He Has Given Us Understanding

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:13-15,18,20-21)

For us to correctly understand what the Scriptures are teaching us, it is best if we can read them in context. So it is best if we can read this passage of Scripture in the context of the whole of the book of 1 John. 

For example, in 1 John 1:5-10 we read that if we say we have fellowship with God but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin), we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light (righteousness, truth), as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with God (understood) and with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. 

And in 1 John 2:3-6 we read that by this we have come to know God/Christ, if we keep (obey, adhere to) his commandments (New Covenant). For whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep (obey) his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps (obeys) his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. 

And then we read in 1 John 3:4-10 that no one who abides in Christ keeps on sinning (makes sinning his practice, habit, go to); no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. So let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as God is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is not born of God but is of the devil.

Now this is not teaching that we will never sin. For in 1 John 2:1-2 it says that if any believer in Christ does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness in the power and mercy of God (see 1 Peter 2:24).

And this teaching is not just in the book of 1 John. Jesus taught it, and Paul and Peter taught it, too. For Jesus Christ died on that cross that we might be crucified with him in death to sin and be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, but if we obey obedience to God, then we have eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

So, with that understanding, when this says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,” he is not talking to those who give lip service only to the Lord but who are still walking in sin and in disobedience to the Lord, in practice. He is talking to those who have died and are dying daily with Christ to sin and who are now following him in walks of obedience to his New Covenant commands. We are those who practice righteousness.

Now, can a true follower of Christ ever have a time in his life when he falls away from his pure devotion to the Lord and needs to be brought back to the Lord in humble submission to the Lord in true biblical repentance and renewed faith and obedience to God? Yes! We have examples of that in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. But a true believer in Christ will not make a profession of Christ and then keep right on sinning. His life will change. And he will grow in his walk of faith and obedience, and not remain stagnant.

Then, if we are true followers of Christ, and not just those giving lip service to the Lord while we continue to walk in sin, we can be assured that we have eternal life with God, provided that we continue on that course until the end, the Scriptures teach. And then we will begin to know and to understand the will of God so that when we pray, we pray according to his will, even if it is just to pray, “but Thy will be done,” when we are not certain of his will in any particular matter pertaining to our lives or other people’s lives.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; 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 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 1 Pet 1:5; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]  

I Sing of His Mercy  

An Original Work / April 10, 2014

Based off Psalm 32 

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess 

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and 

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

https://vimeo.com/91747192

Leap for Joy

Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

    for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now,

    for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

    for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you,

    when they exclude you and insult you

    and reject your name as evil,

        because of the Son of Man.

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

“But woe to you who are rich,

    for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now,

    for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

    for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,

    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:20-28 NIV).

Job had just lost pretty much everything, his possessions, his livelihood, his servants and his children. His first response was to grieve this loss and to call on God and to worship the Lord. Then, and then only was he able to take this attitude: 

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (see Job 1:1-22)

Paul, to keep him from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations God had given to him, was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass him. This, he said, was “to keep me from becoming conceited.” 

Then, he said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

And, then only was Paul able to state that he delighted (took pleasure in or was content in) insults, persecutions and difficulties.

So, it isn’t that we must immediately respond to our trials with “Yay!” “Yippee!” We may have to grieve them first, call on God, and/or plead for deliverance from them. But, then we must resolve to accept the sovereignty of God over our lives, and that God works all things for good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

Leap for Joy

  

An Original Work / August 2, 2011

Based off of Luke 6:20-36

Leap for joy in that day.

Great is your reward in heaven.

Blessed are you who are poor;

Blessed are you who hunger now.

You will be satisfied and 

You will laugh if you weep now.

Blessed are you when men hate you

And exclude you because of Christ.

Leap for joy in that day.

Love your enemies who hate you.

Do them good; say kind things;

Pray for those who treat you wrong.

If you love those who love you

What reward is there for you?

Love your enemies and your

Reward will be great in heaven.

Leap for joy in that day.

You will be sons of the Most High.

Be ye kind; merciful

To the ungrateful always.

If you love those who love you

What reward is there for you?

Do to others as you would have

Them do to you every day.

Leap for joy in that day.

Great is your reward in heaven.

