Compassionate and Gracious

Psalms 103:8-14 NASB

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He Himself knows our frame;

He is mindful that we are but dust.”

We read here in verses 11, 13, and 17 regarding who these promises are for. They are for those who fear the Lord, who revere, respect, honor, value, and obey him. Those who fear the Lord take him and his word seriously. They believe God and what he says, and they act accordingly. So when they read in the Scriptures that those who make sin their practice will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, they believe that, and so they do not walk in sin but in righteousness and holiness and in obedience to the Lord.

Are we who fear the Lord perfect people? Not yet. We are being perfected by God if our lives are surrendered to him, and we are being sanctified and made holy, and we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ, but this is a process, but one in which we should be fully engaged in full cooperation with God’s work of transformation in our hearts and lives. So, we should no longer be walking in sin, but we should daily be dying to sin and to self and following our Lord in obedience to his commands (New Covenant).

When Jesus Christ died on that cross for our sins, he who knew no sin became sin for us. Thus, when he died, our sins died with him so that we, by faith in him, could die with him to sin and live to his righteousness. By his grace, through God-given faith in him, we are saved from our slavery to sin so that we can now, in the power of God, live holy and righteous lives in obedience to our Lord. So we are to no longer let sin reign in our bodies to make us obey its passions, but deliberate and habitual sin should be gone.

Now, when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, and we submit to him as Lord of our lives, and so sin is no longer our deliberate practice, because we have died with Christ to sin, we are forgiven of all sin. And so the sins we have committed are no longer held to our account. And if we should sin again, the Lord is compassionate and gracious, and he will not deal with us according to our sin (1 John 2:1-2), but he will be our advocate. For great is his mercy toward those who fear him and who walk in his ways.

Now this is Old Testament, and so this is not specifically teaching the gospel of our salvation, but most, if not all of it, is in line with the teachings of the gospel in the New Testament. For the promises of God in the New Testament are for those who listen to the Lord and who obey him. For we read in the New Testament that if, after we have received the teaching of the gospel, we go on living in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in righteousness, and not in obedience to our Lord, that we don’t have salvation and eternal life.

So, yes, God is gracious. And yes, he is forgiving, but if we keep on in deliberate and habitual sin, and if obedience to our Lord is not our practice, then we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said it. Paul said it. The other apostles taught it. And so when this says that great is God’s mercy toward those who fear him, what Jesus and Paul and John and the others taught says the same. Thus, this forgiveness and grace is not applied to everyone who gives lip service to God, who by their actions deny him.

But our Lord is also not standing there with a hammer over our heads ready to strike whenever we falter and fail. But here I am speaking of us who fear the Lord and who are not continuing in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, in God’s face, in direct opposition to and in rebellion against him. He is gracious and forgiving with those who honor him as Lord and who do not deliberately, habitually, and premeditatedly sin against him. But that does not make us perfect, and so it is good that he is merciful to us.

Psalms 103:17-18 NASB

"But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children’s children,

To those who keep His covenant

And remember His precepts to do them."

[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] 

Master, The Tempest is Raging!

Lyrics by Mary A. Baker, 1874

Music by Horatio R. Palmer, 1874

Master, the tempest is raging!

The billows are tossing high!

The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness,

No shelter or help is nigh;

Carest Thou not that we perish?

How canst Thou lie asleep,

When each moment so madly is threat’ning

A grave in the angry deep?

Master, with anguish of spirit

I bow in my grief today;

The depths of my sad heart are troubled—

Oh, waken and save, I pray!

Torrents of sin and of anguish

Sweep o’er my sinking soul;

And I perish! I perish! dear Master—

Oh, hasten, and take control.

Master, the terror is over,

The elements sweetly rest;

Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored,

And heaven’s within my breast;

Linger, O blessed Redeemer!

Leave me alone no more;

And with joy I shall make the blest harbor,

And rest on the blissful shore.

The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will,

Peace, be still!

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,

Or demons or men, or whatever it be,

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,

Peace, be still! Peace, be still!

