Closer Than a Brother

Friday, January 6, 2017, 10:10 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Very Best Friend.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (NIV).

Grace and Peace (vv. 1-2)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

To all God’s holy people, his church, his saints, i.e. to all those who love God and who are called according to his purpose be grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This word “grace” literally means “extension towards.” It has to do with God extending (putting forth; reaching; leaning) himself towards people to give himself to them (source: biblehub.com). For instance, it is mentioned in Romans 1 that God revealed himself (his divine qualities or attributes) to all humankind through all his created works. Then, we read in John 6:44 that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. So, here we see God extending himself toward humankind by drawing people to faith in Jesus Christ. Then, of course, we have God extending himself towards us by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross for our sins so that we might be delivered out of slavery to sin and become slaves of his righteousness. And, we have him daily extending himself towards us who believe in Jesus via his many acts of love, compassion, kindness and mercy towards us.

The word “peace” literally means “wholeness,” “welfare,” and “peace of mind.” It has to do with “all essential parts joined together” (source: biblehub.com). This is not about absence of conflict, trouble or hardships, but rather speaks of an inner peace of heart and mind because one trusts in God and rests in his love, in his Word, in his sovereignty, and in his grace towards us. First of all, we are made to be at peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ, because of what he did for us in dying for our sins. And, then he fills us with his peace within our inner beings because we trust in him. We have no reason to ever be anxious about anything in this life, because our lives are now completely in his hands and under his divine control.

The God of Comfort (vv. 3-7)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

The word “comfort” in our English language means “ease, relief, cheer, security, reassurance or pacify” (soothe), etc. We think of it often in terms as someone coming alongside us during difficult times and making us feel better emotionally or mentally. Yet, the Greek word translated as “comfort” means “exhortation, entreaty, encouragement, comfort and summons.” It is a “’holy urging’ used of the Lord directly motivating and inspiring believers to carry out His plan, delivering His particular message to someone else. The core-meaning of 3874 /paráklēsis (‘personal urging’) is shaped by the individual context, so it can refer to: exhortation, warning, encouragement (comfort), etc.” - http://biblehub.com/greek/3874.htm

I believe this understanding of the word “comfort” fits very well with this passage of scripture in 2 Corinthians 1, also. First of all, we are not comforted by God merely for our own solace, but it is so that we can comfort others with the same encouragement (reassurance or urging) we received from God. So, how do I know this is speaking of more than just merely giving one another a pat on the back or a word of cheer to make us feel better emotionally? It is because this comfort produces in us patient endurance of the same sufferings others have had. If all we do is pat someone on the back and tell them “everything is going to be ok,” or we merely try to cheer them up so they feel better inside, temporarily, it is not going to produce in them patient endurance in suffering. They will want relief from suffering, instead, and thus the “comfort” won’t last.

Each and every situation will call for what type of comfort is needed, but if the end result is to be that we patiently endure suffering of the kind Jesus and the apostles suffered, then we need more than just cheering up. We need to be reassured of God’s love, grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and sovereignty over our lives, as well as of his calling and purpose for our lives. 

We need that “holy urging” used of the Lord in motivating and inspiring us to carry out his plan. We need to be reminded that we are not in this world for ourselves or for our own ease, coziness or relief from suffering. In fact, the Bible teaches us that we are destined for suffering and that just as Jesus was hated and persecuted, so we would be also if we are truly to be his followers. We need to be exhorted (urged, pressed or incited) on toward greater faith, perseverance, fuller commitment to Christ, and holy living. In fact, one of the reasons for our suffering is that God is making us holy, he is purifying us, and he is conforming us into the image of his Son, i.e. he is pruning us so that we will be even more fruitful (Jn. 15:2).

Great Pressure (vv. 8-11)

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, God does not promise us that it will be one big party for us from this point on, even though today’s modern institutional church often leaves us with that impression. Faith in Jesus Christ is not about our personal comfort (ease) and enjoyment (entertainment, fun). It is about dying with Christ to sin and self, and being resurrected with him to newness of life, created to be like him in true righteousness and holiness (Ro. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24). Does this mean we go around with frowns on our faces and it is all doom and gloom? No, certainly not! We should have way more reason to smile and to be joyful because of what Jesus did for us in giving us new lives free from the control of sin over our lives. And, we should be at total peace inside!

But, God does promise us that suffering is part of the Christian life, and that it serves a valuable purpose in our lives in training us in godliness, and in making us holy, and in purifying our hearts, and in teaching us patience and perseverance, etc. Paul said it is also so that we learn to not rely on ourselves but on God. Amen! I can attest to that! We can so easily get proud or self-sufficient when things are going well for us, but when we suffer, especially for the sake of the name of Jesus and his gospel, it does humble us and it teaches us that we must be totally dependent on our Lord in all things just to make it through each day. It gets us to lean on him. This is part of this “holy urging” we spoke about at the beginning of this writing. Suffering is often for the purpose to teach us what we need to learn.