Blessed are you who are poor;

Blessed are you who hunger now.

You will be satisfied and

You will laugh if you weep now.

Blessed are you when men hate you 

And exclude you because of Christ.

https://vimeo.com/126494171 

Run with Endurance

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

The great cloud of witnesses, I believe, are the saints who have gone before us, as were mentioned in Hebrews 11, who walked by faith in the Lord and who obeyed what God told them to do. This is not saying that they all led perfect lives, but that they are remembered here for the times in which they walked with God and they followed his leading and they did what he said to do, by faith, and as a result, some people’s lives changed for the better.

This “faith chapter” of the Bible sets before us an example of what genuine faith in the Lord Jesus looks like. For the faith to believe in Jesus is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to repent of our sins and to turn to the Lord to now follow him in his commands. For this faith is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. And it results in good works.

So, what faith in Jesus Christ looks like is also described for us here in chapter 12 of Hebrews. For we read here that we are to lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and walk in obedience to his commands, we have life eternal.

And Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-23 that by genuine faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried 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. Therefore, we are not to let sin reign anymore in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God.

For we are to lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely. And a weight is a burden, and it is something that weighs us down so that we are not able to function as we ought. And if a sin clings so closely, it is a habitual (addictive) sin, i.e. a sin which entraps us and keeps us from obeying the Lord, for it has mastery over our lives, and not God. And this is why we must die with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, by the Spirit, so that we can walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands (Luke 9:23-26).

Yet so many people here in America are claiming that they are Christians and that they have faith in Jesus Christ and that heaven is their eternal destiny, but they have not died with Christ to sin, and they are not living to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands, because they are being taught that they don’t have to, and because they don’t want to have to relinquish the sins which cling so closely, for they want to continue in them, only with the promise of heaven when they die.

But it doesn’t work that way. That is not God’s design for our lives, and it is not his plan of salvation only to save us from the punishment of sin while we continue in deliberate and habitual sin without genuine repentance. For genuine repentance should result in us making spiritual U-turns in our lives away from living in sin to now living for the Lord to obey his will for our lives. For Jesus gave his life up for us that we might be turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan, that we might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Christ.

But the life of a Christian, the one who believes in Jesus Christ with genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Christ, is to be the life of one who is following after the Lord, who is pursuing the Lord and his will and purpose for our lives. We are to be those who are dying daily to sin and who are following our Lord in obedience to his commands. We are not to be carrying around a weight of sin which is dragging us down and which will keep us from obeying the Lord and from doing his will.

Instead, we are to be those whose focus is on Jesus Christ and on listening to him so that we can follow him wherever he leads us. For we cannot “run the race” he has marked out for us to run if our gaze is somewhere else other than on the Lord and if we are being distracted and led astray by the trappings of this world and by sinful desires. And that is why this illustration of a race is so perfect for us to help us to understand what our lives should look like if we are true believers in and followers of Jesus Christ. 

[Heb 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; 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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They Walked by Faith

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:32-40 ESV)

Hebrews, chapter 11, is regarded as the “faith chapter” of the Bible, for it tells us of many of the saints of old and of their faith which was proved genuine by their obedience to the Lord in doing what he told them to do (in most all cases). For the things that they did in obedience to what the Lord called them to do they did by faith in God, and it was not of their own doing, of their own flesh, in their own power and strength. But they did what they did in the power of God and under his direction (in most all cases).

Yet those who walked by faith, and who did as the Lord commanded them to do, faced hardships, rejections, and persecutions, too, and even death. In fact Abel, the first person mentioned, was killed by his own brother Cain who was jealous of him and who resented him because God approved his brother Abel’s sacrifice but not his own. And Noah constructed an ark for the saving of his household, but everyone else on the earth was destroyed because of their rebellion against God and their refusal to bow to him.

And Moses was called of God to lead the children of God out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land, but the people didn’t listen to him, for the most part, and they rebelled, and they went their own way, and they worshipped idols and they engaged in sexual immorality and they complained all the time and they engaged in drunkenness and revelry, etc. (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13). And so most of them died in the wilderness and did not enter into God’s eternal rest.

