The Cross and Its Message

Thursday, December 22, 2016, 10:36 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “As the Deer.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 (NIV).

Divisions and Unity (vv. 10-12)

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

Is it possible for all Christians to agree with one another on all things? No, I don’t think so. So, what is this saying? First of all, we need to be in agreement with God in what he says before we can agree with one another, and there are many different thoughts and opinions on what the Word of God says. And, that is where a lot of the problems (divisions) come into play in the church, largely because people are listening to human beings instead of listening to the Holy Spirit. One says he is a Baptist, and another a Presbyterian, and yet another a Pentecostal, or a Lutheran, or an Episcopalian, and still another says he belongs to the C&MA church, etc. And, many claim that their truth is the only truth, and that all others are misguided. Christians fight and argue over interpretations of scripture, some of which fall into the category of disputable matters, and this is just wrong!

From my own experience, I have witnessed many Christians holding on to their beliefs even if scripture is perfectly clear that the opposite is true. Though I agree that some scriptures are not all that clear, and that we certainly need the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, I believe there are many scriptures that cannot be refuted. Yet, I have watched many Christians knowingly choose to follow their denominational leanings over the Word of God. And, this is true of all denominations of which I have been a part, which are several. For the record, though, I no longer affiliate myself with a particular denomination. When asked, I merely state that I am a Christian, and a member of God’s household, his family, the body of Christ.

So, what do we do? How can we be unified? For one, we need to obey the truth that we know, and we need to not ignore the scriptures that don’t fit our lifestyle, or hold fast to what we were taught from infanthood, if it may be wrong. Many divisions are caused in the church because so many people are still living as though they were never delivered from their sin, and so they pick and choose the scriptures that fit their chosen lifestyles, and they will explain away or entirely ignore the ones which don’t fit with what they want to believe. So, if we are to agree together, we have to first of all go into God’s Word with open hearts and minds to receive from the Holy Spirit whatever he wants to teach us, and be willing to be challenged in areas where we are holding fast to a particular doctrine or teaching or belief which may or may not be based in the whole of scripture, comparing scripture with scripture, and interpreting scripture in its full context.

For example, I grew up in the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church, which was begun by a Presbyterian minister, who wasn’t trying to start a denomination, from what I’ve been told, but who was looking to bring people together of various denominational backgrounds with one common goal in mind, which was to reach people throughout the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to minister to the poor and needy of his community. So, the Alliance was made up of people of various denominations. Thus, I came to refer to myself as a religious mutt, i.e. because I was Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Pentecostal, all rolled into one. One of the denomination’s famous ministers was A. W. Tozer. So, his teachings give a flavor of the kind of teaching I was brought up under in my early years, which was good.

Yet, as I began to get into the Word, to read it for myself, and to let the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, I realized that some of what I was taught early on was not what the Word of God taught. Some of the problems arose, I believe, because some of the teaching was based on the experiences of just one man, A. B. Simpson, who founded the denomination, and some of it arose from the practice of taking scriptures out of context to teach more topically, rather than verse by verse and chapter by chapter. Topical lessons are not all bad, mind you, and they have their place, but often people would use a concordance on a particular word, and would thus pull scriptures out of context and would try to make them fit the topic. But, in comparing scripture with scripture, and with reading the scriptures in context, I found that is not what the scriptures themselves were saying. And, so I had to adjust my beliefs to what I knew now was the Holy Spirit correcting what I had learned wrongly, which was not a lot, for I was blessed with much biblical teaching.

The Power of the Cross (vv. 13-17)

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Obviously the early church struggled with the problem of being followers of men over followers of God, but I believe it has reached epidemic proportions in our day and time. To their credit, though, they didn’t all have individual Bibles in their homes which they could read for themselves, as the New Testament hadn’t yet been written, or it was in the process of being written, and probably every household did not have a copy of the Old Testament, either. [I think sometimes we forget how fortunate many of us are to have our own personal Bibles, and perhaps several of them in different translations.] So, they were very dependent on men to teach them the truths of scripture, as the scriptures related to the Christian life and practice. Yet, many of these Christians started to become followers of the messengers instead of being followers of the ONE who sent out the messengers.

In today’s church here in America, I don’t know that there is anyone who could not have their own Bible if they truly wanted one. Many organizations give them out for free, I do believe. The Word of God is readily available, in other words, and probably can be attained even from the library, and from the internet and via various computer software packages or what are called Apps. So, there is no excuse for most of us to not know what the Word of God teaches, or to have to rely on humans to tell us what it says. We ought to be able to read it for ourselves, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak its truths to our hearts. And, yet many, many people who call themselves Christians rely heavily on their pastors or TV evangelists and preachers to interpret scripture for them, and they are not in the practice of testing what they hear, either, against the Word of Truth, and so many are deceived.

Many of these preachers who win the hearts of the people are very smooth, charming, have charismatic personalities, and many of them are performers, too. They are learned in how to manipulate naïve minds, and in how to get people to follow them most anywhere. And, many of them abuse that power, too. They appeal to human flesh, and they give people what their itching ears want to hear, and so the people love them, and they follow them.