Also, when we go through trials, difficulties and times of great suffering, it draws us to get closer to our Lord and it teaches us to lean on him, so this is also part of his grace to us, i.e. this is part of God’s extending himself towards us to give himself to us. He knows that, since we live in these flesh bodies, i.e. since we are but clay, that we need suffering to prune away the flesh so that we can mature in our walks of faith and can be more and more under the control (guidance, leadership) of the Spirit in our lives, because this is what is best for us. It is also his way of getting our attention when we get our eyes off him and on to ourselves or on to our circumstances. And, it is his way of extending himself towards us to show us his mercy, his compassion, and his grace that is always there for us to rest in, to find assurance in, and through which to experience renewed hope and purpose.

My Very Best Friend / Ron Hamilton – Patch the Pirate

Jesus is closer than a brother.

Every moment he is near.

I know he never will forsake me.

He has conquered all my fear.

Jesus is closer than a brother.

On his love I can depend.

King of kings, Lord of lords,

Conquering Son, oh, all of these,

He’s my very best friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gDeYuckXgQ

Everything in Love

Thursday, January 5, 2017, 10:22 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “A Believer’s Prayer.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 16:5-24 (Select vv. NIV).

A Great Door (vv. 8-9)

But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

Wherever God is at work in people’s hearts, Satan is there opposing that work. When God opens a door for effective work for the sake of the gospel, Satan is there trying to slam it shut in people’s faces. If he can’t get people to stop believing the truth that they hear, he will try to discredit and/or discourage and dishearten the Lord’s messengers so that they will stop preaching the gospel. Yet, we should consider opposition a good sign in that it means the ministry is effective, and people’s lives are being changed, otherwise why would Satan bother? He bothers because he knows his own kingdom is in jeopardy, and that if he wants to keep it, he must fight for it. Of course, we know he will not win because Jesus already conquered him via his death on a cross and via his resurrection back to life, i.e. we know how the story ends.

Because we know how the story ends, this should encourage us to keep persevering and to not give up hope, even when all seems (appears) utterly hopeless. We should keep walking in the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. We must continue living to please our Lord in all we do and say, and we should not get discouraged or be afraid of the opposition. Instead, we must keep the faith and trust in the Lord and in his many promises to us. If he has called us, he will empower us, and he will equip us, and he will supply all we need to do the work to which he has called us, even despite false accusations against us, and persecution, and the enemy’s continual attacks against us to try to get us to give up, or to trip us up. Satan is powerful, for sure, but he is no match for our God. Everything and everyone is subject to God. Satan can do nothing but what God permits it, and for a purpose. So, we should never fear what Satan or man might do to us.

Nothing to Fear (vv. 10-11a)

When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should treat him with contempt.

There are people in this world who are godly people, who are serving the Lord with much spiritual fervor, but who are regularly being treated with contempt (scorn) because they preach the gospel of Jesus Christ as Jesus and his NT apostles taught it, and people don’t want to hear it, even many who call themselves Christians and ministers of the gospel of Christ.

So many people today will no longer put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim. 4:3). And, this is prevalent in today’s institutional church here in America. So much of the church has been so modernized that they have basically kicked the Holy Spirit right out of their meetings in favor of following the ways of man, and man-made business and marketing schemes for how to build their “churches,” i.e. their corporations of human origin.

So, they have diluted the gospel to make it not offensive to the people of the world, and they have turned their worship services into stage productions for the purpose of entertaining the world, so the world will feel comfortable and non-threatened in their meetings. What is wrong with this picture? Is the gospel not to be an offense to those who are perishing? Is it not to bring with it conviction of sin and a call to repentance and obedience to Christ and his Word? Yes! But, those who preach such a gospel are tagged as intolerant, bigoted, hateful, disunifiers, dividers, legalistic, and the like.

So, this is an encouragement to the body of Christ to not treat the Lord’s messengers and the gospel of Jesus Christ with contempt, but to listen to the Lord and to his Word so we can discern who is from God and who is not, and so we don’t end up persecuting those who are the Lord’s true servants while embracing those who are, in reality, working for the enemy.

Be Courageous (vv. 13-14)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

It takes much courage to keep on speaking in Jesus’ name and to keep sharing the truth of the gospel of our salvation when we are faced with many who oppose the full gospel message, who treat us unjustly, and when we are rejected, abandoned, falsely accused and ill-treated because we stand on the truth of God’s word and we do not compromise our faith to be accepted. Although some people may think we are religious fanatics and that we need to be more “normal,” and do the kinds of things other people do, so we don’t stand out like a sore thumb, our Lord has called us to be different, and separated from the world, and to live as strangers on this earth in reverent fear of God. So, that is what we must do, no matter what!

We must exercise much spiritual discernment with regard to those who would oppose us, so we know how we are to respond to them. The Bible gives us multiple instructions on how we are to treat those who oppose us. We are to love our enemies, pray for them, do good to them, and desire what is best for them, and not repay evil for evil. Yet, we are to speak the truth in love, confront wrongdoing, expose the fruitless deeds of darkness, and call people to repentance and to obedience to Christ. But, sometimes, when they oppose us we are to brush the dust off our sandals and leave, while other times we are to remain and keep speaking even in spite of the opposition. If our enemy is hungry, we are to feed him. If he is thirsty, we are to give him something to drink. Does this include spiritual hunger and thirst? Surely it does! If God saved Paul, who was a persecutor of Christians, he can save even the fiercest of our opponents, can he not?

