“Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
who brings forth chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
‘Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The wild beasts will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.’” (Isaiah 43:16-21 ESV)
The new way that our Lord Jesus Christ made for us to cross the river (figuratively speaking) into our promised land is the way of the cross of Christ, the way of our salvation from bondage to sin so we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord Jesus. For Jesus was put to death on that cross so that our sins would die with him, so that by God-persuaded faith in him we might be crucified and buried with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him.
Thus, our old way of living in sin and for self is now to be put behind us. It isn’t that we will totally forget our past in all our memories, but that the life we once lived we are to walk in no more. For Jesus died on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin so that we will now become slaves of God and of his righteousness. Therefore we are to not let sin reign (be in control) in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to God, it will lead to death, not to life eternal.
The new way of the cross does not leave us in slavery to sin. The new way of the cross eradicates our sins so that we can now walk in freedom from addiction to sin, from those sinful patterns of our past lives, provided that it is in the past and not still in the present. But a lie is what is commonly being taught today, which is that Jesus forgives our sins so that we can continue living in sin only now without conscience, guilt, or remorse. But he died so that we will die to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 10:23-31; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
or wearied you with frankincense.
You have not bought me sweet cane with money,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.” (Isaiah 43:22-24 ESV)
Translated into New Covenant terminology, this would be like the Lord saying to many who profess his name that they have not forsaken their sins, but that they are still walking in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord. They have not presented themselves to the Lord as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, but they have presented themselves still as those bound in their sins, still living to please self and the flesh. They may call upon the Lord, but not in truth and in righteousness, but in hypocrisy.
For they are the self-indulgent, the lovers of intoxication to sin. They are liars, deceivers, and manipulators who lead others into sin and who gossip and make cutting remarks about those whose ways are pure and who are walking in the ways of the Lord. They put on a show of righteousness, and they portend true faith in Jesus Christ, but while they are still sinning against the Lord and against other humans in secret, usually in sexual immorality, for that is the predominant sin permeating the church here in America.
As professers of faith in Jesus Christ, not only are we to be walking in the ways of the Lord, in holiness and in righteousness, and in obedience to the Lord, and no longer in sin, but we are all to be sharing the truth of the gospel with others so that they also can die with Christ to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness in obedient walks of faith. And we are to be refuting the lies which tell people that lip service only will get them into heaven regardless of how they live, for that will send them to hell.
And some of us are doing that, but not all are. Many are still living for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, still walking in sexual immorality, impurity, dishonesty, fakery, and unfaithfulness, in rebellion against the Lord and in sinning against him and against other humans on a habitual and deliberate basis. They are lazy gluttons who feed themselves but who are not ministering to the body of Christ and to the people of the world in the ways of the Lord because they are still feeding their own flesh, sadly so.
And so the Lord is calling out to all who have forsaken his ways, and to all who have not known his ways, to forsake their lives of living in sin and for self and to now follow him in obedience to his commands in holy living. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, and not holy living, then we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what our lips profess. So please take this to heart, for your eternity depends on you knowing and living the truth of God’s Word.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
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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