Are You Being Perfected by the Flesh?

Are You Bewitched?

Galatians 3:1-3

 

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

 

The Purpose of Jesus’ Crucifixion

 

So, what was the purpose of Jesus’ crucifixion? The Scriptures teach that Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. And He shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) so we would now honor God with our bodies (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15,21; 1 Co 6:19-20).

 

They also teach that when we believe in Jesus with God-given faith that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Our old self is crucified with Christ in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we will no longer be enslaved to sin but to God and to his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-17).

 

We also learn that God’s grace, which brings us salvation, instructs us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Tit 2:11-14; Eph 2:10).

 

By Flesh or By Spirit

 

The key word here, to me, is “flesh.” For obviously, if we read the passages of Scripture noted above, and others like them, we realize that God did not do away with all his commands or with his requirement for obedience to his commands. He redeemed us from all lawlessness, so he didn’t save us so we would become lawless. We just don’t have to obey all the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification and dietary laws and restrictions which were required of the Jews under the Old Covenant.

 

Now we obey Jesus and his commands (New Covenant) which include all his moral laws which were required of his people under the Old Covenant. But he summarized the law and the prophets into two commands, the first of which is to love the Lord our God with our whole being and to love our neighbors (all people) as ourselves, for if we do these things we will not sin against God or against other humans but we will walk in obedience to the Lord (Matt 22:37-40; Matt 7:21-23; Jn 14:15-24; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10).

 

And then if we go over two chapters to Galatians 5 we read there that we are to walk by the Spirit so that we will not gratify the desires (cravings) of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. And the works of the flesh are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, enmity, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. And we are warned that if we practice such things that we will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10).

 

So, we don’t become lawless by faith in Jesus Christ. God still has commands for us to obey. We still have to obey the Lord, and we still have to forsake our sins as part of believing faith which saves. But we are not saved either by legalistic requirements (by externals) or by good works done in our own flesh hoping to appease God while we still continue living in deliberate and habitual sin. And we are not saved by a mere profession of faith but by faith proved genuine by what we do in submission to Christ.

 

By Faith in Jesus Christ

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV

 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

 

Now I hear a lot of people say, “All I have to do is believe.” One man said to me one day, “I don’t have to repent. I just have to believe.” So when they say “believe” they are talking about some emotional decision or some verbal confession of Christ as Lord or some mere acknowledgment of Jesus and who he was/is and of what he did for us on that cross, according to what they are taught. Some of them prayed a prayer to receive Christ and were promised they were now saved and guaranteed heaven no matter what.

 

But this faith which saves is not of our own doing. We don’t get to decide what faith looks like. This faith originates with Jesus Christ, and it is gifted to us by God, and it is perfected by Christ, and we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ. And the word “faith” means to be persuaded, in this case to be persuaded by God as to his holiness and righteousness, of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to live to him in walks of obedience to his commands.

 

[Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; 2 Pet 1:1; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13]

 

And “not a result of works” obviously does not mean that no works are involved in our salvation and in our walks of faith for we are saved for good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. What this is saying is that we can do nothing in our own flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. We can’t make up our own definition of faith, either. Even our faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, not from us.

 

So we can’t just profess to believe in Jesus and then claim for ourselves full forgiveness of sins and the guarantee of heaven when we die. This is not what the Scriptures teach. They teach we must die with Christ to sin and we must be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him. Sin is to no longer have mastery over our lives but Jesus Christ is to be our only Lord and master. And we are now to obey him with our lives.

 

For if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin we will NOT inherit eternal life with God. If we want the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God it must be according to what the Scriptures teach. Daily we must be putting sin to death in our lives and we must be walking according to the Spirit in obedience to our Lord and not according to the flesh. And we must continue in these walks of faith and obedience until the very end of time.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

A Believer’s Prayer

 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

 

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

 

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

 

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

 

https://vimeo.com/114796263

No Matter What Comes

Psalms 46:1-3 ESV

 

“God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah”

 

No matter what comes our way, if we trust Jesus Christ with our lives, and if he is truly Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, we have no cause to fear. We can take refuge in the Lord. But this isn’t saying that he is going to immediately physically remove us from our difficult situations so that we will not have to suffer. He might, in some cases, but we are called to suffer and to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.

