A Joy Beyond Measure

Hear the word of the Lord,

    you rulers of Sodom!

Give ear to the teaching of our God,

    you people of Gomorrah!

“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

    says the Lord;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

    and the fat of well-fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

    or of lambs, or of goats.

Isaiah 1:10-11 ESV

In much the same way in which a lot of young married couples go into marriage with perhaps different expectations or differing ideas of what marriage is supposed to be like, a lot of people approach their marriage relationship with Jesus Christ with false and unrealistic expectations.

For, they have their own ideas of what salvation from sin and eternal life with God should look like, based upon what they had been taught. They have their own notions of what it means to believe in Jesus, too. And, they definitely have their own thoughts on what it means to love God, too.

And, so they end up going through the motions of religious performance. They attend weekly church services, give money to the church, serve in areas of ministry, get involved in community service projects, and volunteer their time and their talents wherever needed within the organized church.

They pray before meals, read their Bibles, maybe even have family devotions, and attend small groups or Bible studies. They are friendly and nice to their neighbors and volunteer to help out with community events.

But, their hearts are not surrendered to God. They are not committed to following Jesus with their whole hearts in obedience to his commands. They give God what they feel they should give him, on their terms, but he is not really Lord of their lives. They are still the ones in control. They are the ones determining what they will or won’t do for God.

But, their flesh is still on the throne of their hearts. And, they are still living to please the flesh and for self-pleasure. While they give an outward appearance that they are “good Christians,” they are secretly engaged in sinful practices that they don’t want to give up. And, so they adopt a belief in Jesus that gives them the freedom to keep on in their sinful practices while promising them heaven when they die, which is based on feelings.

And, even though God has been telling them and showing them what he requires of them for them to be His, they are largely ignoring what He is telling them, and they are just doing “nice things” thinking that God should be pleased, even if he is not really their Lord, although they claim him to be.

They are a lot like an unfaithful spouse who thinks he or she can cheat on his or her spouse, and then cover it up with lies and with “nice things,” thinking that his or her spouse should accept superficial sacrifices in place of fidelity, honesty, purity and faithfulness to the marriage. But, it doesn’t work that way in a marriage or in our relationships with Jesus Christ, either.

“When you come to appear before me,

    who has required of you

    this trampling of my courts?

Bring no more vain offerings;

    incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—

    I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts

    my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me;

    I am weary of bearing them.

When you spread out your hands,

    I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

    I will not listen;

    your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

    learn to do good;

seek justice,

    correct oppression;

bring justice to the fatherless,

    plead the widow's cause.

Isaiah 1:12-17 ESV

God, like any loving husband or wife, wants fidelity, faithfulness, purity of devotion, honesty and sincerity, not sacrifice on human terms as an appeasement or as a token emblem of some sort of relationship existing. He doesn’t want “stuff.” He wants our hearts committed to him. He doesn’t want “cards, candy and flowers.” He wants us to be truly His and committed to the relationship to love God with our whole hearts, minds and souls.

Just like an unfaithful spouse tramples on the heart of his or her spouse when he or she is unfaithful and adulterous toward that spouse, and when he or she then covers it up with lies or with fake kindness, so are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but feel they don’t have to obey the Lord or give their hearts to him or leave their sinful lifestyles behind them. They trample on the courts of God for they profess one thing while they live another.

And, just like the faithful spouse would appeal to the adulterous spouse to be faithful, to be pure, to be honest, and to truly love the other spouse, God is appealing to his adulterous church and to those who profess his name but who feel they don’t have to be faithful or honest or pure. And, he is telling them that they need to repent of their sins and turn to God to follow him in obedience and faithfulness.

He is letting them know that a true marriage relationship with him is not based on externals, but on heart change and heart surrender. It is not based on what people are willing to do for God all the while they remain in the flesh, living to please the flesh in direct disobedience to God. A true marriage relationship with Jesus Christ is based on our trust in Him, our surrender of our lives to him, our forsaking our former lives of living for sin and self, and our walking in obedience to his commands, in HIS power.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

    they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

    they shall become like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

    you shall eat the good of the land;

but if you refuse and rebel,

    you shall be eaten by the sword;

    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 1:18-20 ESV

And, God is trying to reason right now with his rebellious and adulterous church, and with those who profess his name but who live the opposite of what Jesus stands for. And, he is letting them know that a true marriage relationship is not based on feelings or on what we are willing to give to the marriage, but it is based on faithfulness, fidelity, honesty, purity and commitment to the marriage and to truly loving one another.

