Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Crucifying the Son of God. Putting the Son of God to open shame.
As sinners we sin.
As sinners we are faced with numerous temptations and often temptations we ultimately find too hard to resist and fall prey to. There is a certain sense of despair of ever being sin-free, of ever being able to overcome the sins that easily beset us. We cry out how wicked we are doing things we don't want to do. We even sometimes lose some hope and slowly fade away from our walk with Christ letting sin reign in our lives trying not to care any longer because we feel hopelessly lost to that sin. Is this the falling away talked about here in Hebrews 6:4-6? No.
What is talked about here is this…
Falling away-
G3895
parapiptō
par-ap-ip'-to
From G3844 and G4098; to fall aside, that is, (figuratively) to apostatize: - fall away.
APOS'TATIZE, v.i. To abandon one's profession or church; to forsake principles or faith which one has professed; or the party to which one has been attached.
You can backslide into sin without believing Jesus is NOT the Son of God.
You can sin knowing that the Son of God was crucified for You, and not have fell away.
To repent you have to believe you are in need of repentance.
Those who become fully apostate have no desire to repent, they believe in their hearts they have NOTHING to repent of, that there is NO repentance found in the Son of God, that the death of the Son of God was meaningless. You can not be renewed to repentance when you- like those who put the Son of God to death, having Him crucified- do not believe He is the Son of God.
To -
Crucify the Son of God. Putting the Son of God to open shame is what keeps those-- who have had the knowledge and experience of the Son of God as their personal Savior, having once believed in Him as the Son of God, knowing Him in that way-- from being renewed. They knew the Son of God, they believed the Son of God, and then they choose to no longer believe. If you don't believe, if you don't have faith, you are lost.
This isn't talking about a situation like Peter denying Christ three times… if it were we could say Peter believed and then turned around and denied Christ, he fell away. We could say it's like Paul talking about what a wretched man His is- doing things he doesn't want to do, but it's not like that either! This is denying Jesus' God-hood. This is denying Jesus' power. This is denying Jesus' divinity and returning to a state of belief that God's Son never came to earth, God's Son never died for You, this is denying the Son of God in every way- and you can't be renewed to repentance ever if you believe that there is no Son of God, no innocent Son of God crucified. It truly is crucifying Him all over again and like the Pharisees who had the Son of God killed it's NOT believing that the Son of God was truly here on earth and died for you, to take away your sins. This is a falling away that cannot be renewed because the heart is set against the Son of God entirely.
Remember this parable--
Luk 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
Luk 8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
Luk 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Luk 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Luk 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Luk 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luk 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Luk 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Luk 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Luk 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
THEY- hear and the devil takes away the word out of their hearts LEST THEY SHOULD BELIEVE AND BE SAVED! NOTE: They DON'T believe.
THEY - hear, receive the word with joy, and they have no root, which FOR A WHILE BELIEVE AND IN TIME OF TEMPTATION FALL AWAY. NOTE: FOR A WHILE BELIEVE- obviously after a while they NO longer believe.
THEY - have heard and go forth and are CHOKED with CARES and RICHES and PLEASURES of this life, having NO fruit. NOTE: They heard and their belief is killed, they cannot flourish, the belief is dead-choked.
THEY - hear and KEEP believing!
Only through belief in the Word of God- the Son of God and Him crucified for our sins are we kept from falling away into apostasy.
When belief is gone, when hope is gone, then logically… there can be no believing, no hoping, and no renewing.
As long as there is hope, as long as there is belief in that hope, as long as we truly accept the Son of God as our Savior there is hope no matter that hardship you've been going through, no matter how far you've slid back into sin there is hope if you believe in the Son of God as Your Savior. You might think you are UNWORTHY of being saved and you know what? We are ALL unworthy of being saved! Being unworthy isn't what keeps you from being saved, not believing, having no hope in the Son of God is what keeps you from being saved. We can't hope in ourselves, there is NO hope in ourselves. All our hope must be in the Son of God.
So yes, there will be those who have once believed who choose to no longer believe and there is nothing a person can do to restore that belief to them and they will perish in their unbelief. I pray to God that I am NEVER counted among those who fall away and find it impossible to be renewed to repentance.
When these people were being talked to about not being perpetual spiritual children but growing up into spiritual adults if God willed, they were then told this very, very, very adult information. They were not given milk at this point. The meat was on its way and if God permitted they would spiritually grow as they listened to these words and studied them. We have to grow in Christ. We have to keep spiritually growing and never be satisfied with stagnating with the milk only fit for babes.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Let us go on unto perfection...
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Most of us have gone to school and because we've gone to school we know how education works don't we? In Preschool the foundation is laid for the next level- Kindergarten. In kindergarten the ground work is laid for first grade and so on. You wouldn't teach a five year old algebra when they've not even learned to add 2 + 2. You have to lay the foundation of mathematics before you can build upon that foundation, right? How frustrating would it be if you laid the foundation only to find out a short bit later that the foundation was forgotten? Could you go on to teach the next level without the foundation being in place? No. You could try but with out understanding of the basic foundation you would be building upon nothing and the result would be nothing. You couldn't learn without the foundation and without each level that builds upon the last level. This is true for MANY things we learn in life. A child can't walk until they have learned to pull themselves up, they can't pull themselves up until they learn to sit themselves up, they don't sit themselves up until they've the ability to turn themselves over and so on. Learning is a process. If you can't read there is a whole world of knowledge you are not able to access. Once you can read there is so much more you can learn. So why should things be any different spiritually? Why should we imagine we can learn without a solid foundation? And why should we imagine the foundation is all there is and we are not to learn any more?