 

Sometimes he does remove us from difficult situations, but usually he is our refuge and our strength through those difficulties. Now, he may lessen the pain and suffering to make it more bearable so that we can function and be able to do his will, but don’t look to him to always remove the pain and suffering, for it may continue, and it may even be with you always like the cross you are called to bear in this life for the sake of His name.

 

But our comfort in our suffering is that God is always with us if we are with him, i.e. if we are following him with our lives and if we are walking in obedience to his commands. But if we are double-minded and doubting God, and if we are asking for relief from the Lord for wrong motives, and if we are not abiding in Christ and his words are not abiding in us, we should not expect that we will receive anything from the Lord.

 

[1 Jn 3:22; 1 Jn 5:14; Jas 4:1-10; Jas 1:2-8; Jn 15:1-11; 1 Pet 3:7; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Matt 5:10-12; Lu 21:12-19; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12]

 

Psalms 46:4-7 ESV

 

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

    God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

 

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are the “city of God.” We are God’s holy people, his holy nation. We are his “holy habitation” because he now lives inside of us. We are now his temple. We are his church, not the building and not the organization nor denominations. God dwells within us in the person of the Holy Spirit who is our comforter.

 

Because we rely on the Lord to be our strength and our help in time of need, we are not moved from our faith in our Lord when our circumstances fluctuate and when things don’t go so well. Now we may feel pain and we may suffer and we may cry out to God in our suffering, but if our trust is fully in him we will continue in him despite what is going on all around us.

 

Our Lord will help us through every difficulty. We can always rely on him. And he is absolutely in control over all things so we can trust him fully with whatever is happening in our lives. So even if our world on the outside seems to be falling apart by the seams, and even if all appears hopeless from a worldly perspective, God is still in command over all things.

 

Psalms 46:8-11 ESV

 

“Come, behold the works of the Lord,

    how he has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the chariots with fire.

‘Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!’

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

 

I can tell you from personal experience, as one who first believed in Jesus 65 years ago, that we serve a miracle working God. I have seen my Lord work miracle after miracle in my life and in my circumstances and in my body many times over. His mercies are new every morning. The more I trust him the more I can see how he is working in my life and in my circumstances.

 

Our God is not limited by our circumstances. When I was much younger I thought he was because I had been brought up by an abusive father and the Lord did not deliver me out of that situation. So I concluded that he was somehow limited and that man had power over me that he could do nothing about. I still remember the day I said to God in my despair, “But God, you don’t understand!” Well, he was very gracious to me in that, and he did not rebuke me, but he encouraged me to do something I was afraid to do.

 

It took me a while to totally accept the absolute sovereignty of God over my life but when I did the peace came. But it is something I have to keep reaffirming to myself when things get tough, for they do, that God is in control over everything that comes into my life and none of it caught him by surprise and he has a plan and a purpose for it all. I just have to trust him.

 

He Reached Down  

 

An Original Work / February 3, 2014

Based off Psalm 18

 

How I love You, Lord, my Rock and my strength.

My God is my fortress; I hide in Him.

He is my shield and the horn of

My salvation, whom I praise.

I have found my refuge in Him.

 

He reached down from heaven and rescued me;

Drew me out of waters so deep, I’d sink.

He delivered me from Satan

And my slavery to sin;

Gave me hope of heaven with Him.

 

My God turned my darkness into His light;

Opened up my blinded eyes; gave me sight.

As for God, his way is perfect.

He gives strength to stand secure.

I have found my vict’ry in Him.

 

My Lord lives! Praise be to my Savior God,

Jesus Christ, who died on a cruel cross.

He is my Rock and the source

Of my salvation, whom I trust.

I will give praise always to Him.

 

https://vimeo.com/86346545

Kindness, Compassion, Love, and Songs

Colossians 3:12-13 ESV

 

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

 

Put on Kindness and Compassion

 

When we look at these qualities mentioned here, we need to measure them by the word of God and not by the measurements of humans. For humans may regard it kindness to lie to people or to not say anything to offend anyone and thus to not share the gospel with anyone. They may consider it kind to never talk about sin or repentance or obedience to God and to keep all conversations on more of a friendly socially acceptable level.

 

They may consider it compassionate to not ever talk with anyone about their sins and to just accept sin in sinful human beings as being a part of who we are as humans. They may consider it compassionate to never address any topics that might be considered controversial or that might make anyone uncomfortable, and so they may keep their conversations only to socially acceptable standards of what they may consider to be “polite.”

