The Lord has a Case

Micah 6:1-2 NIV

 

Listen to what the Lord says:

 

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;

    let the hills hear what you have to say.

 

 “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;

    listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.

For the Lord has a case against his people;

    he is lodging a charge against Israel.”

 

In the year 2021, what case do you believe God would be making against the church, in general? Or, more specifically in America, where I live?

 

Actually, it is the same as it was in the days of Micah, the prophet: approval and support of corruption in the capital cities, intoxication to sin, idolatry, all the evils of society, and giving a home to heathen teachings in the church.

 

In America, the church, via the church incorporating under the state via the 501c3 tax exempt status (which was not required by the government for tax exempt status), they unequally yoked together with the ungodly, and they turned God’s house into a marketplace (Jn 2:16; 2 Co 6:14-18).

 

They brought not only the government (the ungodly) into the gatherings of the church, but they also brought government worship into the church via the forced pledge of allegiance (vow of fidelity) to the government, via the singing of patriotic songs, and via the honoring of the military as our heroes.

 

Then, they turned many gatherings of the church into businesses (of man), created (patterned) after other man-made businesses, to be marketed to the world just like other businesses. So, they found out what their “customer base” (the world) wanted, and they set out to meet their felt needs.

 

So, instead of Jesus Christ being the head of his church, now the government and the world of big business were the head. Instead of the Bible and the Holy Spirit being the only guides for how to grow the Lord’s church, now marketing books and techniques were being introduced and taught to pastors on how to market their churches to the world.

 

Thus, many pastors turned into marketers, businessmen, entrepreneurs, talk show hosts, comedians, clowns, and motivational speakers. Many worship services turned into major stage productions intended to draw in large crowds of people from the world, thus incorporating worldly and fleshly gimmicks, videos, music (not all), and stage props to attract the world.

 

And many sermons became a mixture of teachings of Scripture (usually taught out of context) and humanistic philosophy and modern psychology, plus mind manipulation techniques. And worldliness and even foreign religions were now being blended in with Christ’s teachings.

 

Government worship became big among Christians, who were taught government worship from birth on up to adulthood. So, many Christians ended up idolizing government leaders, giving them their undying loyalty, often following them blindly as though these leaders are pied pipers.

 

And, in order to attract the world to the church, they also adulterated the gospel of Christ, and exchanged the truth for a lie of Satan, and they turned evil into good and good into evil.

 

Instead of teaching that we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, that we must deny self, die daily to sin, and daily walk in obedience to our Lord in the power of God’s Holy Spirit, they are teaching that faith in Jesus Christ requires no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to Christ as Lord.

 

If they don’t come right out and say that, they imply it by what they teach and by what teachings of Scripture they purposefully leave out (ignore). For, many are teaching that we can pray a prayer, be saved, and go to heaven when we die, but that how we live on this earth will not impact our eternity.

 

Micah 6:3-5 NIV

 

“My people, what have I done to you?

    How have I burdened you? Answer me.

I brought you up out of Egypt

    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.

I sent Moses to lead you,

    also Aaron and Miriam.

My people, remember

    what Balak king of Moab plotted

    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.

Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,

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

 

So, the Lord is asking similar questions of his church today which is living in spiritual adultery, is idolatrous, is practicing government worship, is unequally yoked with the ungodly, and which is diluting his gospel message to make it more appealing to the flesh of man.

 

What has he done to you that you would treat him in such a manner as this? He gave Jesus (God the Son) to die on a cross for our sins so that we could be delivered out of our slavery to sin, so that we could now be slaves of righteousness, in the power of God’s Spirit living within us (Rom 6:1-23).

 

He sent us his Holy Spirit, too, to lead us into all truth and to remind us of the things he taught when he was on the earth. And he gave us the Holy Spirit as our comforter, encourager, teacher, counselor, and guide, and as the empowerment we need to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God.

