For Those Who Love God

“But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-16 ESV)

We, in our human nature, and in our natural selves, cannot adequately grasp the reality of all that God has prepared for those who love him. And who are those who love him? They are those who obey him, who do what he says to do, whose lives are surrendered to the Lord, and who are committed to his service and to living holy lives, pleasing to him. For just as faith = obedience, love for God also = obedience. For the word “love” means to prefer what God prefers, to live through Christ, to choose his choices, and to obey them through his power. For this is what God prefers (chooses).

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:51; John 10:27-30; John 14:15-24; John 15:10; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 5:9; 1 Peter 1:1-2; James 1:21-25; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,15-17; 1 John 3:4-10,24; 1 John 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6] 

But these things are revealed to us through the Holy Spirit and through the teachings of Jesus Christ and of his NT apostles. And so we can know what God has prepared (not all of it, perhaps) for those of us who love him, who walk in obedience to his commands, and who no longer walk in sin. But we must know that all that God has prepared for us is not all pleasant. For not only does he have blessings for us, but he also has hardships and trials to test our faith planned for us in order to grow us to maturity in Christ and to make us strong and determined in our walks of faith to do his will.

But we need to be people of much spiritual discernment who are able to divide what is of this world from what is of the Spirit of God, so that we don’t get the two confused. For the world and the worldly church may be giving us the wrong ideas of what God has for us, and they may not be teaching us all that Jesus and his NT apostles taught regarding what God has planned for our lives. Far too many people are being fed all the happy-happy stuff, but they are not hearing the hard truths of the Scriptures regarding what God requires of us and what all he has planned for us.

And critical to us understanding what all God has planned for us is that we read the Scriptures in their context and not out of context. For far too many people are being promised that they are recipients of God’s promises, but absent of the conditions to those promises. For the conditions for John 10:28-30 to be fulfilled must be found in John 10:27 where Jesus said that his sheep listen to him, he knows them, and they follow (obey) him. They will not perish, but they will have eternal life with God; not all who give lip service to the Lord only but who do not listen and who do not obey God.

So, yes, it is great to hear all of God’s promises for those who love him, and who obey him, but we have to read these in the context of to whom they apply. Otherwise we may be being given false hopes and false promises which do not apply to us, for we may not meet those conditions. For the condition is not just to make a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus, but the conditions include obedience to our Lord and the forsaking of our sins and us living holy lives, pleasing to the Lord, in practice, in the power of God, and that we no longer walk in sin, making sin our practice.

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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Let Your Faith Rest in the Power of God

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-8 ESV)

I find it interesting that even back in Paul’s day there were men, apparently, who were proclaiming the testimony of God with lofty (haughty, arrogant) speech and lofty (prideful, snooty) wisdom, which appears to be the implication in Paul’s words in stating that he was not like that. And chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians appears to support that, as well. For what is important is not how talented and gifted a speaker (preacher) might be in presenting the gospel, but it is how truthful and sincere and humble he might be in speaking the truth in love, even if the truth offends some people.

For we have many gifted and talented speakers today who are not speaking the truth of the gospel, but who have huge followings because they know how to say things in such a way as to draw large crowds to themselves. For they are smooth-talkers and charmers and entertainers who know how to persuade people to follow them and their teachings. Some of them are not particularly charming, though, but may use other manipulative means to persuade people to believe them and to follow them and their teachings. For they are wolves in sheep’s clothing pretending to be sheep, but not.

But Paul’s focus was on speaking the truth of the gospel, not in trying to charm people and in trying to get people to like him. His focus was on getting the truth to them, the whole counsel of God, and nothing altered or diluted that would appeal to and appease human flesh. And so he taught that Jesus died on that cross so that we would be crucified with him in death to sin, and so we would be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And he taught if sin is what we obey it will lead to death, not to life eternal.

Now Paul stated that he approached what he did, not in pride, and not in arrogance, and not in lofty speech and wisdom, but in a demonstration of the Spirit of God and of the power and wisdom of God. And he did so in weakness and in fear and much trembling. What do you think he meant by that? Well, based on my own experiences and on what I read of his, I would say that he was describing the kind of life we will live if we have the same approach to the preaching of the gospel as he did. For we will be rejected, hated, cast aside, unwanted, and even falsely accused of wrongdoing.

And he did and said what he did and said, in the manner in which he did and said them, so that our faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. And this is essential that we get this truth. For so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ today are relying heavily on the teachings of human beings and they are not adequately testing what they are being taught against the Scriptures in their context. For so many will accept the message if it feels good regardless of whether or not it is truth. And that is a very sad present day reality that needs to change.