All in all, we must do everything in love. So, we have to ask ourselves what is the loving thing to do, yet not loving by human standards, but by God’s standards, i.e. preferring what God prefers. Love doesn’t give up hope. It perseveres even when all looks hopeless. It believes even when the path ahead appears dark and dreary. And, it lays down its own life and reputation for the life of another, that he or she may be saved and have eternal life.

Refreshing Others’ Spirits (v. 18)

For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

We all need encouragement, don’t we? And, by encouragement I don’t mean people to pat us on the back and to tell us we are ok, when we aren’t, or to deliver to us flattery, which is insincere, and is not loving at all. We need people who will be honest with us, but who will do so in love, with our best interest in mind.

If we are not doing what is right, we need people who will love us enough to tell us the truth, who will urge and persuade and help us to change course, even if we might be ones who might resist them. We need people who won’t give up on us, but who will stay the course, and who will keep praying for us, and who will keep believing God to make us into who he wants us to be.

But, if we are doing what is right, we need people who will inspire and cheer us on, who will offer us words of comfort and hope. If we are following the Lord in obedience, it is helpful to know there are those who are praying for us, and who are standing with us in spirit as we continue to share the gospel in spite of all opposition. We need to be ones who refresh one another’s spirits, in other words, because our enemy is working hard against us.

A Believer’s Prayer / An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263

Steadfast in Faith

Thursday, January 5, 2017, 8:45 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “A Believer’s Prayer.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 15:12-58 (Select vv. NASB).

Summary (vv. 12-31)

There were people in Paul’s day, even within the church, apparently, who objected to the idea of the resurrection of the dead. So, Paul delivered a discourse on the subject of the resurrection of the dead in order to explain to them what that would mean if there was no resurrection of the dead. It would mean that Jesus Christ was not resurrected, and if so, then the preaching of the gospel is useless (futile), and so is our faith, for we are still in our sins. He said, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Yet, Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, Paul said. Thus, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

Do Not Be Deceived (vv. 32b-34)

If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

There are always going to be people within the church, or within the institutional church who will try to get us to believe what is contrary to the Word of God. They will try to instill doubts in our minds by twisting the Word of Truth, or by diluting the gospel message to make it more appealing and acceptable to the flesh of humans. They will pull scriptures out of context to support their beliefs, too, while they ignore the bulk of teaching on the same subject. So, this is why scripture teaches us that we are to test everything we hear against the Word of Truth so we are not deceived by those who would try to lead us astray. We may even utilize Paul’s manner of examining a subject by comparing it to truth, thus showing the fallacy of the false logic being promoted by those who would attempt to deceive us. And, of course, all of this must be done under the direction of the Holy Spirit of God.

The Last Trumpet (vv. 50-57)

Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

As followers of Jesus Christ, this is what we have to look forward to one day. One day Jesus Christ - who is alive, because he was resurrected from the dead - is going to return for those of us who have put our faith and trust in him. He will return for us who have walked with him in truth; who have walked by the Spirit and no longer according to our sinful flesh. We will no longer be subject to temptation, sin, sickness, sadness or pain, because we will no longer live in these earthly and fleshly bodies. We will be resurrected to immortal (undying) bodies, for death will be no more. Amen!

And, yet, while we wait for that day to come, we can still experience victory over sin because Jesus put sin to death, and because he rose back to life, victorious over sin, and since we believe in him as our Savior from slavery to sin. We will still be tempted to sin, and that is bad enough, yet we can live life free from the control of sin and of Satan because of what Jesus did for us, and that is GOOD NEWS! Sin no longer is our master, because Jesus set us free. We are now, instead, to be slaves (servants) to his righteousness.

Be Steadfast (v. 58)

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

So, what should our lives look like while we wait for Jesus’ return? Is God’s grace merely forgiveness of sins so that we can escape hell and have the promise of heaven when we die? NO! God’s grace, which brings salvation, teaches us to say “No!” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return. Jesus Christ “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Tit. 2:11-14). We are not our own. We were bought with a price – the blood of Jesus Christ shed on a cross for our sins. Thus, Jesus is not only our Savior, but he is our Lord (owner-master), and we are his slaves. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).

Therefore, as his bond-servants, we are to honor God with our lives. We are to be steadfast (unwavering) in faith, hope and in love for God, and for one another. We should never give up on God or on people just because stuff in our lives might not be going so well, at times. We should follow Jesus in obedience to his Word in good times and in bad times, always believing that in all things he works for the good of them who love him, who have been called according to his purposes (Ro. 8:28). And, the “good” he works is not according to our standards, but according to God’s. It will be what is truly in our best interest, i.e. what is best for us, not necessarily what we want.