And, love is not an emotion or a feeling, but it is what we do, but not what we do superficially, or as a cover-up for sin and infidelity, or as a cheap and artificial substitute for truth, holiness, and righteousness. It is what we do in obedience to our Lord, in faithfulness to His Word, and in keeping with his requirements for us based on his boundaries he has set for us which are for our good, and for the good of our marriages, and for the good of our families and church families.

We, as the church, have to stop cheating on God with other lovers, and we need to be faithful in submission to him and to his Lordship over our lives. We have to stop faking loyalty and devotion to him while we are secretly (not secret to Him) engaged in all manner of evil and sinful practices. And, we have to stop living by our feelings, doing what we want our way, and we have to surrender to him and follow him in obedience and be faithful.

For, the Bible says that to love God is to obey him, and if we don’t walk in obedience to him, that we don’t love him, and we don’t know him, and we don’t have eternal life with him, either. For, if we choose adultery over the “real deal,” then we are just cheating ourselves, for the Bible says that if we walk according to our flesh, we are going to die in our sins and that it is only those who walk according to the Spirit (in fidelity and honesty) who have eternal life with God (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, don’t let your feelings rule your heart and life or mess with your marriages or with your relationships with God. Be faithful and honest. Love with pure love that comes from the heart of God. Don’t just mouth the words “I love you!” but show your love to God and to spouse by what you do, but not by way of your thinking, but according to God’s Word. Let God and His Word rule your hearts and lives and not your feelings, and you will be blessed with eternal life with God and a joy that is beyond measure.

Anniversary Song

By Ann Aschauer

Well, some folks think that "love" means emotion,

So it comes and goes their whole life through.

Some folks never know that when the magic goes,

If you keep on lovin', it'll come back to you.

I was so afraid we'd lose the special feeling,

And someday we'd find our love wasn't true,

But then God opened up my eyes and made me realize,

Love is not what you feel, it's what you do.

c 1987 Ann Aschauer

A Return to Slavery

“O my people, what have I done to you?

    How have I wearied you? Answer me!

For I brought you up from the land of Egypt

    and redeemed you from the house of slavery,

and I sent before you Moses,

    Aaron, and Miriam.

O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,

    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,

and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,

    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

Micah 6:3-5 ESV

God is talking to his rebellious people like a man or a woman might talk to his or her wayward and adulterous spouse. And, he is reminding them of all that he had done for them, and how he had been faithful, and how he had provided for them, and had delivered them, and had protected them. And, he is appealing to reason and to common sense. He had done them no wrong, so why were they cheating on him with “other lovers”?

And, I believe our Lord is giving the same message today to his adulterous church who has forsaken her Lord to go after other lovers and to return to her sinful lifestyles she lived in before she believed in Jesus Christ. For, she is taking pleasure in sin once again, and she is partnered with the ungodly. She is no longer living separate (unlike, different) from the world, but she has now become one with the world again in an unholy union.

The fruit she is now bearing is not the fruit of righteousness, but she is bearing the fruit of wickedness and idolatry. And, she has largely rejected the gospel of salvation as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles to go after a feelings-based gospel that does not deny the flesh, but which upholds it. It does not put sin to death, but it coddles it, and it pacifies it. For it requires no death to sin or living to righteousness, but it gives free license to continue in sinful practices without guilt and without remorse.

Even though Jesus Christ died a horrible death on a cross so that we could be delivered (set free) from our slavery to sin, many of his people who were once walking in holiness have returned to their sinful ways, and they are even celebrating their newfound freedom, but it is no freedom at all, for they have returned to slavery. Although they had once tasted true freedom in Christ, they have chosen to be in bondage once again.

They are no longer living self-controlled lives, but out of control lives, not under the control of the Spirit of God. And, they are living by their feelings instead of by faith. If it feels good they do it, even if it is wrong. It is like they are drunk on sin, losing all sense of propriety, purity and holiness. Instead of being wise, they have become foolish. Instead of using common sense, they are senseless. And, they have crossed over God’s boundary lines, which he put in place for our protection, in order to do what ought not to be done.

