If His Children

"If his children forsake my law

    and do not walk according to my rules,

if they violate my statutes

    and do not keep my commandments,

then I will punish their transgression with the rod

    and their iniquity with stripes,

but I will not remove from him my steadfast love

    or be false to my faithfulness.

I will not violate my covenant

    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;

    I will not lie to David.

His offspring shall endure forever,

    his throne as long as the sun before me.

Like the moon it shall be established forever,

    a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah (Psalms 89:30-37 ESV)

The picture the Lord Jesus was giving me this morning was not only that God/Jesus and his Word is our only foundation for Christian living, and of the need for us to exalt (lift up) the name of Jesus and the truth of his Word, but of how government and church leaders have removed the Word of God, the Biblical foundations for salvation and our faith, and the authority of God from the entrance into the church (the body of Christ; God’s family). 

By removing God’s/Christ’s and his Word’s authority from the gospel of salvation, they have also opened the way for people to enter into institutional religion that is a business of human origin, marketed and run just like any other worldly business, and to bypass true faith in Jesus Christ altogether. 

In America, the church has become unequally yoked together with the US government so that the government is head over the church corporation, and Christ, as the true head of his church, has been removed in favor of man-made religion and a man-made gospel. And, this man-made religion, which Jesus Christ strongly opposed, appeals to the flesh of humans and honors humans over and above honoring, exalting, and respecting God/Jesus and his Word as the authority for their lives.

In most of these man-made churches, though, I believe the truth of God’s word is being taught to a certain extent, but it is often mixed in with lies and manipulations of truth, so that the people in these churches are being tossed back and forth by various winds of doctrine, “by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14). 

For instance, most of them do tell half the gospel correctly, but they leave out the other half. They will teach you that Jesus died for our sins, but they don’t teach that we must die with Christ to our sin or that we must follow him in obedience to his teachings and instructions. Yet, the Word teaches us that if we say we have fellowship with him, but we continue living in sin, we are liars. It says that if we say we love God, but if we don’t do what he commands, we are liars, and he doesn’t know us (See: 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10). This is speaking of lifestyle, I believe. 

I believe God will discipline his wayward, spiritually adulterous and idolatrous church here in America for failing to heed his warnings and to respond to his calls for repentance. Yet, I believe God will do so in love, mercy and compassion, because he will be rescuing his children from their idolatry and the powerful influence these human institutions have over them right now, so that he can be their Lord again, and so they will honor him as the holy God that he is. 

I believe God will use divine correction to revive his church so that he can renew and restore her back to himself. In this, he will show his steadfast love and faithfulness. He will purify his people so that his bride will be ready for her husband for when he returns. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 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; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]   

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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