When we are working for the Lord, walking in the Spirit, and in the power of God’s Spirit within us, and we are fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives, things won’t always go the way we would like or hope. There will be bumps in the road, and storms, and roadblocks which we must overcome in the power of God’s Spirit within us. Not everyone is going to fall madly in love with us, either. Some people will hate us. Some will persecute us and say all manner of evil against us. They will reject us, and even close friends will abandon us. The closer we are in our walks of faith, and the more we are separated in lifestyle from this sinful world, the more people will distance themselves from us, because they won’t be comfortable being around us.

If we are those who share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, even those within the church may distance themselves from us because they won’t like the message. It may be similar to what Jesus experienced when many people who had been following him deserted him, never to return, because they said his teaching was too hard. It was too hard because Jesus required that his followers die with him to sin and that they be resurrected with him to new life in Christ, to be lived to his righteousness. There was no middle ground with Jesus. If we would not die with him to sin, then we would have no part with him (Jn. 6:35-66; 13:8; Lu. 9:23-25; 14:25-35).

So, when they reject us, which they will, then we have to take it to the Lord in prayer, and give it over to him. Then, we must keep loving, and keep believing, and keep sharing the truth about Christ and his gospel of salvation, because many need to know Jesus and to have the assurance of salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life with God in glory. We are not here on this earth to please ourselves or so people will all love us. We are here to love God, and to love others, even if we are hated in return. So, never give up hope. His Word will not return to Him empty, but will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it (Is. 55:11). So, keep on keeping on. Remember that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (it is not hopeless or futile). On that, we can rest our hope. Amen!

A Believer’s Prayer / An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263

Make Known the Gospel

Monday, January 2, 2017, 10:07 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Tell Me the Story of Jesus.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (NASB).

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Creation and Creator

The One True God is a triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – three distinct persons in one God. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, existed with God from the beginning. He was with God and he was God. Through him all things were created (See: Matt. 28:18-20; Gen. 1:26; Jn. 1:1-34).

From what I understand, before God created the earth, and humans to live on the earth, he created angels, who are “ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:13-14). One of these angels, Lucifer, decided he wanted to be God, and so he rebelled against God, along with a third of the angels in heaven. So, he was cast out of heaven and down to the earth (See: Is. 14:12; Lu. 10:18; Rev. 9:1; 12:3-9). Lucifer is also called by the names “the devil” and “Satan.”  

When God created man and woman, he created them in his own image, and they lived in the Garden of Eden, where they were without sin. God gave them rule over all the earth, and he gave them everything to freely enjoy, except he commanded them not to eat of just one tree. Then Satan, who was in the form of a snake, tempted Eve (the woman) to eat of the tree, so she ate and sinned against God. Then she gave Adam (her husband), who was with her, the fruit of the tree, and he ate and sinned against God, as well. Then God cursed the serpent, Eve, Adam and the earth, and he removed Adam and Eve from the garden (Gen. 1:26-3:24). Because of Adam’s sin, all humans have been born into sin and fall short of attaining God’s divine approval (See: Ro. 3:23; 5:12-19; 1 Co. 15:21-22, 42-49).

God’s Divine Plan

Yet, God had a plan all along for how he was going to restore humans to himself and to save them from their sins (See: Gen. 3:15). God the Father sent Jesus, the Son, to the earth to be born as a baby to a human mother with God as the father – “the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:20). So, when Jesus walked the face of this earth he was fully God yet fully man, and without sin, although he was tempted to sin in much the same ways we are. Even though Jesus was God, he “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant… he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross” (See: Phil. 2:1-11).

When Jesus was on this earth he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, cast out demons, comforted the sorrowful and preached repentance for forgiveness of sins. He did not conform to the ways of the religious leaders in the Jewish temple, so they hated him. They were also jealous of him and his popularity among the people and they feared that their own positions of power over the people might be in jeopardy. They also didn’t like it that he healed people on the Sabbath, that he claimed to be God, who he was, and that he confronted them with their sins of wickedness and hypocrisy. So, they arranged to have him put to death on a cross.

“For our sake he” (God the Father) “made him” (Jesus Christ) “to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Co. 5:21). Basically, when Jesus died, our sins died and were buried with him. Then, he was resurrected from the dead, at which time he rose victorious over hell, Satan, sin and death. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. And, he died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; Ro. 8:1-14).

We Must Believe

This was God’s plan to save us from our sins and to restore us to a right relationship with Almighty God. Yet, not all are saved. We must believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives if we want to be saved from sin and have eternal life with God in heaven. So, how do we do that? Well, first of all God the Father must draw us to faith in Jesus Christ, and then his grace gives us the faith to believe, but we must still appropriate that to our lives. In other words, we are not puppets on a string. We must each individually accept God’s invitation to his great salvation by the faith he gives us. So, what does that faith look like?

Well, the Bible teaches us that coming to Christ means we forsake our former way of living (for sin and self), that we are transformed of the Spirit of God in heart and mind, and that we are given new lives in Christ to be lived to his righteousness (Ro. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20). This is called repentance. Basically, we were going one direction, and now we turn, and we go the opposite direction, all in the power and working of the Spirit of God within us, and not in our own flesh. Saul’s (Paul’s) commission by Jesus says it well:

“I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (See: Acts 26:16-18).