 

And bearing with one another in love does not mean accepting habitual and deliberate sin in the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t mean allowing people to do evil things to other people while we just stand by and watch and do nothing, or while we pacify the habitual and deliberate sinner via support groups which often only extend the sinful behavior without making an exerted effort to put the sinful behavior to death.

 

As well, forgiving one another does not mean we give carte blanche to professing Christians to continue in deliberate and habitual sin. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” His word teaches that we must no longer live as slaves to sin and that sin is to no longer have mastery over our lives. God doesn’t look the other way while we continue in deliberate disobedience to him, and neither should we. We should be moving people to repentance and to changed lives to where they don’t keep repeating the same sins.

 

So, if we are going to be kind and compassionate like Jesus was, we are going to speak the truth in love to others for their good, and we are going to tell them that God requires death to sin and living to him and to his righteousness. And we are going to let them know that forgiveness of sins is not permission then to keep on living in sin guilt free. For Jesus died to free us from our addiction to sin so we will now live holy lives pleasing to Him.

 

Colossians 3:14-15 ESV

 

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

 

Put On Love

 

As well, this word “love” is not based in our emotions. It is based in God who is love. And God is holy, morally pure, righteous, truthful, trustworthy, faithful, kind, and upright, and so this love shares those same characteristic traits. For this love is based in moral preference, and it prefers what God prefers, and so it does no harm to another. When we love with this kind of love we will not habitually and deliberately sin against other humans.

 

And when we love with this kind of love we are going to consider what are people’s true needs, which is how God loves. And we are going to want to do for others what will be for their good (as God defines good), and so we will do nothing to contribute to their lives anything that is evil. We will not encourage them towards anything evil nor will we join in with them in their evil deeds. And evil is anything that is contrary to the will of God.

 

And regarding the word “peace,” this is not like the world defines peace, for it is not absence of conflict. It is not everyone agreeing on everything and the whole world uniting together as one mind and as one heart, which is what some people are pushing. We are not going to be at peace with others who are not at peace with God and who oppose God and his word and the gospel of Christ, because we stand on the truths of God’s Word.

 

So, the peace of Christ ruling our hearts has to do with us being at peace with God, which means that we are no longer living as his enemies, but we are submitting to Christ as Lord, and daily we are dying to sin and living to God and to his righteousness, and we are walking in obedience to our Lord and no longer in sin. For to this we were called, and this is the peace that we should be sharing with other people, too, not world peace.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

Colossians 3:16-17 ESV

 

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

 

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

 

When the Scriptures teach us Christians that we are to speak to ONE ANOTHER in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, it is not talking about the songs needing to sound professional by man's standards. It is speaking about the need for us to encourage (exhort, urge) one another toward walks of holiness and righteousness and away from living in sin and for self. We should all be doing this for the encouragement of one another.

 

Over a course of nine years the Lord Jesus gave me 185 songs to write for the encouragement of the body of Christ, not for entertainment purposes and not because I have a great voice. I don't anymore. I know that full well. But it is the only voice I have, and God knew that. And these songs are directly from the Scriptures or they are based in the Scriptures and they are exactly what Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 encourage us to do.

 

In sharing these songs with y'all, I have no other goal other than to encourage you my fellow Christians. I don't need pats on the back. I am not looking for the praise of man. And so I would encourage you to listen to some of these, not with critical ears but with spiritual ears listening for the messages being conveyed, letting the Lord use these songs, as simple and as unprofessional by man's standards as they are, to encourage you in your walks of faith.

 

If you are reading this on my blog, there should be somewhere on there with a link to “Songs on Vimeo” where you can listen to the songs. The videos with my face are mostly talks, though, not songs. And at least on one of my blogs there should be a section with links to various topics, and one of those should be “Original Works Songs” where you can also read the lyrics. If you are on CF, you can use the link after the following song to get to the other songs. Or, if you are on Facebook, I have created a public page where I am sharing the songs and the lyrics. https://www.facebook.com/SjlCfs04

 

So, be encouraging one another with the word of God, and with biblical songs and poems, to walk in holiness and in faithful obedience to the Lord.

 

Courageous! 

 

An Original Work / December 24, 2013 

Based off Various Scriptures

 

The Word of God throughout taught.

Some people heard but did doubt.

Still others had faith in Christ.

By grace He purified them.