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,

Peace, peace, be still!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlpSl3yadO4

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Grace and Salt

Video Talk

 

Colossians 4:2-6 ESV

 

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

 

These are specific instructions given by Paul to the Colossian Christians, but they can apply to us, as well, perhaps in some areas in a more general sense, such as we do not need to pray for Paul, obviously, since he is deceased, but we should pray for everyone who is sharing the truth of the gospel of our salvation, especially for those we know who are doing this full time. And we should pray that we all should make the gospel message clear, and in its fulness, and in truth, which is how we ought to speak.

 

And we should continue steadfastly in prayer, which means we should be in a continual attitude of prayer, always ready to hear from the Lord, and always ready to speak to him about things going on in our lives or to give our prayer requests or to inquire of him about anything or to give thanks to him, etc. So this isn’t just about formal times of prayer, but these prayers can be given while we are driving down the street or walking in a park or while we are washing dishes or clothes, or while we are cooking a meal, etc.

 

And we are to walk in wisdom toward outsiders and in everything that we do and say, being watchful and careful to make certain that how we are living and what we are speaking are for the glory of God and not for the glory of the flesh. And we should all be making the best use of our time, not wasting away our spare time on the junk of this world but using our time for the glory of God and for sharing the gospel and for loving other people. And this is not saying we can’t relax, we can, but just use wisdom in all you do.

 

And when it says here to let our speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how we ought to answer other people, this is not suggesting that we compromise the truth of the gospel in any way in order to not offend other humans. For God’s grace teaches us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (see Titus 2:11-14). And he prepares us and preserves us to walk in his love and grace, and not in sin.

 

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

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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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Genuine Faith Results in Obedience

Hebrews 11 is considered by many to be the “faith chapter” of the Bible, for in this faith chapter we have multiple examples of people throughout biblical history who, by faith in the Lord, followed our Lord in obedience and made an impact on this world and on people’s lives for the glory of God. So, I am going to share just a few of these examples and I will talk about them briefly. For we have many people these days, at least here in America, claiming that all they have to do is “believe,” as though belief in Jesus Christ requires no action on their part at all. But true faith = obedience.

 

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).

 

Adam and Eve’s first two children were Cain and Abel. Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground. In time, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground. Abel brought an offering, too, only his was from the firstborn of his flock. And the Lord approved Abel’s offering, but he did not approve Cain’s offering, and so Cain was angry. So the Lord spoke to Cain about his anger, but Cain didn’t listen to God, but in his anger he killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.

 

[see: 1 John 3:11-12; Genesis 4:1-16]

 

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

 

Now, in chapters 6 thru 9 of Genesis we read the story of Noah who was called of God to build an ark of enormous proportions. For the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. But Noah was a righteous man who walked with God. So God decided to destroy the earth and the people on the earth, but to save Noah and his family and two of every kind of living creature on the earth. So Noah built the ark as God had directed, and humanity was saved for future generations.

 

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore even from one man, and one who was as good as dead at that, there were born descendants who were just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore” (Hebrews 11:8-12).

 

Are you noticing a trend here? By faith these people did what was pleasing to God in his sight and/or they obeyed his specific instructions to them. And their obedience was evidence that true faith in God existed within them. But what if they didn’t obey? Noah and his family would have perished along with all the rest of the people on the earth and Abraham would not have been the father of many generations of the people of God, and Jesus Christ would not have come from the seed of Abraham. And all history would have been altered. So do you see the importance of obedience to the Lord?

 

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned” (Hebrews 11:24-29).

 

And then look at Moses. Although he was a reluctant servant of the Lord, at first, he obeyed the Lord, and by his obedience many people’s lives were saved. But they weren’t all saved, because many of them, of their own accord, refused to obey the Lord and so they were killed in the wilderness due to their disobedience, and they did not enter into God’s eternal rest because of their unbelief (for disobedience = unbelief). But most of those who believed God and obeyed him entered into the Promised Land, and all who believed and obeyed the Lord entered into God’s eternal rest.

 

[see: 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13]

 

“And others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mocking and flogging, and further, chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (people of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:35-38).