So it appears that none of the faithful servants of the Lord had an easy life, and pretty much all of them faced some amount of persecution and opposition, and many of them died horrible and torturous and painful deaths because of their walks of faith and obedience to God. And that is not to say that all of them were perfect all the time, either, but that, at some point in their lives, they acted by faith in the Lord, they did as the Lord wanted them to do, and God honored them for it, but they may have died horrific deaths because of their obedience to the Lord.

All of these have not yet been made complete in Christ. That will only come when Jesus Christ returns for his faithful bride and he takes us all to be with him for eternity, which is when our salvation will be complete and our relationship with Jesus Christ will be spiritually consummated. Then all who have died as followers of God/Christ will be given glorified bodies and we will all be changed. The dead in Christ will rise first, then those who are alive and remaining will be caught up together with the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

But while we wait for our Lord’s return, if we are walking in faithful obedience to him, by God-gifted faith in him, we are going to face hardships, rejections, and persecutions for the sake of the name of Jesus, and for the sake of his gospel, and for the sake of righteousness, because we live in a sinful wicked world among evil people who will hate us because of our faith and because of our walks of faith and obedience to the Lord. But we are not to fear what might happen to us, but we are to keep trusting in our Lord.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

Hear My Cry

By G. M. Eldridge

When my soul is worn and weary

And my eyes are filled with grief,

When my hands in desperation

Reach to heaven for relief,

Would I find the words there waiting

If I had the strength to start?

Could a mortal tongue interpret

All the sorrow of a heart?

Spirit, search me in my weakness,

And discern this growing gray.

Intercede in understanding,

Hear the things I cannot say.

Hear my cry, heav’nly Father,

You have known my ev’ry pain.

You have seen all my sorrow,

Hear my cry once again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOJiTN56xTg

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Watch Carefully How You Walk

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV)

When this says here to look carefully how we walk, this is speaking of how we live our lives, the things that we do every day, and the things that we think and speak and seek after, too. For this has to do with our conduct and with our habits. What is our daily practice? What things do we do over and over again by practice (habit)? What do we watch, read, and/or listen to? How do we spend our free time? What do we live for? For self? Or God?

And we definitely need to be watching carefully with regard to how we are conducting our lives, for the days we live in now are extremely evil, and they are getting worse and worse as time goes by. And there are so many trappings out there in the world and in the world of computers and the internet and smartphones, et al, that we must be very guarded that we don’t let our eyes and minds and hearts go in the wrong direction.

So we need to conduct our lives as those who are wise, not as the unwise. And we get our wisdom from the study of the Scriptures and from our personal relationships with Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to him and to his commands in holy living. For the more we know of God and of what he wants for our lives, and the more we submit to him and to his will and purpose for our lives, the more we grow in wisdom and we reject folly.

And it is so important that we make the best use of the time we have here on this earth while we still have time. For we need to be walking closely with our Lord in fellowship with him in doing what he has called us to do. And we need to be sharing the truth of the gospel with others so that they can come to know Jesus, too, and be delivered from their slavery to sin and have the hope of eternal life with God. So we must surrender our lives to do his will.

And then, not only are we not to get drunk on alcoholic beverages, but we are not to get intoxicated to any kind of sinful habits. Our lives are not to be out of control, but under Holy Spirit control. For the grace of God which is bringing us salvation is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return (Titus 2:11-14; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26).

Instead we are to be filled with the Spirit, which is an ongoing process of daily denying self, dying daily to sin, and following our Lord in obedience to his commands. And it involves us putting off the things of the flesh, like sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, lying, stealing, and cheating, and now living in moral purity, uprightness, honesty, faithfulness, and in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. Then we make room for the Spirit in our lives, because we are now yielding to him, and not to the flesh.

And when this says to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, this is about us sharing these with one another for the encouragement of one another in our walks of faith in the Lord, and as led by the Spirit of God in what to share. This is not talking about a public song service where we just sing along with songs others have picked out for us to sing. For this is so that we are encouraging each other.

And these songs should be biblical in nature, and be songs which glorify God and which give praise to him, but which are for the express purpose to encourage each other in our walks of faith, much like so many of the old hymns which were and still are so rich in biblical truth and righteousness. And as we do this, we should be giving thanks to the Lord in all things, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

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

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

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

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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

Caution: This link may contain ads

Laodicea

Have you ever tasted water that is lukewarm? I have, and I wanted to spit it out of my mouth. It tastes good hot, and it tastes good cold, but not lukewarm. 