 

They turned from sin

And they obeyed Christ.

He opened up their blinded eyesight;

Turned them from darkness

To the true Light;

Forgave their sin by His might.

 

He strengthened them in their faith.

He said, “Remain my faithful.”

He called them to obedience.

By faith, they were so grateful.

 

By faith, they were to follow Jesus;

To daily sit and listen to Him;

To have such faith

That mountains could move;

To love those whom He gave them.

 

Be on your guard; courageous.

Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.

Take up the shield of your faith;

Protect against all evil.

 

Do not move from

The hope that you have.

Your faith in Jesus let it endure.

Hold to the truth;

Your conscience be clear.

Endure with perseverance.

 

https://vimeo.com/112338495

Belief in Jesus Christ has Conditions

Colossians 3:1-4 ESV

 

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

 

If, Then What?

 

Whenever a sentence or a phrase begins with the word “if,” pay close attention. The word “if” is used to introduce a conditional clause, such as “on the condition that..” Or “in the event that..”

 

And if something is conditional, it is subject to particular requirements or stipulations, such as our salvation is conditional on us being crucified with Christ in death to sin and on us being reborn of the Spirit to walk in newness of life in Christ, and on us walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and on us walking in obedience to the Lord and not in deliberate and habitual sin, and on us continuing in Christ until the very end.

 

[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Lu 9:23-26; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 3:5-10; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Matt 7:21-23; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6,14-15; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

 

So, when this says, “If then you have been raised with Christ,” it is not assuming that the readers are all those who have been raised with Christ, but if they have, then this is what they are supposed to do. But then it explains somewhat the meaning of “raised with Christ,” for it follows after first having died with Christ to sin. Now their lives are hidden in Christ, i.e. Christ is their lives. Their source for life is now God and not the flesh.

 

In other words, when Jesus died on that cross he put our sins to death with him that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. But then God the Father raised him from the dead in victory over sin, death, hell and Satan, so that we can now live in victory over the same. So, by faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

Set Your Minds On

 

So, if you have died with Christ to sin, and if you have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, and if Christ is now your life, and your life no longer revolves around your sinful flesh, then seek the things that are of God and of his eternal kingdom and not the things of this sinful world. Don’t be running after all the pleasures of this world and of the flesh but seek and follow after the ways of God and of his righteousness.

 

And then let the light of Christ in your life shine before other humans so that they will desire what you have and so they will want to know the fulness of God in their lives and have salvation from sin and new purpose and direction for their lives. Be the Lord’s representatives to the world around you and on social media, and don’t join in with the ungodly in all their frivolity so that no one sees Christ in you because all you show them is the flesh.

 

Live your lives for God and for his eternal kingdom. Yes, live in this world, and yes, interact with the people of this world, but don’t be worldly. We don’t win people to Jesus if we live no differently from the ungodly. Yes, don’t be snooty and act superior but don’t become worldly to relate to the people of the world. God called us to be his holy people, set apart (unlike, different) from the world so we would be conformed to his likeness.

 

Colossians 3:5-10 ESV

 

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

 

There are many people today, at least here in America, who are professing faith in Jesus Christ or who are calling themselves Christians who are living no differently from those who make no profession of faith in Jesus. They watch all the same TV shows and movies, listen to all the same music, play all the same games, have all the same conversations, and live very similar to if not exactly like those who make no claims to faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Other than the fact that they claim to be Christians, and they go to an institutional church gathering once a week, their lives do not reflect Christ, but they reflect the world. They hardly ever mention the name of Jesus unless they are asked to pray for a meal or unless they are in a “church” setting where talking about Jesus is acceptable conversation. But they know all the latest in the way of movies, actors, games and TV shows which reflect the world, and their conversations mainly revolve around those things.

 

Many of them, too, are still living in sinful addiction. Many of them are addicted to pornography or to other forms of sexual immorality and impurity. They are idolaters who live for sinful passion and evil desire, many of whom plot out on their beds how they plan to sin against God and spouse and others. And yet they show up at “church” each Sunday and put on a show of righteousness and godliness and they talk the walk there.

 

But since they are professing faith in Jesus Christ, perhaps in an environment of others who believe in Jesus and who hold to the principles of holiness and righteousness, they will often keep their sinful practices a secret and they will lie to cover them up and will pretend that they are doing well when they are not. For they want to make a good impression in front of others. They want others to think well of them. So they fake it.