Jesus didn’t go through that painful death on a cross just so we could escape hell and go to heaven when we die. He died to transform our lives out of darkness into his wonderful light. He said that if we would come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily, and follow him. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin), we will gain eternal life (Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Ro. 8:1-14). When we come to faith in Christ we die to sin, so how can we live in it any longer? “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.” (See: Ro. 6:1-23)

Now, going back to the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15, we are reminded here that by this gospel we are saved, if we hold firmly to the word preached to us (by Jesus and his NT apostles, in our case). To hold firmly means to embrace, to grasp, and to follow the teaching of the gospel, and to do so steadfastly and resolutely. In other words, if we say we have fellowship with God but we walk in darkness, we are liars (1 Jn. 1:6). If we walk according to the flesh, we will die (in our sins), but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (with Christ for eternity). It is not enough to just say we believe. We need to live (in lifestyle) like we say we believe. If Jesus died to free us from slavery to sin, then we should no longer be enslaved to sin, but we should be servants of his righteousness.

Tell Me the Story of Jesus / Fanny J. Crosby / John R. Sweney

Tell me the story of Jesus,

Write on my heart every word;

Tell me the story most precious,

Sweetest that ever was heard.

Tell how the angels in chorus,

Sang as they welcomed His birth,

“Glory to God in the highest!

Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Fasting alone in the desert,

Tell of the days that are past,

How for our sins He was tempted,

Yet was triumphant at last.

Tell of the years of His labor,

Tell of the sorrow He bore;

He was despised and afflicted,

Homeless, rejected and poor.

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,

Writhing in anguish and pain;

Tell of the grave where they laid Him,

Tell how He liveth again.

Love in that story so tender,

Clearer than ever I see;

Stay, let me weep while you whisper,

“Love paid the ransom for me.”

Tell me the story of Jesus,

Write on my heart every word;

Tell me the story most precious,

Sweetest that ever was heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wJRmzK2KJM

Fathomless Love

Sunday, January 1, 2017, 11:30 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Wonderful Peace.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 13 (ESV).

Love Conquers All (vv. 1-3)

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

What is love? The Greek word for love, in this context, is agape, which “centers in moral preference” and “typically refers to divine love (= what God prefers)” - http://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm. Agape love is self-sacrificial. It is God-like love. “Agape is love which is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself.” “Sacrificial love is not based on a feeling, but a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare of others above our own.” “This is the love which ‘has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us’ when we became His children (Romans 5:5)” - http://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html.

So, in order for us to have this kind of love, one for another, we must first of all be in intimate relationship with the one who is love, i.e. be at peace with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son. We must be crucified with Christ, by the Spirit of God, via death to sin, and be resurrected with Christ, by the Spirit, to new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20; Ro. 6:1-23). This begins when we accept God’s invitation to his great salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, yet it is also a daily process of dying to sin and self and of following our Lord Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives (See: Lu. 9:23-25; 2 Co. 5:15; Ro. 8:3-14). Thus, to love others in this way, we must be indwelt by and surrendered to the ONE who IS LOVE.

It seems to me, if we are truly operating in the power of the Spirit of God in the exercise of the spiritual gifts given us by the Spirit of God, that the love of God would naturally flow through us to others. Yet, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Perhaps this is not speaking of times when we are empowered by the Spirit in the exercise of these gifts, but of times when we operate in the flesh and do not yield control to the Spirit. Yet, what is clear is that we can have wonderful gifts of the Spirit of God and still not exercise the love of God toward others in the execution of those gifts, and thus the carrying out of such gifts ends up just being a bunch of noise.

Yet, this all goes back to the definition of “agape” love, for some people might think we are NOT being loving when we confront sin, call for repentance, expose lies and false gospels, and warn of judgment and of the dangers of a false faith, based in a lie, which gives people false hope. As well, some of them may think they ARE being loving by diluting the gospel, telling people what they want to hear, saying only pleasant things which tickle itching ears, and/or by avoiding speaking the truth in love so as not to “offend” people with the truth of the gospel. Yet, lies are never kind, and they definitely are not loving. In the same respect, truth can be told in ways which are unkind and unloving, so we must submit ourselves to the control of the Spirit of God, allowing the love and peace of God to flow through us in all that we do, while resisting the temptation to give in to the flesh.

Agape love, thus, is self-sacrificial. It gives of itself to meet the legitimate needs of others, and will lay down its life so others can go free, even if it means we are hated, rejected, mistreated and falsely accused in return.