“With what shall I come before the Lord,

    and bow myself before God on high?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

    with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

He has told you, O man, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah 6:6-8 ESV

But, they are still claiming faith in Jesus Christ. They are still calling themselves Christians and followers of Christ. But, they have made up their own faith and their own gospel that pleases the flesh rather than pleases God. They have decided in their own flesh what they will or will not do for God. So, they go through religious performances of some kind, but of their own choosing, i.e. which fits with their chosen lifestyles.

So, they go through the motions of worship of God, going to religious gatherings where they sing praise and worship songs and where they listen to talks, where the Bible may or may not be used as the basis for the talks. And, they “stay in their own lane” as they are instructed, and they don’t say anything which might offend anyone, but they just smile and shake people’s hands and laugh and joke around and they call that Christian fellowship.

But, that isn’t what God wants. It isn’t what he requires. What he requires is our lives on the altar in surrender to him, forsaking our lives of sin to follow him in obedience to his will and to his ways. What he requires is that we live lives which are separate from the world of sin and holy unto God and dedicated to him and to his purposes. For, this is why he died (Rom. 12:1-2; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 2:24).

He requires that we do what is right in his eyes, not what is wrong, and that we exercise the kind of kindness that he has shown to us, which does not coddle or placate sin, but which confronts sin and which calls for repentance and walks of obedience to Christ. And, he requires that we walk humbly with him, not in pride and in self-pleasure, but in submission to his Lordship, in the forsaking of our sins and our idols, and in obedience to his commands.

The voice of the Lord cries to the city—

    and it is sound wisdom to fear your name:

“Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!

    Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked,

    and the scant measure that is accursed?

Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales

    and with a bag of deceitful weights?

Your rich men are full of violence;

    your inhabitants speak lies,

    and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,

    making you desolate because of your sins.

You shall eat, but not be satisfied,

    and there shall be hunger within you;

you shall put away, but not preserve,

    and what you preserve I will give to the sword.

You shall sow, but not reap;

    you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;

    you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.

For you have kept the statutes of Omri,

    and all the works of the house of Ahab;

    and you have walked in their counsels,

that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing;

    so you shall bear the scorn of my people.”

Micah 6:9-16 ESV

The Word of God teaches us that God disciplines those he loves, that he chastises and rebukes, and he prunes, and it is painful, but the purpose is that it will yield a harvest of righteousness, and that we might share in his holiness. So, don’t get the notion that just because God hasn’t disciplined you yet for your sinful rebellion that he will remain silent forever.

Remember with me if you will his letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation where he chastised five of those churches for their waywardness in various ways, and where he warned of divine judgment if they did not repent of their wicked ways. And, yet he promised rewards and blessings for those who did repent and who overcame sin’s deceit. And, these warnings to the church are what preceded the declarations of judgment throughout the rest of the book of Revelation.

We also read in scripture, which warnings were given to the church, that if we walk (in lifestyle) in sin, we don’t have eternal life with God but a fearful expectation of hell’s fury. It is only those who walk (in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God who have the promise of eternal life with God. And, this walk of faith must continue to the end of time, too.

So don’t get cocky and think that you are good to go and that nothing can separate you from God and that heaven is guaranteed you no matter how much you sin. For the scriptures teach that we are all going to reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6).

Living Water

An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

https://vimeo.com/379511565

Practice All These Qualities

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” Titus 2:1 ESV

What is sound doctrine? With so many different translations and interpretations of scripture out there in the world, how do we know which one is correct? How do we judge who is right and who is wrong?

Well, first of all we need to begin by being in genuine relationship with Almighty God, by God’s grace, through God-given faith in Jesus Christ in death to sin and in living to God and to his righteousness.

We have to have crucified the sinful nature with its lusts and desires, and we have to have been born again of the Spirit of God and have put on Christ and his righteousness, no longer living for our sinful flesh, in practice, but now living for our Lord according to the Spirit of God (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:24; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

Then, and only then are we indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God who then leads us into all truth. He teaches us all about Jesus Christ and he gives us spiritual discernment and wisdom to understand the truths of God’s Word. But, then we have to listen to what the Word teaches us, and we have to do what it says, if we are going to truly know the truth that will set us free.

