The Whole Head is Sick

Isaiah 1:2-3 ESV

 

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;

    for the Lord has spoken:

‘Children have I reared and brought up,

    but they have rebelled against me.

The ox knows its owner,

    and the donkey its master's crib,

but Israel does not know,

    my people do not understand’.”

 

Who were the children of God back then? They were the Jews, the physical descendants of Abraham and Sarah. They were God’s people by physical birth, though not all believed in God, for not all followed him in his ways, although they were trained in the ways of the Lord from infanthood. So not all Jews were God’s spiritual children, for not all trusted in him to be their Lord and Savior. But they knew the ways of the Lord for they were taught them all throughout their lives, so they were not ignorant of God’s laws.

 

Today the children of God are not God’s children by physical birth but by spiritual birth. They are all who, by faith in Jesus Christ, have died with Christ to sin and who were raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. They are those who have turned from their lives of sin to now walk in the ways of God in holiness, righteousness, purity of devotion to the Lord, and in obedience to his commands. But not all who profess him as Lord belong to him.

 

For not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” is a child of God. Not everyone who confesses Christ as Savior with their lips is a true follower of Jesus Christ. Many are among those who believe in Jesus Christ, and so they know the ways of the Lord intellectually, like the Jews of old did, but they have not surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. He is not truly Lord of their lives for they are still the ones ruling their own lives. But others were walking in the ways of the Lord and then later on they fell back into sinful practices.

 

So, what we have today are many people professing faith in Jesus Christ, some of whom are following in the ways of the Lord in faithful obedience, some of whom once walked in the ways of the Lord but have since fallen back into their old sinful practices, and some of whom never ever surrendered their lives to Christ. They never died to their old lives of living in sin and for self and so they never were reborn of the Spirit of God to walk in the ways of holiness and righteousness, in obedience to the Lord.

 

But they all know the ways of God. Many have been taught the ways of the Lord since infanthood. Some of them have even been pastors and teachers of the Scriptures themselves, and yet some of them never once surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. They have gone through the motions of religious practice, and they have claimed faith in Jesus Christ, but they have always held on to their old sinful practices, and they have maintained control over their own lives and have not been willing to give it all to Jesus Christ.

 

Isaiah 1:4-6 ESV

 

“Ah, sinful nation,

    a people laden with iniquity,

offspring of evildoers,

    children who deal corruptly!

They have forsaken the Lord,

    they have despised the Holy One of Israel,

    they are utterly estranged.

 

“Why will you still be struck down?

    Why will you continue to rebel?

The whole head is sick,

    and the whole heart faint.

From the sole of the foot even to the head,

    there is no soundness in it,

but bruises and sores

    and raw wounds;

they are not pressed out or bound up

    or softened with oil.”

 

So, among the gatherings of the church we have those of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, some of whom have since fallen away and have gone back to their old ways of living in sin. And then we have those who are giving lip service to God only, but they never once surrendered their all to Jesus Christ. And then we have the people of the world, too, who make no profession of faith in Christ but are among the gatherings of God’s people. So all of them are taking in at least some truth, hopefully.

 

But the sad reality here is that many professers of faith in Jesus Christ today are not living any differently from those who make no profession of faith in Christ. For they are still living in sin, walking in the ways of the flesh, and not of the Spirit, doing what their sinful hearts desire. They do deal corruptly, and they have indeed forsaken the Lord and have despised his commands (New Covenant), and they are utterly estranged from the Lord, although they may still profess to be in fellowship with God/Christ Jesus.

 

Oh, I grieve over those who know the ways of the Lord, and who profess him as Lord and as Savior, but who are still walking in the ways of the flesh and not in the ways of God. It breaks my heart to see so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ but who are continuing in their sinful practices while they claim God’s love and grace over their lives. And it isn’t that they don’t know right from wrong. They do! It is just that they choose to do wrong and they choose to not do right.

 

And it is because they refuse to bow the knee to Jesus Christ in true humility and repentance and surrender of their lives to Jesus Christ. And so they keep going back to their vomit because they are unwilling to surrender all to the Lord Jesus. So many professing faith in Jesus Christ today are still living in moral impurity, and they are still lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, and lusting after the things of this sinful world. And they know they are doing wrong and they need to change, but they won’t surrender.

 

Isaiah 1:9 ESV

 

“If the Lord of hosts

    had not left us a few survivors,

we should have been like Sodom,

    and become like Gomorrah.”

 

But thank the Lord that not all have sold themselves out to the sinful pleasures this world has to offer. Not all have bowed the knee to Satan and to the world and to the flesh. Many (although few in number by comparison to the whole lot) are walking in the ways of the Lord in faithful surrender to him as Lord and in walks of obedience to the Lord’s commands. They may not be perfect people, but they are not walking in sin, and sin is not their practice, but righteousness and godliness are their practice, by God’s grace.

 

And this is where we all need to be if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For the Scriptures teach that we must now walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. Righteousness and obedience to our Lord are to be what we practice, and not sin. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness, holiness, godliness, and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, then we do not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

My Task

 

Songwriters: M.l. Ray / S.h. Pickup / E.l. Ashford

 

To love someone more dearly ev'ry day

To help a wand'ring child to find his way

To ponder o'er a noble tho't and pray

And smile when evening falls

And smile when evening falls

This is my task

 

To follow truth as blind men long for light

To do my best from dawn of day till night

To keep my heart fit for His holy sight

And answer when He calls

And answer when He calls

This is my task

 

And then my Savior by and by to meet

When faith hath made her task on earth complete

And lay my trophies at the Master's feet

Within the jasper walls

Within the jasper walls

This crowns my task

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy855siWk3I

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