Yet, Paul determined he would not be like that, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. And, we need to determine that, too, that we will not teach man’s teachings, but the Word of God, as revealed to us via the Holy Spirit, who will make clear to us what we are to learn from the Word. If we have access to the Word of God, then we need to be students of scripture, and we need to test everything we hear against the Word of God, in prayer, and ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to lead us into all truth.

The Message of the Cross (v. 18)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

So, what is the message of the cross? It is that the Son of God came to earth, was born as a baby to a human mother, yet was conceived of the Holy Spirit. So, when Jesus Christ walked the face of this earth, he was completely God, yet completely man. He was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet he was without sin. Although he knew no sin, yet he became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. So, when he died he put sin to death, and when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death. Amen! He did this on our behalf so that through faith in him we might be delivered from slavery to sin, and so we might become servants of his righteousness.

When we come to Jesus Christ, by God’s grace, through faith, which are both gifts from God, we, thus, are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with him to newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 2:8-10; Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6:1-23; Gal. 2:20). The old has gone, the new has come. We no longer live our lives to please our sinful flesh (in lifestyle), but we live according to the Spirit of God, who now lives within us (See: Ro. 8:1-14; Lu. 9:23-25). This is not to say that we live in sinless perfection (See: 1 Jn. 2:1), but that we have died to sin that we may live to righteousness, and we have been turned from sin to righteousness, and from the power of Satan to God, to now walk in his ways and in his truth (See: Ac. 26:16-18).

Simply put, the message of the cross is death to sin and living to righteousness (See: 1 Pet. 2:24). And, that is why it is foolishness to those who are perishing. The sad reality of it all, though, is it seems it is also foolishness to those who claim to know Christ, and who claim to be ministers of the gospel of Christ, and who claim to be Christ’s church, because what many of them are teaching definitely empties the cross of Christ of its power to transform human lives away from sin and to living to righteousness. They minimize the message of the gospel to nothing more than an escape from hell and the promise of heaven when death comes, but they do not teach death to sin or living to righteousness, because that message is an offense to the people they are trying to get to come to their “churches.”

But, to us who are being saved, the cross of Christ is the power of God to move us away from living for sin and self, to now living for Christ and his righteousness, free from the control sin once had over our lives. Amen!

As the Deer / 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

A Holy People

Thursday, December 22, 2016, 2:09 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “When in the Stillness.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (NIV).

To Those Sanctified (vv. 1-3)

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, an apostle (sent out one) of Jesus Christ (God the Son), wrote this letter to the church of God in Corinth. So, who is the church? Well, the church is not a denomination, such as Baptist, nor is it a building built by human hands. It is also not a human-based organization (business), nor a corporation under the federal government. The church is a spiritual entity; a living organism. We, who are followers of Jesus Christ, are the church. Church is not something we go to. The people are the church, but they do gather together. When we enter a building called “church,” we are not entering into God’s house. We, the people of God, are his house, which is a spiritual building, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. When we enter into the “church” sanctuary (or worship center), we are not entering the presence of Almighty God, either, because his presence dwells within us.

There is just one church, but it meets in multiple locations, such as the church of God (not a denomination) in Corinth (a city). Or, it could be the church that meets at so and so’s house, but it is still one church, one body, but with many members and locations. And, church membership is also not membership with a human organization or corporation (business) or denomination. If we are believers in Jesus Christ, then we are already members of the one true church, which is his body, and no other membership is required, at least not by God. And, if the church gathers together, it should be the church, i.e. born again Christians meeting together for mutual edification and encouragement, etc., not a place for inviting in the world and for entertaining the world so the world will feel at home. Instead, the church is to go out into the world to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey Christ.

So, who are these people who are the church? They are those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ, and called to be his holy people. And, what does it mean to be sanctified? It means to be made holy. It means to be purified, i.e. cleansed of our sins. And, what does it mean to be holy? It means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are becoming like Jesus Christ. And, how do we become sanctified and made holy? Only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, via turning from sin to God, to walk in his ways, being born anew of the Spirit of God, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). So, what happens when we believe in Jesus? We are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life to be lived to his righteousness. And, we are delivered from slavery to sin so that we can now become slaves (servants) of his righteousness.

His Grace Given You (vv. 4-9)

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are saved by God’s grace. That means we do nothing to earn or to deserve or our own salvation. Our good will never outweigh our bad. That is why Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21). Only through faith in Jesus Christ can we be made righteous in God’s sight, be cleansed of our sins, and have the hope of eternal life. Yet, faith is not a feeling, or an emotional or intellectual experience, nor is it reciting words after someone else, after which we are congratulated for joining God’s family. When we truly believe in Jesus to save us from our sins, we die to sin in order that we might live to righteousness, for that is why Jesus died. And, we are only able to do this because of God’s grace, and via his grace to us.