 

When we walk by faith, and we obey our Lord, we will be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Other people will hate us and will do evil against us because of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ. Some of the abuse may be more emotional and/or psychological, while some may be more physical in nature. But if we are truly walking by faith, and not in sin, and if we are obeying our Lord in what he directs us to do, we will be opposed and fought against, even by family members, and even by others professing faith in Jesus Christ, for not everyone has genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

 

But the important lesson here is to know that faith = obedience. If we do not obey the Lord, we do not have genuine faith in Jesus Christ. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self and take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we die with him to sin and live to his righteousness, then we will have eternal life in him. For not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who obey God the Father.

 

[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]

 

Just a Closer Walk with Thee  

 

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown

Music by American Melody

 

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

 

I am weak, but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

 

Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

 

When my feeble life is o’er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o’er

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

 

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Ks49apflE

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And Not Accept Adversity?

Introduction to Job

 

Job was a righteous man who loved, worshiped, and served God with his life. But, one day God allowed Satan to come after Job with all kinds of trials and tribulations. He lost nearly everything, including his children, his servants, and his livestock. And, then God allowed Satan to inflict Job’s body with all kinds of sores. But, in all this, Job did not sin against God. He said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

 

Then Job’s friends came to comfort him in his grief. At first, they did right. They wept over his suffering, demonstrated sincere sympathy, and they sat with him in silence for seven days, for they saw that his suffering was great. But, after the seven days, Job began to lament his suffering, and even to lament that he had been born. And Job began to question the justice of it all.

 

Then Job’s friends began to speak, but not words of comfort, but words of accusation. They accused Job of being unrighteous and of his suffering being a result of sin in his life. Yet, how many times do the righteous suffer greatly while the unrighteous go relatively free from difficulty and suffering? Job’s friends were making a wrong assumption, and were falsely accusing him, and this only added to his grief instead of helping to alleviate his suffering.

 

Job 19:13-22 NASB

 

“He has removed my brothers far from me,

And my acquaintances have completely turned away from me.

My relatives have failed,

And my close friends have forgotten me.

Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger.

I am a foreigner in their sight.

I call to my servant, but he does not answer;

I have to implore his favor with my mouth.

My breath is offensive to my wife,

And I am loathsome to my own brothers.

Even young children despise me;

I stand up and they speak against me.

All my associates loathe me,

And those I love have turned against me.

My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,

And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.

Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine,

For the hand of God has struck me.

Why do you persecute me as God does,

And are not satisfied with my flesh?”

 

Can you identify with Job in any of this? I can, at various times in my life, although not usually as a result of physical suffering but as a result of my walk of faith in my Lord Jesus, although I have had plenty of physical suffering, too. But I have been accused falsely of sin when I did not sin, and my opponents were just as persistent as were Job’s, at times. I have had friends walk out of my life and want nothing more to do with me. And I have had family members reject me and not approve of me.

 

I have felt like I don’t belong anywhere, and I have had people tell me that I should go someplace else where I would be a better fit, or that if I was one of them, then they would listen to me, or if I waited until I had gray hair on my head (I was told in my early 30’s), then people would listen to me. I have been invited out of small groups and some institutional churches, but not because I sinned, but just because I was different from them and I didn’t fit with their marketing schemes and with their worldly teaching.

 

I have been mocked, and made fun of, and criticized, and called names, and ignored, and fought against. And I have lacked in spiritual, moral, and emotional support from others who also profess faith in Jesus Christ. I know what it is like to feel sometimes as though I am all alone, although I know I am not. I know what it is like to be treated with disrespect and dishonor. And I know what it is like to have those I love turn against me. And I am well experienced in physical suffering, too.

 

Yet I do understand, as Job did, that our God is fully sovereign over all that he has made and that nothing can touch us but what God allows it, like God allowed Satan to inflict Job with all these sores. And I understand that God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:1-13), and that discipline is painful, but that God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness, and so that when we have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

 

This, however, does not excuse away other humans treating us unkindly and with disrespect and with rejection or mocking or abandonment, etc., especially if they profess faith in Jesus. But when we understand that God is sovereign and that he allows these things in our lives for our good, it brings us peace and comfort. Yet God is not giving approval to what people are doing against us. He opposes those who willfully mistreat his servants. And one day he will judge them for their evil, unless they repent of their sins.