Love Is (vv. 4-7)

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Agape love is patient (long-suffering). It doesn’t quit. It doesn’t give up on people, even though they may be difficult or even hurtful towards us, because God never gave up on us. We persevere in loving them. Love is kind. It is thoughtful and demonstrates a desire to help others. Yet, again, telling people lies just to make them feel good is never kind. Speaking the truth in love is kind, because it cares more about what the other person really needs than it cares about itself. Love is not jealous (or envious). This word translated as “jealous” can be used in both a positive and a negative context. So, jealously is not always bad or unloving, in other words. We can be jealous for others with a godly jealousy, hoping to see them forsake their idolatry (adultery) and to return to their “first love” (See: 2 Co. 11:1-4). Envy, on the other hand, is bad, for it incorporates such terms as “greed, bitterness, resentment, spite, and hatred” etc.

Love does not brag (boast), it is not arrogant (proud). I think those speak for themselves. Love does not act unbecomingly. In some translations this is translated to say that love is not rude (impolite). Yet, rudeness can be defined by the culture in which we live and/or by tradition, and it may or may not agree with what scripture teaches. In some cultures, it is polite to lie to people, but lying is sinful. In some cultures, it is impolite to speak the truth in love, yet that is what scripture teaches us we must do. The gospel of our salvation is an offense to those who are perishing, and so the world (or worldly church) may consider us as being rude (impolite) because we preach the gospel, because it offends people. Yet, we must preach the gospel, and that is agape love. We must never compromise the truth of God’s word or what Jesus teaches us we must do in love, in order to not to offend people. Rudeness, as well, must be always be defined by scripture and not by culture (not by the world). A better translation of “does not act unbecomingly” would read that love is not dishonorable (shameful; vile; wicked) or indecent (crude, impure, vulgar). That makes more sense.

Love does not seek its own. In other words, love is unselfish and it regards the legitimate needs, i.e. what is in the best interest of others above oneself. It willingly gives of oneself to meet others’ needs, and is self-sacrificial, giving of time, money, resources, energy, etc. for others. Love is not easily provoked (not easily angered). If we are hot-headed, we can’t be acting in love. Love does not take into account a wrong suffered. This is much like “tit for tat,” i.e. it has to do with keeping books (like a score sheet or a ledger) for the purpose of retaliation, i.e. for evening out the score, i.e. for getting even with others for what they do to us.

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness (does not delight in evil). We should get no pleasure out of the evil things people do or out of seeing evil done to others, and this includes watching TV shows and movies where we are entertained by such evil and even rejoice when people are killed or get their “just due.” We should grieve over such evil, not find pleasure in it, and definitely not provoke or encourage it in others. Instead, we should rejoice with the truth, even when the truth cuts straight to the heart.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Again, what this says here must be defined by scripture and not by culture. This is not talking about believing lies or being tolerant of sin or trusting in a false hope or enduring false teaching. This is agape love, so it must be defined by how God loves, by his character and nature, and by his holiness and righteousness. It prefers what God prefers, so it bears, believes, hopes and endures only as God does, and as he requires of us. This does not refer to anything outside the scope of what would be approved by God and for God and for the ultimate good of others. Our beliefs and hopes must always be centered in God and in his Word. We must endure trials, hardships, troubles and unjust suffering and persecution for the sake of his name, and for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love Never Fails (vv. 8-13)

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

In all things we must love God and love others as God loves us and gave himself up for us. All of our gifting, schooling, knowledge, etc. means nothing if it is not led (directed and motivated) by agape love as its driving force. The gifts of the Spirit are not for our own glory but for the glory of God and for the mutual benefit of one another within the body of Christ, that we all may be edified, instructed, encouraged, strengthened, comforted, healed and built up in the faith and reach maturity in Christ.

One day, when Jesus (perfection) returns for us, all these gifts of the Spirit will be done away with, for they will no longer be necessary, for we will be delivered from these flesh bodies and we will be perfect in Christ. Right now we do not have complete knowledge or understanding, but when Jesus returns, we will know fully as we are fully known. So, we should stop behaving like children, being selfish, prideful, envious, impure, and hot-tempered, etc., and we should become mature in our thinking, reasoning and behaving, putting on love above all else. We do this through submission to the Spirit of God, in which we experience his perfect peace and his fathomless love sweeping over us, and being lived out daily through us.

Wonderful Peace / Warren D. Cornell / William G. Cooper

Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight

Rings a melody sweeter than psalm;

And in heavenly strains it unceasingly falls

O’er my soul like an infinite calm.

I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,

Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;

For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,

And His glory is flooding my soul!

O dear soul, are you here without comfort and rest,

Marching down the rough pathway of time?

Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark;

O accept now this peace so sublime!

Peace, peace, wonderful peace,

Coming down from the Father above!

Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray

In fathomless billows of love!

As He Chose

Sunday, January 1, 2017, 9:37 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Keeps Me Singing.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 12 (Select vv. ESV).

Spiritual Gifts (vv. 1, 4-7, 11)

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed… Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good… All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Spiritual gifts are first of all given to believers in Jesus Christ. Non-Christians don’t have gifts of the Spirit of God. The gifts are also given to us from the Spirit of God as he wills, not as we will. Although the scriptures do teach that we should desire the higher (or greater) gifts (v. 31), it is still God who determines which gifts we get. As well, spiritual gifts are not to be confused with natural talents. We might have a natural talent for singing, drawing, writing, playing a musical instrument, organization, sewing, cooking, teaching, etc., but if we had these talents prior to being saved, they are natural talents, not spiritual gifts, although they, too, come from God.

