Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Is Truth Your Practice?

Video Talk

 

1 John 1:5-10 ESV

 

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

 

God is light. He is truth, righteousness, purity, faithfulness, and holiness. In him is no darkness. In him is no sin, no wickedness, no cheating, lying, and stealing, etc. So if we claim to be in him, in true fellowship (partnership, cooperation, relationship) with him, but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (lies, wickedness, evil, sin, immorality), we lie, and we do not practice the truth. So you can’t just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and think you are good to go.

 

But if we walk (in conduct, in practice) in the light (truth, righteousness, holiness, godliness, faithfulness, etc.), as God is in the light (and he is the Light), then we are in true fellowship with Jesus Christ and with all those who are also in true fellowship with him. And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. So we need to get this. We don’t just make a profession of faith in Christ one time, and now all our sins are forgiven, and we are now on our way to heaven, regardless of how we live.

 

If we want to be in relationship with Jesus Christ, in truth, be saved from our sins, and to have eternal life with God, we must walk (in conduct, in practice) in righteousness, holiness, and in faithful obedience to our Lord Jesus. And we must no longer be walking in sin. For our salvation is not a one-time deal. It is a process of sanctification and it won’t be completed until Jesus Christ returns, and provided that we continue in walks of holiness and righteousness and in obedience to our Lord steadfast to the end.

 

Now, if we say we have no sin or that we have not sinned, the word of God is not in us, and the truth is not in us, and so we are not in true fellowship with Jesus Christ. But this is more than just refusing to admit that you have ever sinned, but it is refusal to confess your sin when you do sin, and it is lying about your sin and covering it up and pretending that it does not exist. And lying can be failure to admit sin to those to whom admission is due, i.e. for instance if you have willfully sinned against another and have refused to confess it when you know that that person is fully aware of the sin.

 

Yet, a mere verbal confession of sin is also not enough to secure us salvation from sin and eternal life with God. And this word “confess” truly means to agree with God about our sin, and to have the same mind as Christ about our sin. And if we do, then we are going to turn away from our sinful practices, and we are going to walk daily in fellowship with our Lord, and in obedience to his commands, in living self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return, which is when our salvation will be complete.

 

[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]

 

https://vimeo.com/811618705

 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

 

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

 

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

 

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

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