 

And I am not looking for pity. I shared some of my experiences to say that I identify with Job in some of his sufferings, therefore I can feel some of what he felt. And some days I still feel some of what is described here. And by me sharing what I did, perhaps you identified with some of what I felt, because you have experienced some of the same. And so perhaps this served as an encouragement to you so that you know that you are not alone, and that there really is a purpose for your suffering, and that it is for your good.

 

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

 

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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Hearts Far from the Lord

Mark 7:5-8 ESV

 

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

 

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

    but their heart is far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

 

“You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

 

The Context

 

Now the context of this is that of the Pharisees (Jews), along with some scribes (Jews), criticizing Jesus’ disciples (also Jews) for eating with unwashed hands. The Jews at that time were God’s chosen people, although not all of them believed in God with true faith. And some of them, like the Pharisees, were religious hypocrites who were all concerned about externals but who were sinning against God in their hearts and in some of their practices. And they were those who followed after the traditions of men.

 

But Jesus knew these men, and he knew their hearts, and he knew that they were religious hypocrites who professed one thing while they did another, and who were more concerned about what things looked like on the outside than they were concerned about the conditions of their own hearts. And that rings true of many professing Christians today who are more concerned about outward appearance, and what others will think of them, than they are concerned about the conditions of their own hearts.

 

Lip Service Only

 

And what Jesus quoted from Isaiah about these hypocrites back then speaks to the spiritual condition today of many people in America who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who are convinced that heaven is their eternal destiny. Many of them honor Christ with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. So their worship of God/of Christ is in vain, because they are following after the doctrines and teachings of man (humans) instead of after the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles.

 

They are absolutely leaving (forsaking) the commandments of God, and they are holding on to the traditions of men. And I am not speaking here just of those who are legalistic. I am speaking of those who are party to these modern market-driven “churches” (businesses of men, not the true church). They are marketing “the church” (their businesses) to the world, and so they have altered and diluted the meaning of “church,” and the character of God/Christ, and the truth of the gospel of Christ to appease human flesh.

 

And sermons preached by men (and some women), and books written by professed Christian authors, and memes on social media, and videos, and movies, and TV programs are replacing the Scriptures for many of them. And so they are following humanistic philosophy with a mixture of psychology mixed in with Scripture taught out of context and made to say what it does not say. And most don’t appear to be testing these teachings against the truth of the Scriptures in context. Many don’t want to.

 

Many of them like the feel-good messages which are being fed to them, and so they are following them rather than pursuing truth and righteousness. And if you try to point out to them, in love, the error of their ways, and if you attempt to point them to the truth in the Scriptures, many of them will stop up their ears and they will refuse to listen. And if you are on social media with them, they are likely to unfriend and/or to block you. And if they were your friends or family in real life, they may pull away from you.

 

The False Church

 

So, the sad reality of much of what is called “church” today here in America is that it isn’t the body of Christ they are speaking of, but it is these businesses of men that they are calling “church.” And it is buildings, some with steeples, and it is church denominations which they are calling “church” instead of the true church, the body of Christ. And so many people have the idea that they are part of Christ’s church merely by attendance in one of these institutions of men, but it doesn’t work that way.

 

But the saddest of all is how so many of these institutions of men, called “church,” are diluting and altering the character of God/of Christ and of his gospel and they are teaching the people that they can believe in Jesus (not usually biblically defined), have all their sins forgiven (past, present, and future), and now be guaranteed heaven when they die, but regardless of how they live on the earth. So many are honoring Christ with their lips but their hearts are far from Christ for they are following men, not God.

 

Twelve years ago the Lord gave me a song to write about what I have just been talking about, and it is called “The Train.” And the train is a picture of these modern market-driven churches. And many professing Christians are onboard these “trains.” And what they are following on these trains is man-made religion, whether it is legalism or libertinism. For either one is an alteration of the truth of the gospel. And God is calling his true church to come out from among them so that she doesn’t share in their sins and in their punishment (see Revelation 18:4-5 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

 

For the true gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that genuine faith in Jesus Christ, which is God-given, results in us being crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin and us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And it teaches us that if sin is still what we obey, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we obey, then we don’t have true faith, and we don’t have salvation and 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]

 

The Train  

 

The train is coming down the tracks.