Then, as we are in God’s Word each day, listening to him speak his words to our hearts, and as we allow the Holy Spirit to speak truth to our hearts, and then we do what the Word teaches us, we will begin to learn the truth. But, this can’t be something we do five minutes a day so we can check it off our schedules. We have to study to show ourselves approved unto God as workmen (and women) who correctly handle the Word of Truth.

And, something very important that I learned over the years is that we have to study scriptures in their contexts. Too many doctrines are formed out of a select number of scriptures taken out of context to make them say what people want them to say.

So, if you want to know what is sound doctrine, and if you want to share what is in accord with sound doctrine with others, then study the scriptures in their context, and also compare scripture with scripture regarding the same subject matters.

Also included in this is that we have to be willing to change our beliefs if we are presented with scriptures which refute what we may have been taught early on. But, there again we must compare scripture with scripture and study scriptures in context to make certain we are not being led away from the truth to something that is false.

“Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.” Titus 2:2-6 ESV

I am going to just clump these all together here because most of these qualities or character traits, behaviors, and conduct are what we should all be doing, not just these specific people groups.

All of us should be serious-minded about our walks of faith and how we conduct our lives in purity of devotion to our Lord. All of us should live lives which are self-controlled under the control of God’s Holy Spirit, and not live lives which are out-of-control, wild, untamed, fleshly and worldly. And, every one of us should be sound in faith and not wavering in beliefs or easily persuaded by every wind of teaching brought to us by deceitful schemers.

We should all be reverent in our behaviors; reverent to God, especially. And, we should not be those who make it our practice to gossip about and slander others. But, we should be those who love one another as God loves us.

Thus, we will not do to others what we know is going to harm them. We won’t lie to them or about them, we won’t steal from them, we won’t commit adultery against them, nor mistreat or misuse them for our sinful pleasures. We will do for them and to them what is for their good, for their welfare. For, love is not what we feel, but it is what we do. So, we need to do good.

And, although us older women do have a responsibility before God to do the things mentioned here, which we should take seriously, I believe all of us should set the example for others in how to behave, and in having the right heart attitudes, and in how we should treat one another. We should all lead by example, but we should also teach what is right, too.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14 ESV

Many people today have distorted the grace of God to make it into a free license to continue in sinful addiction without guilt and without remorse.

One well-known and renown pastor I heard talk one day reduced the grace of God to “fire insurance.” He described it as something we get so that we can keep on sinning without fear of punishment. And, his invitation was merely to accept God’s grace – this fire insurance – and that would then secure them eternal life with God and heaven as their destination after death.

Sin is barely mentioned anymore. Repentance and obedience to Christ are either just not taught or they are actually taught against, almost as though it is a crime to turn away from your sins and to walk in obedience to Christ.

And, so many, many people are being fed a lie which tells them that all they have to do is just to say some words after someone, or just acknowledge Christ, or just accept his grace, and they have heaven guaranteed no matter how they live from that moment forward.

But, that is not biblical grace. That is a lie straight from hell. For, its very purpose is to keep people still bound in their sin, headed for hell, while giving them a false hope of eternal life with God in heaven. It is cruel!

But God’s grace instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly passions and desires and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return.

For, Jesus gave himself up for us to buy us back for God so that we would be free from our slavery to sin and so that we would now be God’s possession, his people, who are zealous to do the good works that God prepared in advance that we should do in his power and strength.

Myopic  

An Original Work / August 19, 2013

Based off 2 Peter 1:3-11

Jesus has given ev’rything

Needed for life and godliness.

His great and precious promises

Free us from our sin and distress.

Add to your faith His goodness;

Knowledge; patience; godliness;

Brotherly love and mutu’l affection;

Kindness and unselfishness.

If you possess these qualities,

Growing in your maturity,

They will keep you from vanity.

You will bear fruit effectually.

Nonetheless, if you lack them;

Forget you’ve been cleansed from sin,

Nearsighted are you; you can’t see Jesus.

You have closed your heart to Him.

Therefore, beloved, confirm, then,

Your calling and your election.

Do this by showing diligence:

Obey your Lord; be repentant.

Practice all these qualities

God provided on a tree.

He died for our sins so we’d be given

Life with Him eternally.

https://vimeo.com/115839336

Don't Let the Raindrops

An Original Work / January 2, 2020

Don’t let the raindrops

Spoil your day.

Don’t let the clamoring

Get in the way.