Well, that is how God feels about his church who is living in spiritual adultery against him. They aren’t opposed to him, but they are not really for him, either. They profess the name of Jesus, go to meetings of “the church” (most of them businesses incorporated under the state) weekly, and they may even be involved in some kind of ministry within “the church,” but they don’t live much differently from the people of the world who make no profession of faith in Christ at all. They honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. They worship God in vain for their teachings are merely humanistic philosophy mingled in with the Scriptures.

Therefore, Jesus is calling out to this church today, and he is calling them to repent of their sins and to return to him, and he will restore them to fellowship with him. 

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 

“These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:14-16 NIV84)

Laodicea  

An Original Work / April 29, 2011

Based off of Revelation 3:14-22

Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.

You hear Me calling, you hear Me calling. I’m calling you.

Will you not answer? Will you not answer? I’m calling you.

If you but follow, if you but follow, I’ll answer you.

Won’t you give Me your heart and your soul,

So I can cleanse you and make you whole?

Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.

If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

I stand at your door; I stand at your door. I’m knocking there.

Will you not listen? Will you not listen, while I’ll be there?

If you’ll but open, if you’ll but open your hearts to Me,

I’ll come within you, I’ll come within you, you’ll sup with Me.

Won’t you buy from Me some gold and salve?

These costly treasures are yours to have.

Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.

If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

Are you contented; are you contented to be lukewarm?

Will you not have Me? Will you not have Me? Of this I warn – 

If you don’t hear Me, if you don’t hear Me, and so obey,

I will spit you out; I will spit you out without delay.

So why not heed this, your final call,

And give to God absolutely all?

Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.

If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

https://vimeo.com/112738953 

Fruitless Works of Darkness

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV)

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:6-11 ESV)

There are many “shepherds” of the people here in America, and perhaps in other nations in the world, too, who are convincing many people that faith in Jesus Christ is nothing more than a profession of faith which requires no works at all, no dying to sin, no walking in holiness and in righteousness, no obedience to Christ and to his commands, and no servanthood to Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives. For they call that “works salvation.”

As a result, we have many (perhaps the majority of) people professing faith in Jesus Christ who are convinced that all their sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), that they are now guaranteed heaven when they die, and that it can’t be taken away from them, but regardless of how they live. And even if they are being taught repentance and obedience to Christ, which many are not, it is often taught as something recommended, not required.

And so we also have many (perhaps the majority of) people professing faith in Jesus Christ who are still living in sin and for the will of the flesh and who are not walking in obedience to the Lord in holy living, as a matter of habit. So even though they profess to believe in Jesus, they are still living in sexual immorality and impurity. They are still using filthy language, still telling crude jokes, and still filling their minds with the sinful pleasures of the flesh.

But the Scriptures teach us that no one who makes sin their practice and who lives in sexual immorality and idolatry, lying, cheating, stealing, etc., has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. So we should not let ourselves be deceived by those who are telling us that we can have heaven secured us but while we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord Jesus. For the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Therefore, we are not to be partners with them. We are not to be those who are regularly and consistently partaking in the sinful pleasures of the flesh, either by just being entertained by such as this on the TV or on the internet, and/or by physically partaking in those sinful pleasures ourselves. For sin isn’t just what is acted out in physical ways, but we can sin in our minds by what we entertain in our minds, such as via lustful thoughts and desires.

And the reason we should no longer be doing these things is that Jesus died on that cross to deliver us out of our bondage to sin so that we will now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living. He died to change us, to transform us, to make us new creations in Christ Jesus, not like we were when we were still living for the pleasures of the flesh. For now we are to be imitators (followers) of God who walk in his love, in living holy lives for him.

Thus, we are no longer to take part in the unfruitful works of darkness (sin, wickedness), but rather we are to be those who exposing these fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are so that others do not get entrapped by them thinking that God is okay with that and that heaven is still their destiny. And we are not to fear what others will think about us or do to us, either, when we expose these deeds of darkness for what they are.

His Tender Mercies 

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

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