When we do put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, his Spirit comes within us to dwell - to counsel, lead, guide, teach, nurture, comfort, encourage, exhort, convict, strengthen and empower us to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts to be used for the glory of God and the strengthening and edification of the saints of God, as well as to be used in sharing the gospel of our salvation with a lost world. These gifts are to be used in accord with God’s Word, and in the power of God’s Spirit within us. The Spirit gives us wisdom, too, and words to speak, and knowledge and understanding of the truths of scripture in how they are to be applied to our lives, to the church and in or to the world. The Holy Spirit speaks God’s truths to our hearts in many ways, but always in accord with God’s Word and his divine character and will.

True faith in Jesus Christ is enduring faith, because even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is a gift from God. But, true faith also has requirements which reveal whether or not our faith is real or it is not real. Because Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, true faith dies with Christ to sin and is resurrected with Christ to newness of life to be lived to his righteousness. It no longer lives (in lifestyle) according to the sinful flesh, but it conducts itself according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God. And, it is God and his grace which sustains us, which keeps us going, and which gives us endurance to keep believing, trusting and resting in our Lord. We do none of this in our own strength, will-power or wisdom. All glory to God!

When in The Stillness / An Original Work / September 26, 2011

When in the stillness of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.

Be my desire, set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in fellowship with You,

Listening to You; sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me,

Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth.

While we are waiting for Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts be King today.

Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from your word within us,

Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,

Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;

Be an example of Your love,

Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You, follow You always,

Bearing their cross and turning from sin;

Walking in daily fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

https://vimeo.com/126984144  

Are All Divisions Bad?

Wednesday, December 21, 2016, 1:44 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 16 (Select vv. ESV).

Who Cause Divisions (vv. 17-18)

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

In today’s modern institutional church there is much talk against divisions and for unity, but are they talking about what God’s word is talking about? I have found that they frequently use these terms to pressure people into conformity with the leadership, and with the leadership’s “church” goals, and to shame those who do not bow the knee, but are they being biblical in what they are doing? I believe the vast majority are not, and that the divisions that concern them are not the same as what concern God, and the unity of which they speak is unity with men, not with God and with his purposes.

Let’s look at Jesus’ words first. He said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (Lu. 12:51). “Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). And, then we read in 1 Co. 11:19: “No doubt there have to be differences” (or divisions; factions) “among you to show which of you have God's approval.” So, differences or divisions are not all bad, and some of them have been instituted of God. For, the gospel divides us as saved and unsaved, and as those bound for heaven and as those bound for hell. If we are genuinely following the Lord Jesus Christ with our lives, we are going to stand out like a sore thumb among those who are playing church or who make no claims to faith in Christ at all. And, that is good!

And, as far as the subject of unity goes, we are supposed to be united with Christ when we trust in him to be Lord and Savior of our lives. This means to be united with him in his purpose in dying for our sins, which is that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. This means to be united with him in his teachings, and in what he thinks and values. And, it means that we hate what he hates, and that we love what he loves. But, it does not mean to be united with humans who are not united with him in thought, word and deed. If someone’s goals and objectives are contrary to those of Christ, then we are not to unite with them in heart, mind and voice, and this includes many who proclaim to be ministers of the gospel, too, as well as it includes all those who don’t know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives.

So, it isn’t that “division,” in and of itself is bad, but it is bad when it separates from God and from his purposes, and from his teachings in his Word. So, many of these church and political leaders now, who are crying out against division, and who are calling for the world to unite, are actually those who are opposed to Christ and to his Word. So, we need to watch out for them. And, we need to be discerning when we hear the word “division” that we don’t immediately assume that it is a bad thing, for it is a good thing when it is in line with God and his Word. It is bad when it is contrary to God and his Word, and it is leading people astray from their pure devotion to Christ, which is what a lot of these “churches” today are doing.

Many of these leaders who are crying out against division and who are calling for unity are slick. Even some who may appear to be like Charley Brown (in the comics) can be slick, as well, but just cleverly disguised. So, don’t be fooled by outward appearances. Listen intently to what these people are saying, and then compare what they are saying to scripture, including comparing scripture with scripture, and reading them in context, because they like to pull scriptures out of context to support their case. And, they are good at even telling a lot of the truth, but cleverly inserting subtle lies, disguised as truth, in order to win over naïve minds. They are good at twisting truth, too, and they count on deceiving those who don’t know the word, and who don’t test what they hear against the Word of God.

Wise and Innocent (vv. 19-20)

For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

So, we need to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. So, what does that mean? Well, to be wise means to be learned, sensible, and informed. But, it also means to apply what knowledge we do have to our lives. A person can have a great deal of head knowledge but not know how to use that knowledge in a good way, and so I would not say that person is wise. For me, wisdom is applied knowledge. So, we need to know the good we ought to do by reading God’s Word, but then we need to not be hearers only, but we need to be doers of the Word. We need to do the good we know to do, in other words. And, then we are truly wise about what is good.