 

The Lord has given us his written word, and the Holy Spirit, and he teaches us the way we should go. And he has made the way for us to leave our lives of sin behind us to follow him in obedience. But what have we done with that? Have we obeyed? Or are we going our own way? (Rom 6:1-23).

 

Micah 6:6-8 NIV

 

“With what shall I come before the Lord

    and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

    with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

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

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?”

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly with your God.

 

The Lord is not interested in our fleshly works that we perform thinking he will be pleased with us. He doesn’t care about how many “good deeds” you perform on a daily basis, or how many church services you attend, or what money you tithe, if you are not committed to following him with your life.

 

He wants us to walk humbly with our God in commitment to him as our Lord (owner-master), in obedience to his ways and his plans for our lives, and in surrender of our lives to him, forsaking our former lives of living for sin and self in order to now follow him wherever he leads us (Eph 4:17-24).

 

Then, we will act justly towards others, and we will be merciful as he is merciful, while not delighting in evil but rejoicing with the truth, and while hating what is evil, and clinging to what is good (Rom 12:9; 1 Co 13:6).

 

Living Sacrifices  

 

An Original Work / September 14, 2012

Based off Romans 12:1-2; 6:11-14 NIV

 

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you,

In view of God’s mercy,

To give yourselves to God in love

As living offerings,

Pleasing to God, holy in love.

This is your true worship.

Do not conform to worldly lives.

Let God transform you today.

Then you’ll be able to

Test and approve of what

God’s will is – His pleasing

And perfect will. Oh, holy ones,

I counsel you – Offer yourselves unto God.

 

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Do not be conceited.

Humble yourselves before your God.

Do not be self-righteous.

The strength you have to live in love

Comes from your Lord God, so

Live your new lives in pow’r of God.

Be changed in heart, mind and will.

Do this because of what

Christ did for you when

He died on the cross to save

The world from sin. Oh, holy ones,

I counsel you – Humble yourselves before God.

 

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Count yourselves dead to sin,

But be alive to God in Christ.

Do not let sin reign in

Your earthly lives so you

Obey its evil desires.

Offer yourselves unto your God

As those who’ve been born again.

For sin shall no longer be

Your lord and master.

Give of yourselves to God

For righteousness. Oh, holy ones,

I counsel you – Be alive to God in Christ.

 

https://vimeo.com/118480946

Say "No!" to Ungodliness

Titus 2:11-14 NIV

 

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the 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 wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

 

We Call it “Cheap Grace”

 

Many people today are teaching the grace of God as free license to continue living in sin without guilt, and with no requirements for repentance, obedience, or submission to Christ as Lord. We call it “cheap grace,” because it is adulterating the true grace of God, and it is cheapening it.

 

Max Lucado, in his “Insurance Letter,” compared the grace of God to car insurance, the purpose of which, he said, was to pay for his reckless driving so that he could keep on driving recklessly. He was complaining because his insurance carrier had cancelled his insurance due to his reckless driving (1).

 

Lucado, a minister of the gospel and a well-respected author and writer of devotions, admitted that he tends “to get a bit heavy-footed and careless.” He stated, in fact, “that is the reason we have insurance.” He rationalized that the insurance industry was created for people like him.

 

He felt the insurance company should keep no record of his wrongs, which he justified with 1 Corinthians 13:5. And, he was implying, as well, that God should keep no record of his wrongs. He also felt that, as long as he confessed his faults, he was good to go. And he used 1 Jn 1:9 there.

 

He expects God to “cover” his “intentional rebellion.” And he sees God’s grace as a covering for all his sin – past, present and future – no matter how often he chooses to sin, and no matter if the sin is intentional and habitual. And he sees an acceptance of God’s grace as all that is required of him.

 

No repentance, no turning from his sinful lifestyle, no walk of obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and no submission to Christ as Lord of his life. Thus, he sees Jesus’ death on the cross for his sins as a “free pass” to keep on living recklessly, for Jesus paid it all.