Let's think about it, really think. The principle doctrine of Christ is necessary but going onto perfection is also necessary. The principles of the doctrine of Christ are-
Repentance, which is having a true understanding of our guilt, of our sin-filled selves and an understanding the we need to be otherwise in Christ. Repentance is understanding that sin is something to be despised and hated, not something cherished and held on to.
Repentance from dead works- understanding that works do not save us, but our Savior alone can give us eternal life.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Faith towards God. Faith is believing without seeing, hoping in salvation unseen.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Baptisms- repenting and being baptized. The old life being buried and the subsequent rising up into new life in Christ.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Laying on of hands- being blessed with the gifts of the Spirit.
Act 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Resurrection of the dead- a reality at Christ's coming and after the 1000 years. A blessed resurrection for those who are called from the grave at Christ's coming. A resurrection of judgment to those called from their deaths 1000 years later.
Eternal judgment- a final judgment where all are judged.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
The principle doctrines- the foundation- the blocks to be built upon- the milk before the meat. We are to leave these principles once we are established in them and go on to perfection, we are to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord… 2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
By the grace of our Lord, our Savior we will grow in grace knowledge of Him in all ways. In His mercy! In His love! By His forgiveness forever!
Amen.
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Most of us have gone to school and because we've gone to school we know how education works don't we? In Preschool the foundation is laid for the next level- Kindergarten. In kindergarten the ground work is laid for first grade and so on. You wouldn't teach a five year old algebra when they've not even learned to add 2 + 2. You have to lay the foundation of mathematics before you can build upon that foundation, right? How frustrating would it be if you laid the foundation only to find out a short bit later that the foundation was forgotten? Could you go on to teach the next level without the foundation being in place? No. You could try but with out understanding of the basic foundation you would be building upon nothing and the result would be nothing. You couldn't learn without the foundation and without each level that builds upon the last level. This is true for MANY things we learn in life. A child can't walk until they have learned to pull themselves up, they can't pull themselves up until they learn to sit themselves up, they don't sit themselves up until they've the ability to turn themselves over and so on. Learning is a process. If you can't read there is a whole world of knowledge you are not able to access. Once you can read there is so much more you can learn. So why should things be any different spiritually? Why should we imagine we can learn without a solid foundation? And why should we imagine the foundation is all there is and we are not to learn any more?
Let's think about it, really think. The principle doctrine of Christ is necessary but going onto perfection is also necessary. The principles of the doctrine of Christ are-
Repentance, which is having a true understanding of our guilt, of our sin-filled selves and an understanding the we need to be otherwise in Christ. Repentance is understanding that sin is something to be despised and hated, not something cherished and held on to.
Repentance from dead works- understanding that works do not save us, but our Savior alone can give us eternal life.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Faith towards God. Faith is believing without seeing, hoping in salvation unseen.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Baptisms- repenting and being baptized. The old life being buried and the subsequent rising up into new life in Christ.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Laying on of hands- being blessed with the gifts of the Spirit.
Act 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Resurrection of the dead- a reality at Christ's coming and after the 1000 years. A blessed resurrection for those who are called from the grave at Christ's coming. A resurrection of judgment to those called from their deaths 1000 years later.
Eternal judgment- a final judgment where all are judged.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
The principle doctrines- the foundation- the blocks to be built upon- the milk before the meat. We are to leave these principles once we are established in them and go on to perfection, we are to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord… 2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
By the grace of our Lord, our Savior we will grow in grace knowledge of Him in all ways. In His mercy! In His love! By His forgiveness forever!
Amen.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Dull of hearing...
Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Have you ever had a lot to say to someone but you dreaded it because you know that someone isn't a very good listener? How many people are dull of hearing? There are books written on the subject of becoming a good listener. Just a quick check with google came up with these three titles-
Becoming a Good Listener
The Value of Being a Good Listener
About Being a Good Listener
If anything this tells us that people aren't good listeners and NEED to be taught to be good listeners. Shouldn't we be raised to be good listeners? Isn't this something we should teach our children? That old listen to your elders and so on? People have LOST the ability to be good listeners because our minds are just churning with thoughts and no sooner than we think them we believe those thoughts need to be voiced out loud because what we think is important, right? We want to be heard. We want to tell OUR side of the story, we want to get OUR point across. Our ideas are valuable aren't they? We are so darn busy being concerned about OUR selves that we don't listen, really listen. We might skim listen and we might skim listen a lot! What's skim listening? Just what it sounds like. We skim the talking of others by just listening to bits and pieces while we concentrate also on our replies to what they're saying EVEN if they're not finished speaking. We get the gist of what someone is saying and that's enough, right? We think on our feet, we're ten steps ahead of the next person, we're on the ball, we are multi-taskers and we're good at it, proud of it! We award people that can talk around others, that can get people to do what they want as they talk to them. Sales people, con artists, scammers all have this ability and we applaud them when they're legit sales people who break no laws when they're using their ability to persuade. We feel cheated when we are unlawfully conned. What people don't always realize is that a con artist and sales person while they talk a great game are also listening to us for various clues so they can use their scheming ways in a personal manner. They listen.
Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Hard to be uttered, why? Because you are dull of hearing.
Why speak if no one is going to listen? Why talk if you have no one to hear? It's like talking to no one if you talk and talk and no one listens, isn't it? Have you ever seen the glazed eyed look of others when you're going on and on as you talk? Or do you get that glazed look right when you start to speak, because people are instantly UNINTERESTED in anything you have to say. They assume before you even get going that you're not going to have anything to say that will interest them. They won't have to care about what you're saying, so why bother wasting time listening.
Hard to be uttered, because you are dull of hearing.
Do you ever get to the point where you don't want to bother speaking because you know others are DULL OF HEARING, that they don't want to listen to what you're saying, that they could careless about what you have to say- no matter how important?