Don’t let opinions

And thoughts of the millions

Impact how you’re feeling.

Trust God, bow and pray.

Don’t let your feelings

Rule what you do.

Don’t let misgivings

Affect your life, too.

Don’t let the stages

Of life with its phases

Lead you through the ages.

Let God’s Word lead you.

Don’t trust in idols.

They cannot help.

Don’t trust in princes,

Or in yourself.

Don’t trust in anything

That is not leading you

To follow in God’s way.

Obey now your Lord.

Don’t live defeated

because you’re mistreated.

Don’t let emotions

Ruin devotions.

Don’t let the enemy

Ruin your energy,

And stop your ministry.

Live victoriously!

True Cause for Rejoicing

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;

    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God,

    and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

    the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,

    and his hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 95:1-5 ESV

As I enter into this new year, I enter it grateful for the life that Jesus Christ has given to me, by His grace, through God-given faith in him.

In his death and in his resurrection he put sin to death, and he conquered the power of sin and death, so that any of us who would believe on him could be delivered from our slavery to sin, and so that we can walk righteously before him in godliness and holiness, living lives which are pleasing to Him (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

And, that is wonderful news! That is the Good News, that we can be set free from our addiction to sin, and that we can walk in holiness and godliness in the power of God, which is alive and at work in the hearts and lives of those who have chosen to make him their Lord and Savior.

We don’t have to be bound by sin’s deceitfulness any longer! We don’t have to live in fear of anything or anyone! We can walk in peace and in freedom because Jesus set us free! We can live in victory over our enemy Satan, and over the power of sin over our lives, because Jesus delivered us, not just from the punishment of sin, but from our slavery to sin. Amen!

The things that once enslaved us can absolutely be history! We don’t have to live defeated lives, continually struggling with (continually giving in to) sin. It does not mean that we will never sin again, but that we can live in victory over sin and over the power of Satan because of what Jesus did for us on that cross in conquering death, sin, Satan and hell.

We just have to apply to our lives, by God’s grace, what Jesus did for us in his death and in his resurrection. We have to own it, to embrace it, to believe it, and to implement it into our daily lives.

We have to believe that Satan has no power over us, and that God is completely sovereign and in control over all that he has made.

And, we have to put on that armor of God and fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us with the truth, and with faith, and with righteousness, and with God’s Word, and in the power of God’s Spirit living within us, believing that the victory is ours through Jesus Christ, our Lord (Eph. 6:10-20).

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,

    and we are the people of his pasture,

    and the sheep of his hand.

Psalm 95:6-7 ESV

And, this is really the key here. If we are going to have victory over sin, over Satan, and over temptation to sin, we have to kneel before God in humility and in submission to him as Lord (owner-master) of our lives.

And, we have to worship him in truth by giving our lives over to him in full surrender, holy and pleasing to God. And, we need to no longer be conformed to the sinful patterns of this world, but we need to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sinful practices to walks of obedience to Christ (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23).

And, we need to live like we are his true sheep by listening to him, and by following him in obedience to his Word and to his will for our lives.

For, many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ live in defeat, and they continually struggle with (continually give in to) the flesh and to sin because they won’t humble themselves before God in surrender of their lives over to God. They won’t submit to his Lordship over their lives, but they hold on to control. And, they will only listen to what makes them feel good, but they close their ears to what counsels them to listen to and to obey God.

Today, if you hear his voice,

    do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,

    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

when your fathers put me to the test

    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

For forty years I loathed that generation

    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,

    and they have not known my ways.”

Therefore I swore in my wrath,

    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Psalm 95:7-11 ESV

This is strong counsel, but it is necessary counsel, for so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ have hardened their hearts to the truths of God’s Word that they don’t want to hear. They have stopped up their ears, and they have refused to listen to anything that makes them uncomfortable, or that bursts their bubble which tells them that they can go by their feelings and that obedience to Christ is not required for eternal life with God.

And, this isn’t just Old Testament. This same counsel is repeated for us a couple of times in the New Testament, too (Hebrews 3:7-19).

For, our faith in Jesus Christ, for it to be genuine, has to be continuous, enduring, obedient to Christ, repentant, and submissive to God’s will and purposes. Again, this is not saying that we must live in sinless perfection, but that the Word of God does teach us that we must walk (in practice) according to the Spirit of God and not according to our flesh if we want to have salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life with God (Rom. 8:1-17).