 

But the truth of the gospel is not that Jesus died just to forgive us our sins so that we can go to heaven when we die. The truth of the gospel is that Jesus died to free us from our addiction to sin so that we could walk in his holiness and righteousness in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). And the truth is that if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin that we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will face God’s wrath, instead.

 

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

Everyone Hearing and Doing

Matthew 7:24-25 ESV

 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

 

This is Jesus speaking, and these words come right after him talking about the narrow and the broad (wide) gates and roads (Matt 7:13-14), and after his warnings about not listening to false prophets (teachers, preachers) (Matt 7:15-20), and after what he said about how not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (Matt 7:21-23).

 

And in those lessons we learned that we are to enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. But the gate is wide (broad) and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. Basically, if we believe and follow the gospel that Jesus taught, that is the narrow way that is hard that leads to life. But if we follow the teachings of false teachers, many of them are teaching the wide and easy way that leads to destruction.

 

So, what is the easy and broad (wide) way? It teaches that all we have to do is “believe” (not defined) in Jesus once and now our sins are all forgiven (past, present, and future) and so now we are on our way to heaven guaranteed and nothing we can do can take that away from us. And what is the narrow and the hard way? It requires that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and that we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God’s righteousness.

 

Basically, we can’t just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and then assume that heaven is our eternal destiny regardless of how we live. Jesus made it clear that to come after him we must deny self and take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we die with Christ to sin for his sake we have eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26; cf. Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24).

 

All throughout the New Testament we are taught that obedience to our Lord is required of us for salvation and for eternal life, as well as ceasing to walk in sin. For if we continue in disobedience and in deliberate and habitual sin, we will not inherit eternal life with God (1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10).

 

Matthew 7:26-27 ESV

 

“And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

 

It all comes down to obedience, for faith is obedience. Without obedience there is no faith. Paul taught that we are slaves of whomever we obey, and if it be sin, it will end in death, not in eternal life. But if it be obedience, it will lead to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (Rom 6:1-23). And he taught that 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 body (flesh), then we will live with Christ for eternity (Rom 8:1-17).

 

Paul also taught that we are to walk by the Spirit so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh. And the works of the flesh are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, enmity, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. And then he warned us that those who practice (are doing) such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:16-21; cf. 1 Co 6:9-10; Eph 5:3-6; Col 3:5-11).

 

And he taught that if we sow to please our flesh that from that flesh we will reap corruption (destruction), but if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal 6:7-8). And he taught that we are all going to be judged by God according to our works, and 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; 2 Co 5:10). Yes, Paul taught this!

 

And he taught that the grace of God, which brings salvation, instructs us to renounce (say no to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus 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; cf. Eph 2:10).

 

And then we read in Hebrews 10:26-27: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

 

So, we need to take this to heart.

 

He Gives Purpose  

 

An Original Work / June 9, 2012

 

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

 

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

 

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

 

https://vimeo.com/119038798

Make Sure it is The Truth

Beware of False Prophets

Matthew 7:15-20 ESV

 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

 

False Prophets’ Persona

 

What do false prophets (teachers, preachers, messengers of God) look like today? They are usually charming people, though not all of them. They are generally well liked, good conversationalists, entertainers, funny, witty, smart, well read, well educated, and well trained in business and marketing techniques and in how to draw in large crowds of people from the world to their ”church” gatherings, i.e. to their businesses called “church.”

 

They are followers of man and not followers of God, and so they are following after the marketing techniques of man over and above and in place of the truths of the Scriptures, although they know the Scriptures, at least intellectually. They have to know them in order to know how to use them and to twist them to their advantage in order to make them say what they want them to say, and in order to convince the people to believe the lies.

 

They profess faith in Jesus Christ and they teach enough truth to convince the people that they are teaching the truth. Yet, sometimes they will just mention a passage of Scripture as though that is what they are going to talk about but they don’t talk about it, but it provides a subliminal message that what they are saying is biblical and that somehow it is associated with the quoted passage of Scripture which is then never referred to.

 

Skilled in Manipulation

 

They are very skilled in manipulation, in other words. If you pay close attention, you can see the manipulation tactics being repeated over and over again. For example, some preachers begin talking slowly and softly and then as they talk they speak faster and louder and they even begin yelling and stomping their feet. And the music follows suit, and it gets repeated over and over but with each repeat the music gets louder and more intense.