But what Paul stated is where we all need to be. We should be those who are diligent in making certain, to the best of our understanding, that what we are teaching is the truth of the Scriptures, in context. This is not saying that we are going to get everything perfect every time, but that we should show due diligence in making sure that what we are teaching is the truth and not the lies that so many people are teaching today. For they are taking the Scriptures out of their context and they are twisting them to make them say the opposite of what they say in context. 

But so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are ignorant of what the Scriptures teach, and not all of them are because they just haven’t been taught the truth. Many are willfully ignorant by ignoring the Scriptures they don’t like, and that teach them the full gospel message, because they prefer the lies, because the lies do not demand that they die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness. The lies give them permission to keep on in their deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord while promising them salvation from sin and eternal life with God guaranteed. But the lies end in death.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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God's Steadfast Love to Those Who Know Him

“Transgression speaks to the wicked

    deep in his heart;

there is no fear of God

    before his eyes.

For he flatters himself in his own eyes

    that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;

    he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

He plots trouble while on his bed;

    he sets himself in a way that is not good;

    he does not reject evil.” (Psalms 36:1-4 ESV)

Sadly this is not speaking only of those who have never made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. This is speaking largely, as well, of many who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who attend weekly gatherings of the church (or of the false church) and who believe that when they die that they are going to go to heaven. For many of them have put their trust in a diluted and altered gospel message of human origin which promises them forgiveness of all sins and heaven when they die, but regardless of how they live. But that is not biblical faith nor is it the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught.

So, if these first four verses describe the kind of life that you are now living, and sin is your practice, and obedience to the Lord and holy living are not your practice, please know that the Scriptures teach that you are not in fellowship with Jesus Christ, you do not know God, and you are not born of God, but you are of the devil. And although you profess faith in Jesus Christ you will not inherit eternal life with him because obedience to God is not your practice, but sin is your practice. So you take God’s grace to you for granted, and you do not take his words seriously, so you don’t reject evil.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

    your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

    your judgments are like the great deep;

    man and beast you save, O Lord.” (Psalms 36:5-6 ESV)

Now, in contrast to the wicked who make sin their practice and who do not obey the commandments of God, in practice, our God is faithful in all that he does, and in all that he says, and in all that he promises and warns us about, too. He is true to who he says he is and to all that he says that he will do. And his whole purpose in sending Jesus Christ to that cross to die for our sins was to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now walk in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, in faithful surrender to him and to his will for our lives (see Romans 6:1-23).

And so he let us know in advance that if we choose to not obey him, and if we choose to continue in sin, in deliberate and habitual sin, that we should not expect that he will receive us into his heaven. He will not! But he will say to all who called him, “Lord,” but who did not do what he said, “I never knew you! Depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (see Matthew 7:21-23). For he told us that if we want to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God (see Luke 9:23-26).

“Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

    and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

    nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There the evildoers lie fallen;

    they are thrust down, unable to rise.” (Psalms 36:10-12 ESV)

God’s steadfast love and faithfulness is for all who know him. But if we say that we know God, but we do not obey him, in practice, we are liars who do not live by the truth (1 John 2:3-6). And if we claim to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ, but we still walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, we are liars, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:5-10). For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, we are not born of God, and we do not have eternal life with God, regardless of what faith in him we profess. For it is not lip service, but obedience and righteous living that God requires of us (1 John 3:4-10).

So, those who know the Lord are those who have died with him to sin, and who are continuing to die to sin, in practice, and who are walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living, in practice. For it is those who make righteousness their practice who are righteous in the eyes of the Lord, not those who merely make a profession of him as Lord and as Savior. For the upright in heart are those who are walking in moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness to the Lord, who humbly serve the Lord Jesus with their lives, and who do not plot evil on their beds, but who honor Christ with their lives.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas O. Chisholm / William M. Runyan

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e77lys3vhI

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If We Go On Sinning Deliberately

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:19-23 ESV)

Because of what Jesus Christ did for us in giving his life up for us on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin, and to give us new lives in him to be lived for his glory, we who believe in Jesus Christ with God-given and God-persuaded faith in him are able to now enter into relationship with Christ, have our sins forgiven, and be given the hope and the promise of eternal life with God. But all of God’s promises have conditions, and these promises also are not without conditions as to who will receive them.

For Jesus Christ died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for self. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we will now honor God with our lives. For by faith in him we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and 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 and to his righteousness, and all for the glory of God.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

Therefore, we are to no longer allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies to where we obey its desires (passions, lusts), for sin is to have no more mastery (control, power) over our lives. For if sin is what we obey, it will lead to death. But if obedience is what we obey, it will lead to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING God’s will (Romans 6:1-23; Matthew 7:21-23]

And God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, trains us to renounce (say “NO!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die to sin daily) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of slavery to sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and walk in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin, we have eternal life with him (Titus 2:11-14; Luke 9:23-26).