We also need to be innocent about what is evil. It does not mean we lack knowledge of what is evil, for we need to know what is wicked, too, so that we don’t do it, but we need to not have experiential knowledge of iniquity by participating in what is evil. We need to be unmixed, uncontaminated, and pure with regard to what is evil. We should not even allow ourselves to be entertained by immorality via TV, movies, video games, the internet, music, and the like. Too many professing Christians are daily entertaining themselves with what is evil, and they don’t even blink an eye, because they have become so desensitized to what is truly wicked in God’s sight. So, they try to mix their Christianity with the ways of the world, but they don’t mix. And, so many of them end up accepting a diluted or half-truth gospel in order to ease their own consciences, and to make themselves feel good.

Our true enemy, who tries to convince us to follow what is evil, is Satan, but Satan has no power over us if we are in Christ Jesus by faith. Jesus already conquered Satan when Jesus died on a cross for our sins, and when he rose victorious over death, hell and sin. When we believe in Jesus as Lord and as Savior of our lives, Jesus sets us free from the control Satan had over our lives. We are set free from slavery to sin so that we can now become slaves of Christ’s righteousness. So, we don’t have to give in to sin any longer. Jesus has given us the way out from under temptation to sin. We just have to take the way out which he provided. His grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return. Jesus will give us everything we need (See: Eph. 6:10-20) to fight off Satan’s attacks against us, and to live victorious Christian lives, pleasing to our Lord.

According to the Gospel (vv. 25-27)

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

The purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in a nutshell, can be found in Acts 26:17b-18:

I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Peter said that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Paul said that Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. He said that Jesus died, as well, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. He said if we live according to the flesh, we will die (in our sins), but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live with Christ (for eternity). Jesus said something similar to this when he said that if we want to come after him, we must deny self, and take up our cross daily and follow him. He said that if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose them (for eternity), but if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin), we will gain eternal life. And, John said that if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk (in lifestyle) in darkness, that we are liars.

Again, God is able to strengthen us by this gospel so that we can believe him and obey him; so that we can do what this says. This is not works-based salvation. Jesus didn’t save us just so we could escape hell and go to heaven when we die, while we live our lives for ourselves while we wait for his return. He died to turn us from sin to the light of truth, i.e. to his righteousness, that we might live holy lives, pleasing to God, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world. And, he will give us and has given us all we need to fight off temptation to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord. We just have to yield to him, and let him have control over our lives, instead of us trying to control (run) our own lives.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

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

Stop Sleeping!

Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 3:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 13 (ESV).

Subject to Authority (vv. 1-7)

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

God does not always put godly people in positions of authority over us. Some of Israel’s kings were very wicked, and gave no regard for God whatsoever. They did whatever was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet, God still put them in positions as kings over the people, and the people were still to obey them, with one exception. They did not have to obey them if what they required was contrary to the commands of God (of scripture). Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were prime examples of men of God who stood up to kings, and who refused to obey them when they were commanding that God’s servants disobey their Lord God. And, we also have Peter and John who stood up to the rulers and religious leaders of the people, and they told them that they must obey God rather than man.

In other words, we are to follow the laws of the land unless those laws tell us we must deny our Lord, reject the gospel of our salvation, and stop speaking in Jesus’ name, etc. If they tell us we must compromise our faith and convictions to obey them, then the answer is “No!” If they ask us to accept other religions or all walks of life as viable and acceptable to God, then the answer is “No.” If they abuse their authority, and they try to get us to do things out of the realm of their authority, then I believe the answer is also “No.” They have to follow the laws, too. And, we are free to report them, too, i.e. we should expose the wicked deeds of darkness.

For, not everyone in authority approves of what is good and rejects what is bad (evil). Not everyone in authority holds no terror for those who do good, too, otherwise we would not have the persecution of Christians we have today by those in positions of rule and authority over nations. Yet, I don’t believe we should physically resist them. Jesus didn’t. The apostles didn’t.

Love Each Other (vv. 8-10)

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

What is love? (From yesterday’s devotion) So, what is genuine love? To be genuine means to be honest, sincere, unpretentious and not hypocritical. And, what is love? In the original Greek language, the word was agape, which means: “properly, love which centers in moral preference… In the NT, 26 (agápē) typically refers to divine love (= what God prefers)” - http://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm. So, genuine love is honest and not hypocritical, and it is moral, as opposed to immoral, and it prefers what God prefers. As well, it abhors (hates, detests) evil, and it clings (or holds fast) to what is good (moral, righteous, and decent).

So, we need to love one another with this kind of love. If we do, we won’t do any harm to our neighbor, because our love will be such that it prefers what God prefers, which is what is moral, righteous, and decent, etc.

For example, we won’t look at pornography and then lie about it to our spouses. We also won’t have private, intimate conversations with people of the opposite sex or of same-sex attraction, in person, on social media, via text messaging, or in phone conversations or in private chats. Our spouses should have complete access to all of our communications. There is far too much privacy which goes on between married couples, and as a result we have many people addicted to pornography or involved in extra-marital affairs. As married people, we should be completely open, honest and accountable with each other, and not have secrets from each other, which lead to secret sin, which then destroys marriages and families.