Thus, we must take this to heart and not ignore it just because it isn’t what we want to hear. The New Testament scriptures are very clear in what they say regarding our eternal salvation from sin.

If we claim faith in Jesus Christ, yet we continue to walk (in practice) in darkness (sin), then we are liars. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction (death). But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Rom. 2:6-8; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

Our salvation which we celebrate, thus, is not just salvation from the punishment of sin or the hope of heaven when we die. It is salvation from our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin and it is empowerment to live holy and godly and upright lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14).

So, please take this to heart! Then you will have cause for rejoicing, because Jesus has truly set you free from your slavery to sin, and because you are walking in victory over sin and Satan and in godliness and holiness, in the power and strength of God’s Spirit living within you, for the glory of God.

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387

Exchanging Truth for a Lie

This appears to be the third in a series of devotions the Lord Jesus is giving me on the subject of feelings vs. faith, and feelings vs. love for God and for others.

“Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 NIV

Do you know what it is to fear the Lord? It is not to be terrified by him, unless, of course, you are living in open rebellion against him and you are living as his enemy. But, it is to respect, honor, value, esteem, worship and obey him. It is to take him and his Word seriously, and to do what he says. And, he says we must die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness, by the Spirit of God, if we want to have eternal life with God (Rom. 8:1-17).

So, as servants of the Lord, and as his messengers, we should be working in the power of God’s Spirit in service to our Lord in sharing with people the truth of the gospel of our salvation in hopes to persuade them to leave their sinful lifestyles behind them to follow our Lord Jesus in surrender to his will.

Nonetheless, our task must now go beyond that, for we are having to convince many who call themselves Christians, and who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ, regarding the foundations of our Christian faith and practice. And, we are having to persuade them to follow our Lord in obedience to His Word and to not follow after the lies of Satan which are distorting God’s gospel into something which appeals to human flesh.

So, we are being called upon to defend the gospel to the church and to those who profess faith in Jesus Christ because so many have been led astray to follow after a cheap grace substitute, which is a supplanter for God’s true gospel of grace. And, this should not be! The Lord shouldn’t have to keep defending his gospel against a cheap grace substitute and to those who profess to know him and who profess that he is their Lord. But, so many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ are not listening to the truth, and they are embracing the lies, and so our Lord continues to come to the defense of his true gospel of grace and to refute the lies against it.

The Cheap Grace Substitute

So, what is this cheap grace substitute for God’s true grace? It is a lie, first and foremost. For, it is a distortion of truth. It contains elements of truth, but it also is a mixture with lies, and even the truth has been distorted. For, they pull scriptures out of context to make them say what they want them to say. And, on a surface read, it does sound exactly like that is what they are saying, in many cases, until you read them in the context in which they were written. And, only then do you get the whole big picture God intended.

For example, they use Romans 10:9-10 often as their key salvation message which says if we confess with our mouths Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead that we will be saved. So, if you read that by itself it sounds like all you have to do is say “Jesus is Lord” and have some element of intellectual assent to the fact that God did raise Jesus from the dead, and that is all God requires, end of story.

But, the book of Romans is one complete work which must be read in context, and in context we read that we must walk (in practice, in lifestyle) according to the Spirit of God and not according to the flesh if we want to have salvation from our sins and eternal life with God. And, we read that to believe in Jesus means death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness, and that we are either enslaved to sin, which leads to death, or we are enslaved to righteousness, which then leads to eternal life with God (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17). And, we read this in Romans 2:6-8:

“God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (cf. Gal. 6:7-8)

Thus, the authority over the mind of this cheap grace is not God. And, the foundation for this cheap grace is not the truth of God’s Word, but a lie. For, it leaves its adherents still bound in their sin while promising them heaven when they die. For, it requires no repentance, no submission to the Lordship of Christ, and no obedience to his commands as a matter of lifestyle and as a requirement for eternal life with God and forgiveness of sins.

And, Satan is the one behind this cheap grace gospel, for he is the one who wants to destroy Jesus Christ and his gospel and his messengers and he is the one who wants people to follow after him, instead. So he and his servants supplanted God’s true grace with this cheap grace so that its followers would remain loyal to Satan and to the flesh and so that they would not turn away from their sinful lifestyles to follow Jesus in obedience.