Here we are being told that they want to talk of MANY things about our Savior. There are MANY THINGS to say but they don't want to say them because those they are wanting to speak to don't want to listen. How tragic, how very, very tragic to know that people don't want to hear many things about their Savior. Today we could go on the crowded street and try and take a poll asking people if they want to hear about Jesus their Savior and how many people would really want to stop and listen? We don't really know do we but we can imagine, can't we? Not many. Then or now, it's the same. We are DULL of hearing.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Babies are unlearned and can't eat solid food. Babies are unlearned and while babies have an excuse for their behavior, we don't. Adults who are still drinking formula and not solid food are oddities, it's unheard of (outside of illness and such). We are expected to drink our milk as babes and then as we grow start eating solid food. We are not expected to just keep on drinking milk and never transition to solid food. Spiritual milk is for babes, those new to the knowledge of the Lord and in need of much learning of the very basics of Salvation through our Lord and Savior. Spiritual meat is what comes next. We aren't expected to continue just drinking the spiritual milk endlessly, but we are expected to learn the deeper things. We are to live our entire LIVES devoted to our Savior and we have an amazing book of learning to guide us, a book that is miraculous that offers us milk to start with and meat as we continue on in our spiritual life. People like to ignore the meat and just keep taking in the milk, they don't want to have to chew, just be fed the easy liquid with no chewing involved, no energy expended, no more than what they believe is necessary to stay spiritually alive. We need strong spiritual meat to live spiritually if we are to grow spiritually at all and not remain babes, stunted in our spiritual growth.
Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age- even those who by reason of USE have their senses EXERCISED to discern both good and evil.
Yet…
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
You are old enough to teach others and yet you now need to be taught again. This isn't a good thing! We can't endlessly be taught and never learn enough to teach. All through our maturing years we are required to be learning in some sort of learning environment, school, homeschool, as we are growing up we are to be learning to become knowledgeable adults expected to LEARN things. When we encounter adults that don't have the knowledge they were supposed to have been taught when they were young we don't look upon them favorably do we? You should KNOW better by now. And maybe, just maybe there is an excuse for their not knowing, but what if there isn't one?
We must read this…
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
We don't want to be unskillful in the word of righteousness- that word is JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, OUR SAVIOR! Salvation is found in the RIGHTEOUSNESS of our Lord! If we are unskillful in the word of righteousness we know little of salvation. We need to exercise our senses, our spiritual senses need to be exercised - we need to constantly be learning and growing in knowledge of our LORD and we will be able to DISCERN good and evil. We NEED this ability to discern because there are way too many people who have lost the ability of discernment and they honestly believe that evil is good, and good is evil. It's an honest belief to them because they have NO ability to discern, they've not grown in the knowledge of our Lord's righteousness but they just keep drinking the milk of their spiritual youth, their growth stunted their spiritual life no longer truly living.
Please Lord, please help us to grow in Your word of righteousness! Help us Lord to eat the spiritual meat You offer to us. Help us to grow in knowledge of You. Help us LISTEN and not be dull of hearing.
By Your grace, Your mercy, Your Love!
Amen.
Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Have you ever had a lot to say to someone but you dreaded it because you know that someone isn't a very good listener? How many people are dull of hearing? There are books written on the subject of becoming a good listener. Just a quick check with google came up with these three titles-
Becoming a Good Listener
The Value of Being a Good Listener
About Being a Good Listener
If anything this tells us that people aren't good listeners and NEED to be taught to be good listeners. Shouldn't we be raised to be good listeners? Isn't this something we should teach our children? That old listen to your elders and so on? People have LOST the ability to be good listeners because our minds are just churning with thoughts and no sooner than we think them we believe those thoughts need to be voiced out loud because what we think is important, right? We want to be heard. We want to tell OUR side of the story, we want to get OUR point across. Our ideas are valuable aren't they? We are so darn busy being concerned about OUR selves that we don't listen, really listen. We might skim listen and we might skim listen a lot! What's skim listening? Just what it sounds like. We skim the talking of others by just listening to bits and pieces while we concentrate also on our replies to what they're saying EVEN if they're not finished speaking. We get the gist of what someone is saying and that's enough, right? We think on our feet, we're ten steps ahead of the next person, we're on the ball, we are multi-taskers and we're good at it, proud of it! We award people that can talk around others, that can get people to do what they want as they talk to them. Sales people, con artists, scammers all have this ability and we applaud them when they're legit sales people who break no laws when they're using their ability to persuade. We feel cheated when we are unlawfully conned. What people don't always realize is that a con artist and sales person while they talk a great game are also listening to us for various clues so they can use their scheming ways in a personal manner. They listen.
Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Hard to be uttered, why? Because you are dull of hearing.
Why speak if no one is going to listen? Why talk if you have no one to hear? It's like talking to no one if you talk and talk and no one listens, isn't it? Have you ever seen the glazed eyed look of others when you're going on and on as you talk? Or do you get that glazed look right when you start to speak, because people are instantly UNINTERESTED in anything you have to say. They assume before you even get going that you're not going to have anything to say that will interest them. They won't have to care about what you're saying, so why bother wasting time listening.
Hard to be uttered, because you are dull of hearing.
Do you ever get to the point where you don't want to bother speaking because you know others are DULL OF HEARING, that they don't want to listen to what you're saying, that they could careless about what you have to say- no matter how important?
