that way.
We are to obey Christ and his commands, and we are to no
longer be conformed to the lustful passions of our flesh. And, honestly, we
have to get radical about this. We have to take God at his Word and believe
what he says, and then we need to do what his word teaches us and not think
that heaven is secured and so it doesn’t matter how we live our lives.
For, the scriptures teach us that if we live to the flesh
(in practice), we are going to die in our sins, because we refused to die to
our sins. Only those who are walking (in practice) according to the Spirit are
going to inherit eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 2:6-8; Rom. 6:1-23;
Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).
So, take this seriously!
The
Solid Rock
Hymn
Lyrics by Edward Mote, 1834
Music
by William Bradbury, 1863
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Cornerstone
Hillsong
Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all
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