 

Let’s Compare That to Scripture

 

But let’s compare that to what Scripture teaches. Are we to think of God’s gift of grace, and our salvation from sin, as “insurance” to keep us out of hell while we willfully, habitually, and deliberately keep on living in sin? God forbid! We died to sin! How can we live in it any longer?

 

When we believe in Jesus with God-given faith, we die with him to sin, and we are raised with him to newness of life in him to be lived to him and to his righteousness. We were crucified with Christ in death to sin so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, but so we would be slaves to righteousness.

 

So, we are to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. We are to no longer let sin reign in our bodies so that we obey its evil desires. We are not to offer any part of ourselves to sin, but we are to offer our entire beings to God as instruments of his righteousness.

 

For, we are slaves to whomever we obey. If slaves to sin, it leads to death, but if slaves to obedience, it leads to righteousness, which then ends in eternal life with God. For, when we are slaves to sin, we are free from the control of righteousness, and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:1-23).

 

The Grace of God

 

This passage in Titus makes it quite clear that God’s grace to us is not insurance so that we can keep on sinning without guilt. For, his grace trains us to say “NO!” to sin and “YES!” to God daily, as a matter of practice.

 

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin) and follow (obey) him. For, he said if we hold on to our old lives of sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives (die to sin) for his sake, we will have eternal life (Lu 9:23-26).

 

Paul, in his various epistles, made it quite clear the true message of the gospel of God’s grace.

 

He said that the truth in Jesus, which we should have learned, is that we are to put off our old self, which belongs to our former manner of life, which is corrupt through deceitful desires. We are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and we are to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:17-24).

 

He said that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in practice) not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For, the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law, for those in the flesh cannot please God.

 

Then, he went on to say that we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if we live 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, then we will live. For it is those who are led by the Spirit who are God’s children (Rom 8:1-17).

 

Then Paul taught that if we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. But if we make sin our practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God. For, he said, those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10).

 

Thus, we are not to be deceived by teachings such as what Max Lucado was teaching with regard to God’s grace. For, we are all going to reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap corruption (destruction, death). But if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10).

 

For, God’s grace delivers us from our bondage to sin, and it empowers us to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Tit 2:11-14).

 

But “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Heb 10:26-27 NIV

 

Jesus, Rescue Me  

 

An Original Work / September 18, 2011

Based off of Romans 7:7-8:39

 

Jesus, rescue me today.

Listen while I bow and pray.

I need Your help to obey You;

Live for You always.

Meet me in my hour of need, Lord,

As I pray to You.

Help me walk in fellowship, Lord,

Living in Your truth.

Jesus, how I long for You to

Change my heart anew.

 

Father, God, my heart’s desire

Is to live for You this hour

In Your Holy Spirit’s power

Living in me now.

Teach me to walk in Your love, Lord,

Guiding me each day.

Help me to show love and kindness

To the lost, I pray.

Father, teach me to love others

As You love always.

 

Holy Spirit come in pow’r.

Revive our hearts in this hour.

Change our hearts to be like You, Lord;

Live for You each day.

Help us to forsake our sins, Lord,

As we humbly pray.

Teach us how to live for You, Lord,

Obey You always.

Holy Spirit come in power,

Revive us today.

 

https://vimeo.com/126092919

 

(1)       http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon6/cancelled_insurance.htm  

 

While People are Saying

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NIV

 

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

 

“Peace and Safety”

 

What is the “peace and safety” message that is being given today? Regarding the teachings of Christ’s gospel, what is being taught is that you can “believe” in Jesus, be forgiven your sins, and be bound for heaven, but your lifestyle doesn’t have to change drastically, or at all.

 

They are teaching that if you “believe” in Jesus, God no longer sees when you sin, for he only sees Jesus when he looks at you. So, even though you may be deep in sin, they will tell you that God delights in you, he is always pleased with you, and if you feel guilty, just “claim who you are in Christ.”