It captures all who in faith lack.

The engine is controlled by man;

Leads each captive to ruin.

 

The cars, they are God’s holy church,

Which follows men who are on the search

To trap the church in their own snare;

For Christ they do not care.

 

The track, it leads to God’s judgment

For those who are not repentant,

But follow, each his own stubborn way,

And Jesus they do not obey.

 

So God is calling to His bride

To turn from sin and in Christ abide;

Stop placing their trust solely in man;

Trust Christ for His forgiveness.

 

An Original Work / July 17, 2011

 

https://vimeo.com/113676228

The Color of Roses

Roses are red, we think. Are they?

But do they come in pink and yellow?

The colors of roses are varied,

Just like the hearts of every fellow.

We all don’t look alike, do we?

We come in all shapes and all sizes.

We have varied personalities,

And some come in various disguises.

But we all have one thing in common.

We were all created by God.

Yet we were all born with sin natures;

As flesh, we are people who’re flawed.

So God sent His Son, our Lord Jesus,

To die on a cross for our sins,

So we could be free from sin’s bondage

And live now, in Christ, just for Him.

An Original Work / April 29, 2023

Having Itching Ears

Video Talk

 

2 Timothy 4:1-4 ESV

 

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

 

This is where we are in America today, not in every congregation, and not in every individual, but overall, based on the evidence in the things that are spoken and written and lived out in people’s lives. We are living in this time when so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are not enduring and they are not accepting sound teaching, but they are rejecting it, and they are casting it aside as though it is the lie while they are accepting the lie as the truth. And they are following after teachers to suit their own passions.

 

Now Paul was speaking to Timothy here in instructing him that he should be ready in season and out of season to reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. But this is not limited to just men. Us women are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light, and we are to exhort one another so that we are not led astray by sin’s deceitfulness, and we are to prophesy (proclaim the truths of God’s word in ways which are applicable and practical to today).

 

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6] 

 

2 Corinthians 11:1-4 ESV

 

“I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.”

 

This is another picture of where the church (overall) is today in America. For, when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith we enter into a marriage covenant with Jesus Christ. And just like the Jewish marriages of the Scriptures, our groom is now preparing a place for his bride and one day he will return and he will take us to be with him for eternity, which is when our marriage to him and our salvation will be complete, and not until then. For our salvation from sin is progressive, and that is why we are told in the Scriptures that we must walk in obedience to our Lord and not in sin.

 

So, as the Lord’s bride, we are to walk in purity of devotion to him. Now this is not saying that we must be absolutely perfect in every way (1 John 2:1-2) but that we are to make righteousness and holiness and obedience to our Lord our practice, and that sin and disobedience to our Lord are not to be what we practice, or we do not have eternal life with God. Yet so many professing Christians are accepting another Jesus and a different gospel than the one Jesus and Paul and the other apostles taught, because so many charlatans are altering the character of God/Christ and of his gospel.

 

[Matt 24:9-14; Rom 8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6,14-15; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 2:24-25]

 

Matthew 10:34-39 ESV

 

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

 

Now when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith in Jesus Christ, if our faith is genuine, we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And now we don’t live like we did before we believed in Jesus, for now we are walking in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord and not in sin. And so we will be rejected even by our family members and even by other professing Christians who are still walking in sin and not in godliness.

 

And there may be a temptation, not of God, to return to our old way of living in order to not stand out as odd (different), and in order to be accepted and not rejected by our family members and by others who profess faith in Jesus Christ. But we are to resist that temptation, for if we choose other humans and their acceptance of us over following our Lord in obedience to his commands, then we are not worthy of him. And we will not have eternal life in him. For if we hold on to our old lives of sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if we die with Christ to sin and we obey him, we have eternal life.