One of the biggest culprits in all of this has been the invention of laptop computers, I Pads (tablets) and Smart Phones, for people end up with private internet access 24/7 with no accountability for what they are viewing. And, people are handing these devices to children, too!L

Wake up! (vv. 11-14)

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

You know, there isn’t time to play around. This world of ours is really crazy right now. Time is running out. The beast (of Revelation) is rising, and it is conquering nations, peoples and Christians, including inside the USA. The gospel of our salvation is diluted in the vast majority of institutional churches, at least here in America, and many religious and political leaders are now pushing for a one-world government and one-world religion. They want us, as followers of Christ, to reject the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles so that we can join hands, hearts and voices with the people of this world regardless of religion or chosen lifestyle. So, don’t be fooled!

Lies and deception abound. The real “fake news” is what we might call the “real news.” We can’t trust most anything we hear these days. And, what is being called “fake news” just may be news coming from those who are actually telling the truth, although I believe there is fake news, too, which is being perpetrated by the same people who are the ones calling out the “fake news.” In other words, the real fake news people, i.e. Main Stream Media are making an issue now of “fake news” largely because they want to suppress truth. It is all a game they play in order to deceive naïve minds.

So, be informed. Don’t believe everything you see or hear, even if it looks or sounds real. Test everything against the Word and character of God. Pray, and ask the Lord for spiritual discernment in these matters so that you are not caught in the devil’s trap. And, stop sinning! Stop lying! Stop cheating, stealing, gossiping, committing adultery and the like, and obey God! Make no provision (no private internet access, for example) for the flesh, if that is your area of weakness, so that you don’t gratify your sinful cravings.

You don’t know if you have tomorrow. And, don’t count on some prayer you prayed at an altar when you were a kid. The Bible says if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk in darkness, we are liars! It says if we walk according to our flesh, to fulfill what our flesh desires, we will die in our sins. But, if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and we are walking according to the Spirit, in Christ’s righteousness, then we will live with Christ forever. Jesus said that if we want to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily and follow him. He said if we hold on to our lives (to live them how we want, and in sinful lifestyles), we will lose them for eternity. But, he said, if we lose our lives (die daily to sin and self), we will gain eternal life (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 8:1-14; 1 Jn. 1:6).

Have Thine Own Way, Lord / Adelaide A. Pollard, 1862-1934

George C. Stebbins, 1846-1945 / Tune: ADELAIDE, Meter: 54.54 D

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

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

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

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

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

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

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

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSnBbgsecD4

Genuine Love

Sunday, December 18, 2016, 2:48 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “When in the Stillness.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 12:3-21 (ESV).

Practice Humility (vv. 3-8)

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

So, what does it mean to think with sober judgment about oneself? It means to be clearheaded, serious, and thoughtful in the assessment of oneself. It is the opposite of prideful, puffed up, and telling oneself lies, and believing those lies. It is honest, as opposed to dishonest. It is open and transparent, as opposed to covering up sin and wearing a mask or faking genuineness. So, to think more highly than we ought to think about ourselves would be to think unrealistically, and to give ourselves more credit than we deserve, or to fabricate our own persona in order to fool others into thinking we are better than we really are. Also, it can be to take credit for things God has done in our lives, as though we have accomplished those in our own merit.

It, too, can be to raise ourselves up above others based on intellect, race, looks, social status, income, education, talent and even spiritual gifts. Yet, it is God who created us. We had nothing to do with that. He gave us our looks, our skin color, our intellect and our natural abilities, even the ability to make money or to live in more humble circumstances. And, he provides opportunities for us and places us in the families in which we were raised. And, for those of us who are Christians, we are only saved because of God’s grace to us. As well, he gives us the faith to believe in him. Yes, we have to appropriate that faith to our lives, and we have to take the steps he tells us we must take, but it all comes from him, and it is all accomplished in his power and strength. So, we can’t even take credit for our spiritual walks or the spiritual gifts he gives each one of us. It is all because of God’s grace!

Love One Another (vv. 9-13)

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

So, what is genuine love? To be genuine means to be honest, sincere, unpretentious and not hypocritical. And, what is love? In the original Greek language, the word was agape, which means: “properly, love which centers in moral preference… In the NT, 26 (agápē) typically refers to divine love (= what God prefers)” - http://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm. So, genuine love is honest and not hypocritical, and it is moral, as opposed to immoral, and it prefers what God prefers. As well, it abhors (hates, detests) evil, and it clings (or holds fast) to what is good (moral, righteous, and decent).

The problem with this kind of love today is that if you love others like this, then you are likely to be accused of bigotry, hatred, division, and judgmentalism. What the world, including many who call themselves Christians, often refer to as “love” is really utter selfishness. They won’t love others like Christ loves us, because it will mean that people won’t like them, and will reject them. So, they lie to people, and give false compliments, and they refuse to tell people the truth about sin and what God prefers, because it isn’t what sinful humans prefer, and it will offend people. And, they don’t want to offend anyone, because, again, they want people to like them more than they want people to love Jesus and to truly love their fellow humans.