Here we are being told that they want to talk of MANY things about our Savior. There are MANY THINGS to say but they don't want to say them because those they are wanting to speak to don't want to listen. How tragic, how very, very tragic to know that people don't want to hear many things about their Savior. Today we could go on the crowded street and try and take a poll asking people if they want to hear about Jesus their Savior and how many people would really want to stop and listen? We don't really know do we but we can imagine, can't we? Not many. Then or now, it's the same. We are DULL of hearing.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Babies are unlearned and can't eat solid food. Babies are unlearned and while babies have an excuse for their behavior, we don't. Adults who are still drinking formula and not solid food are oddities, it's unheard of (outside of illness and such). We are expected to drink our milk as babes and then as we grow start eating solid food. We are not expected to just keep on drinking milk and never transition to solid food. Spiritual milk is for babes, those new to the knowledge of the Lord and in need of much learning of the very basics of Salvation through our Lord and Savior. Spiritual meat is what comes next. We aren't expected to continue just drinking the spiritual milk endlessly, but we are expected to learn the deeper things. We are to live our entire LIVES devoted to our Savior and we have an amazing book of learning to guide us, a book that is miraculous that offers us milk to start with and meat as we continue on in our spiritual life. People like to ignore the meat and just keep taking in the milk, they don't want to have to chew, just be fed the easy liquid with no chewing involved, no energy expended, no more than what they believe is necessary to stay spiritually alive. We need strong spiritual meat to live spiritually if we are to grow spiritually at all and not remain babes, stunted in our spiritual growth.
Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age- even those who by reason of USE have their senses EXERCISED to discern both good and evil.
Yet…
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
You are old enough to teach others and yet you now need to be taught again. This isn't a good thing! We can't endlessly be taught and never learn enough to teach. All through our maturing years we are required to be learning in some sort of learning environment, school, homeschool, as we are growing up we are to be learning to become knowledgeable adults expected to LEARN things. When we encounter adults that don't have the knowledge they were supposed to have been taught when they were young we don't look upon them favorably do we? You should KNOW better by now. And maybe, just maybe there is an excuse for their not knowing, but what if there isn't one?
We must read this…
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
We don't want to be unskillful in the word of righteousness- that word is JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, OUR SAVIOR! Salvation is found in the RIGHTEOUSNESS of our Lord! If we are unskillful in the word of righteousness we know little of salvation. We need to exercise our senses, our spiritual senses need to be exercised - we need to constantly be learning and growing in knowledge of our LORD and we will be able to DISCERN good and evil. We NEED this ability to discern because there are way too many people who have lost the ability of discernment and they honestly believe that evil is good, and good is evil. It's an honest belief to them because they have NO ability to discern, they've not grown in the knowledge of our Lord's righteousness but they just keep drinking the milk of their spiritual youth, their growth stunted their spiritual life no longer truly living.
Please Lord, please help us to grow in Your word of righteousness! Help us Lord to eat the spiritual meat You offer to us. Help us to grow in knowledge of You. Help us LISTEN and not be dull of hearing.
By Your grace, Your mercy, Your Love!
Amen.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Called of God- An High Priest
Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Melchizedek
King of righteousness, the king of Salem (q.v.). All we know of him is recorded in Gen_14:18-20. He is subsequently mentioned only once in the Old Testament, in Psa_110:4. The typical significance of his history is set forth in detail in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Heb. 7. The apostle there points out the superiority of his priesthood to that of Aaron in these several respects,
(1.) Even Abraham paid him tithes;
(2.) he blessed Abraham;
(3.) he is the type of a Priest who lives for ever;
(4.) Levi, yet unborn, paid him tithes in the person of Abraham;
(5.) the permanence of his priesthood in Christ implied the abrogation of the Levitical system;
(6.) he was made priest not without an oath; and
(7.) his priesthood can neither be transmitted nor interrupted by death: “this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.”
The question as to who this mysterious personage was has given rise to a great deal of modern speculation. It is an old tradition among the Jews that he was Shem, the son of Noah, who may have survived to this time. Melchizedek was a Canaanitish prince, a worshipper of the true God, and in his peculiar history and character an instructive type of our Lord, the great High Priest (Heb_5:6, Heb_5:7; Heb_6:20). One of the Amarna tablets is from Ebed-Tob, king of Jerusalem, the successor of Melchizedek, in which he claims the very attributes and dignity given to Melchizedek in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Obviously Melchisedec was unique. Christ was and is unique as well. Not High Priests from the established priesthood but rather High Priests uniquely called to be so of God.
Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Before God established the priesthood, there were priests. Most of the priests were worshippers of false gods. Priests that would offer sacrifices of all sorts to their gods, priests that had their own ranking orders. The idea of priests was not foreign and newly introduced. Priests were those who offered sacrifices.
What made Melchizedek unique was HIS God. The God He sacrificed to. He didn't sacrifice to false gods. He knew of the ONE TRUE God, the Most High God above all others. He knew of the reality of God in a world teeming with false gods. Not looking to any man, to any king, to any other to work his office of priesthood for, Melchizedek looked solely to God. The priesthood He embraced was for God and God alone, doing God's will. He didn't need to be ordained by any other because He was accepted by God- His priesthood was accepted by God. When He sacrificed to God His sacrifices were accepted. God ordained Him just as God ordained His Son- accepting His, the greatest of sacrifices.
We choose to follow the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We accept Him as our High Priest, the One who sacrifices for us, His sin-filled people.
People were instructed by God to live under the sacrificial system so that even though they were sin-filled they could be forgiven of those sins and no longer be separated from Him by those sins. When Melchizedek offered a sacrifice His sacrifices were accepted by God- His heart was pure, He made atonement for His sins that separated Him from God. Jesus was accepted of God, Jesus was without sin, the sacrifice He made was for OUR SINS, sins He took on Himself willingly so we could be at one with God again. No sacrifice we could make on behalf of ourselves would be accepted- the sacrifice of the innocent Lamb, the ultimate sacrifice, the sacrifice EVERY lamb offered, every bullock, every dove, every single sacrifice offered pointed to the ultimate sacrifice--
Christ the Great HIGH PRIEST ordained of God, not of man.