Also, spiritual gifts are supernatural. In other words, they will often be something that we did not have in the natural, or that the exercise of them goes way beyond what we were able to do naturally. For instance, God may give us wisdom beyond our years, or beyond what we had naturally, so that it will be obvious that this came from him and not from ourselves. He may give us a gift for writing spiritual songs when we did not have this gift before, or he may give us the supernatural ability to have understanding of how God is working in our culture, or in our day and time, so that we can relay this to others as a practical application of the Word of God to today.

As well, spiritual gifts are not for us alone. In other words, they are for the common good, i.e. they are to be used within the body of Christ, or out in the world, depending on the gift, for men’s and women’s strengthening, encouragement and comfort, as well as for the edification (instruction, building up and spiritual maturity) of the church. And, each one of us has a part in using our gifts to minister God’s grace to others. We grow and build ourselves up in love and faith as each part does its work, not as only a few people work while the others are spectators, like attendees to a show.

One Body, Many Members (vv. 12-13)

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner-master) and Savior of our lives, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us to counsel, guide, lead, empower, strengthen and equip us for ministry (for service) to our Lord, and to others. The Spirit of God then gives us spiritual gifts as He determines. And, God assigns all of us parts (roles) within the body of Christ which we are to fulfill, which are spiritual roles, and as he chooses. These body parts were predetermined by God, as he had chosen us in Christ even before the creation of the world (See: Eph. 1:3-4; 2 Tim. 1:8-9).

These God-given assignments are not to be confused, therefore, with man-created assignments. They are not the same as being asked to work in the nursery or to teach a Sunday School class or small group, or to serve on a committee, though there may be some overlaps in these areas. Nonetheless, God may guide a church leader to ask us to serve in a capacity as directed by God. And, this may be our God-given assignment, but it may not be if the leader making the decision is not in tune with the Spirit of God, and/or if he is following man-made role models for church ministry, rather than being guided by the Spirit and the Word of God.

You see, too many institutional churches are following man-made models for how to do church instead of being guided by the Spirit of God, and so the body ends up being all lopsided, because the “pastor” is the one giving out all the messages, visiting the sick, counseling the hurting, and managing the daily operations of the church, and all else seems to revolve around this one man (or several) and his (or their) ministry. But, this is backwards! For one, the ministry of the church should revolve around Jesus Christ and be guided and operated by the Spirit of God, not by man. And, all of us should have a part, i.e. all of us should share in the ministry, yet not as man determines, but as God determines (See: Eph. 4:11-16).

“I Don’t Need You” (vv. 14-26)

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

The result of the church being guided by humans, rather than by the Spirit of God, is that there are many gifted people within the body of Christ whose gifts and roles are being snuffed out or ignored. Either they are being made to feel as though their parts (roles) and gifting are unimportant or of less value, and so they feel they are not necessary to the body, or else they are being told, in one way or another, that they are not wanted because they “don’t fit” in with man’s goals and objectives for the church, i.e. with their man-made businesses, which are marketed as such, too.

The sad reality of all this is that many of our pastors and lay leaders are being trained in how to market the “church” to particular people groups, and how to push away or send away the “unwanted” who don’t fit with their particular church role model. More and more the “church” is being marketed to the world, and formed around the “seeker-sensitive” role model of how to attract the world to the “church,” and in how to keep the world coming back and craving for more of the Christianized version of what the world is offering, i.e. entertainment to feed the flesh. So, in order to do this, they have diluted the gospel or they teach a half-truth gospel message in order to make it more appealing and acceptable to the people of the world.

But, they forget that Jesus is the one who will build his church, and he will do it his way, not man’s ways. They forget, as well, that the church is the body of Christ with Christ as the head, instead of a business (corporation) of human-making with the US (or other) government as the head. And, they forget that the gatherings of the church are intended for the building up, strengthening, encouragement and spiritual maturity of the body of Christ, as EACH PART does its work, and as God has chosen and has assigned. And, that the church is then to go out into the world with the gospel so that people may come to faith in Jesus Christ, and THEN become part of the body of Christ, his church.

And, thus, many mature Christians who have much to offer the church have been pushed aside and forced to go someplace else, often to only find more of the same someplace else, and wondering where they can find the body of Christ, where Christ is truly head, and where the Spirit of God is the one gifting, equipping and empowering people in ministry so that everyone has the opportunity to fulfill their God-given roles and to exercise their God-given gifts, according to the teachings of scripture.

Yet, God has allowed all this to take place for his purposes, and he will come out on top, and his will will be accomplished through it all for the sake of his body, his church, in reviving them, and in renewing them in their walks of faith and fellowship with him. And, I believe that even where men may reject us and cast us aside, that if we are listening to God, and we are following his lead, he will make the way for us to be used of him despite man-made religion and their rejection of many of the Lord’s servants. Where we are dishonored by men, God will honor us, and he will use us for his glory, if we are following him in obedience and in surrender to his will.