As well, many people will not love like this, well, because they don’t know the ONE who IS LOVE. So, it is not in their nature to love like this. But, the sad reality is that there are so many people who claim to be Christians, and followers of Christ, who do not love others with this kind of love, but they “love” as the world does, which is the opposite of agape love. And, they do so because they are selfish, and they are thinking of themselves and what they want rather than about what is in the best interest of others. Genuine love does no harm to its neighbor, but fleshly “love” is not so concerned about whether or not someone gets hurt, but it is rather focused on self: self-pleasure, self-protection and self-gratification, even at the cost of all other relationships, including spouses, children, and church family, etc.

So, if you love others with genuine (agape) love, and you get mistreated and falsely accused in return, take courage. Keep serving the Lord Jesus with all spiritual fervor, and never, ever give up! Be patient in affliction, and keep praying and believing God for changed hearts and lives. And, keep loving!

Love Your Enemies (vv. 14-21)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

When we love others like Christ Jesus loved (loves) us, we will be hated and persecuted just like he was. Why did they hate him? They hated him because he told them the truth about their sin, and because he didn’t join in with them in following their man-made religion, and because people’s hearts and lives were being transformed of the Spirit of God, through his ministry, and they (the religious leaders) saw this as a threat to their own positions of power and rule over the people. Yet, they also hated him because he claimed to be who he was – God, their Savior, their Lord, and their Messiah, whom God the Father had promised them. And, so they killed him.

Yet, we are to love those who hate us, and who mistreat us, and we are to hope the best for them, which is faith in Jesus Christ and freedom from sin. And, we are to speak the truth in love to them, and not tell them lies to make them feel good about themselves in their sin. As well, we should work to show them the love of Christ by helping to meet their legitimate needs. And, we should hurt with them when they hurt, and we should rejoice with them in their joys, as long as those things don’t conflict with God and with his Word (his teachings). Also, we should not make them our closest associations, lest we should be dragged down with them into the dirt. Instead, we are to be overcomers of evil, by faith in Jesus Christ.

Yet, we are not to try to get even or to make them pay for their sin, but our goal should be to bring them to a place where they are turned from darkness (sin) to light (righteousness) and from the power of Satan (he has had over their lives) to God, to live and to walk in his holiness, according to his Spirit, so they can be forgiven their sins, and be sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (See: Ac. 26:16-18). And, we should work towards peace and harmony, as long as those don’t mean compromise of our Christian faith.

When in The Stillness / An Original Work / September 26, 2011

When in the stillness of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.

Be my desire, set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in fellowship with You,

Listening to You; sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me,

Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth.

While we are waiting for Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts be King today.

Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from your word within us,

Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,

Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;

Be an example of Your love,

Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You, follow You always,

Bearing their cross and turning from sin;

Walking in daily fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

https://vimeo.com/126984144  

Becoming Like Jesus

Sunday, December 18, 2016, 7:01 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 12:1-2 (ESV).

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

What is a living sacrifice?

Well, a sacrifice is something you surrender, that you give up or you let go of. It is living, because we are living, and we are the sacrifice. So, if we present our lives to God as living sacrifices, then basically we are giving up ownership of our own lives, and we are surrendering them to God to be used for his purposes and for his glory. This is basically what takes place when we accept God’s invitation to his great salvation, and the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us. We are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (See: Eph. 4:20-24; Ro. 6:1-23).

The problem, though, is that we still live in these flesh bodies, and so we still have a propensity to sin, and a tendency to want to take back ownership of our own lives. Since we are a living sacrifice, it is possible to take ourselves back off that altar, too. So, that is why Jesus said that if we want to come after him that we must deny self, take up our cross DAILY (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him (Lu. 9:23-25). And, it is why Paul said that if we walk in the flesh, we will die (in our sins), but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (with Christ for eternity) (See: Ro. 8:1-14). DAILY we must offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. DAILY we must surrender our lives to our Lord.

So, why is it important that we offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices? It is because of Jesus’ mercy to us in dying on a cross to save us from our sins. Jesus didn’t die just so we could escape hell and go to heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). He died to radically transform our lives away from living for sin and self to living for God and for his purposes. Jesus came to the earth to turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that we might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified (made holy) by faith in Jesus Christ (See: Ac. 26:16-18). 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” (Tit. 2:14).

What does it mean to be holy and acceptable to God?

To be holy means to be set apart (unlike, different) from the world because we are becoming like Jesus. Although we must live in the world, we are not supposed to live in the same manner as the world does. We should not take on the world’s character, mind, behaviors, attitudes, values and actions, though many Christians do. So, why do they, or why did I? Well, for one we still live in flesh bodies, and we are still drawn to sin, although Jesus died to free us from slavery to sin, so it should no longer be our master. But the other big factor, I believe, is that so many Christians are daily consuming the world’s character, etc. via TV, movies, music, games, etc.