Let us contemplate this as much as we can, understanding how blessed we are to have such a High Priest, a pure, incorruptible High Priest, a High Priest forever ordained by God Himself. When people are searching for acceptability by God they often seek for it in many, many ways but there is only ONE way for us to be accepted by God and that is through His Great High Priest- Jesus Christ. We can only go to our High Priest and seek His intervention with God on our behalf, only then can we be accepted- because HE is accepted and HE loves us and willingly offered Himself for us. We need to trust FULLY in Him and what HE'S done, HE alone saves.
By His mercy!
By His grace!
By His love!
By His sacrifice!
By His righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Melchizedek
King of righteousness, the king of Salem (q.v.). All we know of him is recorded in Gen_14:18-20. He is subsequently mentioned only once in the Old Testament, in Psa_110:4. The typical significance of his history is set forth in detail in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Heb. 7. The apostle there points out the superiority of his priesthood to that of Aaron in these several respects,
(1.) Even Abraham paid him tithes;
(2.) he blessed Abraham;
(3.) he is the type of a Priest who lives for ever;
(4.) Levi, yet unborn, paid him tithes in the person of Abraham;
(5.) the permanence of his priesthood in Christ implied the abrogation of the Levitical system;
(6.) he was made priest not without an oath; and
(7.) his priesthood can neither be transmitted nor interrupted by death: “this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.”
The question as to who this mysterious personage was has given rise to a great deal of modern speculation. It is an old tradition among the Jews that he was Shem, the son of Noah, who may have survived to this time. Melchizedek was a Canaanitish prince, a worshipper of the true God, and in his peculiar history and character an instructive type of our Lord, the great High Priest (Heb_5:6, Heb_5:7; Heb_6:20). One of the Amarna tablets is from Ebed-Tob, king of Jerusalem, the successor of Melchizedek, in which he claims the very attributes and dignity given to Melchizedek in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Obviously Melchisedec was unique. Christ was and is unique as well. Not High Priests from the established priesthood but rather High Priests uniquely called to be so of God.
Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Before God established the priesthood, there were priests. Most of the priests were worshippers of false gods. Priests that would offer sacrifices of all sorts to their gods, priests that had their own ranking orders. The idea of priests was not foreign and newly introduced. Priests were those who offered sacrifices.
What made Melchizedek unique was HIS God. The God He sacrificed to. He didn't sacrifice to false gods. He knew of the ONE TRUE God, the Most High God above all others. He knew of the reality of God in a world teeming with false gods. Not looking to any man, to any king, to any other to work his office of priesthood for, Melchizedek looked solely to God. The priesthood He embraced was for God and God alone, doing God's will. He didn't need to be ordained by any other because He was accepted by God- His priesthood was accepted by God. When He sacrificed to God His sacrifices were accepted. God ordained Him just as God ordained His Son- accepting His, the greatest of sacrifices.
We choose to follow the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We accept Him as our High Priest, the One who sacrifices for us, His sin-filled people.
People were instructed by God to live under the sacrificial system so that even though they were sin-filled they could be forgiven of those sins and no longer be separated from Him by those sins. When Melchizedek offered a sacrifice His sacrifices were accepted by God- His heart was pure, He made atonement for His sins that separated Him from God. Jesus was accepted of God, Jesus was without sin, the sacrifice He made was for OUR SINS, sins He took on Himself willingly so we could be at one with God again. No sacrifice we could make on behalf of ourselves would be accepted- the sacrifice of the innocent Lamb, the ultimate sacrifice, the sacrifice EVERY lamb offered, every bullock, every dove, every single sacrifice offered pointed to the ultimate sacrifice--
Christ the Great HIGH PRIEST ordained of God, not of man.
Let us contemplate this as much as we can, understanding how blessed we are to have such a High Priest, a pure, incorruptible High Priest, a High Priest forever ordained by God Himself. When people are searching for acceptability by God they often seek for it in many, many ways but there is only ONE way for us to be accepted by God and that is through His Great High Priest- Jesus Christ. We can only go to our High Priest and seek His intervention with God on our behalf, only then can we be accepted- because HE is accepted and HE loves us and willingly offered Himself for us. We need to trust FULLY in Him and what HE'S done, HE alone saves.
By His mercy!
By His grace!
By His love!
By His sacrifice!
By His righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Son - learned obedience
Heb 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Heb 5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
Heb 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him
Every single high priest taken from among sinning man needs an offering for his own sins. High priests called by God, not by each other.
Our great High Priest Christ did not glorify Himself- God glorified Him.
Our great High Priest-- encompassed in flesh offered up prayers and supplications with STRONG crying and tears to God.
Our great High Priest reverenced His Father, believed in His Father and because of His belief in His Father He was heard by the Father. We think it's a given that the Son would be heard of the Father, but the Son as He was encompassed in flesh did not have the same access to the Father as He'd had before taking on flesh. The Son needed to pray. Think about it for few moments. The Son needed to pray. IF the Son needed to pray how much more do WE need to pray? If the Son was heard of the Father because He reverenced, because He feared, because He believed do we need to do no less? The Son worshipped and honored the Father. Even though he was a SON, He learned obedience how? By the things He suffered! We suffer. We bemoan just how much we suffer. We dare to say we've suffered too much, that the suffering is more than we can bear. The Son suffered. The Son wasn't pampered and spoiled, the Son wasn't given favoritism. If the Son had given been given favoritism Satan would have been quick to point it out and claim that Jesus did not suffer as a man at all. The connection that the Son had with the Father is the connection WE need to have with the Father as adopted sons.
The Son suffered and learned from His suffering, He learned obedience. Being made perfect… He BECAME the author of eternal salvation to all of US who obey HIM.