And, so he made the door into God’s eternal kingdom an open door that anyone can enter regardless of lifestyle or of what they really believe. For all anyone has to do is acknowledge Jesus Christ or accept his grace and they are told heaven is now guaranteed them and that it can’t be taken away. And, then if they start to feel guilty over their sinful lifestyles, he tells them to just claim who they are “in Christ,” even if they aren’t “in Christ,” but in order to console themselves in their sins thinking that God is ok with them.

But, the Bible predicted that this day would come, particularly in Revelation 13 and in Matthew 24 and in Jude and in other New Testament and Old Testament books that prophesied a great falling away from the truth and of people falling after the lies. So, what we are seeing take place in much of today’s church is a massive falling away from the truth to follow after Satan and his lies.

The Reason Jesus Died

But, Jesus didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven when we die. He died that we might die with him to sin and that we might live to him and to his righteousness. And, he died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. And, he bought us back for God with his blood that we might now honor God with our lives – with our thinking, attitudes, speech and with our conduct, too.

This cheap grace gospel feels good to many people because it consoles them in their sin and it tells them that no matter how much or how often they sin against God that they still have heaven guaranteed them, so no worries. So, it is based on the flesh and off human emotions and feelings rather than off the truth of God’s Word. And, it appeals to human flesh and to the notion that if it feels good then it must be good. And, they turn God’s grace into some feel-good thing which makes us feel good about ourselves even if we are engrossed in sinful rebellion against God, and that is a huge LIE!

So, we need to base our Christian walks not off what feels good or even off what feels right, but we need to base our faith and our Christian walks off the truth of scripture read in context. For, if we do, we will see that God’s Word teaches that if we walk (in practice) according to our flesh, we are going to die in our sins no matter what we feel in our hearts, and no matter what we profess with our lips.

Thus, if we want the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God, we must walk (in practice) in accord (agreement) with the Spirit of God and God’s Word and not according to our flesh (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6).

So, don’t trust in what feels good. Trust in the Word of God and do what His Word teaches us that we must do to inherit eternal life with God – all of it!

Feelings / Greg X. Volz

If it feels good, they say it can’t be wrong

But love is more than a Kaliope song…

Feelings come and feelings go

But feelings are so deceiving

I place my faith in the word of the Lord

Nothing else is worth believing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIPxSL6Uzlg

Feeling or Doing?

“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” 2 Corinthians 5:16 ESV

We all make judgments every day of our lives, so not all judgment is bad. It is only bad if we are making judgments – if we are judging others by ourselves, by human standards, by our own personal prejudices, by our human traditions, by outward appearances, or unjustly or hypocritically.

If we make judgments about others, thus, they need to be according to God’s standards, but in truth and in love, and not according to our own flesh. And, our goal should never be to destroy another person in our judging, but to help another into the light and out of the darkness.

For so many people today are under the cloud of deception, and they are following after a lie, and not after the truth, and so they need to have their eyes opened to the truth so that they can be delivered out of the darkness. And, so we need to expose the lies for what they are, and we need to proclaim the truth in opposition to the lies, in hopes that blinded eyes will be opened, and that people will be turned from darkness to light (Acts 26:18).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

“In Christ” is not just a status we claim. It isn’t just a list of “Who we are in Christ,” either, especially if some of that list is false. But “In Christ” has to do with a relationship with Almighty God. And, that relationship is based off several factors.

First and foremost, we are only able to be “in Christ” because of God’s grace to us, and because of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death for us on that cross where he took our place so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin and be reconciled to (restored to friendship with) God (1 Co. 6:20).

Secondly, we can only be “In Christ” by God-given faith in Jesus Christ which submits to Christ as Lord, which turns away from sin, and which turns to God to follow him in obedience to His commands, and then walks in His ways and in His truth as a matter of course, of practice, of lifestyle (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

So many professing Christians these days are claiming who they are “in Christ” in order to appease guilt over the fact that they are still walking in the darkness, living in and practicing sin. And, many of those at high levels who are pushing this are doing so deliberately to keep people still in bondage to sin while giving them a false hope of security in Christ.

Truly in Christ

Now, don’t get me wrong. If truly we are in Christ, by genuine God-given faith in Him, and we are walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, we can find comfort in what the Bible teaches regarding who we are in Christ when Satan and his hordes come against us.