You have probably heard the saying, “Garbage in. Garbage out.” If daily we digest the world’s values and mindset via TV, the internet, social media, games, secular music, and sports, etc., not to mention TV commercials, it is what is going to direct our lives instead of the Lord Jesus directing our lives, especially if we spend 2 hours or more a day digesting the world while we spend little time each day, if any, in God’s word and in prayer. If we give our lives to the junk of this world, but we give Jesus only a passing nod, the world is going to be what wins out, “hands down,” as the saying goes. So, if we want to live holy lives, pleasing to God, then we need to reevaluate how we are spending our time each day, and what kinds of things we are daily taking into our minds, eyes and hearts. And, we need to yield to Jesus.

To be acceptable (pleasing) to God in our daily lives, we need to then find out what pleases him, and then do it. Many people today are saying that God is pleased with us no matter what we do, and that he delights in us even when we are steeped in sin. Wrong! That is not what scripture teaches. In fact, it teaches just the opposite. It has much to say on living holy lives pleasing (or acceptable) to God. Some of what pleases God should be quite obvious to us, like we should cease from living daily for sin and self, and we should, instead, set our minds to live to God to do his will, his way. Then, we should spend more time with him in prayer and in his Word, listening to him speak to our hearts, so that we know his will, and so we can do what he says, and then we need to do it – in the power and working of the Holy Spirit, who now lives within us.

What is spiritual worship?

Today’s modern institutional church has often given Christians the wrong concept of worship of God. They present “worship” as collectively singing songs of praise and worship to God during a song service in a building called “church.” Now, certainly singing songs of praise and adoration to our Lord is part of our worship of him, but there is a sequence of events which must first take place for true worship to also take place.

First of all, since much of the “church” regularly invites into their meetings the people of the world, and they also regularly conform their “worship services” to do what is pleasing to the world, so that the world will want to come back to their meetings, then these times of “worship” are often more geared to the world than they are to be pleasing to God. God is not in first place in many of these “worship” services. So, for true worship of God to take place, the worship itself must be as God designed it to be, according to what is pleasing to him, not according to what is pleasing to the world.

Also, we can’t worship God if we don’t know him, or if we are not living for him. So, we must first of all come into genuine relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, via repentance and obedience (submission and surrender to God). We must die with Christ to sin, and we must be born anew of the Spirit of God to living now to God and to his righteousness. And, we must give our lives over to God as living sacrifices and make Jesus truly Lord (owner-master) of our lives, living holy lives pleasing to God. This is true worship of God! We can sing songs and raise or clap our hands, but if we are still living for the flesh, and we are doing what pleases us, instead of what pleases God, then we are not truly worshiping God.

How are we transformed in the renewing of our minds?

So, instead of living to please ourselves, doing things our way, or living our lives in accordance with the ways of this sinful world, we are to be transformed in the renewing of our minds. So, how do we do that? We do that through submission and surrender to our Lord, to follow him in obedience to his will and to his ways. We are not just hearers of the Word who walk away and forget what we look like, but we are doers of the Word, not in legalistic and ritualistic adherence to a set of rules, but in humble and contrite obedience to our Lord whenever he speaks conviction to our hearts. And, we do this in the power and working of God’s Holy Spirit within us, as we cooperate fully with that work of grace in our lives.

We also do this via put offs and put ons (See: Ephesians 4-5). For instance, my husband and I used to watch a lot of movies. We went back and forth on this issue for many years, and then one day we examined all that we were watching against Philippians 4:8. We found that most of what we were watching, even things we thought were pretty innocent, didn’t pass the test. And, so we threw out most all our movies, and eventually all of them, as well as we chose to get rid of our TV. That was 8 years ago. I don’t miss them at all! And, I found I had a lot more time for God, and for his Word, and I didn’t have all that junk from the world fighting against what God was doing in filling my mind with himself and with his righteousness.

So, for our minds to be transformed and renewed, we have to cooperate with God, and with his Word, and with his Work in our lives by removing from our lives and our minds what is junk, and what is contrary to his teachings, so that we can fill our minds and lives with what is holy, righteous and pleasing to our Lord. Then, we are able to discern what the will of God is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. For, it is really hard to discern his will when we are filling our minds with the junk of this world. So, I would encourage anyone reading this today to prayerfully examine all that you are doing, and all that you are taking into your mind and life, to see if it is pleasing to God. If it is not, then I pray that you would remove all from your life which does not bring glory to God, and that you will begin to fill your life and mind with God, with His Word, and with doing his will, his way.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

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

Ignorant of Righteousness

Saturday, December 17, 2016, 7:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 10:1-17 (ESV).

Zeal for God (vv. 1-4)

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

If people have zeal for God, is it always good? Not according to scripture. So, maybe it isn’t really passion for God, but they think it is. In their own minds they believe it is. Perhaps they think they are serving God, when they are really serving themselves or their own idols of human making. So, what’s wrong with their zeal? Is it misdirected? I think that is the point.

All throughout scripture God chided his people for going through the motions of zeal (passion) for God, but it was just going through the motions, because their hearts were far from God. And, that is really the difference between the right kind of zeal and the wrong kind. These people thought God would be pleased with them if they performed all kinds of religious rituals and if they followed the traditions passed down to them from their forefathers. But, God told them that isn’t what he wanted. What he wanted was their hearts fully surrendered to him in obedience to his will for their lives, and that is what many of them were not willing to give.