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)

Now many people today are quoting part of this out of context in order to attempt to guilt trip professers of faith in Jesus Christ into attending their institutional “church” services on a weekly basis, usually on Sunday mornings, even if what is happening at those services is not what this Scripture teaches is the purpose of our gatherings. Yet we, as the body of Christ, are to get together so that we can encourage one another toward faith and love and good works, which God prepared for us to walk in them.

So this is not a command to gather together on Sunday mornings and to sit through a religious service as spectators who may get to sing some songs selected by someone else but who otherwise do nothing to fulfill what this Scripture is teaching. For this is about Christians getting together regularly to encourage one another in our walks of faith and obedience to our Lord and in holy living. For the day of judgment is drawing nearer and not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord,” will enter God’s eternal kingdom. Only those for whom obedience to our Lord is their practice.

“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. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV)

So, in this context, what is this saying to us? We cannot just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven, and heaven is guaranteed us, and it cannot be taken away from us, but regardless of how we live. We cannot profess Jesus as Lord and Savior but then go right on living in deliberate and habitual sin. For our salvation from sin is not this one time experience we have and then we are good to go for eternity. Our salvation is progressive, and we must walk the walk.

And I find it really interesting that this is the context of Hebrews 10:25 which is often taught out of context and abused and misused to try to get people into institutional “church” (business) gatherings. For what this is talking about is the critical nature of Christians gathering together to encourage one another to not walk in sin but to walk in obedience to our Lord, and then to warn them of the consequences if they choose to keep living in sin and to not walk in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

And this is a lot the reason why God has called me to this ministry, to teach the truth of the gospel message, and to refute the lies, and to warn against taking God’s grace for granted and assuming, thus, that you have eternity guaranteed you on the basis of lip service to the Lord. For if you profess faith in Jesus Christ but you keep on living in sin, making sin your practice, and not obedience to the Lord, you are not in fellowship with Christ, you don’t know God, and you don’t have eternal life with God. Please believe this!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Broken Cord

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior

And your testimony is separate from Him.

Your words not matching your actions today.

Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.

Live what you testify in truth always.

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,

For you profess one thing, but other you do.

Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.

Not living in truth to what you confess.

Lying about it puts you in a mess.

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.

Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.

Your heart is not given to your Lord God.

Because of how you live, you are a fraud.

Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

https://vimeo.com/287303934

Open Rebuke is Better Than Hidden Love

Psalms 27 (Select verses)

“Better is open rebuke

    than hidden love.” (v. 5)

There are people in this life who will love you sincerely, who you can trust to be who they say that they are, who will speak the truth in love to you, and who will not lie to you. And then there are people who will pretend to like you, and who will pretend to be your friend and to be on your side and supporting you, but it isn’t real. It is fake. And this could be a cultural thing, in some cases, or it could be that they are just using you and taking advantage of you to get something from you or to hide something from you.

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

    profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (v. 6) 

So, the point of this is that it is much better to have a friend who is sincere and is honest with you and who will speak the truth in love to you, because he cares about you, than to be surrounded by superficial friends who may talk about you unkindly behind your back, and who don’t really care about you or what happens to you, in reality. And if this is someone’s spouse, this could be speaking of adultery and hidden sin all the while the spouse is espousing love and devotion for his partner to her face.

On a spiritual level this can be about people who preach feel-good messages that seem sincere, and they act as though they really care about you, but they are truly wolves in sheep’s clothing who are lying to you, and who care about themselves, and not you, which is why they are lying to you and not telling you the truth. For they want you to like them, and they want you to follow and support them so that they can continue to feed you with lies which may feel good, but which will cause you harm in the end.

“Like a bird that strays from its nest

    is a man who strays from his home.” (v. 8)

Now, going back to the subject of the unfaithful spouse, the normal MO (modus operandi) for this kind of situation is that one spouse is sinning against the other with “another lover” of some kind. And this does not have to be a physical sexual union of the two lovers, either, though it could be, or it could include that. For those who are addicted to pornography, for example, are not physically involved with the person on the screen, but they are definitely engaged in cheating on their spouses and in sexual sin.

And there are all kinds of other things involved in cheating on one’s spouse, such as lying about it, and hiding it, and even lying in advance to set up a situation with the concealment that something else is actually what is taking place. And this usually involves some kind of self-gratification, and this can include movies, books, stories, fantasies, private conversations, romantic affairs, and all sorts of perversions of a sexual nature, some of which the Bible talks about. And the cheater could feign love for his spouse, too. 

“The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

    but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (v. 12)

And what I just talked about above has to do with those who see danger but who go after it anyway. They know the difference between right and wrong, and they know the possible consequences of doing what is wrong, and not what is right, but they are hardheaded and stubborn and rebellious and full of self and lust, and so they go after what they know is wrong, and they end up shirking what the right thing is to do. And they don’t always suffer for it immediately, but they will in the end if they continue on a sinful course.