He Keeps Me Singing / Luther B. Bridgers

There's within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low:

Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,

In all of life's ebb and flow.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

Discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,

See his footprints all the way.

Soon he's coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;

I shall reign with him on high.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go. 

A Heart Examination

Saturday, December 31, 2016, 11:30 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 11:23-32 (ESV).

Flee Idolatry (10:14-22)

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

What is idolatry? It is idol (false god) worship. What is an idol? It is an object (image) of worship; a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered (Google); an object of extreme devotion (M-W). And, what is worship? It is adoration, respect, commitment, loyalty, dedication, fidelity, faithfulness and zeal (etc.) for the object of the worship.

The Bible says that when we give our lives to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, that is our reasonable or acceptable worship of God (Ro. 12:1-2). So, idol worship may also be giving of our lives (emotion, passion, heart, fidelity, commitment, etc.) sacrificially to someone or something, usually in place of God or in greater intensity and commitment than we give to God, and/or in a manner in which only God should be the recipient. As well, a false (fake) god may be something or someone who presents himself (or is presented) as equal or as superior to the one true God, such as Santa Claus, for instance, or (who) which is opposed to God.

If you live in America, have you ever given thought to what it means when you pledge allegiance to the American flag, with hand over heart? Well, it means that you vow fidelity, faithfulness, loyalty and commitment (i.e. worship) to an image (the flag; idol) and to the republic (the government) for which it stands. And, what does your heart represent? It is the center of your being; your spirit; “one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations” (M-W). And, what does the Bible say about our hearts? It is in our hearts that we believe in Jesus Christ or we reject him. Jesus came to purify our hearts. And, he has given us the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. We are also to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Lu. 10:27). So, how can we, in good conscience, vow our worship (fidelity) and give our hearts in devotion to a human government, when God’s Spirit lives within our hearts?

Why should we not give our worship to idols? Because, by faith in Jesus Christ, we participate in the blood and body of Christ, which was given to us in death on a cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. We can’t give our hearts, fidelity, loyalty and commitment to what is evil, i.e. to what stands in opposition to our Christian faith, such as the US government, because we have died with Christ to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness. The two are opposed to each other. They can’t mix. The US government wants us to reject our faith in Christ in favor of unity with people of all religions and all walks of life (all lifestyles). They want us to get rid of all which divides us, but the gospel divides us saved and unsaved. So, they want us to reject the gospel in favor of a one-world religion. Yet, if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk in darkness (sin, wickedness, idolatry), we are liars, and we do not live by the truth (1 Jn. 1:6).

In Remembrance (11:23-26)

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Jesus asked that we remember him in what we call communion, where we symbolically participate with Christ in his death on a cross via the taking of the juice of the vine and of the bread, representing his blood and body respectively. As we participate in this symbolic act, we are to remember what he did for us in dying for our sins so that we might be delivered out of slavery to sin and so we might become servants of his righteousness. Yet, I believe this goes beyond a mere symbolic act, but it touches on how we live our lives every day. Do we die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness daily? Then, daily we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes, not just in words, or in symbols, but in how we live our lives.

A Worthy Manner (11:27-32)

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Since the eating of the bread and the drinking of the cup is not merely a symbolic act, but the actual participation with Christ in death to sin and in living to righteousness, via the Holy Spirit, we are to do neither in an unworthy manner. What would be an unworthy manner? I believe it would be to willfully hold on to known sin in our lives while we claim to be in Christ and dead to sin and living to his righteousness, i.e. while we claim faith in Jesus Christ and salvation from sin via Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is a slap in the face to Jesus Christ when we claim to know him yet think we can continue in sin because of God’s grace to us. “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Ro. 6:2). “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (Ro. 6:6-7).

So, we need to examine our hearts, not just before we take communion, but every day, because every day we are to die to sin and live to righteousness. Every day we are to walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to our sinful flesh, not just when we are participating in a symbolic act in the taking of communion. If we claim that we participate in the body of Christ, and we claim we are saved from sin, and that we have the promise of heaven when we die, yet we continue in sinful lifestyles, the Bible says we will die in our sins, and that we won’t have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven (Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 8:1-14).

If we truly are saved from our sins, but we are holding on to known sin in our lives, and then we take communion, we are doing so in an unworthy manner. Likewise, if we go about our lives every day professing Christ as our Savior from sin, but we hold on to known sin, we also do so in an unworthy manner, because we know we are not living what we say we believe. So, we need to judge (examine) ourselves so we don’t fall under God’s judgment (or divine correction). Are we partaking of the table of the Lord and the table of demons, too? Then, we should repent of our sin and turn to follow our Lord Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives.

My Jesus, I Love Thee

William R. Featherstone / Adoniram J. Gordon

My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;

For thee all the follies of sin I resign. 

My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. 

I love thee because thou hast first loved me,

And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;

I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. 

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,

And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;

And say, when the death-dew lies cold on my brow,

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight;

I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright;

I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.