 

They are also teaching that if you “believe” in Jesus, heaven is guaranteed you when you die, no matter how you live while you are on this earth, and that nothing can ever take that away from you. Some even say repentance, obedience, and submission to Christ are not required.

 

They teach that God will never judge you, that nothing bad will happen to you, and that, as an added bonus, God will rapture you out of this evil world before things get bad so that you won’t have to suffer persecution, hardship, famine, or sword, even if you are living in sin.

 

Destruction Will Come

 

Yet, while people are giving out these false messages of “peace and safety,” destruction will come on them, and they will not escape. Why? Because these are people who mock God, who refuse to listen to him, who think they know better, and who think God will not judge them.

 

And some or many of them are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who have convinced themselves that they can continue in their sinful addictions without consequence. They have believed the lies that a mere profession of faith will keep them from hell.

 

But what does God’s word teach on that subject? It teaches us that we must surrender our lives to Jesus, submit to his Lordship, leave our lives of sin behind us, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands to have eternal life with God (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

And it teaches us that if we walk in darkness, in sin, as a matter of practice, that we don’t have eternal life with God, no matter what we confess or profess with our lips or have convinced ourselves that we believe in our hearts (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26).

 

And God’s word teaches us that we are not to be deceived, for God is not mocked. For what we sow in this life, that shall we reap. 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).

 

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 NIV

 

“But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”

 

When we walk in the light as Jesus/God is in the light, we are not only walking in righteousness and holiness, but we are walking in truth, and we are rejecting the lies. And when we walk in truth, we face the reality that we, as followers of Jesus, will have to suffer for righteousness’ sake.

 

We will study the Scriptures in their context, and we will accept that being a follower of Jesus will mean that we will be hated, rejected, falsely accused, ostracized, called all sorts of things, abandoned, and possibly also be beaten, falsely imprisoned, and even put to death for our faith.

 

We will not refuse to face the truth or to try to hide behind a lie. We won’t live in a fantasy world, denying what the Scriptures teach, holding on to what is false in order to appease our own consciences or to try to assure ourselves that God will not judge us if we continue living in sin.

 

But we will accept the teachings of Scripture that say that if we walk in darkness (in habitual sinful practices) that we don’t have eternal life with God, but it will end in death, and God will indeed judge us. We will accept that God’s word is true and that we need to take it seriously.

 

And we will be those who walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and no longer according to our flesh. We will walk in obedience to our Lord, spend time with him every day in prayer and in his word, and we will surrender our lives to him, thereby having the hope of eternal life with God.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NIV

 

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

 

I hear many people quote this passage of Scripture to teach that we won’t have to suffer any consequences of sin, or that we won’t have to face any kind of judgment from God which he may pour out on the wayward church or on our nation.

 

But in context, that is not what this is teaching. The wrath being spoken of here is the opposite of salvation. When the Lord comes back to take his bride to be with him and to judge, those who sowed to please the flesh will face the wrath of God, whereas those who sowed to please the Spirit, will have eternal life with God.

 

But just because God did not appoint us to suffer his wrath but to receive salvation through Jesus Christ does not mean none of us will suffer his wrath. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, but not everyone will repent.

 

For, if we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit, it will end in death, not in life eternal with God. For we will be judged by our deeds (works). If we make sin our practice and not righteousness our practice, we will not inherit eternal life. We will face God’s wrath. So, we need to take that seriously.

 

And this is why we need to encourage (exhort) one another, because many are buying into the lies, and they will face God’s wrath when they expected to have salvation from their sins and eternal life. So, we need to tell them the truth so that they don’t go on living in sin, but so they live for the Lord.

 

If you are buying into the “peace and safety” messages, and if you are convinced you can continue living in your sinful practices and still have heaven secured you, then study the Scriptures. Therein you will find the truth that we are all going to reap what we sow (Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

 

He Lifted Our Burdens

 

An Original Work / February 15, 2014

Based off Isaiah 9:2-7

 

People walk in darkness.