And, this could be true of many people today who claim to be Christians. They are good at following all the traditions passed down to them from their forefathers, and they are good at religious performance, and going through the motions of worshiping God, but Jesus is not truly Lord (owner-master) of their lives. From all outward appearance they are good people who seem to be religious, but they have not submitted to the righteousness of God. Instead, they establish their own where they are the ones deciding what they will do or not do for God, according to their own timetable, and according to their own priorities and purposes.

So, they need to have a crisis experience with Jesus Christ where they trust in him truly as LORD and Savior of their lives, and they submit to his will.

Everyone Who Believes (vv. 5-13)

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

We have to be so careful here that we do not take scriptures out of context and build entire theologies around them. That is what many people today have done with this section of scripture. Yet, this passage of scripture must be read in the context of the whole of Romans, especially chapters 6 and 8.

So, what do I mean by that? Well, many people take vv. 9-10 and make that their whole salvation message, as though this expresses the entirety of the gospel of our salvation. But, it doesn’t. They also Americanize it, too. What I mean by that is what this meant to people of that time and culture and what it means to us in America can be vastly different. For instance, if someone of that day and time and culture was to confess aloud that Jesus is Lord of his or her life, and if they were to acknowledge that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah of the Jews, it could mean certain death, torture, imprisonment, rejection, persecution, and abandonment, etc. They could be kicked out of their families or lose their jobs. Yet, in America, at least up to this point, we can verbally say Jesus is Lord of our lives, and it does not have nearly the impact that it did then, or that it does now in other cultures.

So, what can we learn from this passage of scripture? Well, first of all we can learn that true faith in Jesus Christ involves both confession with our mouth of Jesus as Lord of our lives, as well as it involves belief in him in our hearts. In other words, true faith in Jesus is not something we keep hidden from other people. We want to share our testimonies of faith in Jesus Christ, and we want to tell others how they can come to know him, too. We should not be ashamed of Jesus or of his gospel of salvation. But, we should be verbal in our faith as well as having genuine trust in Jesus as our Savior.

As well, this says we must confess him as Lord of our lives. This confession, though with our mouths, and out loud where others can hear, must be accompanied by true heart belief in what we are confessing. In other words, we can’t just profess to have Jesus as Lord (owner-master) of our lives, but he must BE Lord of our lives in practice, i.e. in reality. Also, this belief that God raised him from the dead is not a mere intellectual acknowledgment of that fact. Remember that James said that even the demons believe and they shudder.

Believing in Jesus’ resurrection also means believing in who he is, and in what he did when he died on the cross for our sins. And, if we truly believe that he died that we might be delivered from our sin, then that belief must involve yielding to our Lord in death to sin and in living to righteousness, which is the work of the Spirit in our lives in regeneration (being born again), as we cooperate fully with that work (See: Romans 6-8).

Beautiful Feet (vv. 14-17)

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

There are many people today talking about Jesus Christ. The pope talks about him, and so does Obama, and Rick Warren and many others, but are they all telling us the truth? NO! They are not! The “good news” is not merely that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven. It is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). If we are not truly set free from slavery to sin, then we are not free, and we are still in our sins and bound for hell. The only “good news” is that we can be delivered from the control of Satan and sin over our lives, and that we, in the power and working of God’s Spirit within us, can walk in the Spirit and in Christ’s righteousness and holiness. This is GOOD NEWS!

So, what’s the difference between following a set of religious directives and living a life of obedience to God? One is self-driven and controlled, while the other is self-sacrificed in surrender and submission to our Lord (owner-master) Jesus Christ, who is the one in control over our lives.

What’s the difference, as well, between works-based salvation and walking in obedience to Jesus Christ? One is self-driven and controlled, while the other is self-sacrificed in surrender and submission to our Lord Jesus. In other words, although it is true that we can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation, and that we are not saved by works, but by God’s grace, through faith in Christ, our salvation is not absent of works. We must yield to our Lord, in surrender to his will, and we must submit to death to sin and living to righteousness, for which he died. We must obey the gospel which teaches death to sin and living to righteousness. All this, though, is done not in our own strength and power, but in the strength and power of God’s Spirit now living within us, as we cooperate with his work of grace in our lives. This is not about striving, in other words, but it is about resting in our Lord in submission and in surrender to his will. And, it is about following him in obedience to that will for our lives.

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting / Jean Sophia Pigott

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,

And Thy beauty fills my soul,

For by Thy transforming power,

Thou hast made me whole.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,

I behold Thee as Thou art,

And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,

Satisfies my heart;

Satisfies its deepest longings,

Meets, supplies its every need,

Compasseth me round with blessings:

Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me

As I work and wait for Thee;

Resting ‘neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,

Earth’s dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father’s glory,

Sunshine of my Father’s face,

Keep me ever trusting, resting,

Fill me with Thy grace.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.