It's so easy for us to imagine that the Son of God just instantly knows everything and so He wouldn't need to learn obedience. It's equally easy for us to imagine that the Son of God wouldn't need to suffer to learn anything at all. Suffer to learn. We are under the false impression that suffering is for sinners, we suffer because we sin. Then we come face to face with the innocent suffering and we cannot comprehend why. We hear of babies and young children suffering and we know they are innocent of any gross, willful sinning, and our hearts just ache for them. Christ, the Son of God knew no sin and He suffered.
'Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered'
We know Christ didn't like what He had to go through.
Mat 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
Mat 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
IF it be possible…let this cup pass from me. This from the Son of God!
We suffer and often believe we don't deserve the suffering, at least not to the extent we are called to suffer and we are sinners truly deserving of death, let alone suffering.
What obedience can a child who suffers learn? Perhaps none, but perhaps the lesson if for another and the suffering inducing another's suffering. We cannot understand all the ways of God. We can know that ALL things will eventually work for good to them that LOVE Him.
By the grace of God may we learn obedience and if we are called to suffer let us remember the most Innocent of all suffered so that He might learn obedience and we learn obedience through Him. We can't let the lessons be lost, we must realize that the suffering will be for our good some way, some how and that God be glorified in all!
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Heb 5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
Heb 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him
Every single high priest taken from among sinning man needs an offering for his own sins. High priests called by God, not by each other.
Our great High Priest Christ did not glorify Himself- God glorified Him.
Our great High Priest-- encompassed in flesh offered up prayers and supplications with STRONG crying and tears to God.
Our great High Priest reverenced His Father, believed in His Father and because of His belief in His Father He was heard by the Father. We think it's a given that the Son would be heard of the Father, but the Son as He was encompassed in flesh did not have the same access to the Father as He'd had before taking on flesh. The Son needed to pray. Think about it for few moments. The Son needed to pray. IF the Son needed to pray how much more do WE need to pray? If the Son was heard of the Father because He reverenced, because He feared, because He believed do we need to do no less? The Son worshipped and honored the Father. Even though he was a SON, He learned obedience how? By the things He suffered! We suffer. We bemoan just how much we suffer. We dare to say we've suffered too much, that the suffering is more than we can bear. The Son suffered. The Son wasn't pampered and spoiled, the Son wasn't given favoritism. If the Son had given been given favoritism Satan would have been quick to point it out and claim that Jesus did not suffer as a man at all. The connection that the Son had with the Father is the connection WE need to have with the Father as adopted sons.
The Son suffered and learned from His suffering, He learned obedience. Being made perfect… He BECAME the author of eternal salvation to all of US who obey HIM.
It's so easy for us to imagine that the Son of God just instantly knows everything and so He wouldn't need to learn obedience. It's equally easy for us to imagine that the Son of God wouldn't need to suffer to learn anything at all. Suffer to learn. We are under the false impression that suffering is for sinners, we suffer because we sin. Then we come face to face with the innocent suffering and we cannot comprehend why. We hear of babies and young children suffering and we know they are innocent of any gross, willful sinning, and our hearts just ache for them. Christ, the Son of God knew no sin and He suffered.
'Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered'
We know Christ didn't like what He had to go through.
Mat 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
Mat 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
IF it be possible…let this cup pass from me. This from the Son of God!
We suffer and often believe we don't deserve the suffering, at least not to the extent we are called to suffer and we are sinners truly deserving of death, let alone suffering.
What obedience can a child who suffers learn? Perhaps none, but perhaps the lesson if for another and the suffering inducing another's suffering. We cannot understand all the ways of God. We can know that ALL things will eventually work for good to them that LOVE Him.
By the grace of God may we learn obedience and if we are called to suffer let us remember the most Innocent of all suffered so that He might learn obedience and we learn obedience through Him. We can't let the lessons be lost, we must realize that the suffering will be for our good some way, some how and that God be glorified in all!
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Monday, September 6, 2010
God will not condone evil
Psa 50:21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Do we do this? Do people do this? Do we imagine God to be one like ourselves? We who have so many flaws, we who are filled with the results of sin have the audacity to imagine that God is anything like us?
In this passage the wicked are being talked of…
Psa 50:16 'But unto the wicked God saith, …'
God is not a man.
Yes, God's Son became man in all ways without sin, but God is Spirit and not man. We are made in God's image but the image of something is not necessarily anything like the composition. You can decorate a cake to make it look like a *real* car but in the end you can cut into that cake and eat it while you can't cut into a real car eat it. The composition of cake and metal are completely different. The image might look the same, but the substance is not. Am I saying we in our sin depreciated state are anything like the first man created out of dust? Yes. We are like the first man but not in the newly created state. Made in the image of God and yet God is not altogether one like we are- either in a physical state or any other.
The wicked imagine God to be like themselves, that God condones their actions but He doesn't. Many wicked people live healthy and happy in themselves and the godly suffer painfully. The wicked and the godly might associate this fact with having God's favor or not. The wicked might go on believing that God understands them and is like them and that is why they are allowed to prosper, never fully realizing that is far from the truth. On the same token, the godly might believe God has abandoned them when He hasn't. God's ways are not our ways. To even imagine believing God is 'altogether such an one as the' wicked is ludicrous and yet the arrogance of the wicked blind them.
Lucifer imagined Himself as God and has been proven wrong and he is an angel. The wicked imagine God like themselves and they will be proven wrong as well. God does not agree to anything evil.
Psa 50:16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
Psa 50:17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Psa 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.
Psa 50:19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
Psa 50:20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
The wicked HATE instruction.
The wicked cast God's words behind them.
The wicked consent to evil.
The wicked partake with evil.
The wicked give their mouths-their tongues to evil.
The wicked speak against their own flesh and blood.
God is NOTHING like the wicked and will not accept the wicked. The wicked can imagine God to be like them all they want. The wicked can delude themselves and will delude themselves, believing God understands their evil and accepts them anyway- they don't know God at all. God will not accept evil.