They abide in their sin.

It has power o’er them.

True belief escapes them.

 

Jesus Christ came to save them.

He gave His life up for them;

Crucified; died for our sin,

So we might be forgiven,

And have life up in heaven.

 

Many come to know Him.

God’s love now o’erflows them.

They rejoice in vict’ry.

Their sin is but hist’ry.

 

We were once bound in slav’ry.

Jesus lifted our burdens;

Set us now free from Satan,

So we now walk in freedom.

Sin has no more dominion.

 

Praise be to our Savior!

He showed us His favor.

He took all our burdens;

Cast them all upon Him.

 

He is our mediator;

The Light which shines in darkness.

Counselor in our troubles;

He gives peace now in our hearts;

Joy which is everlasting.

 

https://vimeo.com/86854416

You're Standing Firm? Be Careful!

Psalms 95:6-7 NIV

 

“Come, let us bow down in worship,

    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

for he is our God

    and we are the people of his pasture,

    the flock under his care.”

 

When I think of us worshipping our Lord, what always comes to mind is this:

 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Rom 12:1-2 NIV

 

Although having a time of devotions each day where we read our Bible and pray is part of worship, it is possible to read our Bible and pray and never worship the Lord. And, even though singing songs of worship and praise to the Lord is also part of worship, it is possible to sing and never worship God.

 

In other words, it is possible to go through the motions of worshipping God but not truly worship him. For, true worship of our Lord is to offer to him our bodies (our whole beings) as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is our true and proper worship of God.

 

For, when Jesus shed his blood on that cross for our redemption, he bought us back for God with his blood so that we would now be God’s possession, and so that we would now honor God with our bodies (with our lives). He is to be Lord (owner-master) of our lives, and we are to belong to him.

 

This means that he is the one driving, not us. He is the one at the wheel of our lives. He is the one directing us where we should go and warning us of where we should not go. He is the one in control, not us, so he is the one to “call the shots,” to decide our life course, not us.

 

Our lives are to be holy, which means to be set apart (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of Christ. We are not supposed to live like the ungodly who are not in relationship with Jesus. We are not supposed to live to please our sinful flesh, but to please God.

 

And we don’t please God just by being in relationship with him, if truly we are in relationship with him. We are to learn what pleases him and to do it, and we are to learn what displeases him, and to cease doing what is opposed to his will and his purpose for our lives.

 

The bottom line is really that faith in Jesus Christ means we, by the Spirit, die with Christ to sin, we are changed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and now by the Spirit we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God and not according to our flesh (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

Psalms 95:7-11 NIV

 

Today, if only you would hear his voice,

“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

    as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

where your ancestors tested me;

    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.

For forty years I was angry with that generation;

    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,

    and they have not known my ways.’

So I declared on oath in my anger,

    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

 

There are many people today preaching and teaching that we can believe in Jesus and have heaven guaranteed us as our eternal destiny, but that it doesn’t have to impact how we live our daily lives. “Once you’re in, you’re in,” they say, “and it can’t be taken away.”

 

But that isn’t what Scripture teaches us, and I mean in the New Testament, and I mean the teachings of Paul, too. For, Paul taught that if we live according to the flesh, making sin our practice (habit), that we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God (Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6).

 

They also will tell you that since we are not saved by our works, but by God’s grace, which is a gift from God, not of works lest any of us should boast (Eph 2:8-9), that works are not to be a part of our Christian lives. But Paul did not teach that, as they project.

 

He taught that God, when his righteous judgment will be revealed, will render to each one according to his works: “to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8).

 

He also taught that we are to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” And he taught that we are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

 

And he taught that we are to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” And he taught that 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.”

 

[1 Co 15:58; Eph 2:10; Phil 2:12-13; Tit 2:11-14; 2 Co 9:8; Col 1:9-14]

 

Also, this passage of Scripture here in Psalms 95:7-11 is repeated for us Christians in the New Testament in Hebrews 3 and 4, and it is being applied to us, the church. Also, in 1 Corinthians 10 we read that these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.