 

[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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7fZNZcUh7Q

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

For Our Nation  

 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

 

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

 

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

 

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

 

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

 

http://youtu.be/_XQkomPFz4Y

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Underhanded and Dangerous

Psalms 25:1-3 ESV

 

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust;

    let me not be put to shame;

    let not my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.”

 

If we believe in Jesus Christ with childlike faith, which believes what his word teaches, and which acts upon what the Word says, and so we are walking in obedience to our Lord in submission to his will for our lives, then we are going to be opposed like Jesus was. We are going to have people who are our enemies who will come against us, even though many of them may profess faith in Jesus Christ and even be pastors and elders of church congregations (or of what is falsely called “church”).

 

And the reason for that mainly in our world and church culture of today is that they hate Jesus, in reality, and they hate his gospel message, and so they have created their own version of Jesus, which is a friendlier version of Christ with regard to sinful flesh. And thus they have also altered the gospel of Christ to make it more appeasing and appealing to human flesh so that they can profess faith in Jesus Christ but yet continue living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord and against other humans without guilt.

 

Thus, those who are making professions of faith in Jesus Christ but who have no intention of following him in obedience will oppose those of us who are walking in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord. And they will especially oppose us if we are teaching the gospel that Jesus taught and not this diluted feel-good gospel of today which is not demanding death to sin and living to righteousness, and especially if we are speaking out against the lies of Satan and we are exposing the lies for what they are.

 

And this passage of Scripture defines these opponents of God and of his servants – who today are also opponents of biblical Jesus and of his biblical gospel – as those who are wantonly treacherous: Wantonly (lustfully, shamelessly, maliciously) treacherous (unfaithful, traitorous, deceitful, two-faced, underhanded, and dangerous). And this makes sense because they are enemies of the cross of Christ because they do not want to have to forsake their lustful, deceitful, underhanded, and malicious ways.

 

So, this is a prayer to God by one who is being persecuted by those who are enemies of God. But this is not indicating to us that we can pray and that God will remove all our enemies and all their evil attacks against us and that no harm whatsoever will ever befall us. For Jesus told us that if we follow him with our lives that we will be hated and persecuted as he was hated and persecuted, and that how they treated him they will also treat us. But we can be at peace in the midst of these storms via our trust in our Lord.

 

Psalms 25:4-5 ESV

 

“Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

    teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me,

    for you are the God of my salvation;

    for you I wait all the day long.”

 

This should be the prayer of the hearts of all who are true followers of Jesus Christ. We should all want to know the ways of the Lord so that we can walk in them. And all of us who have access to the Scriptures via paper copies of the Holy Bible, or via access to them on the internet or via videos and radio and TV, etc., we should know the ways of the Lord. But even if you don’t have access to the Scriptures, which you should if you are reading this now online, we read in Romans 1 that God revealed his divine character and will to all of us through his created works so that we are all without excuse.

 

But the problem, in most cases, I believe, is not that people don’t know the ways of the Lord, but that they don’t want to follow in his ways, but they want to go their own ways, instead. And so they find other sources which tell them what their itching ears want to hear and which will interpret the Scriptures for them in ways that they will accept. And so they follow them instead of following the Lord and his Word. But we, as followers of Christ, should want to know and to follow the ways of the Lord, in truth.

 

Psalms 25:19-21 ESV

 

“Consider how many are my foes,

    and with what violent hatred they hate me.

Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!

    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

    for I wait for you.”

 

Again, our Lord is not always going to deliver us out of these difficult and hurtful situations. He may, in some cases, and in others he may not. But he will deliver us through them from the negative impact of them over our lives. And he will fill us with his peace even in the midst of these storms of persecution and hatred and even violence (in some cases). And he will teach us his ways, and he will counsel us in the way that we should go, and he will strengthen and mature us through these situations for his glory.

 

So, even if we are being slandered, and if others are making insulting remarks against us, or if they are mocking us and making fun of us, and if they are showing us enormous disrespect and dishonor, and if they are making cutting remarks against us to try to silence us and to get us to back down from telling the truth, we must put these situations in the hands of the Lord and we must trust him with the results. And then we can be at peace even in the midst of conflict, because we know our God has it handled.

 

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

 

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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