We can let ourselves be fooled into believing God will accept us when we refuse His instruction, when we ignore His words, when we consent to evil and partake in it. We need to seek repentance and forgiveness from God, believing in His words fully, knowing that He will NOT consent to evil even if the most supposedly God-fearing person believes He will. People are led astray when they bring God down to their level and imagine Him to be like them. God will NOT consent to evil in any way, shape, or form. Evil must be confessed. Evil must be repented of. Evil will be destroyed never accepted. Our sins, by the grace of God, will be forgiven and this is the plan of salvation offered to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior.
As I think about what I've just written it strikes me once again that this is on point with the theme introduced with C.S. Lewis' writing on excusing sin… I'm going to copy it once again here.
Excerpt from Weight of Glory - "On Forgiveness" C.S. Lewis
'I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to EXCUSE me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing.
Forgiveness says--
"Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before. "
But excusing says--
"I see that you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame."
If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive.
In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites.
Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what seemed at first to be the sins turns out to be really nobody's fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven.
…. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to ACCEPT our excuses.
What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some
"extenuating circumstances."
We are so very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to FORGET the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don't cover, the bit which is INEXCUSABLE but NOT, thank God, UNFORGIVEABLE . And if we forget this, we shall go away IMAGINING that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our OWN EXCUSES. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves. '
End excerpt.
We really are to blame for our sins and God- who is NOT like us- will not excuse our sins. Let's stop fooling ourselves. Let us not be afraid to speak out against sin and the inexcusability of it. Yes, we sin- and we can be forgiven of our sins, but NEVER excused for them.
By the grace of God may we never, ever try to place God on our level, never!
In His love, in His mercy, only by His grace and love!
Amen.
Do we do this? Do people do this? Do we imagine God to be one like ourselves? We who have so many flaws, we who are filled with the results of sin have the audacity to imagine that God is anything like us?
In this passage the wicked are being talked of…
Psa 50:16 'But unto the wicked God saith, …'
God is not a man.
Yes, God's Son became man in all ways without sin, but God is Spirit and not man. We are made in God's image but the image of something is not necessarily anything like the composition. You can decorate a cake to make it look like a *real* car but in the end you can cut into that cake and eat it while you can't cut into a real car eat it. The composition of cake and metal are completely different. The image might look the same, but the substance is not. Am I saying we in our sin depreciated state are anything like the first man created out of dust? Yes. We are like the first man but not in the newly created state. Made in the image of God and yet God is not altogether one like we are- either in a physical state or any other.
The wicked imagine God to be like themselves, that God condones their actions but He doesn't. Many wicked people live healthy and happy in themselves and the godly suffer painfully. The wicked and the godly might associate this fact with having God's favor or not. The wicked might go on believing that God understands them and is like them and that is why they are allowed to prosper, never fully realizing that is far from the truth. On the same token, the godly might believe God has abandoned them when He hasn't. God's ways are not our ways. To even imagine believing God is 'altogether such an one as the' wicked is ludicrous and yet the arrogance of the wicked blind them.
Lucifer imagined Himself as God and has been proven wrong and he is an angel. The wicked imagine God like themselves and they will be proven wrong as well. God does not agree to anything evil.
Psa 50:16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
Psa 50:17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Psa 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.
Psa 50:19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
Psa 50:20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
The wicked HATE instruction.
The wicked cast God's words behind them.
The wicked consent to evil.
The wicked partake with evil.
The wicked give their mouths-their tongues to evil.
The wicked speak against their own flesh and blood.
God is NOTHING like the wicked and will not accept the wicked. The wicked can imagine God to be like them all they want. The wicked can delude themselves and will delude themselves, believing God understands their evil and accepts them anyway- they don't know God at all. God will not accept evil.
We can let ourselves be fooled into believing God will accept us when we refuse His instruction, when we ignore His words, when we consent to evil and partake in it. We need to seek repentance and forgiveness from God, believing in His words fully, knowing that He will NOT consent to evil even if the most supposedly God-fearing person believes He will. People are led astray when they bring God down to their level and imagine Him to be like them. God will NOT consent to evil in any way, shape, or form. Evil must be confessed. Evil must be repented of. Evil will be destroyed never accepted. Our sins, by the grace of God, will be forgiven and this is the plan of salvation offered to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior.
As I think about what I've just written it strikes me once again that this is on point with the theme introduced with C.S. Lewis' writing on excusing sin… I'm going to copy it once again here.
Excerpt from Weight of Glory - "On Forgiveness" C.S. Lewis
'I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to EXCUSE me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing.
Forgiveness says--
"Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before. "
But excusing says--
"I see that you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame."
If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive.
In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites.
Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what seemed at first to be the sins turns out to be really nobody's fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven.
…. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to ACCEPT our excuses.
What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some
"extenuating circumstances."
We are so very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to FORGET the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don't cover, the bit which is INEXCUSABLE but NOT, thank God, UNFORGIVEABLE . And if we forget this, we shall go away IMAGINING that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our OWN EXCUSES. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves. '
End excerpt.
We really are to blame for our sins and God- who is NOT like us- will not excuse our sins. Let's stop fooling ourselves. Let us not be afraid to speak out against sin and the inexcusability of it. Yes, we sin- and we can be forgiven of our sins, but NEVER excused for them.
By the grace of God may we never, ever try to place God on our level, never!
In His love, in His mercy, only by His grace and love!
Amen.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Words of truth- fitted to thy lips
Pro 22:17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
Pro 22:18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
Pro 22:19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
Pro 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
Pro 22:21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
I read this passage the other day and it just jumped out at me. I love this…
'They shall withal be fitted in thy lips'
What shall be fitted to our lips? The words of the wise, knowledge of the Lord, the words of truth.