“Iron sharpens iron,

    and one man sharpens another.” (v. 17)

Now, when I think of iron sharpening iron, I think of those who love enough to speak the truth in love to others and who have friends who do the same. And so these friends, although kind and loving to one another, will not fear speaking the truth to one another when necessary in order to help the other person stay on track and to keep them going in the right direction. For life is hard, and sometimes it feeds us lemons, and as human beings we can get discouraged. So we need friends who will speak the truth in love to us.

“As in water face reflects face,

    so the heart of man reflects the man.” (v. 19)

Now we are on the subject of the human heart. Even though some (or many) people lie and cheat and cover up what they are doing, hoping that no one will know, and that no one will see, the heart of them will reflect who they truly are and what they are all about. For it comes out in their attitudes and words and actions and body language and behavioral patterns, etc. What is stored up in their hearts is revealed by what they do and by what they say, and so it is going to show itself somehow, sometime.

But as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be faithful to our Lord and to our spouses, and we are to walk (in conduct, in practice) in holiness and in righteousness, and in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin. What should be reflected from our hearts is love for our Lord and a desire to follow him in his ways and to do what pleases him. What should be reflected from our hearts is moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, kindness, compassion, and love. For we died to sin, so how can we live in it any longer? (see Romans 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 

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If His Children

"If his children forsake my law

    and do not walk according to my rules,

if they violate my statutes

    and do not keep my commandments,

then I will punish their transgression with the rod

    and their iniquity with stripes,

but I will not remove from him my steadfast love

    or be false to my faithfulness.

I will not violate my covenant

    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;

    I will not lie to David.

His offspring shall endure forever,

    his throne as long as the sun before me.

Like the moon it shall be established forever,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]   

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

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

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

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

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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

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Hope of Eternal Life with God

“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.” Deuteronomy 6:1-3 ESV

This was Moses speaking to the children of Israel. And he was letting them know that they, the people of God, must adhere to (obey) the commandments of the Lord that God gave to Moses to give to the people. They were to walk in the fear of the Lord in the keeping of his commandments, which means to take God and his word seriously, to believe him and what he says, and then to obey him because we believe him and his word. And if they obeyed the Lord, it would go well with them.

Now, we are not under the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions, which also included the requirement of circumcision. So, as believers in Jesus Christ we do not have to obey all those external laws that Jesus did away with when he died on that cross for our sins. But God did not do away with his moral laws, and he did not do away with the requirement that we obey him and his commandments (under the New Covenant).

So, obedience to our Lord’s commandments is still required of all who profess the name of Jesus as Lord and as Savior of their lives. And we are taught in the New Testament that if we do not obey the Lord, and if we do not adhere to his teachings under the New Covenant, but we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience, righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, moral purity, and honesty, we do not have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God. We will die in our sins.

So, don’t believe the lies that so many are teaching these days which are telling you that you don’t have to repent of (forsake) your sins, and that you don’t have to obey the Lord, but that all you have to do is “believe” in Jesus, which is rarely biblically defined. For belief (faith) is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ, so it comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God. So it is going to align with God’s moral character, and with his expressed will and purpose for our lives, and with his Word.

And the faith required of us for salvation is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we don’t get to determine what that faith looks like. God does. His word does. So all throughout the New Testament Scriptures we are given a very clear picture of the faith that it takes for us to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. We must die with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and we must walk in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), in practice, and we have eternal life with God.

Beginning with Matthew 7:21-23 we are taught that not everyone who says to Christ, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father. And in Luke 9:23-26 we are taught that if we are to come after Jesus Christ, to be his by faith in him, we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living for self and in sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life with God.

So, please take this to heart. For Romans 6:1-23 gives us the same message. For if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine, it means we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are no longer to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies, to where we obey its sinful passions. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience is what we obey, it leads to righteousness, and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God.

So, just know that Old Testament and New Testament teachings instruct us to forsake our sinful practices and to now walk (in conduct, in practice) in holiness and in righteousness, and in obedience to our Lord and to his commandments, only for us it is his commandments under the New Covenant, which are taught to us all throughout the New Testament. But if we continue making sin our practice, and if obedience to our Lord is not our practice, then we do not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]   

Video Talk

https://youtu.be/ZnWvYhUASck

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Trust and Obey  

Words by John H. Sammis, 1887

Music by Daniel B. Towner, 1887

When we walk with the Lord 

in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, 

He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey. 

Not a shadow can rise, 

not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, 

not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, 

not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, 

not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove 

the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, 

for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet 

We will sit at His feet.

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.

What He says we will do, 

Where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB4KcleYiWM

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