But, so many people today are using this as a means of pacifying themselves in their sinful practices so that they don’t feel guilty when they continue living in sin in direct disobedience to our Lord. And, some of these lists of who we are in Christ have things on the lists which are not biblical, and the lists themselves do not apply across the board to everyone who makes a profession of faith in Christ, either. So beware of those lists.

For, according to scripture, to be “In Christ” means we no longer walk (in conduct, in practice) according to our sinful flesh, but we now walk (in lifestyle) in agreement with the Spirit of God, in holiness, purity, honesty, uprightness, faithfulness and godliness. For, if we do not, and we continue to make sin our practice, and we don’t walk in obedience to our Lord, then scripture says we don’t know God, we don’t love God, and we don’t have eternal life with God (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; 1 Jn. 2:3-6).

For, to be “In Christ” means that our old lives, of living for sin and self, have been put to death with Christ, that we have been made new in Christ, and now we live according to the Spirit of God and not according to our flesh.

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ESV

Many people are saying, though, that what I just described above is works-based salvation. But, it is what Jesus Christ and his NT apostles taught, and they taught the grace of God. And, the grace of God instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s return. And, this death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness is what Jesus died for, too (Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

So all this is from God, not from the flesh of man. For the flesh of man has no power to conquer flesh. Only God can conquer sin and the flesh and set us free from the darkness and bring us into his wonderful light. And, only God can empower us to live godly, upright, holy, pure and faithful lives for the glory and praise of God. And, the very purpose of his death on that cross was that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. So, we need to not listen to the lies that say that if we walk in holiness that we are trying to earn our own salvation. That is hogwash!

For, to be reconciled to God is not about just God forgiving our sins so we can go to heaven when we die, although that is what many are teaching these days. It means to be changed, to come to the same position as God about our sin and about his righteousness. It means we change from enmity with God to friendship with God, by God’s grace, but also by God-given faith in Jesus Christ which submits to Christ as Lord, repents of sin and walks in obedience to our Lord’s commands (see all previous noted scriptures).

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ESV

So, to be reconciled to God, or to be “In Christ” by faith in Jesus Christ, is not some emotional experience we go through, or some words we say after someone else, or some intellectual assent to who Christ is and was. For, love for God is not an emotion. It is not what we feel. IT IS WHAT WE DO.

Therefore, Jesus died on that cross, and he who knew no sin became sin for us so that, IN CHRIST, we might become the righteousness of God. And, this is not just his righteousness positionally, but in practice. For, Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died, as well, that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Tit. 2:11-14).

So, before you go claiming who you are in Christ when you don’t want to feel guilt over your sinful practices, make sure you are really in Christ, according to what the scriptures teach on the whole (the whole counsel of God), and not in a few cherry-picked scriptures taken out of context.

For, “In Christ” means we have died with Christ to our old sinful lifestyles, that we have been transformed in heart of mind of the Spirit of God away from sin and to obedience to Christ. And, it means that we are now walking (in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Holy Spirit of God and not in accord with our old sinful flesh.

It doesn’t mean we have arrived, or that we have already been made perfect, or that we are living in sinless perfection. But what it does mean is that sin is no longer our master because we were bought back for God with the blood of Christ so that we would now honor God with our lives – with our minds, bodies, emotions and speech. He is now Lord of our lives, not our sins and not Satan, if we are truly in Christ – because love for God is not an emotion. It is not what we feel. But, IT IS WHAT WE DO for the glory of God.

Your New Life / An Original Work

Based off the Gospels / May 15, 2014

Go and make disciples of peoples,

Teaching them to obey their Savior.

Do not fear, but go where He sends you.

Tell them all of what you have heard.

The kingdom of God now is upon you.

Come, and follow Jesus, your Lord.

He will make you fishers of man.

If the people Jesus desire,

They must die to sin and to self-life.

If they want to hold on to their lives

They will lose them forevermore.

Surely you heard that coming to Christ

Means a new life in Jesus, your Lord.

Follow Christ wherever He leads.

Love the Lord with all of your heart, and

Love your neighbors as you would yourself.

Preach the gospel to all the nations.

Do not worry what you will say.

Proclaim the freedom for all the captives.

Share the light with all who are blind.

You are ministers of our God.

https://vimeo.com/95450440