Why shall they be fitted in our lips? That we might answer the words of truth to them that send us. Who sends us? Any that call unto us. We have to be ready to answer don't we?
1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Answer words of truth. The words of truth are of God. The words of truth are of salvation and even before Christ they were still of salvation- all things pointed to salvation in our Lord- before, during, and after His coming. Life is our Savior. Life is the truth in our Savior.
To have the words of God fitted to our lips is amazing! They can be fitted to our lips if we KEEP them within us. If we trust in the Lord. If we have faith. If we believe. If we apply our hearts to the knowledge of God, the knowledge of salvation.
I'm still feeling the sadness of the recent announcement about Stephen Hawkings touting that God isn't in creation. Oh, I know there will always be people who don't believe in God and I've known that for a long time. I also know that for as many as Hawkings might seduce to his man-made theories he'll also make others believe even more in God. God allows what He allows for reasons He alone can understand at times. We often wonder how and why things are allowed especially bad things, and that's when our faith has to be strong. We have to believe that the reasons are just even when they make no sense to us. This is where a lot of people start to waver. This is where faith is required and faith wavers. This is where so called people of science and logic jump in and say not to believe. I've had it happen to me in the past. Someone I admired too much started to work their intellectual wiles on me to convince me that the Bible was just man's invention to give order to society and it's like a fairy tale that keeps attracting the weak minded, giving them a crutch to fall back onto rather than admit that none of it is true and life is what it is without any of the Bible. Of course their words were much more seductive and convincing and I was at a low point in my spiritual walk when I was listening to these things. Only by the grace of God have I been brought back to Him fully and not captured by those lies. Without God there is no sense in the world at all whatsoever. Existence without God is heartbreaking, meaningless, and hopeless. I will NOT live without hope in salvation, without hope in our Savior. Tell me whatever you want to tell me. Give me your theories, give me your logic, give me your facts even undisputed facts, prove away by science any and all things in the Bible, I don't care! Satan, who is smarter than the smartest human being will use his powers to influence mankind and make their intellect persuasive to the faithless, to those who waver, to the weak. People of intellect don’t like to be called weak and will swear up and down that they are very strong-minded without a single mental weakness, but they are the weakest minded ever when it comes to faith.
I want to have the words of God fitted to my lips! I want to be able to speak and make known the truth of God to any and all that might ask me the reason for my faith. I want God to use me for His will in all things. And I hope to give ALL glory to God, always!
Pro 22:17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
Pro 22:18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
Pro 22:19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
Pro 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
Pro 22:21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
For it is a pleasant thing IF thou keep them within thee- they shall withal be fitted in thy lips- that thy trust may be in the LORD.
By His grace now and forever! In His love, through HIS righteousness!
Amen.
Pro 22:18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
Pro 22:19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
Pro 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
Pro 22:21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
I read this passage the other day and it just jumped out at me. I love this…
'They shall withal be fitted in thy lips'
What shall be fitted to our lips? The words of the wise, knowledge of the Lord, the words of truth.
Why shall they be fitted in our lips? That we might answer the words of truth to them that send us. Who sends us? Any that call unto us. We have to be ready to answer don't we?
1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Answer words of truth. The words of truth are of God. The words of truth are of salvation and even before Christ they were still of salvation- all things pointed to salvation in our Lord- before, during, and after His coming. Life is our Savior. Life is the truth in our Savior.
To have the words of God fitted to our lips is amazing! They can be fitted to our lips if we KEEP them within us. If we trust in the Lord. If we have faith. If we believe. If we apply our hearts to the knowledge of God, the knowledge of salvation.
I'm still feeling the sadness of the recent announcement about Stephen Hawkings touting that God isn't in creation. Oh, I know there will always be people who don't believe in God and I've known that for a long time. I also know that for as many as Hawkings might seduce to his man-made theories he'll also make others believe even more in God. God allows what He allows for reasons He alone can understand at times. We often wonder how and why things are allowed especially bad things, and that's when our faith has to be strong. We have to believe that the reasons are just even when they make no sense to us. This is where a lot of people start to waver. This is where faith is required and faith wavers. This is where so called people of science and logic jump in and say not to believe. I've had it happen to me in the past. Someone I admired too much started to work their intellectual wiles on me to convince me that the Bible was just man's invention to give order to society and it's like a fairy tale that keeps attracting the weak minded, giving them a crutch to fall back onto rather than admit that none of it is true and life is what it is without any of the Bible. Of course their words were much more seductive and convincing and I was at a low point in my spiritual walk when I was listening to these things. Only by the grace of God have I been brought back to Him fully and not captured by those lies. Without God there is no sense in the world at all whatsoever. Existence without God is heartbreaking, meaningless, and hopeless. I will NOT live without hope in salvation, without hope in our Savior. Tell me whatever you want to tell me. Give me your theories, give me your logic, give me your facts even undisputed facts, prove away by science any and all things in the Bible, I don't care! Satan, who is smarter than the smartest human being will use his powers to influence mankind and make their intellect persuasive to the faithless, to those who waver, to the weak. People of intellect don’t like to be called weak and will swear up and down that they are very strong-minded without a single mental weakness, but they are the weakest minded ever when it comes to faith.
I want to have the words of God fitted to my lips! I want to be able to speak and make known the truth of God to any and all that might ask me the reason for my faith. I want God to use me for His will in all things. And I hope to give ALL glory to God, always!
Pro 22:17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
Pro 22:18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
Pro 22:19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
Pro 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
Pro 22:21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
For it is a pleasant thing IF thou keep them within thee- they shall withal be fitted in thy lips- that thy trust may be in the LORD.
By His grace now and forever! In His love, through HIS righteousness!
Amen.
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