 

And then there are those pastors who always begin with a joke of some kind, and their sermons are always 3 points which all begin with the same letter of the alphabet, and then towards the end of the sermon they have music playing in the background softly while they tell a “tear-jerker” story to get everyone’s emotions going so that they can manipulate the people down to the altar and to joining “the church” or to do something else.

 

These are not of the Holy Spirit. These methods are of men and they are manipulative tactics to move people’s emotions in a particular direction toward some type of action or decision or belief or whatever. But so much of what they are being taught to do has to do convincing people to believe in the message they are trying to sell them and/or to move them to a particular action or decision, even via the means of guilt-tripping them.

 

Now, I am not saying that all pastors who use these techniques are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Many of them are just doing what they were taught to do in school. But if they are really following Jesus with their lives, and if they are really listening to the word of God and to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God will lead them away from these man-made methods towards adhering to the leading of the Holy Spirit in what they teach, do, and say. They won’t feel the need to manipulate the people but they will yield control to the Holy Spirit and they will let him lead, and they will follow him, not man.

 

Willful and Deliberate Deception

 

But many of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” are there for the purpose to deceive and to manipulate for they work for Satan and not God. They are wicked people disguising themselves as servants of righteousness, but their intention is to lead people away from the truth of the gospel to a gospel of men which does nothing to deliver people out of their addiction to sin but which gives them a false hope of heaven when they die.

 

And so they tell people what their itching ears want to hear, not the truth that they need to hear. They tell them what makes them feel good about themselves and not what leads them to righteous and holy living, which is pleasing to God. They dilute the truth of the gospel to make it more appealing and acceptable to the people of the world and to human flesh, and people are being drawn to that false gospel by the thousands, and perhaps millions. For this is the predominant gospel in America being taught today.

 

Basically they tell them that they can “believe” in Jesus (not defined) and have their sins forgiven (past, present, and future), and that heaven is now guaranteed them when they die regardless of how they live. And so they are giving their adherents free license to continue in deliberate and habitual sin, guilt free, and some are even telling them that they do not have to repent, and they do not have to obey Jesus or submit to him as Lord, for they call that works salvation or Lordship salvation.

 

So, we need to be people of discernment so that we are not caught in their snare. We need to have our ears tuned into God and to testing the actions and deeds and characters of those who claim they are of God but who are teaching what is not of God. By their fruits (deeds, actions, attitudes, words) we should be able to discern if they are true or false provided that we are walking in the truth and that we know how to discern lies from truth.

 

Not Everyone Who Says

Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

 

Okay, now here is where the truth comes in. We can’t be saved from our sins and be on our way to heaven by a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Just because we prayed a prayer to receive Christ as Lord and Savior at one time in our lives does not guarantee us salvation from sin or eternal life with God. Not everyone who confesses Christ as Lord or who believes that God raised him from the dead is saved and bound for heaven, either.

 

Only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those dying with Christ to sin and living to God and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands have the hope of eternal life with God. For we are saved from our addiction to sin so that we can now be slaves of God and of his righteousness. Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and that we might now walk in holiness by his Spirit.

 

So don’t believe everyone who calls himself a preacher, or a teacher of the Scriptures, or a pastor or an evangelist or a missionary or an author of Christian books and literature. Test everything you hear and read against the Scriptures (in their full context), and in prayer, and in seeking God’s face with a desire to know and to follow the will of God for your lives. Just because it sounds good doesn’t mean it is truth. Many lies sound good to itching ears. So be careful what you believe. Make sure it is the truth.

 

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.

 

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

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Listen, and Give Attention to Jesus Christ

Isaiah 49:1-4 ESV

 

“Listen to me, O coastlands,

    and give attention, you peoples from afar.

The Lord called me from the womb,

    from the body of my mother he named my name.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword;

    in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

he made me a polished arrow;

    in his quiver he hid me away.

And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,

    Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’

But I said, ‘I have labored in vain;

    I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;

yet surely my right is with the Lord,

    and my recompense with my God.’”

 

The one speaking here is regarded to be Jesus Christ, our Messiah. This was a foretelling of the Messiah who was yet to come and of his birth and of his ministry to all people, not just to the Jews. But it also mimics the calling of Jeremiah, the prophet of God, who was called of God from the womb of his mother to be a prophet to the nations, and the calling of Paul, called of God to be an apostle and a minister of the gospel to both Jew and Gentile.