 

We are not to set our hearts on evil as they did. We are not to be idolaters. We are not to commit sexual immorality. We are not to grumble against God. And we should not test the Lord our God thinking he will do nothing and that we can live however we want because we are “saved.”

 

So, if we think we are standing firm, we need to be careful that we don’t fall, out of pride. So, we are to flee idolatry. And we are to be careful that none of us has a sinful unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But we are to encourage (exhort) one another daily, so that none of us may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

 

For, we have “come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said:

 

“’Today, if you hear his voice,

    do not harden your hearts

    as you did in the rebellion.’”

(Hebrews 3:14-15; referencing Hebrews 3 and 4; 1 Corinthians 10)

 

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

 

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907

Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z11avpKNLsA

Rejoicing with the Truth

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV

 

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

 

This word “love” can mean so many different things. Yes, this passage of Scripture gives a good definition of what this love is, but even that can be misinterpreted if one has the wrong concept of what love is. For the kind of love being spoken about here means to prefer what God prefers.

 

For, many people are reading this passage of Scripture and they are misinterpreting the meaning of love. They are defining love in a way that coddles people in their sin, which does not confront sin, and which does not call for repentance and changed lives.

 

So, if you are speaking the truth in love, and you are sharing the gospel as Jesus and his NT apostles taught it, you may often be chastised as not being loving or kind, or as someone who is keeping a record of wrongs, by those who consider lying to people as being loving and kind.

 

God is love! So, we must interpret the word "love" here with that context. We must love as God loves, not necessarily like humans love, if their love is skewed by their human flesh. God is our model for how we are to love others, especially while exercising the gifts of the Spirit.

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

 

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

 

The key verse here is verse six: “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” Combine that thought with the knowledge that this word “love” means to prefer what God prefers – which is all that is holy, righteous, and godly – and it means to love others as God loves us.

Therefore, when it says here that love is kind, it doesn’t mean “kind” like a lot of humans mean kind. It doesn’t mean to tell people lies to make them feel good about themselves, and it doesn’t mean withholding the truth of the gospel so as not to offend people, either.

The kindest thing we can ever do for anyone is to tell them the truth, in love, about Jesus, and about our salvation. It is to tell them that Jesus died on that cross so that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died to free us from our slavery to sin.

 

Love is also not selfish. It is not self-seeking, thinking only of self. And when we refuse to tell people the truth of the gospel or talk with them about sin and repentance and obedience, we are thinking only of self. For we are more concerned about them liking us than we are about where they will spend eternity. That is just the reality of the situation.

 

And when this says that “love keeps no record of wrongs,” it means we don’t trade tit for tat. We don’t keep a record of other people’s sins so that we can make sure that we pay them back evil for evil.

 

It doesn’t mean we ignore sin, especially willful, deliberate, and habitual sinful behaviors. The Scriptures are clear on that. Even though God forgives us our sins when we repent and we turn to follow Jesus with our lives, he still notices when we sin, and he still speaks to us about it.

 

And he tells us that we must deal with sinful behaviors in the church, and that we must speak the truth in love one to the other, and that we are to restore one who has fallen back into sin to a walk of faith and obedience, and that we are to turn sinners from their sinful ways.

 

For, love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. So, it IS NOT LOVE if it coddles people in their sin, and if it is entertained by the sins of others, and if it refuses to confront sin and call for repentance.

 

So, we don’t protect people by helping them to hide their sin. We don’t put our trust in other humans, either, especially in those who we know are living in sin. But our trust needs to be in God alone. Our hope needs to be in God alone, too, and we must persevere in our walks of faith until the end.

 

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 NIV

 

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

 

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

 

God-like love (agape) never fails because it comes from God, because God is love, and because it centers in moral preference, and it prefers what God prefers, i.e., it chooses his choices for our lives, and it chooses to live through Christ for the glory and praise of God.