 

But in reality all of us who are in Christ by faith in him are the called of God and we were chosen in him even before God laid the foundations of the earth (Rom 8:29; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Eph 1:3-4). Jesus Christ/God formed us in the wombs of our mothers and all the days ordained for us were written in God’s book before any one of them even came into being (Psalms 139:13-16). And we are a holy people belonging to God that we might proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Pet 2:9; Matt 28:18-20). So we are to be ministers of the gospel, too.

 

Yes, Jesus Christ did call and he is calling all people to listen to him and to give attention to him and to his word. And we who are his representatives on this earth are also to be calling the people of this earth to listen to the Lord Jesus and to give attention to his words, which are the words of life to all people. But we need to first of all be listening to him and walking in obedience to him in faithful surrender to his will before we can call others to listen to him and to follow him in obedience.

 

When Jesus Christ walked this earth he was fully God and fully human. He began his ministry at around the age of 30 and he was put to death at around the age of 33. He healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, comforted the sorrowful, fed the hungry, and he performed many miracles. As well he preached repentance for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God. And he called on all people to forsake their lives of sin and to follow him in obedience (Luke 9:23-26).

 

He had many superficial followers at the beginning, who were following him because of the miracles he performed – because he healed their diseases and he fed their hungry bellies. But when he began preaching that they had to die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (Luke 9:23-26), and that they had to “eat of his flesh and drink of his blood” (John 6:35-58) – which is symbolic for sharing with him in his death and resurrection and in his suffering – many of them deserted him.

 

And then there were the Sadducees and the Pharisees and the Scribes and the rulers of the temple of God, many of whom opposed Jesus Christ and who he said he was and the things that he did and said. Many of them hounded and harassed him continuously, always looking for ways to trip him up with his words so that they would have cause to accuse him falsely. And eventually they were able to carry out his death on a cross, hoping to finish him, but then God resurrected him from the dead, and he still lives.

 

And when we follow the Lord Jesus in obedience, and we become his servants and witnesses and messengers in taking the gospel of our salvation to the people of the world, we will be opposed, too, if we are teaching the same gospel Jesus taught and that his New Testament apostles taught. And sometimes it may feel as though we have spent our strength for nothing when so many people ignore and reject the truth of the gospel in order to follow after the lies of Satan. But our responsibility is just to obey the Lord in doing what he says and he will draw the hearts of people to himself.

 

Isaiah 49:5-6 ESV

 

“And now the Lord says,

    he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him;

    and that Israel might be gathered to him—

for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,

    and my God has become my strength—

he says:

‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

    to raise up the tribes of Jacob

    and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

    that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’”

 

Again, this is a prophecy about Jesus Christ, our Messiah. But in many ways it applies to us, his servants, as well, for we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. And we are to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to obey whatever our Lord commands. We are to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that they can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ, for this is the essence of the gospel. And we are to be his witnesses to the people of the earth.

 

[1 Pet. 2:9; 1 Pet. 2:21; Matt. 5:13-16; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Rom. 10:14-15; Jn. 4:31-38; Jn. 13:13-17; Jn. 14:12; 1 Jn. 2:6]

 

And we are to take to the people the true message of the gospel of our salvation that we are to be crucified with Christ in death to sin and be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer enslaved to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23). And that if we are to be followers of Jesus that we are to deny self and take up our cross daily (daily die with Christ to sin) and follow him in obedience (Lu 9:23-26).

 

And then we need to let them know that we don’t “get saved” once and therefore heaven is now guaranteed us when we die. We are saved (past), we are being saved (present) and we will be saved (future) when Jesus Christ returns for those who love and obey him, when he takes us to be with him for eternity, which is when our salvation is completed. But this is conditional upon us walking in obedience with our Lord and us no longer walking in sin, in deliberate and habitual sin, and it is dependent on us continuing with Christ in obedience to him until the very end.

 

[Jn 8:31-32,51; Jn 14:15-24; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 11:17-24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 5:9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:1-5; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Matt 7:21-23; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10,24; 1 Jn 5:2-3; 2 Jn 1:6; Jas 1:21-25; Eph 4:17-24]

 

He Gives Purpose  

 

An Original Work / June 9, 2012

 

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

 

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

 

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

 

https://vimeo.com/119038798