 

The gifts of the Spirit, though, are temporary. Some people believe all or half of them are no longer operative in the church. I don’t believe that is biblical. Some of them use this passage as their proof text, but that is not what this is saying. It isn’t saying they are gone.

 

What it is saying is that the gifts of the Spirit will one day cease when Jesus returns and he takes us to be with him forever, for they will no longer be needed. For now, they are necessary for the building up of the body of Christ to maturity in Christ (Rom 12; 1 Co 12; Eph 4).

 

But faith, hope and love will remain. But the greatest of these is love because God is love and we are of God and we are to love one another as God loves us. But just keep verse six in mind always. For, love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

 

In Harmony  

 

An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

 

Love each other truly.

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil.

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor.

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction;

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

 

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

 

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil –

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

 

https://vimeo.com/112832903

Is the Old Truly Gone?

The Apostle Paul had just finished talking about how God has fashioned us for the purpose that we should deny self and take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, though not in those same exact words, but with the same meaning behind the words (2 Co 5:1-5; cf. Lu 9:23-26; Eph 4:17-24).

 

Then, he talked about how we make it our goal to please the Lord. We find out what pleases the Lord and we do it, and we find out what displeases the Lord, and we don’t do that. Our goal in life should be to live for the Lord Jesus, separate from the world and unto God (2 Co 5:9; cf. Rom 12:1-2).

 

For, he said, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Co 5:10; cf. Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10).

 

2 Corinthians 5:11, 14-15 NIV

 

“Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others.”

 

“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.”

 

So, verse 11 here refers back to the previous verses. God did not make us to live for ourselves, to do whatever our flesh desires, to go our own way, and yet claim him as our Savior and heaven as our eternal destiny. He created us to be like him in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:17-24).

 

We live by faith and not by sight. We make it our goal to please the Lord in everything. For, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

 

So, to know what it is to fear the Lord means we know that we were made to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We know that we must please the Lord in everything. And we know that we are all going to be judged by our deeds.

 

Thus, to fear the Lord is not only to treat him with honor, dignity, respect, and obedience, but it is to live as though we believe that we are created to be Christlike, and that we are to live our lives to please him, and as though we believe we will be judged by our deeds.

 

For, Christ’s love for us would never compel us to keep on living in sin thinking we don’t have to obey him, submit to him, or leave our sins behind us. Christ’s love for us would never compel us to make a mockery of his blood sacrifice on that cross to deliver us from slavery to sin.

 

Christ’s love for us should compel us to no longer live for ourselves and for what we want. His love should compel us to live for him who gave his life up for us on that cross, so we could walk in freedom from bondage to sin, and so we could walk in holiness and righteousness in the power of God.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

 

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

This is not automatic for every person who makes a profession or a confession of Christ as Lord and Savior. If it was lip service only, but the heart did not change, then the person is not a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old isn’t gone because he/she is still walking according to the flesh.

 

Because this all comes from God, our salvation, and our faith to believe in the Lord for salvation, are going to be completely in agreement with God’s will and purpose for our lives, and with his purpose for sending his Son to be our sacrificial offering to take away the sins of the world.

 

And that is that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us, and that we might now walk (in practice) in accord with the Holy Spirit and no longer in accord with our sinful flesh (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15; Rom 8:1-17).

 

If we truly are in Christ, and not everyone is who professes to be, our old way of living to sin and the flesh has been put to death with Christ, we have been born anew of the Holy Spirit, and now we live holy lives, pleasing to God, and we follow Jesus in obedience to his commands (Rom 6:1-23).

 

But not one of us can put off that old life and put on that new life in Christ in our own flesh. All this is from God from start to finish. We can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ, and even the faith to believe in Jesus is a gift from God (Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-9).

 

But that doesn’t mean we do nothing. It is just that the something that we do is what God requires, it is of God, and it is done in his power and strength to the glory of God and for his praise. It is what God designed and purposed for us that we should deny self, die daily to sin, and obey our Lord.

 

So, to be reconciled to God is not just to pray a prayer or to make a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ. It means we die with Christ to sin, we are reborn of the Spirit of God, and now we live to God and to his righteousness, empowered by the Spirit of God who now lives within us (Rom 6:1-23).

 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

 

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

 

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

 

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

*Caution: This link may contain ads

Our Engagement to Christ

Paul is giving testimony here of his faith and of the faith of Timothy. He shared about the hardships and the persecutions they faced for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he gave witness to the fact that he and Timothy had conducted themselves with integrity and godly sincerity. He said,

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Co 1:21-22 NIV

So, he gave all the glory to God. He knew that he and Timothy did not serve the Lord of their own wills, and of their own strength of character, but only by God’s calling on their lives, and only in his strength and power. All that they were and did was all because of God.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Co 3:18 NIV

Yes, this is the plight (pledge, engagement, commitment) of the believer in Jesus Christ that, now having been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we are set free from our slavery to sin, we are now brought into union with God, and now we are being transformed into his likeness, by God, by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NIV

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

As ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul and Timothy were being hard pressed on every side, persecuted, and struck down. But because of God’s love and grace, they were not crushed, they were not in despair, and they were not destroyed (See 2 Co 4:7-12). Paul said,

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Co 4:17-18 NIV

Amen! This world is not our home. We are only here temporarily. Our human bodies are only our temporary dwelling place. So, our focus should not be on what is of this earth, or of our human flesh, but our focus should be on what is eternal, what is godly, and what his holy.

For God fashioned us to not be of this world, and to not have our hopes and our dreams realized in the flesh, but only in the Spirit. He created us to be like Him in true righteousness and holiness. And he also created us in Christ for good works which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Eph 4:17-24; Eph 2:10; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15, 21).

All that we are and do in this life should bring honor and praise to God and not to our flesh. Our lives should be for his purposes and for his glory. He is not to be just part of our lives, but he is to BE our life. And our lives are to be lived for his glory until the very end.

For, we weren’t saved from our sins just so we could escape hell and just so we could go to heaven when we die. Our engagement to Jesus Christ, although it is initiated by God, and he is the one who gives us the “engagement ring,” i.e., the Holy Spirit, it is not one-sided. 

We have to do the part God assigned us to do. We don’t do it in our own strength, but in the power and strength of God’s Spirit living within us, but still we must obey the Lord. We must leave our lives of sin behind us. And we must submit to Christ as Lord and continue in Him until the end.

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:31-32, 51; Jn 10:27-30; Jn 14:23-24; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Acts 26:18; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 1 Co 15:2; 2 Co 5:10, 15, 21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Heb 3:6, 14-15; Heb 10:26-31; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 2:24-25; 1 Jn 5:3]

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 NIV

“Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So, we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Our goal in life should not be to please ourselves, but to please God. And it is not true that he is pleased with everyone who confesses to have faith in Jesus Christ. We are to find out what pleases the Lord, and we are to do what he says to do (Rom 8:8; Eph 5:10; Col 1:9-11; 1 Th 4:1; 1 Jn 3:22).

For, we must all appear one day before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. For, our Father in heaven judges impartially according to each one's deeds. And judgment begins with God’s household.

God will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

Jesus’ sheep listen to his voice, and they follow (obey) him. But if they hold on to their old lives of living in the flesh, they will lose them for eternity. If we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. But if we make sin our practice, we will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Whatever we sow in this life, that we will also reap. If we sow to the flesh, from the flesh we will reap corruption (destruction, death). But if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. 

For, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. For, not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of God the Father who is in heaven.

[1 Pet 1:13-19; Heb 10:30-31; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co. 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 6:7-8; Jn 10:27; Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21; 1 Jn 2:3-6]

Do You Love Me?  

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

https://vimeo.com/115908408